It was our first marriage anniversary and our plan for celebration shifted from Bangalore to Jaisalmer at the last moment because of some issues with flight booking (We did the Bengaluru trip on our 3rd anniversary). Then I thought of a road trip to Jaisalmer and I can say it was one of our best road trips ever planned. 
Days required – 5 days( if you are self-driving and want to visit Jodhpur too, otherwise 3-4 days are sufficient).
Nearby places to go – Jodhpur (it is on the way to Jaisalmer from Jaipur)
Best time to visit – Winter season (October to February). Jaisalmer is located in the heart of the Thar desert. Temperature cross 45 degrees in summer (March to June). Desert Festival is held in February every year.
How to reach –
By air – Jaisalmer has an airforce base that is used for civilian flights as well. There are direct flights from Jaipur, Surat, Ahmedabad, and Jodhpur.
By train – City is well connected to all major cities in the country by rail route.
By road – you can easily book buses from all major cities in North India especially Delhi, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
Self-drive – Jaisalmer is 550 km from Jaipur and the highway is pretty good. One can drive straight to Jaisalmer or take a break in Jodhpur.
How we traveled – We did a road trip and made a stop in the midway for a short Jodhpur tour and reached Jaisalmer the next day. On the way back home, we covered the whole 550 km in a single day.
Where to stay – you can stay at luxurious resorts and hotels in Jaisalmer. Many homestays and hostels(Zostel and Moustache) are also there to serve budget travelers. In Jaisalmer, book your stay around the Hanuman Circle area. You can easily find food, taxi/cabs and all the basic amenities here.
We recommend that you should spend at least one night in the dunes. That is an experience on its own. Sam dunes have campsites (permanent as well as temporary). You can easily find stay there according to your budget. Another lesser-known dune area is Khuri where you can book a stay at an affordable price and with less crowd around.
How to go around – Jaisalmer is a small city with all tourist spots nearby. To explore the city, you can take a rickshaw or auto. To visit the Indo-Pak border, Tanot Mata Temple, Longewala Post, and dunes, either you should have your vehicle or hire a taxi/cab for the day.
Places to visit-
- Jaisalmer fort or Golden fort – Made of yellow sandstone, this massive fort is the largest living fort in the world. It has thousands of people living there. Inside the fort, you will find hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and cafes. Though this is the unique feature of the fort but also the reason that monuments, palaces, and temples inside are not maintained.
Golden Fort - Patwaon ki Haveli – These were the residence of the wealthy merchants of the princely state of Jaisalmer. You will be amazed to see the stone carvings and the wall paintings inside the Havelis. It is claimed that these merchants were wealthier than the King of the Jaisalmer.
Patwaon ki Haveli - Gadisar Lake – once a lifeline of the city, now it is a picnic spot for the locals as well as tourists. You can enjoy boating here. Sit along the stairs for the beautiful sunset.
Gadsisar Lake - Bada Bagh – A treat for the photographers, this garden served as the memorial for the rulers of the princely state. You must come here either at sunrise or sunset.
- Kuldhara – Visit this abandoned ghost town on the way to Sam dunes.
- Sam dunes – 30 km from the city, spend a night at the camps in dunes. Enjoy cultural activities in the evening. Ride a camel and take an adventurous ride on a jeep.
- Tanot Mata Temple – A 2-hour ride from the city, this temple became famous after it survived the heavy bombing during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. It is very near to the border. One needs to have permission to go beyond this place to visit the Zero Point(Indo-Pak Border).
- Longewala War Memorial – 1 hour from Tanot Mata Temple, is the war memorial where you can see abandoned Pakistani tanks. There are a small museum and canteen here.
Longewala Post - Jaisalmer War museum – A new war museum is built outside the city on the highway which is much larger than the old one.
Where to eat – We could not try many restaurants on this trip as our meals were included with our accommodation but I would recommend you to try street food at Hanuman circle.
If you are not from Rajasthan, then do try Rajasthani food when you are visiting Jodhpur and Jaisalmer as you will find some vegetables and flavors that are typical of this region.
Itinerary –
We started our journey from our home town Jaipur.
There are 2 routes to reach Jaisalmer. One is via Ajmer-Jodhpur National Highway and another is Nagaur-Kuchaman State Highway. We used both of these routes. Our route was Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Nagaur-Kuchman-Jobner-Jaipur. I would recommend everyone to use the NH even though it is 50 km more but State highway is mostly single lane so it is risky and will take more time.
Day 1-Always start early is my goal. We reached Jodhpur at around 1 pm and went straight to Mehrangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada after lunch. It was Valentine’s Day and I had booked a dinner table at INDIQUE restaurant. It was a rooftop Candlelit dinner overlooking the majestic fort.
