A night the caravans would recognise
Our elders say the desert has two faces: by day it tries to wear you down, and by night it tries to keep you forever. Anyone who has sat by a fire on a winter dune, under a sky full of stars, with a singer and a pot of tea, knows exactly what they mean.
Not all sand: most of the Thar is stony plain, scrub and farmland. The great dune fields are patches within it, which is why the best ones are precious.
- The Thar
- India's great desert, mostly in western Rajasthan
- Dune word
- Dhora, in the local speech
- Nearest city
- Jaisalmer, founded 1156
- Protected land
- Desert National Park, beyond Sam
- Winter nights
- Close to freezing in December and January
- Living dunes: the wind reshapes them every season. Before the monsoon, dust storms the villagers call aandhi can move a crest in an afternoon.
- The caravan road: Jaisalmer grew rich taxing caravans of spices, silk, opium and salt, and the camps and wells along the way were their inns.
- People of the sand: herding and farming families have lived here for centuries, growing millet in the short rains and keeping goats, sheep, cows and camels.
- Why a camp: sleeping out puts you in the desert at the only hours that really matter, dusk, night and dawn, when the day visitors have gone.
- Read more: our journal on winter in the Thar and a night in a desert camp.
Sam, the famous dunes, handled carefully
The beauty: long crested ridges of fine golden sand, rippled by the wind, rising and falling like a sea that has stopped moving.
The problem: a long strip of camps has grown along the road, and at sunset visitors from all of them converge on the same few high dunes, with jeeps and quad bikes.
- Where
- About 40 km west of Jaisalmer
- Drive
- About an hour on a paved road
- Edge of
- The Desert National Park
- Best hour
- Sunrise, when the camps are asleep
- Busiest
- Christmas, New Year, Diwali, long weekends
- Come at dawn: very few visitors see Sam at sunrise. We drive out in the dark with blankets and masala chai, and you will have the dunes almost to yourself.
- Walk beyond the first ridge: fifteen minutes on foot, or a slow camel walk, takes you out of sight of the car park, and the noise drops away behind the sand.
- Avoid the peak weeks: weekdays in November, February and early March are far calmer than the holiday weeks.
- Or embrace the crowd: at the Desert Festival, the final evening on the dunes is a celebration, and being part of it is the point.
- Read more: our Sam Sand Dunes guide explains how we find you an empty dune.
The quieter dunes, and where we prefer to sleep
Khuri, the village dunes
Where: about 45 kilometres south-west of Jaisalmer, about an hour by road, on the same road as the abandoned village of Kuldhara.
- Character: lower dunes and far fewer camps than Sam, beside a village of mud houses with thatched roofs, plastered smooth with clay and dung.
- Why we love it: you share the evening with herds coming home, and the village wakes around you in the morning.
- Read more: our Khuri guide and Sam or Khuri.
Manvar, on the road from Jodhpur
Where: in the Shergarh area, just off the highway, about 110 kilometres from Jodhpur and about three hours from Jaisalmer.
- What it is: a family-run group of desert camps and a small resort, started by a son of the area who came home to build it.
- Why we use it: it breaks the long drive across the Thar, with jeep rides to the dunes, village walks and one of the darkest skies you can easily reach in Rajasthan.
- Read more: our Manvar guide and Manvar Desert Camp.
Osian, ninety minutes from Jodhpur
- Where: the temple town of Osian, about 69 kilometres from Jodhpur, has its own dunes and several tented camps.
- Why it works: temples at golden hour, sunset on the sand and a quiet night, without the crowds of Jaisalmer, and an easy morning back to Jodhpur.
Khimsar and its dune village
- Where: north-east of Jodhpur, beside the sixteenth-century fort of Khimsar, now Khimsar Fort hotel.
- Why it works: a fort for comfort and a dune setting nearby for the evening, on the way between Jodhpur and Bikaner or Nagaur.
Mihir Garh, among the sand
- Where: in the sandy country beyond Rohet, south of Jodhpur.
- Why it works: not a camp but a fort-like retreat built for space and quiet, with horses and the dunes on the doorstep. See Mihir Garh.
Luxury in the desert, from tents to forts
The Serai: SUJAN's camp on about a hundred acres of private desert scrub off the Jodhpur road, around forty minutes from Jaisalmer. Large, beautifully furnished tents, dawn walks and firelit dinners. See The Serai.
Suryagarh: a modern fort in the old Jaisalmer manner, in the same yellow stone, about thirteen kilometres out on the Sam road, with courtyards, a pool and a spa. See Suryagarh.
- A trusted camp on the dunes: for sand outside your tent, we book one of the few camps we trust at Sam or Khuri, inspected by us each season.
- A private dinner on a dune: if you would rather sleep in comfort, we set up a fire, a cook and a Manganiyar singer on a dune far from the camps, then drive you home.
- Mix the two: many of our guests spend two nights at The Serai or Suryagarh and one night in a camp on the dunes, so they have comfort, the fort and a real night in the sand.
