Camel Safari Recommendations Jaisalmer

tsk1979

Thanks for your comments Aishah!
And Alan, Camel riding is not really an enjoyble ride for everyone. My wife enjoyed it, and rode the camel both while going and coming back.
Actually all camel safari's no matter how remote, camp at a place where a Jeep is reachable.
There are 2 reasons for that
1. Carrying food/booze etc., is easier in a Jeep
2. If some medical emergency arises at night, its difficult to get camels as they are let go for grazing. In a Jeep you need 20 minutes offroad driving, after thats it tarmac to Jaisalmer, so within an hour you can get best healthcare if you are stung by scorpion etc(a friend of mine almost died after being stung by scorpion).

So when we booked the safari, I asked him, whether the place is jeepable, to which he replied yes.
So after that I told him that I would be driving to the camp. Infact the beer and Ice was in the back of our truck. It was a tough sandy trail, and couple of times I almost got stuck, but eventually we made it to the dunes.

I have around 400+ pictures of the Jaisalmer adventure.

So if you don't like camels but want to stay in the desert, ask your operator to take you there in the Jeep, they will be happy to oblige.
One less camel means less money to pay to the camel men!

Next time we go to Jaisalmer, we will try to be a bigger group, and instead of booking any safari, we will catch hold of an operator or a guide, pay him to arrange food etc., and guide us to a jeepable destination in the Desert

Last but not the least, try to catch the moonset/moonrise, even if it means setting an alarm in the middle of the night

Here's another night shot I took

But remember Jaisalmer is not just desert, that city has a very rich heritage


Hope you all enjoy your trip. And don't miss Kurdhala and Khaba(we missed Khaba due to lack of time)

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haydn

hi all!
we had a great trek over last new year with a guide whose name i embarassingly have forgotten, booked through Sawai(chamingly sly) at Hotel Desert (also recommended!) and had a great time! nicest roti and meal we had in rajasthan! i got drunk on the stars! and our (muslim)guide was on of the most educative people i met about the state of religious relations in jaisalmer. a lovely guy! (if he is wearing my old head torch, thats him.)
shantih

Sleepy

Agree with the recommendation about Kuldhara. It was absolutely amazing. Don't know about khaba though.

About camel safari, I went with shahi palace. The dune was completely to ourselves. There were no tourist outside our group in that place. The sand was clean and the ripples were perfct. I went for a sunset trip. It was only 30 -40 min camel ride from the village where we got our camels from. Contrary to my expectation, the ride was very smooth. The main reason is, the camels were carrying all the blankets and bedding for those who will be staying the night at the dunes. And we were seating on top of those blankets, making the whole experience very comfortable.

After the sunset, we found out that the jeep is waiting for us at the bottom of the dunes. So, those of us who were not game for any more camel riding, took the jeep.

I myself went for camel, but this time the ride was not as comfortable as all those blankets were missing.

The whole experience was much better than I expected and I'd highly recommend it for a sunset tour over the visit to much hyped Sam dunes, which resembles a garbage pit these days.

Here are a few pics of the Dune -
1. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/...db7622556a.jpg

2. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/...25f286d585.jpg

3. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/...3907df767c.jpg

Aishah

Mod Note: We ask members not to post large sized photos in the Forum threads. These can be posted in the Photos area. Sleepy - I have re-formatted your large photos into links. You may put thumbnails if you wish, but actually it is just as easy to click on a link to see a larger size of the photo, as it is to click on a thumbnail!

Very nice pics, sleepy!

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haydn

i miss camels!

Go Green

Hi,I am going try camel ride first time in my life in Dec this year. I read about the sorenes. Is there any trick to riding the camel so that one won't get that sore?

Cameleer

Sure, sit on the saddle and if it’s not comfortable have them add some more padding to it (that’s what I did) or get on a different camel and feel how that saddle fits.
It really should be enjoyable and comfortable for you riding a camel.

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Go Green

thanks Cameleer. I read about camel rides sunset tour. How long / how far is that. I am planning to stay at JawaharNiwas. Do they have Camel rides? What does it cost?

Aishah

You will have to ask Jawahar Niwas directly re camel ride and costs etc. Normally for a sunset tour people go out by jeep with some sightseeing on the way, then pick up a camel around Kanoi area and do about an hour and a half's ride to the sunset viewing point in the dunes at Sam. Depending on whether you are having dinner out there or not, and the number of people in the group in the jeep, prices will vary from around 450 per person up to 900 - this is a very rough guide for you. The dearest is if it is only a couple of people, and they are having dinner and a culture programme out in the desert.

JanineG

My husband and I did a camel safari through Shahi Palace a few weeks ago. We were told we would not see any tourists, but there were two other tour groups visible from the sand dunes we camped at. Regardless of that, we had so much fun! I think the price was 850 per day per person. We did a two day safari. The camel herders were great. They were all really really young (under 12) except for one who was 23. I did not find the camel too uncomfortable for riding. I miss camels!