Jaisalmer travel guide

A living sandstone fort, carved havelis and desert dunes. Most people stay 2–3 nights. Best months: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar.

Highlights

• Jaisalmer Fort
• Patwon ki Haveli
• Gadisar Lake
• Sam Sand Dunes camel ride and camp
• Kuldhara abandoned village

Things to do in Jaisalmer

• Jaisalmer Fort and Jain temples · 3 h · about ₹100 per person. A living fort where families still live; the palace museum and the carved Jain temples (open in the morning) are the highlights. Staying outside the walls eases the strain on the fort's old drains.
• Patwon ki Haveli and the merchant havelis · 2 h · about ₹150 per person
• Gadisar Lake at sunrise · 1.5 h · free
• Sam Sand Dunes camel ride, sunset and desert camp · 6 h · about ₹3,500 per person. About 40 km west; camp packages bundle a camel ride, folk music and dinner. Camps vary a lot — choose a licensed one with good reviews, or head to quieter dunes near Khuri.
• Kuldhara abandoned village · 1 h · about ₹50 per person
• Bada Bagh cenotaphs at sunset · 1.5 h · about ₹100 per person
• Tanot Mata temple and Longewala war memorial · 8 h · about ₹3,000 per person. A long desert drive (about 120 km) to the temple and the 1971 battle site; carry photo ID for army checkpoints. Indian visitors can go as far as Tanot; going further towards the border needs BSF permission, and foreign visitors should check permissions with the district office first.
• Dune jeep ride · 1 h · about ₹1,500 per person

Where to stay in Jaisalmer

• Guesthouses outside the fort walls (budget, ₹1,000–₹2,500 a night): Rooftop fort views; hosts arrange camel and camp trips.
• Sandstone heritage hotels near Gadisar and the Sam road (mid, ₹4,000–₹9,000 a night): Pools and carved façades, a short drive from the fort.
• Luxury desert camps and resorts (premium, ₹12,000–₹40,000 a night): Tented suites in the dunes or sandstone resorts with private courtyards.

What to eat

• Ker sangri and bajra roti: Desert camp dinners and old-town restaurants
• Ghotua laddoo: Sweet shops in the old town

Getting there

• ~5h by road or 5–6h by train to Jodhpur
• ~11–12h by overnight train to Jaipur

Good to know

• Apr–Sep: desert heat above 40°C; most dune camps close.
• Areas towards the Pakistan border beyond Tanot and Longewala need special permission.

Rajasthan itineraries with Jaisalmer

• Thar desert: Jodhpur and Jaisalmer · 7 days, Jodhpur → Jaisalmer · from ₹34,225 per person, base estimate before flights. Western Rajasthan's two desert cities: Jodhpur's blue lanes and mighty fort, Bishnoi villages, then Jaisalmer's golden fort, havelis and a night among the dunes.
• Friends' road trip: Udaipur, Jodhpur and the Jaisalmer dunes · 8 days, Udaipur → Jodhpur → Jaisalmer · from ₹43,400 per person, base estimate before flights. Lake-city rooftops, a zipline over Mehrangarh's walls and a desert finale: dune jeeps, a camel ride, a camp night and the drive to the border at Tanot.
• Budget Rajasthan by train: Jaipur to Jaisalmer · 10 days, Jaipur → Pushkar & Ajmer → Jodhpur → Jaisalmer · from ₹47,790 per person, base estimate before flights. Rajasthan on trains, buses and guesthouse rooftops: the Pink City, laid-back Pushkar, Jodhpur's blue lanes and three nights in Jaisalmer with a desert camp.
• Classic Rajasthan: Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer · 10 days, Jaipur → Udaipur → Jodhpur → Jaisalmer · from ₹51,515 per person, base estimate before flights. The four great cities in one loop: Jaipur's forts and bazaars, Udaipur's lakes, Jodhpur's Mehrangarh and a night in the Thar dunes outside Jaisalmer.
• Grand Rajasthan: tigers, palaces and the desert in two weeks · 15 days, Jaipur → Ranthambore → Bundi → Udaipur → Kumbhalgarh & Ranakpur → Jodhpur → Jaisalmer · from ₹77,015 per person, base estimate before flights. The full sweep from Jaipur to the Thar: tiger safaris in Ranthambore, Bundi's murals, Udaipur's lakes, Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur, Jodhpur's fort and the Jaisalmer dunes.