Jaisalmer
“Clutter smothers, simplicity breathes.”
You would not believe how much we covered IN A DAY on our Jaisalmer trip.
I do not recommend doing the same – stretch it out over 2 days. But we had a flight to catch the next day and had no other choice than to do Jaisalmer and everything near it in a day.
If you are really cut short for time – you can do a lot in a day – don’t listen to the tour company/ cab drivers who will force you to stay the night in Jaisalmer as there’s a lot to do and cannot possible be covered in a day(It can be covered!). Respectfully decline their itinerary.
We booked a cab, gave our driver the list of all places we wanted to visit and left from Jodhpur towards Jaisalmer at 5 am.
The road between these two cities is a dream to drive on! It’s supremely scenic and you can make several stops for a hot cup of chai (tea) or some road side pictures, just like we did.
We made it to Jaisalmer by 10 am and we knew we wanted to get done with the Fort first, so we directly headed to the Fort.
Jaisalmer Fort
This is a fort literally unlike any other one you’ll ever see. Have you ever been to a fort that houses one fourth of one city’s population!?! Bet you haven’t.
Here, people live in the fort, have their own shops, fully functional schools and other institutions, markets and everything else that a city needs – INSIDE THE FORT! To make it to different parts of the fort, you’ll find yourselves walking through tiny lanes with houses on both sides. What a surreal feeling exploring it!
Oh and when you are there, make sure to have a lunch at one of its restaurants. They have some of the most amazing views and if you are there in the afternoon, you can get some really great pictures along with an authentic Rajasthani food spread.
Now, here’s a list of some of the other must do things in Jaisalmer.
Gadisar Lake
We were pleasantly surprised to find this place completely void of any crowd! What a treat! Watching the sunrise there would have been a very special experience. Try it during your visit visit to Jaisalmer.
Patwon ki Haveli
Oh! OH! The way to get to this center is really something! Be ready to jump over puddles, chased by bulls and stared by locals, and walk through some super narrow lanes! Getting here is quite the experience in itself.
Bada Bagh
If you are planning a trip to Jaisalmer, this probably is on your must do list. I was in complete awe of this place. The pictures really don’t do justice to how magnificent these structures are. Also it was super breezy when we got here and there was some restoration work going on too – it was a delight to sit under shade and watch the restoration <3
Kuldhara Abandoned Village
When we were in Jaisalmer, which was a year ago, this place wasn’t know to a whole lot of people and so we were lucky to find very little crowd here. My friends who went to Jaisalmer this year couldn’t explore this place at leisure like we did. So I suggest do this as early in the morning as possible. This is on the outskirts of Jaisalmer, so people who are staying at Jaisalmer or coming to Jaisalmer from a different city – might not visit this Village first thing in the morning. But don’t take it off your itinerary – it is way too beautiful to be skipped.
Thar Dessert & the Sand Dunes
Oh.., this was my first desert and boy, was I excited! The camels, the shifting sand, the heat and the magnificent contrast between the orange sand and blue skies <3 It was everything I ever dreamed of.
Just one piece of advice: skip the camel safari. It is way better explored on foot.
Pro Tips
- Jaisalmer has many Havelis that have now been turned into museums. A couple of them are inside the Fort premises and many scattered through out the city. If you’ve hired a guide – he will probably suggest that you visit almost all of them – as there is an entry fee to each one of them and the guides earn a percent of commission to get tourist to buy the ticket. Now I am not saying you shouldn’t do that, but make sure what’s inside the Haveli is of at least some interest to you.
- If you decide to take the camel safari, make sure that the price you are paying for it is inclusive of a return trip to the starting point. There have been instances where your carrier would take you in the middle of no where, ask you to get off his camel and then say “That’s all folks!” :p He will then expect you to pay him again to take you back to the starting point 😀