If you are driving here, don’t enter through the fort area which has very narrow lanes to reach the restaurant. Don’t trust Google here and ask the locals for the directions. My car got an ugly scratch while struggling to cross the narrow lanes of the old city.
Day 2- We got up early and headed for Jaisalmer after breakfast. The route is via Pokhran, a nuclear bomb testing site but what we all don’t know that it is also famous for clay art and pottery.
After Pokhran, the road was bumpy and took 2 hours to reach Jaisalmer. About 10 km before the city, there is the recently opened Jaisalmer War Museum. We decided to visit it on the last day of our trip. We checked into our hotel, had lunch, and then reached Patwaon ki Haveli. We were awestruck by the carvings and paintings inside the Haveli. Many of these Havelis are closed now but few are open for the general public. These were even more beautiful than the King’s residence.
In the evening, we went to Gadisar Lake. We stayed there till sunset. It was a hectic day so we went to bed early.
Day 3 – Today we were ready to see some real desert. We decided to visit the Tanot Mata Temple and the Longewala War Memorial. The road was single lane and very few vehicles crossed us. It is a 120 km journey. You should carry some water bottles and snacks with you for the journey. Inside Temple premises, there is a BSF canteen and toilets. Temple is wholly managed by BSF. You can see some bombshells there for display. Carry your Govt. Photo ID (usually no one asks for it).
One important thing, you can visit “Zero point” (Indo-Pak border) from here after taking permission from BSF headquarters in Jaisalmer.
Longewala battle was one of the first major engagements in the 1971 war. There is a 15-minute short film about that. Refreshments are also available there. There are many abandoned Pak tanks there. You can click pictures standing on them, no one will stop you (but don’t do this at War Museum).
After reaching the city, we had our lunch and reached the Fort parking area. Golden fort or Sonar Quila is one of the largest forts in the country. It is named so because of the famous yellow stone that is found in this region. We were shocked to know that fossils were found here a few years back which indicates that there was an ocean here millions of years ago.
We booked a guide for the tour here. Always ask for their govt. ID. We were surprised to see the fort as it was very different from all the other forts we have seen so far. There were people everywhere, houses converted into shops and cafes. Guide took us to show the Palaces inside the fort and the Jain temples.
After the fort, you can spend your evening in Bada Bagh (Royal Cenotaphs or Chhatris).
Day 4 – It was our anniversary today. We had a lazy start of the day as check-in timing in our luxury tent resort was noon. You can book your stay in dunes online or after reaching Jaisalmer. In peak season ( December), you may have to pay much more for the stay as they are in high demand so it is always better to book them in advance.
It was a 4-star property and our luxury tent had AC, an attached bathroom, and all other facilities. After lunch and a short nap, we booked our Jeep safari (Rs.1000-1500 depending on the season) and had a great adventurous dune bashing. The driver was very skilled. We stopped on the dunes and took hundreds of photographs there. We came back to the resort for Camel Safari. It was perfect timing as the sun was about to set in a few minutes. We enjoyed the sunset on the dunes.
After sunset, we were invited to cultural performances at the resort which was more entertaining than we thought. The host/anchor/main artist Queen Harish (He died in a car accident a few months back) made our day extra special.
Day 5
After an early breakfast, we reached the Jaisalmer War Museum which was on the highway. You will need 2 hours to explore the museum. You will need to show your govt. photo ID here.
With a single lunch break, we headed back for Jaipur.
Quick tips for fellow travelers –
- Book a guide or walking tour for Golden fort as you will be lost on the way. It is really difficult to explore this fort on your own.
- Carry sunscreen, sunglasses, and water bottle with you.
- You will need permission from CO BSF HQ, Jaisalmer to go beyond Tanot Mata Temple.
- Every tourist spot closes by 5 pm so plan your itinerary accordingly.
- If you are planning to spend your Christmas or new year evening in dunes, then book your stay at least 1-2 months in advance as prices go high at that time of the year. Before booking the tents in dunes, always confirm the inclusions in the package. (accommodation/meals/safari/cultural event).
- Always carry your Govt. photo ID with you.
Rating (it is subjective and my personal opinion)
Overall rating 9/10 – Truly a golden city with every other structure made of yellow stone, this desert city has everything for you – Fort, palace, dunes, ghostly town, war stories, lake, a beautiful sunset, and desert safari.
Travel Expense 2/10 – Major expense will be booking a stay in dunes but that is worth it.
Travel ease 9/10 – City is well connected by rail route and road. Even roads to Longewala and Tanot Mata Temple are very good.