- A camp just for you: for a celebration, a proposal or a family reunion, we can arrange a private camp in a quiet spot, with tents, a cook, musicians and a fire. It needs time, permission and good weather, so ask early.
- The fair camps: during the Pushkar Camel Fair, luxury tented camps open near the fairground, so you wake to camel bells.
- Compare them: our guide to luxury desert camps and our journal's luxury desert camp guide.
How we choose a camp
Setting: set back from the main road, with tents spaced apart and a dune within walking distance, not a car park.
Bathrooms: a proper private bathroom in every tent, with hot water. Desert nights in winter are cold.
- We check
- Setting, bathrooms, noise, food and staff
- Season
- Most camps open October to March
- Book early
- Christmas, New Year and festival weeks
- Nights
- One in a camp; two for a slower pace
- Noise: acoustic music only, ending at a civilised hour, and no generators roaring all night beside the tents.
- Food: cooked fresh, ideally on a wood fire, with desert dishes rather than a tired buffet.
- People: staff from the surrounding villages, paid fairly, and camel owners who care for their animals.
- Footprint: water used carefully, waste taken away, and no jeeps tearing up the dunes for thrill rides.
- Warmth: heaters or hot water bottles, heavy quilts and a fire. Ask us which tents face the dunes and which face the road.
A night in the dunes, hour by hour
Afternoon, the slow drive west
- Leave after lunch: from Jaisalmer, stopping at the abandoned Paliwal village of Kuldhara and the ruined fort at Khaba on the way.
- Arrive around four: tea in the shade of your tent while the heat eases.
Sunset, on a dune of your own
- Walk or ride: over the ridge, away from the main dunes, with only your guide and a camel handler.
- Watch both ways: the sun going down in the west, and the dunes turning rose in the east.
Evening, the fire
- Music: Manganiyar singers by the fire, with a Kalbelia dancer if you like. Read about folk music and dance.
- Supper: ker sangri, kadhi and bajra rotis hot from the coals, eaten slowly. Our food and royal kitchens page explains the dishes.
Night, the sky
- Stars: on a moonless night far from the camps, the Milky Way rises over the dunes. We bring a telescope and an astronomer for guests who want one.
- Moonlight: on a full moon the dunes glow silver and you can walk without a torch. Choose your dates by which you prefer.
Dawn, the best hour of all
- Up in the dark: a flask of chai, blankets and a short walk up a dune before sunrise.
- The reward: ripples glowing, long shadows and the only sound a lark. In winter it is the single best hour in the Thar.
What to do in the desert, by day and night
A camel walk: thirty to sixty minutes onto the dunes at sunrise or late afternoon, with an owner who cares for his camel. See camel safari in the Thar.
A jeep safari: with experienced drivers who stay on existing tracks, to see the wider desert, villages and wildlife. See jeep safari in the Thar.
- Stargazing: with a telescope and someone who knows the sky. See stargazing in the Thar.
- Village visits: with families we know, at a time that suits them. Our page on rural homestays explains how we work.
- Wildlife and birds: chinkara at first light, the cream-coloured courser, larks and, in the national park, the great Indian bustard. See the Desert National Park.
- The fossil park: the Akal Wood Fossil Park, about seventeen kilometres out on the Barmer road, protects stone tree trunks some 180 million years old.
- Sunsets elsewhere: our list of the best sunsets in Rajasthan puts the desert in good company.
The life hidden in the sand
Phog: the leafless, broom-like shrub on the dune slopes, whose wide roots hold the sand and whose branches herders cut for fodder and thatch.
Sewan grass: grey-green clumps that make the best grazing in the Thar, and the cover the great Indian bustard depends on.
- Aak: the big-leaved shrub with purple-and-white flowers and milky sap, which goats wisely ignore.
- Khejri: the tree of the desert, giving sangri beans, shade and firewood without ever needing water. The Bishnois died to protect it.
- Tracks: the dragging line of a dung beetle, the hop of a gerbil, the neat prints of a desert fox. Our guides read them like a newspaper.
- Why we walk: vehicles crush the plants that anchor a dune, and once they go, the dune begins to wander.
What the desert cooks for you
Ker sangri: a sharp berry and the long beans of the khejri tree, dried in summer and cooked with oil, red chilli and spices into something tangy and nutty.
Panchkuta: the richer cousin, five dried desert ingredients cooked together, a dish of celebration in the Thar.
- Bajre ki roti: flatbread of pearl millet, patted out by hand, smeared with ghee and eaten with a fiery garlic chutney.
- Kadhi: yoghurt simmered with gram flour, the comfort food of every desert kitchen.
- Raabdi: a warm drink of millet and buttermilk that farming families have lived on for centuries. Ask for it at breakfast in winter.
- For meat-eaters: laal maas on most camp menus, and in some desert kitchens meat cooked slowly buried in the sand with hot coals, if you give notice.
