The rhythm of a desert day
Morning: from first light until about eleven, for the things that need walking and energy: the fort, the temples, the havelis, the dunes at dawn.
Midday: from late morning until about four, for your hotel, a long lunch, a swim, a rest and perhaps a massage.
Late afternoon and evening: the golden hours, when the stone glows, then music, food and the stars.
- Morning
- First light to about 11
- Midday
- Late morning to about 4, at your hotel
- Evening
- The golden hours, music and stars
- Drives out
- 15 minutes to an hour
- Even in January: we keep the rest, though the midday sun is gentle, because the light is flat and the sights are at their busiest.
- In March, April and October: the rest becomes essential. In the hot months nothing else is possible.
- The rule: build your days around the light, not the clock, and Jaisalmer will repay you.
- On foot: the old town and the fort are explored walking, because the lanes are too narrow for cars. Your driver waits below the gates.
- Outside town: Bada Bagh, Lodurva, Kuldhara, the dunes and the national park are a fifteen-minute to an hour's drive away.
- Every place named: is described in our things to do in Jaisalmer guide.
One day in Jaisalmer
- Sunrise
- Gadisar Lake
- Morning
- The fort, Jain temples, Patwon ki Haveli
- Midday
- Thali and rest
- Sunset
- Bada Bagh, then Vyas Chhatri
Morning, Gadisar and the fort
Sunrise: be on the ghats of Gadisar Lake with tea, and take a short boat ride past the pavilions.
Up the hill: drive to the fort as it wakes and walk in through the four gates with your guide.
- Inside: the Jain temples during morning worship, then the palace for the view over the roofs.
- Down the hill: walk through the old town to Patwon ki Haveli before the lane fills.
- Choose, don't rush: with one day, pick the temples and the palace terraces, and leave the other lanes for a stroll on the way down.
- See a home: ask your guide for the residential lanes rather than the souvenir streets.
Afternoon, rest and a thali
- Lunch: back at your hotel, a desert thali with ker sangri and millet roti, then a swim and a rest.
- Late afternoon: with energy left, Salim Singh ki Haveli, when its carved top storey catches the light.
Evening, Bada Bagh and the lit fort
Sunset: drive to Bada Bagh an hour before and watch the royal cenotaphs turn from gold to rose.
- On the way back: stop at Vyas Chhatri to see the fort's lights come on.
- Dinner: on a rooftop facing the walls, or with Manganiyar musicians at your hotel.
Two days in Jaisalmer
Day one, the fort, the temples and the havelis
Sunrise: Gadisar, then walk up into the fort as it wakes.
The morning in the fort: the gates, Dussehra Chowk, the Jain temples at worship and the palace terraces.
- The havelis: walk down through the lanes to Patwon ki Haveli, Nathmal ki Haveli and Salim Singh ki Haveli, and be back at your hotel by noon.
- At four: after lunch and a rest, a slow walk through the bazaars below the fort.
- Sunset: watch the fort turn gold from Vyas Chhatri.
- Dinner: on a rooftop facing the walls, timed for the floodlights.
- Go slowly in the fort: stop for tea in Dussehra Chowk and look for the painted Ganesh images above doorways that mark a family wedding.
- The old drains: ask your guide to show you the ghut nali, which explain why the hill is so fragile today. Our Jaisalmer Fort guide has the full story.
Day two, the old capital and a desert evening
Cool morning: drive out to Amar Sagar and Lodurva, the old Bhati capital, with its carved Jain temple.
On the way back: the Bada Bagh cenotaphs while the light is still soft. Then lunch and a long rest.
- Late afternoon: an hour among the empty houses of Kuldhara.
- Sunset on the dunes: at Khuri or Sam, with a short camel walk and dinner by a fire.
- Then: drive back under the stars, or stay the night at a camp.
- No camp night? We arrange the dunes as an outing: sunset on the sand, a simple dinner by a fire with musicians, and a drive back in the dark to a proper bed. You still get the silence and the stars.
Three days in Jaisalmer, the way we would do it
- Nights
- Two near town, one in the desert
- Day one
- The living fort
- Day two
- Lodurva, Bada Bagh and music
- Day three
- Fossils, Kuldhara, Khaba, a dune camp
Day one, the living fort
Sunrise: Gadisar, with a rowing boat and tea on the ghats.
The fort, slowly: with a guide whose family knows the lanes: the gates, the square, the Jain temples at worship, the palace terraces and tea in a family courtyard.
- Late afternoon: after lunch and a rest, the haveli lanes, Patwon ki Haveli, Nathmal ki Haveli and Salim Singh ki Haveli.
- Evening: the fort's lights from Vyas Chhatri.
- The day to meet people: we introduce guests to families inside the fort whom we have known for years, for tea in a courtyard or on a roof.
- Fairly done: we pay them for their time, and it is often the conversation guests remember most from Jaisalmer.
