Things to do in Jaisalmer
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Jaisalmer
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: daytime 20 to 26C, safaris, fort walking and camping at their best, with peak prices and crowds.
Value shoulders in early November and early to mid March: warm days, cooler nights and thinner crowds.
Worst months: temperatures regularly exceed 40C and can approach 49C. Avoid unless you have no choice.
Hot shoulders at 35 to 40C, doable for heat tolerant travellers at lower prices on a dawn and dusk schedule.
Monsoon is nominal in this dry district: scant erratic rain, low rates, but camps may not operate fully.
What's on
- Desert Festival (Maru Mahotsav) late January / early February
Three days at Sam and in the city: camel races, turban tying, dance, Manganiyar music and a desert night. Book months ahead.
- Diwali Oct/Nov
The fort and havelis lit and the bazaars at full stretch in a beautiful, busy week.
- Holi March
Played enthusiastically in the old city, with colour everywhere and a late start the next morning.
- Gangaur Mar/Apr
A smaller, more local celebration, good for travellers who prefer the town's own rhythm.
- Winter birding season Nov-Feb
Migratory birds at Gadisar and Demoiselle crane movement in the wider Thar.
Best things to do in Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer Fort
A living 12th century sandstone fort to wander at dawn and sunset, when the lanes empty and the stone turns gold.
Jain Temples, Jaisalmer Fort
Seven interconnected Jain temples with the finest, most intricate sandstone carving in the city.
Patwon Ki Haveli
The largest haveli complex in Jaisalmer, with mirror work, paintings and stone lace balconies.
Bada Bagh
Royal cenotaphs on a low hill where late afternoon light through the domes makes the best sunset frame.
Gadisar Lake
A ringed reservoir of temples and chhatris best at sunrise for still water, reflections and winter birds.
Desert Cultural Centre & Folklore Museum
A small folklore museum and evening puppet show that explains Manganiyar and Langa music and desert life.
Kuldhara Abandoned Village
An atmospheric abandoned Paliwal village of roofless sandstone houses in open desert, best with a guide.
Nathmal Ki Haveli and Salim Singh Ki Haveli
A paired exterior architecture walk: two distinctive havelis whose facades and silhouettes are the show.
Where to stay in Jaisalmer
Old city below the fort, Gandhi Chowk and Hanuman Chowk
first trip, all-round base
A short walk from the fort gate among havelis, bazaars and restaurants, with rooftops looking at the fort.
Sam Road corridor
splurge and resort stay
Open desert scrub with pools, spas and silence 10 to 15 km west, but a car is needed for town sights.
Khuri village
the desert night
A quieter village base for one desert night with family camps and dark skies, not a base for the city.
Think twice about
- Inside Jaisalmer Fort as a default base
Medieval drainage cannot cope with modern hotel water use, weakening foundations. Stay outside and spend inside by day.
- The Sam camp strip as your only base
Forty kilometres out with nothing walkable and every town sight a paid transfer away. Good for one night only.
- Railway station and highway edge, Station Road
Noisy, dusty and character free, and no closer to anything except the station.
Best restaurants in Jaisalmer
Saffron
The all round old city dinner: a haveli rooftop, fort views, Rajasthani thali, ker sangri and folk music.
The Trio
Jaisalmer's long standing classic by Mandir Palace for laal maas, dal baati churma and gatte ki sabzi.
Desert Boy's Dhani
A village style courtyard thali dinner with puppet show and folk music, strictly vegetarian.
The Lal Garh Restaurant
A step up old city terrace dinner for laal maas, ker sangri and dal baati churma, good for a final night.
Jaisalmer Kitchen
The Marriott's resort dining for Thar murgh tikka, mutton seekh kebab and biryanis with polished service.
Nosh, Suryagarh
Suryagarh's multi cuisine restaurant, best used for one resort dinner during a Sam Road stay.
Chandan Shree Restaurant
A no frills local institution for pyaaz kachori, mirchi bada, snacks and simple cheap meals.
Dhanraj Ranmal Bhatia Sweets
A generations old sweet shop for gotua ladoo, ghewar and malpua with rabri, a box for the train.
Outdoor things to do in Jaisalmer
Real Desert Man Camel Safari
The non touristy overnight safari: small groups, quiet dunes, food on an open fire and beds under the stars.
Sam Sand Dunes
The famous dune field for sunset, jeep safaris, camel rides, quad biking and paramotoring, crowded in season.
Khuri Sand Dunes
Sam's quieter counterpoint: lower dunes by a lived in village, family camps and minimal light pollution.
Desert National Park
A naturalist led jeep safari for the Great Indian Bustard, desert fox, chinkara and Thar raptors.
Tanot Mata Temple and Longewala War Memorial
The full day border road trip to a BSF temple and the 1971 Longewala battlefield memorial and museum.
Stargazing in the Thar Desert
Some of India's darkest road reachable skies: the Milky Way and winter constellations away from camp lights.
Hot-air ballooning over Sam Sand Dunes
The top end aerial menu at dawn: balloon, paramotoring and parasailing over the dune field, weather permitting.
Bishnoi and desert village safari
A culture and landscape day among desert villages, potters, weavers and blackbuck and chinkara country.
Best hotels in Jaisalmer
Suryagarh
The consensus luxury fortress hotel with pools, spa and the best curated excursion desk in the district.
SUJAN The Serai
A Relais and Chateaux tented camp in private desert scrub, built for honeymoon quiet and switching off.
Jaisalmer Marriott Resort & Spa
The international standard large resort with pool and spa, chosen for predictability, points and groups.
Hotel Pleasant Haveli
A carved sandstone haveli with a rooftop restaurant and direct fort view, run with owner warmth.
Nachana Haveli
A 1728 noble residence turned heritage hotel with antique interiors, courtyard and rooftop restaurant.
The Gulaal
A boutique fort view stay with finely finished rooms, a rooftop pool and candle lit rooftop dinners.
Fort Rajwada
A large fort style hotel with pool and cultural evenings, easier for families and drivers than the havelis.
1st Gate Home
An Italian Indian run stay by the fort gate, listed for its location and rooftop.
Is Jaisalmer expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹2,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹5,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₹22,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Real Desert Man Camel Safari: weeks ahead
- Desert National Park: a few days ahead
- Tanot Mata Temple and Longewala War Memorial: a few days ahead
- Hot-air ballooning over Sam Sand Dunes: a few days ahead
- Bishnoi and desert village safari: a few days ahead
- Suryagarh: weeks ahead
- SUJAN The Serai: weeks ahead
- Jaisalmer Marriott Resort & Spa: weeks ahead
- Hotels, the non touristy overnight safari, Desert National Park permits and trains need booking ahead in October to March.
Is Jaisalmer safe?
- Heat is the main risk. Watch steep fort lanes, agree prices in advance, dress modestly at temples and carry cash out of town.
Jaisalmer travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Safari touting on commission, ultra cheap Sam camp bundles, camp photos that misrepresent reality, and commission shopping emporiums.
Getting around Jaisalmer: public transport and more
- Walk the old city. Use auto rickshaws for short hops with the fare agreed first, and hire a car with driver for desert days.
Who Jaisalmer suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Jaisalmer your trip
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