A journey full of royalty, food, culture and adventure...!!
Let's began our journey to the Golden City - Jaisalmer
Trip Date: 09/02/2021 to 14/02.2021
Gears before planning : DSLR/any good camera, SPF 50 or more sunscreen, cap or hat (to cover yourself in harsh sun), umbrella
Expense Details
Tariff Details:
Hotel Blue Fortune: Sikar- INR 2500 for two double rooms (without breakfast)
Hotel heritage House- Double Room, INR 4165/night (with breakfast)
Prince Desert Camp: Sam Sand Dunes- Luxury Swiss Tent, INR 5250night (with breakfast, dinner, high tea, camel & jeep safari)
Mala Ki Dhani- Two Huts, INR 2450 (with dinner and breakfast)
Hotel Pleasant Haveli- Deluxe Double Room, INR 5130/night (with breakfast)
NOTE: All Stays were booked for 1 night
Additional Expense:
Fuel (Diesel for Thar & Petrol for Swift) - INR 14,134
Food (At all the cafes/restaurants and meals while travelling) - INR 12000
Other expenses - INR 1500 approx (tickets, tips etc)
NOTE - We divide all the expenses equally in our group
Day 0 (Trip Start)
We started our journey from Gurgaon in the evening and took dinner stop at Hotel Highway King (reached there by 9:30 pm). If you are traveling on Jaipur Route, this food stop is a nice option.
That was the time of Farmer's protest, so it took us more than usual to cover the distance till Sikar. We planned to take a night break here and booked Hotel Blue Fortune for that. We called them directly for booking 2 rooms for a night (one room with extra bed) without breakfast.
Their rooms were quite big as for a low budget en-route stay and extra bedding was also very comfortable (thick mattress on a roll-away bed)
NOTE - Watch Jaisalmer-Episode 1 Vlog on my YouTube channel for room tour
Day 1
Next morning, we departed for Jaisalmer at 8:00AM. As we didn't book our last stay with breakfast, we thought of fueling up once the city stretch is over. But maaannnn...that was a big mistake. After Sikar we didn't find any decent stop to eat.
As from my previous blogs you all might be familiar that me and my gang looks like we live just to eat...it was one hell of a stretch we had to cross with empty stomachs. Finally, after 4 and half hours of drive we found Karan Punjabi Dhaba as a blessing. Though we were the only ones eating there apart from truck drivers, but nothing mattered more than food. Those guys made delicious stuffed parathas for us. Dhaba area was quite big with clean washrooms.
There after we actually started to enjoy our journey with happy tummies. Thankfully we were carrying some snacks and our usual Wagh Bakri tea premix sachets. So, further we took a fun chai break when we found a nice spot under the trees.
As we reached Jaisalmer, there were giant windmills and I got so excited seeing them that I couldn't restrain from stepping out and taking pictures. It was my first time actually witnessing windmills and thought maybe it's just the one. But you can see my vlog and decide how wrong I was.
Finally, we reached at our first stay - Hotel heritage House at 4.30 pm.
So, this hotel was not in the main Fort area (where all famous hotels are) but later towards the end of our trip, we realized that it's actually always better to stay away from crowded areas no matter which place you are traveling to (given you either have your own vehicle or public conveyance is easy).
The host and all of the staff were so welcoming. The host personally took care of each guest and asked about the stay and food feedback.
Furnishing and interior of this hotel looked perfectly traditional giving you all the required comfort. They had both indoor and outdoor dining areas on the roof (outdoor dining was beautifully lit and arranged)
There were many nice spots for photoshoot inside the hotel itself and their under-maintenance rooftop gave 360-degree view of the surroundings. We enjoyed both sunset and sunrise from here.
NOTE - Visit our gallery for more amazing pictures
After so many clicks and watching sunset, we relaxed on their roof top dining space. They served such a delicious dinner that our tummies and hearts were filled with happiness. This hotel is in a residential area, so we also enjoyed a nice walk after our dinner.