Day two, Lodurva, Bada Bagh and music
Cool morning: Amar Sagar and Lodurva, and a stone carvers' workshop on the way back.
Lodurva: its temple is quiet and very beautiful, with a carved stone gateway and a sense of age the town has lost.
- Amar Sagar: a royal tank with its own Jain temple.
- Sunset: after lunch and a long rest, Bada Bagh among the cenotaphs. Ask your guide to read the memorial stones with you.
- Stay on: for the twenty minutes after sunset, when the crowds leave and the ridge goes still.
- Evening: a courtyard with Manganiyar musicians, paid properly and directly, over a desert supper of ker sangri and bajra roti.
Day three, into the Thar
Late morning: leave town for the Akal Wood Fossil Park, where the stone trunks of trees some 180 million years old lie in the desert.
The empty villages: Kuldhara and Khaba.
- Late afternoon: arrive at your desert camp for a gentle camel walk onto the dunes.
- Night: dinner by the fire and a sky full of stars. We arrange stargazing with a telescope for guests who want it.
- Next morning: walk onto the dunes at sunrise, when the sand is untouched and the light soft, before breakfast and the drive on to Jodhpur or Bikaner.
Four days in Jaisalmer and the desert
Day one, the fort and the havelis
- As in the three-day plan: Gadisar at sunrise, the fort and Jain temples in the morning, the havelis in the late afternoon and the fort's lights from Vyas Chhatri.
- With more time: linger in the fort, take tea on a family's roof and leave the palace museum for a slower visit.
Day two, the royal and Jain sites
Morning: Amar Sagar and Lodurva.
- Midday: a stone carvers' workshop or a cooking session in a family kitchen, then a rest.
- Sunset and after: Bada Bagh, then Manganiyar musicians in the evening.
- The cooking session: in an old-town family kitchen you learn to make ker sangri and millet roti, then sit down to eat. Our cooking class in a haveli page explains how it works.
Day three, the Desert National Park
Before dawn: leave with a naturalist for the Desert National Park, southwest of the city.
What to look for: the great Indian bustard, chinkara gazelles and desert foxes.
- Then: the fossil park on the way back, rest through the afternoon, and the evening on the dunes at Khuri, staying the night at a camp.
- Be patient: bustard watching is a patient business, and some mornings the birds stay hidden.
- Even then: a good naturalist shows you sandgrouse, larks, eagles, gazelles and fox tracks, and explains how life survives in the driest corner of India.
- Bring: binoculars and warm layers for the dawn drive.
Day four, Kuldhara or Barmer
Kuldhara: walk the dunes at sunrise, then visit Kuldhara and Khaba in the soft morning light.
- Real history: ask your guide for the true story of the Paliwal villages as well as the legends, and to show you the old khadins, fields that trapped runoff behind earth banks.
- Or Barmer: heading on to Jodhpur, drive via Barmer, stopping at the Kiradu temples and an embroiderers' village.
- Why Barmer: it turns a long transfer into one of the most interesting days of the trip. Plan a long day, an early start and lunch on the way.
Arriving and leaving
From Jodhpur: most of our guests arrive by road from Jodhpur, about five hours through farming villages and scrub.
Arrive golden: we time the drive so you arrive in the late afternoon as the fort turns gold, and often break it with a night at Manvar.
- From Jodhpur
- About 5 hours by road
- From Bikaner
- 5 to 6 hours
- Trains
- To Jodhpur, Jaipur and Delhi
- Flights
- Seasonal, winter only
- From Bikaner: five to six hours across the desert from Bikaner.
- By train: services connect Jaisalmer with Jodhpur, Jaipur and Delhi, including overnight trains.
- By air: the small airport has seasonal winter flights, whose schedules change each year.
- A light arrival day: it is usually long, so we keep it to a swim, a rest and perhaps a sunset at Vyas Chhatri. The plans above count only full days.
- Read more: our notes on the Jodhpur to Jaisalmer route and our guide to getting around Rajasthan.
Where Jaisalmer fits in a longer journey
The natural loop: the desert triangle of Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner links the three great desert cities and their forts.
With the lakes: many guests combine Jaisalmer with Udaipur and Jodhpur, as in our nine-night Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer journey.
Slower and deeper: Under the Thar Sky is our seven-night desert journey, with more nights in camps and villages.
- Desert triangle
- Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner
- Nine nights
- Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer
- Seven nights
- Under the Thar Sky
- February
- The Desert Festival journey
- Honeymooners: we often pair Jaisalmer with Udaipur, the desert with the lakes.
- Festival travellers: our Desert Festival journey is built around the February festival.
- How long: whatever the route, at least three nights here. It is a long way to come for less.
- Order: we like to arrive after Jodhpur, so the desert grows around you as you travel west, and to leave towards Bikaner or back through Jodhpur.
- Only a week? Think hard before adding Jaisalmer, because the distances are long.
