Jaisalmer and camel desert safari

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
8
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
8
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
5
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
4
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
6
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
65 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
228th/454
Top 50%
continent
Asia
country
India
Length of time
3-4 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$80 ($100-$450 in 2025 prices)
Time of year visited
January
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Castles / Fortresses Desert Horse / Camel Riding
All Tags
Adventure Camping City Walls Isolation Old town Sand dune Sunsets UNESCO world heritage site
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐

Summary

Jaisalmer, in the Rajasthan desert of northwest India, is one of the most unique cities in India – a giant golden fort rising out of the Thar Desert, filled with havelis, temples and narrow streets; and with an intricacy in the carvings that are as stunning as they are blase with their lack of protection. But the real highlight of Jaisalmer is heading out into the desert on a camel safari and sleeping under the stars.

The combination evokes enough exotic desert mystery to firmly lock it in for any Rajasthan itinerary.

The main problem though is the rampant commercialism and general mayhem that joins it from what is modern-day India, and changes the experience from a potential ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to a ⭐️⭐️.

That being said, it’s totally worth it if in Rajasthan and I’ve listed some tips below to help you get the most out of the experience.

 

Jaisalmer and camel desert safari

 

Highlights

Jaisalmer and camel desert safari. #1 Riding a camel across the desert in the late evening, with not another soul for miles around. Brilliant experience

#1 Riding a camel across the desert in the late evening, with not another soul for miles around. Brilliant experience

Jaisalmer and camel desert safari. #2 Taking in views of the fort from restaurants and bars such as Café de Kaku

#2 Taking in views of the fort from restaurants and bars such as Café de Kaku

Jaisalmer and camel desert safari. #3 Wandering the streets of the Jaisalmer Fort in the early hours before the crowds arrive. It's a stunning place that must have been insane to visit 30 years ago or so

#3 Wandering the streets of the Jaisalmer Fort in the early hours before the crowds arrive. It's a stunning place that must have been insane to visit 30 years ago or so

Jaisalmer and camel desert safari. #4 Having dinner under the desert stars, with everything made from scratch by your guide

#4 Having dinner under the desert stars, with everything made from scratch by your guide

Jaisalmer and desert camel safari. #5 Staying at the WelcomeHeritage Mohangarh Fort. It’s around 50mins from the Jaisalmer, but it was beautiful and the evenings with the food by the fires magical

#5 Staying at the WelcomeHeritage Mohangarh Fort. It’s around 50mins from the Jaisalmer, but it was beautiful and the evenings with the food by the fires magical

Jaisalmer and camel desert safari. #6 Heading into the bazaars and general shopping areas just outside of the Fort's walls. A bit mental, but fun for 10mins or so . . . before you get run over by a cow

#6 Heading into the bazaars and general shopping areas just outside of the Fort's walls. A bit mental, but fun for 10mins or so . . . before you get run over by a cow

Jaisalmer and camel desert safari. #7 Being welcomed in the morning in the desert by all sorts of animals - in this case a herd of goats

#7 Being welcomed in the morning in the desert by all sorts of animals - in this case a herd of goats

Jaisalmer and camel desert safari. #8 Walking along the ramparts of Jaisalmer's Fort, with views across the city and into the desert

#8 Walking along the ramparts of Jaisalmer's Fort, with views across the city and into the desert

Jaisalmer and camel desert safari. #9 Visiting Kuldhara, a bizarrely abandoned fort and town just 20mins outside of Jaisalmer

#9 Visiting Kuldhara, a bizarrely abandoned fort and town just 20mins outside of Jaisalmer

Tips for Jaisalmer itself

 

Walk around the fort early. It gets daft busy from around 10 amonwards, whereas early morning (and in fact very late at night) was considerably nicer.

 

Max a day specifically for the fort and Jaisalmer in general. The fort is truly magnificent, but as with all things in India the crowds, constant beeping and rubbish everywhere diminishes the experience quite a bit. Town in general not particularly nice either.

 

Don’t stress too much about sunsets – the haze of India won’t really give you a clear one from within the city anyway.  That being said, The Lake View Restaurant and The Big Tree Cafe were nice spots for food and views.  Café de Kaku was decent for the sunset views of the fort from outside the fort.

 

We stayed at the Desert Haveli Guest House which was ok – take one of the internal rooms if you don’t like noise from outside.

 

For something a bit different – we stayed at the WelcomeHeritage Mohangarh Fort. It’s around 50mins from Jaisalmer, but it was beautiful and the evenings with the food by the fires magical.

 

Remember – its India.  Expect 10/10 potential, with 1/10 for execution 🤣

 

Tips for the camel trek into the desert

 

Don’t stay in one of the desert camps, instead do a camping trip.  Sure there may be a few diamonds in there, but generally they are catered for the Indian market and look like concentration camps.  Way way better to go on a desert camel camping trip. You get to be away from all other people, and sleep under the stars.

 

I’d recommend Sahara Travels for the trip. Was R9,000 all in for a private tour (2025).  Saw the oasis, abandoned fort and town, rode the camels 2×2 hours, camped under the stars. Was actually pretty magical.  Emphasise that you want a private trip and as isolated as possible.

 

In winter, it gets bloody cold.  Especially on the camel trek as you will be sleeping outside.  Dropped to 5 Celsius / 40 Fahrenheit for us.

 

 

If trying to decide where to go in Rajasthan

 

As a long term Indian traveller, I see Rajasthan as the clear highlight of India.  Exotic deserts, magnificent forts and a feeling of adventure.  Plus the highest concentration of wow highlights anywhere in India.

 

If first time visitor and assuming you fly into Delhi, I would prioritise this way:

#1 Jodhpur ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – The Blue City: a maze of indigo houses beneath one of India’s greatest forts.  Magnificent and the highlight of Rajasthan.  See the travel entry for tips – Jodphur’s Blue City.

#2 Taj Mahal (Agra) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – The most beautiful building in the world, and surprisingly emotional to see in person.  Lives up to the hype. The Taj Mahal.

#3 Udaipur – ⭐️⭐️⭐️ India’s most romantic city, all lakes, palaces and sunset views. A boat trip along the lake is magical. The Lakeside and Palaces of Udaipur.

#4 The Chand Bawdi Step-well ⭐️⭐️⭐️ – the world’s deepest step-well at 30m / 100ft, 3500 steps across 13 stories and is magnificent.  Visit as part of the drive through to Jaipur.

#5 Jaisalmer ⭐️⭐️ – A golden desert fortress and camel safaris into the Thar Desert.

Delhi – give yourself half a day as you will fly into here, but don’t prioritise. Delhi.

Jaipur – GASH.  The Pink City is a big disappointment and not in the same league as the above. Don’t bother. The pink city of Jaipur.

 

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Other Great Desert Experiences

Driving across the Nullarbor Plain
⭐⭐⭐

4WDing around Wadi Rum and spending a night in a desert camp
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Exploring Petra in winter
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Central Kalahari Game Reserve with the San People
⭐⭐⭐

Luxor, Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hiking through the Charyn Canyon and staying overnight in yurts
⭐⭐

Driving up to Jebel Akhdar
⭐⭐

The red desert dunes of Sossusvlei
⭐⭐⭐⭐

The perfect western cowboy set at Monument Valley
⭐⭐⭐

Exploring the Lunar Valley and San Pedro de Atacama
⭐⭐

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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