Jaisalmer Travel Guide: Rajasthan's Golden City

Jaisalmer is the Golden City, home to a living desert fort and the Thar dunes just beyond it, with camel safaris the reason most people come. On the classic Rajasthan loop it is the westernmost stop, reached after Jodhpur and followed by Udaipur.

Its defining experience is the desert night: a camel train crossing the dunes at sunset towards the fort walls, and camping under open desert sky.

Two nights is the suggested stay, built around the desert night: time in the fort and at Gadisar Lake, plus a camel safari and a night camping in the dunes.

October to March. Jaisalmer sits deepest in the Thar Desert, so the April-to-June heat is intense here even by Rajasthan's standards, and this is the single biggest factor in timing a visit.

Jaisalmer is the far western point of a Rajasthan loop, reached by private car from Jodhpur, with the long desert legs best driven in the cool hours.

Options range from havelis inside or near the fort to desert camps out among the dunes for the safari night. Tell us your dates and style for a match rather than a published rate.