Desert forts and clay huts

During this Rajasthan desert tour, you’ll explore the real India of desert towns and beautifully decorated clay hut villages. You’ll begin in the magical city of Jaisalmer, where the ancient sandstone fort hazily blends into the desert landscape. You’ll leave Jaisalmer early to drive to the village of Osiyan for a camel trek, sleeping in a tent under the desert sky and making a plodding safari over the sand dunes. After this, you’ll visit the quirky Holy Rat Temple (which has to be seen to be believed) and you'll spend the night in a palace style hotel in Bikaner. Your Rajasthan desert tour finishes in the region of Shekawati, renowned for its colourful clusters of haveli houses. These are beautiful merchants’ palaces, richly decorated, both inside and out, with intricate murals. You’ll stay in the small village of Mandawa, where you’ll sleep in an authentic and fully furnished clay hut. From here, you'll visit the local villages and get a real glimpse of desert life.

Duration	4 days, 3 nights Departs daily from Jaisalmer. Not advisable in May and June (due to uncomfortable heat).	Accommodation	A luxury desert tent, a traditional clay hut, and a small palace style hotel. Comfort level 3 (see accommodation).
Price	£237 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Includes	Transport, accommodation with breakfast, camel trek, city tour of Bikaner.
Transport	Private car	Excludes	International flight

Day 1: Jaisalmer - Thar Desert

Travel time - Jaisalmer to desert camp: approx 4 hours

Leaving Jaisalmer on day one of your Rajasthan desert tour, you’ll take a twisting and turning drive through the stony desert to reach the starting point for your camel trip. This will take approximately four hours. On the way, you’ll pass through picturesque villages of thatched wooden huts. You’ll also see vast flocks of sheep – although where they get their food in this arid landscape is a complete mystery. You’ll head off on your camel at sunset, to spend the night under the stars in a quiet part of the Thar Desert, as yet undiscovered by tourism. Don’t forget your camera because you’ll get a great view from atop your ship of the desert (although holding it steady is another matter). You’ll stay in a beautiful tent in the middle of rolling sand dunes on your Rajasthan desert tour.

Rajasthan desert tour - Jaisalmer fort and market

Rajasthan desert tour - You and your ship of the desert

Day 2: Thar Desert - Bikaner

Travel time - Desert camp to Bikaner: approx 5 hours

On day two of your Rajasthan desert tour, you’ll set off on the drive to Bikaner, which will take around five hours. On the way, you’ll stop at the strangely beautiful Karni Mata Temple, otherwise known as the Holy Rat Temple, in the village of Deshnok.

You’ll check into your small family hotel in Bikaner in the afternoon. Bikaner, the ‘Red City’, is another city in the swirling desert, with a charming old centre that contains 37 palaces as well as many Jain temples and pavilions. It is also home to a spectacularly beautiful red sandstone fort. There’s plenty to do in Bikaner on your Rajasthan desert tour, and in January you can even see the Camel Festival - an utterly unique experience. In the afternoon, you’ll take a city tour of Bikaner that will whisk you around the highlights of the city, including the Junagarh Fort and the Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum.

Day 3: Bikaner - Mandawa

Travel time - Bikaner to Mandawa: approx 4 hours

Next on your Rajasthan desert tour, your car will take you to Shekawati, a Rajput region renowned for its colourful havelis. These magnificently decorated havelis are the pride and joy of the Marwari merchants. You’ll explore Mandawa on your desert cities tour, where you will spend the night in a small resort consisting of traditional clay huts clustered around a bougainvillea shaded courtyard. Your host for the evening has gone to great efforts to maintain the cultural heritage of the village. The charming clay huts where you’ll sleep are all furnished with exquisitely crafted furniture made by his own hands. A guide will take you on an excursion by camel to see the tiny villages in the surrounding area, where life continues at its own age-old pace. The locals will be happily surprised to see you, as not many tourists make it this far into the desert region.

Day 4: Mandawa - Jaipur

Travel time - Mandawa to Jaipur: approx 4-5 hours

Today you’ll return by car to the Pink City of Jaipur and this is where your Rajasthan desert tour ends. When you get back to Jaipur, you can choose to continue your trip with modules such as Wonders of the world or Tigers and turrets. It is also possible to head directly back to Delhi by car from Mandawa.

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