Jodhpur & Jaisalmer Desert

Jaisalmer & the Thar Desert: history

Jaisalmer was founded in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal, a Bhati Rajput ruler, who built his fort on Trikuta Hill. The town grew rich as a stop for camel caravans trading between India and Central Asia.

Merchants spent that wealth on carved sandstone mansions, the havelis. The fort is one of the few in the world where people still live inside the walls, and it is part of the UNESCO-listed Hill Forts of Rajasthan.

Jaisalmer & the Thar Desert: tourist attractions

• Jaisalmer Fort (Sonar Quila)The golden sandstone fort, with homes, shops and temples inside.
• Jain temples in the fortA group of finely carved temples from the 12th to 16th centuries.
• Patwon Ki HaveliFive connected merchant mansions with carved stone screens.
• Gadisar LakeA 14th-century reservoir ringed by shrines, calm at sunrise.
• Bada BaghRoyal cenotaphs on a hill about 6 km from town.
• Sam Sand DunesCamel or jeep rides on the dunes, then folk music and dinner at a desert camp.

Jaisalmer & the Thar Desert: excursions nearby

• Kuldhara about 18 kmA village abandoned about two centuries ago, now a heritage site.
• Desert National Park about 40 kmDune country and one of the last homes of the great Indian bustard.
• Tanot & Longewala about 120 kmA border temple and the site of the 1971 battle.
• Jodhpur about 280 kmMehrangarh Fort and the blue houses of the old city.

Distances are approximate. Tell us which excursions you want and we add them to your quote.