- Ten days or more: it is the part of the journey many guests remember most. Our Rajasthan in ten days plan shows one way to fit it in.
How the plans change with the season
In midwinter, December and January
Start later: mornings are cold, so begin at about eight and let the sun warm the stone before you climb the fort.
- Shorter rest: afternoons are mild enough for a gentle outing.
- Cold dunes: nights are close to freezing, so choose a camp with heated tents or thick quilts, or watch the sunset on the sand and sleep at your hotel.
In the shoulder months, October, February and March
- The easiest months: keep the full rhythm of dawn, rest and dusk, and enjoy long evenings outside.
- At the edges: in late March and early October, start earlier and stretch the rest, because the midday sun is already strong.
In the hot months, April to June
- Shorten everything: the fort and Gadisar in the first two hours of light, indoors from about ten until five, and out only for sunset and dinner.
- Skip the camp: the night can be very hot. Keep your stay to one or two nights.
In the monsoon, July to September
Stay flexible: storms come suddenly and pass quickly.
- After rain: the light is wonderful for the fort and the lakes.
- Inside the fort: take care during heavy rain, when its walls are most at risk, and follow your guide's advice.
During the Desert Festival
- Split the day: festival events in the afternoons and evenings, the fort and havelis in very early mornings, before the crowds.
- Book everything early: our Desert Festival page explains the programme.
Variations for different travellers
For families
Pace: short mornings and free afternoons for the pool.
- What children love: the fort's ramp, the boats on Gadisar, the camels, the fossil park and the stories of Kuldhara.
- Practical: a camp with proper bathrooms, short camel rides and snacks for the drives. Our family journeys page has more ideas.
For couples
- Add: a night at The Serai for its silence and firelit dinners, a private boat at sunrise on Gadisar, music on a haveli roof and dinner under the stars.
- Skip: the busiest sunset points. Choose Bada Bagh or a quiet dune at Khuri instead.
For repeat visitors
- Beyond the fort: a day in the Desert National Park, the embroiderers of the Barmer villages, or a day with a herding family.
- Alone on the sand: walk the dunes at dawn far from any camp. Our rural homestays page explains how we arrange time with families.
For photographers
- The edges of the light: Gadisar and the dunes at dawn, the fort's lanes in the first hour, Bada Bagh at sunset and the fort at night from the northern ridge.
- Wildlife: add a dawn in the national park. Our photographer's Rajasthan journey shows how we plan for the light.
For older travellers
The fort in two visits: two short ones rather than one long one, with an auto-rickshaw for the ramp.
- Rooms: a hotel with ground-floor rooms.
- The desert night: a camp with proper beds and bathrooms, or the sunset on the dunes and a night at your hotel.
What to eat on each day
First thing: sweet chai and something small before you go out, then a proper breakfast when you come back.
Lunch is the main meal: the moment for a desert thali.
- Before dawn
- Sweet chai and something small
- Breakfast
- After the dawn outing
- Lunch
- The main meal, a desert thali
- Dinner
- Rooftop, hotel or dune fire
- What's on it: ker sangri, the tangy dish of dried desert berries and beans; bajre ki roti, flatbread of pearl millet with ghee; garlic chutney; and a bowl of kadhi.
- Then: after a meal like that, the afternoon rest is not optional.
- Evening: a rooftop facing the fort, your hotel with musicians, or a fire in the dunes.
- In winter: ask for raabdi, a warming drink of millet and buttermilk.
- One afternoon: try the ghotua laddoo, Jaisalmer's own sweet of gram flour and ghee.
- Much more: in our food of Jaisalmer guide.
What we leave out of our plans
A night inside the fort: the water used by hotels and guesthouses has damaged the hill for decades. We stay outside and visit every day.
Sam at sunset in the busiest weeks: hundreds of people stand on the same ridge. We go at dawn, or to Khuri.
- Jeep dune bashing and quad bikes: they tear up the dunes and destroy the silence.
- Long camel treks for first-timers: an hour is lovely. A day is hard on you and the animal.
- Shopping stops arranged by drivers or touts: we take guests only to makers and shops we trust.
- A day trip from Jodhpur: ten hours in a car for a few hours at the wrong time of day does Jaisalmer no justice.
Practical notes for planning
Stay outside the fort: and visit it every day. The hill is fragile and cannot take more water, and you will sleep better in a quiet hotel. Our luxury hotels in Jaisalmer guide explains where to stay.
Book a local guide: for the fort and the havelis. The stories live in people, not plaques.
- Every day: bring a scarf, a hat and a refillable water bottle.
- Trusted bookings: camps, musicians and camel walks through people you trust. Cheap safaris sold in the street are often the worst experiences in the desert.
- Check the season: from October to March these plans work as written. In April and from late September, start earlier and rest longer.
- Month by month: our best time to visit Jaisalmer guide.
- Leave room for nothing: some of the best moments in Jaisalmer are an unplanned hour on a roof or a dune.