Day 2
We woke up early to enjoy sunrise from their top roof. Then headed for our day trip to Tanot Mata Temple and Laungewala Border after a fulfilling breakfast buffet.
Tanot Mata temple was 120 kms from our stay and if you are traveling from Jaisalmer, the usual route goes via Ramgarh (which is a 2 hours' drive). We were unaware about the road construction on this route, so it took us around 3 hours to cover this distance. The route had too many diversions and a large portion of the stretch was broken or uneven, but the views on both sides were lovely in the second half of the journey.
We reached the temple by 12:30pm. It is the last civilian point in India towards border. There are a few shops outside the temple and an open parking space. You should carry your own food as the shops only sell juices, Maggi, chips n stuff. The temple has a mini museum, a small stall for selling souvenirs and fairly clean washrooms.
Why is Tanot Mata Temple famous?
During 1965 Indo-Pak War, several bombs were dropped on this temple, but none could harm it. Some of those bombs are still at display inside the temple. This temple is maintained and managed by Border Security Force of India and the BSF personnel offer prayers (Aarti) every evening.
There is one more once in a lifetime experience - to visit BP 609 (Border Pillar 609) which is approx 20 kms from the temple. It is in a deserted area from where one can see the border fences. One has to take permission from Jaisalmer Headquarter or from the office inside the temple. Earlier it was easy to get permission but now a days it's really your luck. We were not lucky enough to go there but will try again with more information.
After spending an hour there, we left for Laungewala Border. As soon as we left the temple, we landed on a bump free, straight and serene route. This journey is actually a driver's delight. Even if you are not driving, the views on both sides of the road are mesmerizing. It is the best road in India I have travelled till date. We even saw some super cars racing on this route.
The distance between Tanot Mata Temple and Laungewala is about 50 kms. It took us just half an hour to cover this stretch.
As we were too hungry, so headed straight to Laungewala Cafe - the last cafe of India towards this border. They had Rajma Chawal, Chhole Bhature, Samosa and a few drinks. The cafe also had some selfie spots and a very interesting weather forecast technique board.
Laungewala War memorial has battle History Room, War Trophies Room, Sand Model Room and Laungewala Audio and Visual Theatre.
At the entrance there is a captured Pakistani Sherman Tank and a captured Pakistani T-59 Tank at the end. Some tanks can also be spotted lying stuck in the surrounding desert.
After visiting all the rooms and watching a short movie showing how the battle of 1965 was fought (mostly through clips of Bollywood's movie Border), we headed for our second stay at Sam Sand Dunes.
Sam Sand Dunes is a very famous area for camping and desert safari in Jaisalmer. There are too many luxury camps alongside the road. But we wanted to stay a bit away from the crowded area, so that we could enjoy the folk music and dance performance (without getting disturbed with the noise from adjoining camps) and also the silence at night.
So, we finalized Prince Desert Camp, which was around 1.5 to 2 kms away from the main crowded road. The approach road was unpaved and there were no other camps nearby. The safari area was just behind the camp, so it was also less crowded. We booked two luxury tents.
We reached the camp at 5:00 pm and it was their evening teatime. So, we went straight for the tea before heading for our camel ride to sand dunes. It was my first time riding a camel and I have always been afraid of the way it gets up and sits down. I imagined my back and neck would tear off and I will be on bed for a few days (You can enjoy and laugh at my expressions in the vlog). So, thanks to my imagination, I shouted like crazy when my camel stood up and didn't dare to ride it again on my return journey (so I came back on foot).
The dune area was behind our camps, and it was just 5 minutes camel ride. As far as one could see, there were beautiful sand dunes. Some people were doing camel-race and a few locals were performing folk dances. We sat there for an hour and played in the sand. My brother went for camel race and I just cheered him.
We came back and relaxed for some time in our camps. There was high tea and folk performance from 7:30pm in and open-air theatre. The camp looked so beautiful at and after sunset. I was in no mood of resting, so just roamed around in the camp and went early to get the seat of my choice in their performance arena.
