Any drive outside Chittaurgarh helps one experience a culture that combines the traits of Bhils and Banjaras. Women drape their pallus and chunnis every which way - over the left shoulder, over the right shoulder, into the waist, over the head, over the face, over the child - and, of course, favour those radioactive colours so pleasing to the jaded urban eye. To help the tourist interested in seeing the places around, most hotels arrange horse and jeep safaris in and around Chittaur.

Called Madhyamika in its prime, Nagri is now an excavation site where discov­eries have included Hindu and Buddhist temple remnants and earthenware from the Maurya to the Gupta periods. Tin-coins discovered here can today be seen at the museums in Chittaurgarh and Udaipur. Nagri is connected to Chittaur garh by bus.
Location On the road (NH76) from Chittaurgarh to Kota and Bundi

The cheerful village of Bassi is a jewel. Wander through the main bazaar to the old quarter, Sheher, where houses lining the medieval lane are sky-blue, mint-green, purple and yellow. Down by the lake, there's a stepwell between the Laxmi Nath Temple and the Shiva Temple, the interior of the latter beau­tifully painted by the toy-makers.
Bassi also has a wildlife sanctuary with panther, wild boar, antelope, mon­goose and migratory birds. A visit to the sanctuary can be arranged only through your hotel.

The best way to see it is to stay in Bassi Fort Palace or Castle Bijaipur or Hotel Pratap Palace in Chittaurgarh. With advance notice, you can even tour the sanctuary on horseback. Alas, animals are not in evidence during or after the rainy season,  as  overgrown grass  obscures them. Bassi is a half-hour drive down the Bundi Road from Chittaurgarh.

Though not at first sight the 'little Khajuraho' it's billed as, Menal is a great experience - a medieval Shiva Temple with erotic carvings, other poetic ruins and an enormous gorge that turns into a waterfall after the rains. Scrutinise the main temple for the couples in erotic poses and godheads of dubious sexuality; then scramble across the gorge to see another temple. Drive down the Bundi Road via Bassi, Parsoli and Ladpura to Menal. The best way to visit Menal is by taxi.