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The part of the Thar Desert that surrounds Jaisalmer is blessed with sand dunes and a royal landscape that makes the city look like it is born out of an alchemist's dream. It is no wonder that camping in a place like this is so popular. However, this popularity has given rise to a lot of options to choose from when it comes to camping. We figured we could make the process of choosing a spot much easier. So, here’s a list of the best camping spots in Jaisalmer.
This mid-budget camping spot and resort is the epitome of living with nature. They’ve done an amazing job at recreating the Silk Route that once passed through this very city. Once you get here, you are welcomed by the people of this camp in traditional clothes with welcome drinks. Then, the whole day has a lot of activities planned that give you great insight into life in the desert.
Depending on what package you get for yourself, you can choose between a Jeep Safari going over the sand dunes and pumping your adrenaline, or doing the same on a camel’s back and having a relaxing time. Whatever you choose to do, your day will end with a beautiful folk dance with the performers wrapped in colorful traditional outfits, while you get to relax in an area decorated with traditional artifacts, giving it the look and feel of an ancient Rajasthani city.
All the tents in this camping resort are Swiss tents and have an attached bathroom. If you wish to have a relaxed evening, you can have your meals delivered to your tent as well. In the evening, you can sit around the bonfire and enjoy the tranquility. We definitely recommend witnessing the sunset from here. We’re willing to bet that it is one memory that you will never forget.
Location: Sam Village, Jaisalmer
Price: Starts from INR 1,899
Best Time To Visit: Winter season
Stay Options: Swiss tents
Also Read: Jaisalmer Travel Guide
Oasis is arguably the most luxurious camp in this part of the desert at the price point at which you can access this place. Located right across the street from Sam Sand Dunes, this camp puts you right where all the action is. The best part is, Oasis is open throughout the year. So, you can go and enjoy the place whenever you feel like it.
Once you get here, you have the option of staying in a proper tent, or in one of their cottages. All accommodations have attached bathrooms. However, hot water is only provided during a certain time frame. If you’re visiting this place in the winters, make sure you don’t miss out on that.
During your stay, you’ll get to experience traditional performance art forms like folk songs and dances. You can also opt for a camel safari to take you over the dunes and experience the vast and desolate glory of the desert.
Location: Sam Village, Jaisalmer
Price: INR 2,000 to INR 3,000, depending on the package you choose.
Best Time To Visit: Winters and early summers.
Stay Options: Swiss tents, cottages.
Also Read: Delhi Travel Guide
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Manvar Desert Camp is the epitome of luxurious camping. It is located between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer and is spread over a 100 acres of desert. Once you get there, you will see three types of accommodations when it comes to camping. They have named them Desert Camp, Luxury Camp, and Private Camp, each providing amenities suitable to their name. Moreover, you’re also given an outdoor pool to unwind in. So, you can live all of the fantasies of the ruler of a desert kingdom.
Talking about the different kinds of accommodations available, the Desert Camp is made up of 30 luxurious safari-style tents that form a semi-circle around a ‘Durbar Hall’. The Luxury Camping setup has ten air-conditioned tents, a separate dining hall, and the best views of the desert sunset you can see from the campsite. On that note, here are a few spots around Jaisalmer where the sunset might blow your mind: Discovering The Best Sunsets In Jaisalmer.
Lastly, the Private Camping setup is away from all the other tents on the property. They are high on the dunes and the desert fauna growing around them hides them from the eyes of anybody around. However, the people at the campsite know them all too well and you have a set of people only looking after you and your private tents. Moreover, you can choose a private camel safari and a private performance, all exclusively for your tent-mates and you.
Albeit expensive, Manvar Desert Camp and Resort offers the absolute best when it comes to luxury and grandiosity. So, you can rest assured that you will find all the required creature comforts with the vast Thar desert perpetually serving as a backdrop to your stay.
Location: Milestone 110 from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, NH125.
Price: Starts at INR 6,765 per night. Might go up to INR 10,000 depending on the package and add-ons you choose.
Best Time To Visit: All year-round.
Stay Options: Tents, Swiss Tents.
Also Read: Agra Travel Guide
Camp-e-Khas gives its own traditional twist to camping. It’s located about 45 kms away from Jaisalmer and has three categories of camping setups: Luxury Tents, Luxury Swiss Tents, and Super Luxury Swiss Tents.
There are 45 Luxury tents, 25 Luxury Swiss Tents, and 20 Superior Luxury Swiss Tents. Most of the amenities in all the tents are similar: you have the option to choose between single and double beds, attached bathrooms with hot and cold showers, a rich traditional interior, and all the amenities you could ask for. One more thing that’s similar across the tents: they offer an experience that you will not forget.
The only difference in the different types of tents is the size of the actual tent, and the amenities you get. For example, the Luxury tents get a normal mattress, while the Superior Luxury Swiss Tents get spring mattresses on their beds.
All that being said, you get to enjoy some amazing food regardless of what tent you’re staying in. There’s a restaurant on site that’s famous for its traditional dishes. Moreover, the chef in this restaurant is known for their taste. One more piece of evidence of their skill is the fact that this restaurant of 100+ seating capacity never has a long waiting time and everybody comes out smiling. You can also ask the people of Camp-e-Khas to arrange an exclusive candle-lit dinner for two on the top of the dunes, making for a very romantic evening.
Camp-e-Khas also offers camel rides that take you through the sand dunes as well as a few villages near the campsite. In the evenings, you get to attend a few cultural activities like Kalbelia. Kalbelia is a dance performed by the Kalbelias, a snake charmer’s community in Rajasthan.
