The Mindful Travel Guide

Whether you're snorkelling with manta raysin Medhufaru or dining under a desert sky in Rajasthan, let your next getaway be about connection and compassion. There's no reason a beautiful vacation can't have a heart.

- SAUMYAA VOHRA

HERITAGE HOLIDAY

Rajasthan

With the deluge of tourists that descends upon the colourful desert state at the slightest hint of good weather, ecotourism has been high on Rajasthan's agenda. Centred around the preservation of the natural environment and local communities, a conscious holiday in the Land of Kings is bursting with food, shopping, and outdoor fun. Start with Jaipur's Chandpol Bazaar for crafts and minakari furniture, and Johari Bazaar for bandhani and lehariya fabric, with a stop for carrot cake at Anokhi Café after. Get your hands dirty in a workshop at the Ram Gopal Blue Pottery studio, ending your afternoon with a late street-food lunch at Masala Chowk. Your base for these action-packed days ought to be the ITC Rajputana, which boasts the luxurious Kaya Kalp spa; the romantic, chandelier rise Rajasthani restaurant Jaipur Pavilion; and, of course, a LEED Platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Six Senses Fort Barwara—a restored 700-year-old palace—however, is ideal for an escape from city life, just two and a half hours away. From efficient design with rainwater-collection tanks and solar panels, to endeavours like rewilding the landscape and Earthlab workshops, sustainability is not an afterthought. So, when you get that stress-releasing deep tissue at their spa or dine at Shikar Burj under a canopy of stars (your meal crafted from the fruit of the resort's organic gardens), your conscience can rest easy.

SECOND NATURE