10 of India’s best-kept travel secrets

The region around Udaipur is famous for its noble Marwari horses, and the Ravla Khempur hotel, 50km north-east of the city, is home to celebrated horse breeder Hemant Deval. The rooms at the Ravla are comfortable, each with its own gokhara (bay window), while the homegrown and traditional food is prepared under the keen supervision of Hemant’s mother. The family also do a lot to help the local community.

What’s really unique here is the horse show – Hemant’s steeds perform a special dance, set to tribal music. In the past, horses performed these dances at special occasions. Today, this is one of the few places they can still be seen. Ravla is very much untouched by commercial tourism – here, you can still experience the true essence of rural India.

For the best Mughlai cuisine go to Karim’s (at Jama Masjid or Nizamuddin; karimhoteldelhi.com), where recipes dating from the times of the Mughals have been closely guarded by generations of chefs.