- Breakfast in the dunes: chai, parathas and fruit carried out to a dune after sunrise is one of the small luxuries we arrange most often.
The desert through the year
October and November: the season opens, days still warm, nights pleasant, and the weeks before Diwali among the quietest of the year.
December and January: the coldest, clearest and busiest months. You will want a fire, a hot water bottle and a down jacket. Avoid the week between Christmas and New Year unless you love a party.
- Camp season
- October to March
- Coldest nights
- December and January, near freezing
- Our favourite
- February and early March
- Desert Festival
- Magh, usually February; dates confirmed yearly
- Avoid
- April to September, when most camps close
- February and March: warm days and softer nights, and the Desert Festival brings music to the dunes. By late March the midday sun is fierce.
- April to September: temperatures pass 45°C, dust storms roll in before the monsoon and most camps close.
- Moon or stars: for the Milky Way, choose dates near the new moon. For silver dunes, choose the full moon.
- Read more: our best time to visit Jaisalmer goes month by month.
Who will love a desert night
Couples: a tent of your own, a private dinner on a dune and a dawn walk. It is often the most romantic night of a journey. See our Rajasthan honeymoons.
Families: children love camels, sand, fires and stars. Choose a camp with family tents and bring warm clothes for the evening.
- Older travellers: a camp is fine with planning. We choose tents close to the dining area, with good paths and lighting, and keep the dune walks short and gentle. Read our guide to accessible travel.
- Photographers: come an hour early to a crest with clean, untrodden sand, and stay there. Footprints are the enemy of a good dune photograph.
- Music lovers: a Manganiyar evening by the fire is one of the great musical experiences of India.
- Who may not enjoy it: travellers who dislike cold, dust or simple bathrooms, or who need complete quiet in the busiest weeks at Sam. For them, The Serai or Suryagarh with an evening on the dunes is perfect.
- Our desert journey: Under the Thar Sky gives you seven nights of forts, dunes and stars.
Visiting the desert gently
Kind camel rides: the camel should be well covered with a firm hump, a clean nose peg and a padded saddle. Never two adults on one camel, and never in the midday heat.
No dune-bashing: we don't book jeep thrill rides or quad bikes on the dunes. They break up the plants that hold the sand.
- No plastic: it blows into the scrub where wildlife feeds. Carry a refillable bottle.
- No handouts: please don't give pens, sweets or money to children on the dunes. It teaches them to leave school for the car park.
- Ask before photographs: especially of women, and accept a no gracefully.
- Pay people directly: tip camel handlers, musicians and camp staff fairly, in person.
- More on our approach: see ethical animal encounters and our journal on the camels of Rajasthan.
Getting there, and what to combine
From Jodhpur: the road west runs through Marwar's farming villages and past Pokaran. Our journal on the Jodhpur to Jaisalmer route has the stops, and Manvar breaks the drive.
The desert triangle: Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner make a natural loop with nights in the dunes. See the desert triangle journey.
- Jaisalmer from Jodhpur
- About five hours by road
- Jaisalmer from Bikaner
- About five to six hours
- Manvar from Jodhpur
- About two hours
- Jaisalmer airport
- Seasonal flights; we confirm each season
- Nights we suggest
- Two in Jaisalmer plus one in the desert
- On the way to the dunes: Kuldhara and Khaba on the Khuri side, and the Akal fossil park on the Barmer road.
- Further south: Barmer, for embroidery villages, the Kiradu temples and Langa music.
- The national park: a day in the Desert National Park for the great Indian bustard and the grasslands, with a naturalist.
- Arrive in good light: we time drives so that you reach Jaisalmer in the late afternoon, as the fort turns gold, and the dunes for sunset or dawn.
What most visitors miss
The cold sand at dawn: take your shoes off on the first dune of the morning. The sand holds the night's chill, and the ripples are sharp underfoot.
The herds coming home: at Khuri and around Manvar, goats, sheep and camels return to the villages at dusk in clouds of golden dust.
- The silence: walk ten minutes from the camp after dinner, switch off your torch and listen. On a still night you will hear almost nothing at all.
- The tanka: the round white domes beside desert houses are covered underground cisterns that fill from the roof. Ask a family to show you how they work.
- The camel's name: every camel has one, and every owner loves to talk about them. Ask.
- The fort by night: on your way back to Jaisalmer, stop where you can see the floodlit fort rising out of the dark plain.
Before you go
Warm layers: a down jacket, a hat and gloves for December and January nights and dawns.
A scarf: the first thing you will reach for when the wind lifts the sand.
- Shoes: sandals for the dunes, closed shoes for walks in the scrub, where there are thorns.
- A torch: for the walk from your tent to the fire, and back.
- Identity documents: the roads further west lead towards the border, and checkpoints sometimes ask for them.
- Getting there: Jaisalmer is about five hours by road from Jodhpur, and its airport runs seasonal flights. We confirm them each season. Read our Jaisalmer guide.