If you’re hunting (pun intended) for a wild escape that mixes royal Rajput echoes with raw Aravalli wilderness, Sariska National Park in Alwar, Rajasthan, is one of North India’s most rewarding weekend safaris. Just a few hours from both Delhi and Jaipur, Sariska offers tiger country without the crowds of Ranthambore, a dramatic fort inside the forest (Kankwari), ancient temples, and a rich cultural belt around Alwar that can turn a simple wildlife run into a full-blown heritage trip.

Mount Abu is Rajasthan’s cool, forested outpost—a granite island rising from desert plains, where leopards prowl, orchids bloom, and Jain temples glow white as moonlight. It’s also a walker’s paradise: a mesh of old forest paths and village trails weaving through one of India’s oldest mountain systems, the Aravalli Range.

Perched on a high spur of the Aravalli, Achalgarh (Achalgadh) is where Rajasthan’s martial past meets living faith. Just north of Mount Abu’s lakefront bustle, ruined ramparts, ancient gates, and a profoundly revered Shiva shrine create a compact heritage circuit that blends stone, story, and spirituality.