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All our accomplishments deserve a break, and it is us who can treat us better. We have now planned to treat ourselves with the exclusive royalty of Rajasthan. We are on a road trip again with our all time happening buddies, who are nonetheless but my family members. This is my second road trip with them and they have proved themselves to be the best partners in crime ;)
All our accomplishments deserve a break, and it is us who can treat us better. We have now planned to treat ourselves with the exclusive royalty of Rajasthan. We are on a road trip again with our all time happening buddies, who are nonetheless but my family members. This is my second road trip with them and they have proved themselves to be the best partners in crime ;)
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Camel - Sam Sand Dunes |
Quite likely you have heard of Rajasthan, and quite likely you
also had a chance to visit few of its cities like Jaipur or Udaipur, and quite
possibly you must be wondering why your perceptions for Rajasthan are not
fulfilled yet. Let me start with the perceptions one by one, I come up with
when I think of Rajasthan and the places to visit in Jaisalmer that fulfilled
those desires.
Jaisalmer Fort
Known widely as ‘Land of King’, Rajasthan is rich in
monuments and palaces which are now open for general public in the form of
museums or forts. Though much of my desire to visit such palaces and forts are
already fulfilled by Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and other cities of Rajasthan,
but Jaisalmer wins the race when I got the chance to personally visit Jaisalmer Fort.
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Jaisalmer Fort View |
Jaisalmer Fort is the old and the true Jaisalmer also known as ‘Golden Fort’. This is the only fort in Rajasthan where thousands of people reside within its walls. Jaisalmer Fort is the real heritage place where the king still sits on his chair and his progeny in front of him on ground on the occasion of ‘Dussehra’ every year. The fort not only has people residing within it, but also has lots of basic shops, handicrafts shops, temples, guesthouses and restaurants.
The fort is equipped with super- pleasing items to shop but
costly as hell, when compared to other places. I would suggest buying Rajasthan’s
stuff from Jaipur market, if you are planning to visit Jaipur also.
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Jaisalmer Market |
Sand Dunes
While the time we were getting ready for the trip of
Rajasthan, somewhere inside I was creating images of sands all around. After all,
this was the next perception of Rajasthan I had. Desert-ness
which was missing till now from Jaipur to Jodhpur, I got to see in
Jaisalmer. Sam Sand Dunes and Thar Desert,
both are among the most popular regions taken into consideration for dune
bashing. Jeep Safari and Camel Safari both are available at these
locations.
We opt for Jeep Safari at ‘Thar Desert’. This is
because, the second day stay at ‘Rawla Tents’ in Jaisalmer, was providing us
the Camel Safari at their privately owned Sand Dunes. These activities are
required to be pre booked. One more thing that night Jeep Safari is also
an option considered more often by visitors.
We started at around 5 pm in the evening, which altogether
was an awesome experience. We settled bargaining with the price of Rs 1000 for Jeep Safari
starting from Royal & Mughal Desert, also covering Thar Desert. It was a
great ride experience. They gave a halt at Thar Desert to enjoy the Sand dunes
and take pictures. There was also a small shop for tea and coffee. Few Snacks
were also available there.
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Night Jeep Safari |
It was kind of Enjoyment till exhaustion, as we can stay there at the place of halt for any amount of time. We spent at least an hour there. We took lot of pictures with the camels and the scenic beauty all around. The moment arrived when we could feel that it is getting dark and the wind has started blowing very hard. We asked the driver to move back now. As we started, it started raining heavily that we all got wet. Night time and Rain, added to our fun of Jeep Safari. We were also able to experience night Jeep Safari. Our Jeep was finding its way out in the night among the Sand dunes. It was a totally different experience where you are much away from all your day to day worries. It seems that the god was showering his happiness on us and on this desert. While on our way back to Starting point our parents were enjoying conversation with the Jeep Driver. As per him, the people of Jaisalmer are very honest towards their Nation.
On reaching the starting point, we all settled down in our
car to reach back to ‘Rawla Tents’.
Luckily we already had few spare newspapers in our car, which helped us save
our car seats from getting wet. Thanks to
Google Maps, to help us find our destination in such a rainy night.
Wind Mills
Something beyond perception is presence of Wind Mills in
Jaisalmer. We had only heard about these structures and read in books in our
childhood, which we came across with over here. The Jaisalmer Wind Park is
India's largest operational onshore wind farm. A windmill is a mill that
converts the wind energy into rotational energy by means of blades, which is
then used to generate electricity. Wind Mills in Jaisalmer covers the huge land
area. We enjoyed capturing those wind mills in our cameras, to re-create the
new images of wind mills with us besides them.
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Wind Mills |
Bada Bagh
Bada Bagh meaning ‘Big Garden’ comes with an entry
ticket of Rs. 100 per person (camera extra). Though the amount is quite
high but the visit during sunset or sunrise will surely fill the gap. It
contains a set of royal cenotaphs, or cenotaphs of Maharajas of Jaisalmer
state, starting with Jai Singh II.
Lunakaran, son of ’Maharawal Jaisal Singh’,
completed the construction of Bada Bagh after his father’s death. It is located in the middle of the desert, so
it provides you with the best of the scenery. This garden fulfills my next
perception of sand made construction.
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Bada Bagh - External View |
Patwon ki Haveli
Patwon ki haveli
situated in the main city of Jaisalmer is one of the distinct destinations not
to be missed. It is not a single haveli, but 5 havelis for each son of ‘Patwa’
(Rich man of that time in Jaisalmer). It took around 50 years for its
completion. The Haveli is renowned for its ornate wall paintings, intricate
yellow sandstone-carved jharokhas (balconies), gateways and archways. Although
the building itself is made from yellow sandstone,
the main gateway is brown.
