Bada Bagh, Kuldhara and the desert evening
Jaisalmer · 7 hrs · Cab and driver included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2000 for the whole vehicle, up to 4 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2000 for the vehicle.
West of town, timed for the last two hours of light
Everything worth seeing outside Jaisalmer sits on the same road west, and everything on it looks better late. Bada Bagh is a ridge of royal cenotaphs that turns orange about forty minutes before sunset. Kuldhara is an abandoned village whose empty lanes are far more affecting in low light than at noon. The dunes are only worth the drive when the sun is nearly down.
So this runs in the afternoon rather than the morning, on purpose. Out at one, Amar Sagar and Bada Bagh while the light is still coming, Kuldhara in the middle, and on to the sand for the last of it.
The car is yours for the whole run, which matters more here than in town: these are 6 km, 15 km and 40 km apart with nothing in between, and the ride back after dark is the part that catches people out. Rides on the dunes are arranged by the operators out there and paid there. We are not in that transaction and we do not take a cut of it.
Why the afternoon version
These places are made of light
Bada Bagh at midday is a row of grey stone. At six it is the photograph you came for. The whole route is sequenced backwards from sunset.
There is nothing out there
Amar Sagar to Bada Bagh to Kuldhara to the dunes is 50 km of open desert road with no transport in between and none at all after dark. The car waiting at each stop is the experience.
The dune ride stays your decision
Camel and jeep rides are run by local operators at Sam and Khuri, priced there. We say so up front rather than folding a marked-up ride into the headline number.
Where you'll go
1. Amar Sagar
A Jain temple complex and a stepped tank about 6 km out, restored over decades and usually near empty. It is the quiet start the rest of the afternoon needs.
Temple entry, paid at the door
2. Bada Bagh
A ridge of sandstone chhatris, one for each ruler of Jaisalmer, standing over what was once a mango garden fed by a dam. Wind turbines turn behind them, which sounds wrong and looks extraordinary.
Site entry and camera fee, paid at the gate
3. Kuldhara
A Paliwal Brahmin village abandoned in a single night around two centuries ago and never resettled. The lanes and doorframes are still there. The stories are worth hearing and worth taking lightly.
Village entry ticket, paid at the gate
4. The dunes at Sam or Khuri
Roughly 40 km west, where the scrub finally gives way to sand. Camel and jeep rides are run by the local operators out there and priced at the dunes, never through us.
Camel or jeep ride at the dunes, priced there
How you get there
One car, four stops, 100 km of desert road
About 100 km return on straight desert highway. The vehicle, the driver, fuel and the return after dark are one flat price for the car. What you do on the sand is settled on the sand.
- Pickup: Your stay in Jaisalmer at 1:00 pm
- Vehicle: Swift Dzire up to 4, with driver
- Distance: About 100 km return, west of town
- Walking: Sandy and uneven at Bada Bagh and Kuldhara
- Drop: Back at your stay around 8:00 pm
The afternoon
1:00 pm: Pickup
West out of town on the Ramgarh road.
1:30 pm: Amar Sagar
The Jain complex and the tank. About 45 minutes, usually to yourselves.
2:45 pm: Bada Bagh
The cenotaph ridge, with the turbines turning behind. About an hour.
4:15 pm: Kuldhara
The abandoned lanes and what is left of the houses. About an hour.
5:45 pm: The dunes
Sunset on the sand. Camel and jeep rides available and priced there.
8:00 pm: Drop
Back at your stay.
In your price
- Private sedan with driver for the afternoon and evening
- Pickup and drop at your stay in Jaisalmer
- Fuel, parking and driver allowance
- Route timed backwards from sunset
- GoExplorer support number for the evening
Not included
- Site entry and camera fees
- Camel and jeep rides at the dunes
- Food and drinks
- Any overnight desert camp
What you pay on the day
- Site entry and camera fees at Amar Sagar, Bada Bagh and Kuldhara
- Camel or jeep rides at the dunes, priced there by the local operators
- Food and drinks
- Personal expenses
Who this suits
Anyone comfortable walking on sand and uneven stone. Bada Bagh is a short climb up a ridge and Kuldhara is loose underfoot. Children of any age are fine. If you are set on a camel ride, say so in advance and we will make sure the driver reaches the dunes with time in hand. Four seats, one flat price.
What to bring
Sunblock and a hat for the first half, a light layer for after dark because the desert drops fast, closed shoes, and cash for the entry gates and anything you do on the dunes.
Dust, and the odd closed gate
A dust storm will close the desert sites and occasionally the road west. When that happens we call it before pickup and you take a full refund or a free reschedule. We will not drive you out to a shut gate to salvage a booking.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Licensed local ground operator, one driver per vehicle, and the return leg is driven on a lit highway rather than across sand. Camel and jeep rides at Sam and Khuri are run by operators out there and are not our arrangement, so treat them on their merits and do not feel obliged. Kuldhara is an unlit ruin, so keep children close once the light goes.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. One flat price for the car for the whole afternoon and evening, whether there are two of you or four.
Is the camel ride included?
No. Rides at the dunes are run and priced by the operators there and you pay them directly. We would rather quote you an honest vehicle price than bury a marked-up ride inside it.
Is Kuldhara actually haunted?
It is an abandoned Paliwal village with a good story attached, and the story is part of why it is worth going. Take it in that spirit. The site closes around sunset and is not somewhere to be wandering after dark.
Can we stay overnight at a desert camp?
Not on this booking. This is a day out that ends back at your stay. Camps at Sam and Khuri are their own arrangement and better booked directly.
Should we do this or the fort day first?
The fort day first if you only have one. If you have both, do the fort in the morning of one day and this on the afternoon of the next, rather than stacking them.