The Thar after the tour buses leave

Camel and jeep safaris, a night under canvas, folk music around a fire and a sky with nothing in the way of it.

Six desert experiences

What a night in the Thar is actually like

The dunes at Sam get busy at sunset. We can take you there for the atmosphere, or twenty minutes further to a quieter crest. Say which you would rather have.

Camel and handler silhouetted against the sun on the Thar dunes

Camel safari

An hour out across the dune crests in the late afternoon, walking pace, with the handler leading. Short enough for children and long enough to lose the road behind you.

Jeep and camels on the sand at Sam Sand Dunes

Jeep safari

Twenty fast minutes over the soft dunes in an open four wheel drive. Sit at the back if you want the ride, at the front if you want the photographs.

Sunset on the dunes

The reason most people come. We time the drive so you are on a west facing crest with twenty minutes to spare and something cold to drink.

Canvas tent pitched under a khejri tree on the dunes at a Rajasthan desert camp

Desert camp stay

Swiss tents with proper beds, attached bathrooms and hot water, or simpler canvas closer to the sand. We book the standard you ask for and tell you honestly what each one is like.

Rajasthani folk dancers performing in traditional dress

Cultural evening

Kalbeliya dancers and Manganiyar musicians around the fire after dark. Traditional repertoire, played live, not a recording over a speaker.

Folk musician playing the flute on the dunes as the sun sets

Dinner under the sky

A Rajasthani thali served at the camp, then the fire and a sky with no town light in it. Bring something warm; the desert drops fast after sunset.

Rajasthan beyond the itinerary

Culture you meet rather than watch

Jaisalmer is a working town before it is a destination. The best parts of a trip here tend to be the unscheduled ones, so we leave room for them.

1
Manganiyar and Langa music
Hereditary musician communities of the western desert. Ask and we will find a performance that is not staged for a coach party.
2
Food that is local, not hotel
Ker sangri, gatte ki sabzi, dal baati churma and a mirchi bada from a stall near the fort gate if you are brave about chilli.
3
Craft you can watch being made
Stone carving, mirror work, patchwork and leather. We will point you at workshops rather than the shops that pay commission.
4
Festivals worth timing a trip around
The Jaisalmer Desert Festival falls in winter and fills the town. Book early or plan around it, depending on what you want.