Rajasthan has been blessed with amazing cities which have their very own charm. Whether it is Jaipur known for its magnificent forts or Jaisalmer for the desert camping, there is a lot to explore in this culturally rich state. One of the cities which stand apart when it comes to weekend trips to Rajasthan (2 Days, i.e. Saturday and Sunday); Kota never fails to impress any traveller with its topography and hidden places to visit. I am preparing a one day itinerary of Kota based on my personal experience which I had during my visit to Kota in November month of last year.
During my one day trip to Kota, I explored three places which make this city unique and interesting. Though there are many more places to visit in Kota and the list doesn’t just limit itself to these three places but that’s what I explored in one day in Kota. You may either pick these three places or you may even frame out your own one day Kota tour plan as per your understanding and research on which places to see in one day in Kota.
Which places to see in one day itinerary of Kota?
So, I visited Kota only for Garadia Mahadev Temple. That was the only motive of visiting Kota and then I thought to explore the markets and street food in the spare time. However, when I booked a cab to Garadia Mahadev Temple, the cab driver told me another beautiful place which was worth visiting and then he took me there first. So, that place was added to my one day itinerary of Kota.
I returned from Garadia almost in the night and took a stroll around the city’s markets to taste street food and ultimately dinner. On the way, I came across this nice park which had replicas of the world-famous, iconic monuments known. After visiting this place and getting clicked in front of these monuments, I headed to a recommended place to have dinner, hadauti cuisine.
Gaipernath Waterfall
So, when I decided to visit Kota on the weekend, I had no idea if any place of this name even existed. Thanks to the cab driver who told me about Gaipernath Waterfall and took me there before visiting Garadia. This enchanting place is a natural gorge, with lots of water streams, falling off the rocks from the top. Around 200 steps lead to the temple (yes, there’s a temple) and the tranquillity of this place is something you will barely find elsewhere. It was a hidden gem in the valley. Less crowded and less commercialized, it is a must visit place in Kota if you are hunting off-beat locations. There are no security guards and no shops around, so carry water bottles.
Gaipernath Entry Ticket – No Ticket
Photography – Allowed
Timings – 5 AM to 7 PM
Things to Remember – Beware of monkeys. There are no shops around so carry your water bottles. Carry your trash back and dispose of responsibly.
Garadia Mahadev
Ever since Rajasthan Tourism has shown this place in its official advertisements, Garadia Mahadev got on everyone’s list who plans to visit Kota. And then a famous song Man Bharya was also shot here which pushed me to visit this place. Geographically, somewhat similar to Gaipernath, this place is inside a forest reserve area and you need to pay a ticket to enter. If you have a vehicle, you need to pay extra for the vehicle. The U shaped piece of rock place in the Chambal River makes it look incredible. This Chambal River Canyon is a famous picnic spot among the Kota locals and is visited by them as well as tourists. This place is secured and you will find security guards. Beware of monkeys and langurs.
Entry Ticket and vehicle parking charges – See the details in the image
Photography – Allowed
Timings – 8 AM to 5 PM Things to Remember – Beware of monkeys. There are no shops around so carry your water.
Seven Wonders Park
Seven Wonders Park is a new addition in Kota’s tourism chapter. The same park is also constructed in Delhi as well. This park has replicas of 7 iconic monuments of the world including Eiffel Tower of France, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Christ the Redeemer of Brazil, Statue of Liberty of USA, Pyramid of Giza, Colosseum of Italy, Taj Mahal of India. Located by the lake side, the replicas are lit during the night and everything comes to life. These small replicas are center of attraction and a must visit place in Kota if you are around. With not too much costly entry ticket, people come here during the evening to spend time, to click selfies in front of these replicas, Eiffel Tower being the famous. This place too wasn’t on my one day itinerary of Kota.
Entry Ticket – Rs 10 for 12+ years and Rs 5 for 3 – 12 years
Timings – 4:30 PM to 10 PM and on Wednesday from 11 AM to 10 PM
Photography – Allowed
Where did I eat in Kota?
So, there are lots of options in Kota. Its aromatic cuisine will surely tempt your taste buds. For light snacks, I went to this famous Brijwasi shop which had amazing snacks options including samosa, kachori, namkeen, etc. I roamed in the streets and tried some fast food and street food. For dinner, I visited Pathak Family restaurant and tasted their deluxe thali which you can see in the pic here.
Where did I stay in Kota?
I was on a budget trip to Kota and stayed in an Oyo room which wasn’t too much costly and didn’t drill a big hole in my pocket. I stayed here for one night and left the other day for Bundi to visit places there. Though there are some better options to stay in Kota, since I wasn’t planning to stay here more and for the time I was in Kota, I was roaming only, I didn’t go for any other accommodation option.
How much was my total budget for One day itinerary of Kota?
I picked up a sleeper bus to Kota from IFFCO Chowk, Gurgaon which costed me around 700 INR. Booking an Oyo room depends on various factors so you need to check that with yourself. I had read some blogs on Kota and found that few people managed to book cab to Garadia Mahadev in 1000 – 1200 INR which unfortunately didn’t work with me. I booked a cab to Garadia Mahadev in 1500 INR but I just didn’t visit Garadia in the amount, I also visited Gaipernath so it wasn’t a bad deal at all. Next, the dinner costed me around 300 INR.
Overall one day’s trip to Kota didn’t cost me much and was a budget trip. Let me know if you have any question or doubt.
