The modern town lies about 180 Km from Jaipur and was originally founded by Amer rulers (the Kachhawahas) had a long standing association with Sawai Madhopur for many centuries. The Ranthambhor fort (14km) was gifted to them by the Mughals, along with vast tracts of surrounding forest-land. The region around Sawai Madhopur is thick with remnants of its past history. Walls, wells, mosques and hunting lodges adorn the lush rolling hills of the Vindhyas and the Aravalis.

One of these lodges has been converted into a hotel run by Rajasthan Tourism and another forest lodge hotel, which was a hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Jaipur, is run as a hotel. Every effort has been made to retain the original ambiance of the 30's. The Ranthambor National Park and the Ranthambor Fort lie within easy reach of Sawai Madhopur (which is also the nearest railhead).