The tea these guys served at the time of folk performance...OMGggg....No one can stop at just one of it. We had like 5 of them back-to-back and were even bound to ask their secret ingredient...!!
They served mixed fritters (pakora) along with it and there was also a bar counter (pay and drink).
They lit the bonfire and the magical night began. The folk singers and dancer were awesome. They sang some amazing folk songs, some all-time favorite famous numbers. They even did a twin-duet (jugalbandi) performance. At the end they asked everyone to join for group dance. It was almost a 2-hour show after which everyone went for dinner buffet. The food was just fine but all happy faces were in no-complaint mode.
Day 3
This day began with an ultimate adventure. We went for a morning desert safari to watch sunrise. We woke up 6:30AM and it was still dark. Our adventure to nearby sunrise location started at 7, in an open Thar .. hustling through the cold wind .. testing our grips and trying to capture whatever we could, we reached the sunrise point.
There was a tea stall and a few beds, which made us realize that sleeping in open desert under the stars was also an option (Big regret .. but noted for next trip).
We had tea and sat on sand to watch the sunrise. It was such a peaceful time. We returned after an hour having our roller-coaster ride. The drivers are so experienced and confident to jump their vehicles in this vast desert. It was a perfect start filled with adventure and peace (what an unusual combination)
After breakfast we went to visit Patwaon Ki Haveli before our third stay. It is basically a cluster of five havelis, but we visited only first one (which is supposed to be best designed). It has a beautiful architecture, mirror work and wooden carving on walls and so many doors, windows and balconies making it a nice photography spot. The top of the haveli gives panoramic view of the surroundings.
You can also shop some antique home decor and jewelry from stalls outside the haveli. It is located down a narrow lane. There is an open parking space, both on the main road and just before the haveli too.
After a quick tour, we headed for lunch at Restaurant Romany (Chirag Haveli) near the Jaisalmer Fort. The view from their roof-top restaurant was nice but food was just okay. Before proceeding towards our stay, we went to Dr.Bhang Shop (Government authorized shop outside the fort). They sell amazing lassi and much more. (Drop your queries for more information). We had some deserts there and some for take away.
Then we headed for the most amazing and unique stay of ours - Mala Ki Dhani.
Mala Ki Dhani
Staying at Mala Ki Dhani was definitely the highlight of our trip.
An authentic village life away from the crowd, a perfect host (Mr. Om), clean private huts made with locally available materials with basic amenities, bonfire lighting up the surroundings and stars lighting up your eyes. It's like carefree childhood all over again....!!
What else can you ask for, in this overburdened running life..??
Ours was a short trip and also, we were not sure about the place, so we booked our stay at Mala Ki Dhani just for a day. But that was a big mistake...!! Well, actually I couldn't be satisfied even if I have booked it for a week. It was such an amazing experience.
Mr. Om and his family (wife, three cute kids, brother and 4 dogs) are the best host one can get. Initially it might have been difficult for some people but now they have electricity in their home, which is hardly 100m away from the huts we booked. The huts don't have electricity (which make them even more authentic). They can provide battery lights if you want (we didn't take them). There is a small temple on a nearby hilltop, which gives a panoramic view making it a perfect spot to watch sunset and sunrise (we did both). They have basic Indian-style washroom and a drum outside as basin. They will give you normal but tasty home cooked food (You can also ask for additional things to eat like maggi or fritters).There is a large open space among the huts where you can park your vehicles.
We reached there at 4:30 in the evening. Mr. Om was already there at the diversion from the main road to guide us further (he has a 7-seater vehicle if you are travelling via public transport). We booked two huts which were clean and ready for us. We were the only ones staying there at this time. He made us tea as soon as we reached there.
Half an hour before sunset we started climbing the temple top. It's quite easy and took us just 10 minutes to ascend. We sat there and enjoyed a peaceful sunset time. After getting back, we requested for some tea and fritters (extra charge). They arranged and lit the bonfire after sunset. Entire evening passed and the sky started twinkling, but we didn't get enough of this place, sometimes talking and sharing our memories and at times in silence.
