Route library · Outstation · Jungle
Delhi to Khichan & Phalodi
Khichan, a Marwari village near Phalodi in the Jodhpur district, hosts one of India's great wildlife spectacles: every winter, residents scatter grain at a walled feeding ground (chugga ghar) and thousands of demoiselle cranes (kurja) — up to twenty thousand at the peak — drop in to feed, wheeling over the dunes and the village havelis. Phalodi itself is an old salt-trade town with painted mansions.
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At a glance
- Round trip
- About 950–1,050 km
- Riding time
- 9–10 hours each way — best split at Jaipur or Nagaur
- Nights
- Three nights
- Start point
- Delhi (via Jaipur and Nagaur)
- Highest point
- Flat Thar plain — around 250 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate. Flat, fast, non-technical riding; the challenge is the distance and the cold desert dawns.
- Surface
- Good four-lane to Jaipur, then state highways via Nagaur and Phalodi to Khichan
- Best season
- November to February is the crane season, with numbers peaking December–January. Outside that window there are no cranes; March onward the desert heats up fast.
The ride
Delhi → Jaipur → Nagaur → Phalodi → Khichan. Long, flat plains riding — Nagaur's restored Ahhichatragarh fort makes a fine overnight stop.
At Khichan, be at the chugga ghar and the village ponds before first light for the morning feed, and again at dusk when the birds return from the fields; a nearby rooftop or the dune edge gives the best view without disturbing them. Phalodi's havelis and the salt lakes are worth the daylight hours. Osian's temple complex is on the way back toward Jodhpur.
The loop
- Ride Delhi → Jaipur → Nagaur → Phalodi → Khichan and check in at Phalodi (heritage havelis) or a Khichan homestay.
- Be at the chugga ghar and the village ponds well before sunrise for the morning feed; keep back, keep quiet, and do not walk into the feeding ground.
- Return at dusk for the evening flight, and spend the day at Phalodi's havelis and the salt lakes.
- Add Osian's 8th-century temples on the way back toward Jodhpur, or Nagaur fort if you didn't stop on the way in.
- On the bike, stay on the roads and off the dunes and fields around the feeding grounds — the cranes spook easily and the villagers have protected this for decades.
Fuel & services
- Fuel is easy the whole way — the Jaipur road, Nagaur, Phalodi and the Jodhpur road are all well served.
- No real gap; top up at Phalodi before Khichan and the salt-lake roads.
- Stay at Phalodi's heritage havelis, a Khichan homestay, or Nagaur fort's tented camp. Carry cash for the smaller places. Winter desert nights are genuinely cold.
Road & conditions
Flat and easy. Delhi to Jaipur is four-lane; Jaipur through Nagaur to Phalodi and Khichan is good state highway with the usual plains mix of trucks, camels, and unmarked breakers. The Khichan and salt-lake approach roads are quiet. The main hazards are winter-morning fog, livestock and the cold on the dawn rides — layer up and ride the early legs in daylight.
Bike, fuel & getting help
- Suggested bike
- Fine on a well-maintained 150–200cc commuter.
- Fuel gap
- Longest dry stretch is short — a normal tank covers it with margin.
- Spare fuel
- None needed for this route.
- Emergency & logistics
- District hospital at Phalodi and Jodhpur; good signal; the winter dawn rides are cold and foggy — layer up and ride in daylight.
Best time to ride
November to February only — that is the crane season, with the spectacle at its fullest in December and January. There is nothing to see outside that window. March onward the desert heats quickly and the birds have gone.
What to add to your kit
Beyond the standard ride kit: genuinely warm layers for the cold desert dawns, binoculars, a long lens, a buff for the wind, sun cover for the day, and cash. Basic tools and a puncture kit for the long state-road stretches.
Ride this with a group
We run Khichan and Phalodi as a three-night winter ride to one of India's great bird spectacles — dawn and dusk at the feeding grounds without disturbing the birds, a day among Phalodi's havelis, and a pond-edge clean-up with the village committee as the service action.