must to-do when in rajasthan

Written by Alice

Find her on Instagram: @ofcoors_

Rajasthan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India due to it's beautiful ancient buildings, palaces, forts and it's huge desert. A hot-spot for over-night camping in the desert is the "small" (at least for Indian standards) town Jaisalmer in the Rajasthani desert where I took part in a tour. It was the one of the best holiday experiences I had so far, no joke!

There are loads of different tours on offer, but the desert tour I did is organized by the Shahi Palace Hotel and starts in the early afternoon. You don't have to stay in the hotel to take part in the tour and you can leave your luggage in the hotel. There are many other places in Jaisalmer that offer camping in the desert but you will mostly stay in a desert resort with fire and dance shows. It's also nice if you want to have a more relaxed evening but if you are an adventurer like me, you will love the tour organized by Shahi.

First, a jeep will pick you and the rest of the group up and will take you to a ghost town near Jaisalmer. From there to another pick-up point where you will meet your guides for the camping tour. Because the camping place is in the desert you won't be able to go by car but instead ride camels to the dunes. It's a bit uncomfortable to sit but still very fun. I was slightly concerned about animal welfare but the camels looked fine and the guides made sure the they got enough rest, food and water. You will arrive in the desert by sunset and your guides will prepare a traditional Indian dinner. I had the best open-fire baked chapatis!

The guides will also prepare your camp and even sing some traditional Rajasthani desert songs for you.

The night sky in the desert is incredible! I have never seen so many stars before. You can even see the milkyway shimmering in the background. I did the tour in December so it got a bid cold at night. It's warm under the blankets but make sure you carry a warm jacket you can wear before going to bed. I was not prepared and it got a bit chilly for me.

In the morning I woke up to "Chai is ready". Sounds like a perfect morning, right? After breakfast you will ride the camels back to the pick-up point and the jeep will bring you back to the hotel. The people there are very nice and offered me a room to freshen up. The hotel also has a rooftop restaurant with really good food and a nice view so I was able to eat some lunch and explorer the fort in Jaisalmer before taking the night bus to the next adventure...