It was a new moon night (first moon after no moon), so it was quite dark and as the night fell upon us, the dark sky got filled with pretty stars. There were no houses and no light around us. The only sources of light were bonfire on the ground below and millions of stars in the sky above.
Dinner arrangements were at their home, a few meters away from our huts. We walked in our mobile flashlights, and it seemed like I was shooting cam rip of some low budget movie. HaHa..!! One of their dogs brushed his tail on my feet and I screamed bloody murder, like I was dead in that moment...
Mr. Om's wife was preparing food for us. We gave the kids a goodies basket, I brought for them. We sat on the floor and enjoyed our meal. When we returned back to the bonfire, my sister and brother-in-law went to sleep in their hut but the three of us couldn't sacrifice the opportunity of a night-long star gazing, so we shifted our khatiyas (beds) from huts to open area around bonfire. Mr. Om's brother and all the dogs slept alongside us (in case we got scared at night).
Lying on my back, starring at the stars, thinking about my childhood and realizing how happy one could feel when your heart is all settled and at peace...!!
Later when everyone fell asleep, I realized it was too quiet and the dry grass fencing behind us was making scary noises due to wind. A few times our dog made some noises which reminded me that they do so when there is something around, we can't see. Overall, it was kind of pernoctation for me, every other minute raising the head and checking my surroundings.
We woke up an hour before dawn for some astro-photography and later went hiking up the hilltop to watch sunrise. Two of the kids and dogs followed us (we were friends by now).
Day 4
After a simple and lovely breakfast (Poha and Maggi), we left for Jaisalmer city. Our last stay was booked at Hotel Pleasant Haveli. This hotel had nice reviews, but we were not really happy with the rooms and food (may be 'cause we had an amazing stay at Heritage House on our very first day).
The rooms were okayish..not very heritage kinda furnished. Also, the food service took too long, and taste was also just fine. The plus point of this hotel was that it is very near to Jaisalmer Fort, market and restaurants. They also have a terrace restaurant with fort-view, which can compensate a little for food at night, when you can see beautifully lit-up fort.
Today, we went to Hotel 1st Gate Fusion for lunch. We searched Zomato for lunch options and this restaurant was highly rated. It is a bit overpriced (we paid INR 4500 for 5 people), but they serve amazing Italian dishes.
Must try - Pink sauce pasta topped with parmesan cheese and thin crust veggie pizza (we also had paneer gravy and garlic naan, cheese garlic bread, lemon soda, cold coffee and one alcoholic drink)
Then we went to the Jaisalmer Fort. This is one of the very few "living forts" in the world. About 5000 people live inside it.
There are many restaurants, hotels and shops inside the fort. You can buy home decor, clothes, footwears, furnishings, gifting souvenirs and much more here, and that too at reasonable price.
There is an entry fee of INR 50 for Indian people and additional charges (INR 100) for video camera. There is also a Jain temple inside the fort. After taking a long walk through the fort and market lanes, there is a canon-point at the top end, which gives you panoramic view of the golden Jaisalmer city
We got some amazing shots inside the fort, which just made my day.
On our way back we went to Cafe+, a vegetarian cafeteria and restaurant near the fort, for some tea and snacks. This cafe will definitely catch your sight, if you are passing by. It has a very funky decor with lots of plants and fairy lights.
Then we went back to our hotel, had dinner on their rooftop restaurant overlooking the Jaisalmer Fort and headed back home next morning, after breakfast.
Every journey gives you a different experience. Our road trip to Jaisalmer was an amazing one, full of heritage royalty, scrumptious food, adventurous rides, heartful talks and peaceful silence.
NOTE - Please drop us any query in Contact section for any other information required and get a glimpse of the trip on our YouTube Channel - RovitaS (travel vlogs attached below)
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