Countryside

Savista’s unique location in the tranquil eastern Rajasthan countryside offers a welcome relief from the sensory overload of frenetic urban India. The resort’s quiet environs are marked by dense greenery, wooded ravines and undulating cropland interspersed with sand dunes. The climate is moderate desert – brilliant cloudless days and crisp clear starlit nights.

The countryside around Savista offers several exciting activities for the outdoor enthusiast:

• Leisurely camel cart rides through the surrounding fields, the lush green river-bed of the now-dry Sujalam river, and the hamlets of Sanjharia, Himmatpura and Begas
• Guided adventure hikes along ravines and brush landscape, through grazing grounds of nomadic herders of camels, goats and sheep, and wild nilgai
• Bird-watching in and around the Savista estate, where over 85 varieties of bird species have been identified to date

The ravines, cut by a now-dry river – Sujalam – that used to flow alongside the estate, lend drama to the landscape around Savista. The dry river bed offers a hiking trail through brush and tall kusha reeds all the way to Bagru (8 km away, a medieval town and erstwhile Kacchawa principality which is famous today for its block printing craft). Nomadic pastoralists bring their camels, sheep and goats to the ravines to graze, and herds of wild nilgai – a species of antelope protected by the villagers as sacred animals – roam the countryside. Other scenic walking trails pass through fields, little hamlets, and the larger villages of Fatehpura, Himmatpura and Begas.

Interested guests can request for guided walks/camel cart rides through the countryside where they have the opportunity to exchange greetings with local people, visit homes to share a glass of tea or buttermilk, observe women churn butter or tend to livestock, watch and talk to women and men carrying out seasonal agricultural operations, or visit any of the schools in Sanjharia village where Savista is located. Agriculture is the main occupation in these parts, with dairying and camel herding as a subsidiary activity. The main crops grown are wheat, barley, chick-peas, beans, millets (bajri, jowar), and seasonal vegetables.