If you want to experience and witness the great grand sand desert in India, Jaisalmer is the place to be. Thar desert has covered almost all of Jaisalmer, very beautifully.

3 nights would be sufficient to explore and do enough travelling around Jaisalmer.

There are 3 ways to travel from New Delhi to Jaisalmer –

1. Road – Approximately 800 kms which will take not less than 15-16 hours.
2. Rail – There are majorly 3 direct trains from Delhi to Jaisalmer :
   1. Howrah Jaisalmer SF Express – runs only on tuesdays, travel time 13.40 hours
   2. Delhi Jaisalmer Express – runs all weedays, travel time 18.10 hours
   3. Ranikhet Express – runs all weedays, travel time 18.45 hours
3. Air/Flight – takes 1.20 hours

 

I (along with 5 friends) travelled to Jaisalmer via train (Delhi Jaisalmer Express). It was a long but enjoyable journey. Travelling in trains has always been exciting for me. You get to talk to different people, walk around, sleep for long hours, play cards if travelling with friends. Good trains in India also offer delicious food  (included in ticket fare).

Best place to stay in Jaislamer –

If you are travelling to Jaisalmer, you got to stay near desert for atleast 1 night. Most preferrable and ideal will be – staying 2 nights near desert and 1 night in the city. I stayed at Sam Sand Dunes which is neraly 40 mins from Jaisalmer. Sam sand dunes is a lovely settlement of swiss tents. They charge you 1000-1500 INR per night per head which includes evening snacks, dinner and folk dance performance within their premises. They have a big lawn where you can chill late at night also, without any restrictions.

The best attraction in Jaisalmer is Camel and Jeep Safari. Most of the people only opt for Camel Safari ( 200-300 INR only) , but I would say the best experience I had during my trip to Jaisalmer was – Jeep Safari/Dune Bashing. Camel Safari is just across the road from Sam Sand dunes.

For Jeep Safari, you can contact the staff at Sam Sand dunesa and they can arrange it for you or contact them dierctly from internet. There are a lot of comapnies providing Jeep Safari adventures in Jaisalmer. You can offer a little extra money to the driver of your Jeep and you can experience some of the best stunts. The rates are according to the kind of Jeep you hire , ranging from 500-1000 INR for Bolero Jeep to Mahindra Thar. There are Jeep Safari Packages also, which you can inquire there.

Next day you can hire a taxi and take a day trip to Longewala War Memorial ( Longewala Border – You must have seen in Bollywood Movie “Border”). It is a good 2.30 hour drive from Jaisalmer to Longewala. The road connecting Jaisalmer to Longwala is a straight road covered desert on both sides – very Scenic Drive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This memorial was built after Indo-Pak war in 1971. You can also visit “Tanot Mata” Mandir(Temple) in the nearby Tanot Village. This village has a great significance as a tourist spot beacuse it is believed that during the Indo-Pak war, a lot of bombs were thrown by Pakistan army but none of those bomb were diffused at this temple, so this temple kept many Soldiers and people of Tanot village Safe during the war. They have also build a War Museum inside the temple premises which is free for general public. It gave me goosebumps while talking to the soldiers/army men deployed at Longewala and Tanot Mata, when they narrated some of the instances from the Indo-Pak war.

After the desert spree, now is the time to explore Jaisalmer city. I explored 3 major and most famous tourist spots in one day at Jaisalmer city.

1. Jaisalmer fort – It is a very huge fort. Some of the areas of this fort are free for public, while to access some other areas, you need to buy the ticket. I explored only the freely accessible areas. This fort has a lot many stairs which was a little irritating for me.  I found a very cool cafe inside the fort premises, which has a good view due to its height and sat there for a while.

    2.Patwon ki Haveli – I don’t have much interest in visiting forts, palaces, etc but                   this one was quite intriguing for me. It is a set of 5 havelis or mansions , side by               side. It was believed that Patwa was a very rich man, so he built 5 big and beautiful           havelis/mansions for his 5 sons. If you visit the Haveli without a guide (Man who             will detail you about the history of haveli and members associated), you will not be         able to build any interest. Guides will charge you 100-200 INR only.

3. Gadisagar Lake- It is a lake in the midst of the desert. This lake is surrounded by             beautiful ghats, temples and shrines and is located at the backdrop of Jaisalmer               fort. During day time, you can do boating in the lake. I went to this lake after its              closing hours (post 6 PM) and it was completely illuminted with dim lights which            gave it a very scenic and royal look.