Location: Lakhmana Dunes Road, Sam Sand Dunes, Sam Village
Price: Starts from INR 6,000 per night, can go up to INR 10,000 depending on the package and add-ons you choose.
Best Time To Visit: Winter
Stay Options: Tents, Swiss Tents.
Also Read: Pondicherry Travel Guide
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Sitting on almost 100 acres of private land, The Serai is a camping resort that is nothing short of royalty. As soon as you get close to The Serai, you are in an area full of indigenous desert fauna and an entire compound full of regal decorations and processions, all planned and put together for you. After all, the royalty of the Rajasthani Kingdom is what The Serai is modeled after.
The thing is, almost every tent in this compound is over 1.000 sq. ft. in size and has amenities like an attached bathroom, exterior sit-outs, and a spacious bedroom. Now, these stay common between the three different kinds of accommodations here and are standard for the Tented Suites. If you get a Luxury Tented Suite, you also get a private garden and a sunken pool. With the most equipped tent, the Royal Tent, you get all that along with a lavish spa, a lounge, an outdoor pool, and separate dining tents.
If you’re the more social kind, The Serai also has communal amenities like a shared pool, a spa, a lounge, and a dining tent for guests to experience the beauty of the place with a bunch of people. One thing that you will get at The Serai that you won’t find elsewhere this easily is the fact that you have the freedom to drink anywhere on the estate, giving you that much more chance of feeling like royalty.
Location: Bhairwa, Rajasthan
Price: Starts at INR 32,000. Can go up to INR 70,000, depending on the accommodation and add-ons you choose.
Best Time To Visit: Winters, Early Summers
Stay Options: Swiss Tents, Luxury Swiss Tents.
This mid-range camping resort is one of the most relaxed places you will find in the area. The stay isn’t too fancy, you have all the amenities you would need, but nothing crosses the line into becoming overbearing in any way.
The campsite has more than 30 luxurious tents that surround a circular stage-like area. On this stage, you will see beautiful dance and song performances by the locals in their traditional outfits. Their website states that their USP is the fact that you’re away from the noise and crowd of the city as well as any other campsites in the area.
However, we can think of two more reasons that are very compelling for anybody to choose Rajputana Desert Camp: they are located about half a kilometer away from the Jaisalmer fort and only 200 meters away from the sand dunes, and you’re allowed to bring your pets on this campground. So, you won’t have to worry about leaving your furballs anywhere!
Rajputana has a restaurant on the campsite itself and provides free breakfast and dinner. Moreover, there is 24-hour security around the campsite. So, you don’t have to worry about anything once you’re inside. You can also ask the people at the campsite to arrange for camel safaris, Jeep safaris, paragliding, or dirt-bike tours on the dunes! Once you decide to come here, you get to decide if you want to relax or have adrenaline rushes, then make the most of your time!
Location: Kuldhara Road, Sam Sand Dunes
Price: Starts at INR 3,000. Can go up to INR 6,500 depending upon accommodation and activities you choose.
Best Time To Visit: This campsite is open between 1st August and 31st March. Any time in this timeframe is the best.
Stay Options: Tents, AC Tents, Tented Cottages.
The Run-Down
Jaisalmer is a beautiful place and the desert around it, aptly called ‘The Golden Desert’, only adds to the experience of being in this royal city. The royalty in Jaisalmer is said to be one of the reasons behind desert camping becoming a thing, where they used to set up lavish camps on their hunting trips. Well, when in Rajasthan, do as the Rajasthanis do, right? The campsites mentioned in this blog are the ones that capture the essence of royalty and some of them do so without breaking your bank, too! So, check out the ones that you like the best and have a great time camping!
P.S. Rajasthan has some amazing camping spots sprinkled throughout. Check them out here: 8 Amazing Places To Go Camping In Rajasthan
Is Camping Allowed In Jaisalmer?
Yes! In fact, there are many campsites in and around the city that range in terms of prices, amenities, and the quality of stay. While most of the campsites are near the Sam Sand Dunes, the Khuri Sand Dunes are quickly rising in popularity.
Which Is The Best Campsite In Jaisalmer?
The two campsites that we think are clearly the answer to this question are The Serai, the most luxurious and lavish campsite we can think of, and Rajputana Desert Camp, the one that gives you the most authentic desert camping experience around this part of the desert.
How Do You Get To The Thar Desert?
The nearest railway station to the Thar Desert is in Jaisalmer, while the nearest airport is in Jodhpur. So, you can reach one of the two places and then take a cab, bus, or any sort of road transport to get to the Thar Desert.
Is December A Good Time To Visit Jaisalmer?
Absolutely! The weather in the month of December is favorable to the tourists wanting to visit the royal city of Jaisalmer as the temperatures are relatively cooler. In fact, you might need some warm clothing during the nighttime in Jaisalmer Decembers.
Is It Worth Staying In Desert Camp In Jaisalmer?
It is not worth staying in a desert camp in Jaisalmer unless you are interested in attending cultural festivals.
Which Desert Is Best In Jaisalmer?
Sam Sand Dunes is considered to be one of the best deserts and is a hub for tourists in Jaisalmer.
Why Is Jaisalmer Called Golden City?
Jaisalmer is known as a Golden City because of the yellow sandstones used in the architecture.
What is Jaisalmer Desert Festival?
Maru Mahotsav is the Desert Festival in Jaisalmer.
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