Jaisalmer Travel Guide

Jaisalmer Travel Guide Popularly called the golden city of India, Jaisalmer is home to India's only living fort. The desert city of Jaisalmer is bound to be every traveller's delight. Among the last big towns in Rajasthan and located very close to the Indo-Pak border, Jaisalmer stands in the heart of the Thar Desert. The majestic Jaisalmer Fort forms the centre of all tourism activities in Jaisalmer. Listed as a UNESCO’s World Heritage Site in 2013, the fort attracts thousands of tourists every year. Jaisalmer is famous for its camel back safaris, and overnight desert camps too of course, as listed in this travel guide to Jaisalmer.

About the city of Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer is a small desert town of Rajasthan. It is located on the westernmost part of Rajasthan. Almost 120km from the city comes the border of India and Pakistan. Some 50km from the city are the beautiful sand dunes of the Thar Desert. Also, it is one of the few towns of India where there is a small population of around eighty thousand at the time of this writing. Moreover, almost half the people migrate to other towns and cities in search of work when the tourist season gets over. And businesses start shutting down for summer. The lifestyle is equally laid back and slow. The town of Jaisalmer is characterized by beautiful small houses. They are made of bricks and stones in the same color as the sand. And they shine like gold in the sun. So, it is fondly called “The Golden City”.

How to reach Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer is well connected with most of the other major cities of India as well as other towns and cities of Rajasthan. And that is via rail as well as road network. Best is to take a train from Jaipur or Delhi. But the train ticket booking window opens 4 months in advance in India at the time of this writing. And the seats get booked in the initial one to two days itself. The second best option is to book a sleeper bus ticket. When traveling from Jodhpur or Bikaner, you can also book a taxi or cab. The road journey is short and scenic. While rail connectivity is also there with these towns, the trains often get late by couple of hours, extending the journey duration. Also, there is an airport in Jaisalmer. Actually, it got operational not long back. However, it is catering to very little number of flights.

When to visit Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer witnesses the extreme desert climate. Which means mornings and nights are cold while the days are hot. During the winter months of November till February, the days are bearably hot while the evenings get pleasantly cold. Temperature drops during the night and can sometimes even drop below freezing point. This is the best time to visit Jaisalmer. Although the tourist rush is high during this time. Yet, pertaining to the climate, choose this season for your trip. It rains very scantly in this area and only in the monsoon season.
Come March and slowly the businesses start shutting down for the low season. Tourist footfall decrease drastically. Shops, hotels, tour operations that mostly thrive based on the tourist shut down in summers. Activities and tour choices are also not available during the peak summer months.

What to see in Jaisalmer
The city of Jaisalmer itself is nothing less than a heritage. The houses are built of bricks and stones in the same color as the sand. The golden houses over golden sand, shining in the bright daylight give the whole city a golden glow. The fort of Jaisalmer is one of the major attractions for tourists. One can as well stay in one of the hotels inside the fort itself. The fort has a king’s palace and a queen’s palace which are open for public. The fort also has 3 beautiful Jain temples and several other temples. Next, at walking distance from the fort lies Gadisar lake, which is a manmade water storage tank used in ancient times by the people of the city as a major source of water. You can do boating in the lake.

About Jaisalmer