Jaipur: Private - Khimsar Desert Safari Day Trip with Guide

The real desert, and back the same day

Khimsar is about 300 km from Jaipur, north-west toward Nagaur, and it is where the scrub finally gives way to actual sand. The day runs fifteen hours because of that distance, and you should book it knowing the drive is a substantial part of it.

What you get in return is dunes without the tourist machinery of Jaisalmer, which is another 280 km further on.

The dunes

Khimsar's sand sits in a pocket of the Thar behind the village, and the safari runs out into it by jeep in the late afternoon, when the light is long and the heat has dropped. The dunes are not vast but they are genuine, and there is nobody on them.

Sunset from a ridge out there, with nothing in any direction, is the reason people make this drive.

The villages

Bishnoi and Jat settlements are scattered across this country, and the tour stops at one. The Bishnoi are worth knowing about: a sect founded in the 15th century on twenty-nine principles, several of which forbid felling green trees or harming animals. In 1730, three hundred and sixty-three of them were killed defending a grove of khejri trees from a maharaja's axes — which is why blackbuck and chinkara still graze freely around their villages when they are hunted everywhere else.

You will likely see both, plus desert foxes and a great many birds.

The fort

Khimsar Fort dates from 1523, built by a son of the Rathore ruler of Jodhpur, and part of it is still a family residence. The exterior and the setting are the draw.

Practical

Fifteen hours door to door, private air-conditioned car with driver, and a guide throughout. Early start, late return.

Desert nights are cold from November to February — a jacket, even if the day was warm. Meals, the safari fee and any camel ride are paid on the day.