It comes with an entry ticket of Rs 100/- per person and free for children below 12 years. Also be prepared in advance because you need to walk a little more at this place. Inside and outside you will get to see great artwork.
My Stay in Tokyo Palace
Covering the long route from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, we
managed to reach Tokyo Palace in the evening. It was a nice and well built
architecture. It is located quite close to the main road, so we don’t need to
hassle much to find the routes. The staff was very helpful and professional. They
were running for the comfort of the guests. Rooms were large and comfortable.
It has a rooftop restaurant, where we enjoyed our breakfast,
also providing us the view of Jaisalmer Fort. I also observed that foreigners
often consider this place for their visit to Jaisalmer.
I recommend stay of two days in Jaisalmer. One may be in hotel and
other must be in Camp, to experience camp stay of Jaisalmer.
My Stay in Rawla Camp
While looking for the stay in Jaisalmer and after much of
R&D ;-), we decided to experience a day in the Camps of Jaisalmer. Undoubtedly,
it is going to offer you with the classic rural experience. The village
lifestyle crafted to your whims and fancies. Village life is a life where the
soul of India resides.
‘Rawla Camps’ is going to provide you with the same in a
very convenient and effortless manner. It is situated in a very quiet place,
sand all around. Also it rained that day that made us feel like in some heaven.
Rain
in Desert- Just an awesome experience. Manager of the Camp said, “Even
the rain is welcoming you!!” He added
further by saying that it had rained after almost two months in Jaisalmer.
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Rawla Tents |
After setting down in own rooms, we were ready to go for
Jeep Safari, which is already mentioned above. We were beforehand informed
about the cultural program organized specially for us guys. This is the reason
we were quiet excited about our return from Jeep Safari. The time has come now
when we are back to our camp, but all wet due to surprised rainfall. So we all
waited for the rain to take a halt, meanwhile we all prepared ourselves to get
ready for the cultural program.
Rain stopped, and we all assembled in the dining area where
the program was arranged. The chairs were set and the snacks were being served too.
The performance was quiet professional. They showcased their traditional dance
and music using their traditional instruments. The food was though average in
terms of taste.
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Sunrise View |
They have got their private Sand Dunes, where they arranged
camel ride for all of us in the early morning. The camels look healthy and
active. We enjoyed feeding grasses to the camels and captured amazing pictures
with them. The ride was for a reasonable distance, and we also offered a tip (small amount of money) to the camel
man. We had a great sunrise view early morning. There is no other tent or any
accommodation nearby so it is kind of separate location made us feel special.
One thing I would like
to add is that not to expect a luxury stay in Camps otherwise you won’t be able
to enjoy and also you won’t be able to experience the true village lifestyle.
Some more budget stay
in Jaisalmer is:
How to Reach
Jaisalmer
By Road is the
most preferred way for many of the Indians to visit Jaisalmer along with other
famous cities of Rajasthan which includes Jaipur, Udaipur, Mount Abu and
Jodhpur. The way we also opted and our favorite one. While on road trip, the
most preferred way to reach Jaisalmer is via Osian and Phalodi highway. This
is the best way as it provides you the best of the highway to drive on.
By Air is also an
option available via Udaipur/Jodhpur/ Jaipur airport and from there, continue
by road till Jaisalmer. This is the most less time consuming way out. Among all, Jodhpur airport is the closest
domestic airport functional throughout the year.
By Train is
another option available. Direct trains are available from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur
as well as Delhi.
By Bus is going
to be a very hectic option and time consuming option too. There are no direct
buses from Delhi to Jaisalmer. You can opt to switch bus in Jaipur from where
sleeper coach runs regularly. But the tickets need to be booked in advance due
to limited number of seats.
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Road View from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer |
Our Expenditure in Jaisalmer
As I always believe, Spending money on Travel is never a
pain. Now is the time to mention our expenses.
[Rs. 9,000 (Own Car Delhi Return) + 1000 (Tolls) + 11,000
(Hotel & Camp- Discounted price –2 nights & 3 Rooms) + 1,500 (Monuments
entry) + 1000 (Jeep Safari) + 4,000 (Food Expenses)
Total Expenditure for 2 nights and 6 people – Rs: 26,500/- that is 4,600
Per Person Approximately.
After completion of Jaisalmer we head straight back to
Delhi. I know this is quite a long route but we were available with two expert
drivers with us, Nitin and our father. We were coming back via roads of
Bikaner.
Though we were ending our Rajasthan Road Trip over here, but
it was not an end but the beginning. Beginning to understand that life is all
about living. Live by complimenting yourself with such surprises.
Also Read:
Reward Yourself with Royalty - Jaipur
Lakes in the City - Its Udaipur
Its not Water that Inspires Blueness of Jodhpur !!
Also Read:
Reward Yourself with Royalty - Jaipur
Lakes in the City - Its Udaipur
Its not Water that Inspires Blueness of Jodhpur !!
This is the best traveling tour that you have got here and I am really desperate to visit this place. From a while I have been planning to see such wonderful place to see from a while.
ReplyDeleteSapna,
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a complete guide on Jaisalmer city. Thanks for sharing much needed information while planning a trip to Jaisalmer. I think one should plan at least a 3 trip to enjoy all Activities in Jaisalmer.
Thanks a lot :-)
Deletehi sapna this is actually i was looking for.. thanks for sharing your experience.. by any chance do you still have contact number of rawla tents?
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