Jaisalmer fort and havelis day
Jaisalmer · 8 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.
The town itself, in the order that actually works
Jaisalmer is built out of the hill it stands on, so at eight in the morning and again at five in the afternoon the whole place goes the colour of a match head. Between those two hours it is 40 degrees and the fort lanes are shoulder to shoulder.
The day therefore has a correct order, and it is not the order most people stumble into. Fort and Jain temples first, while the temples are open and the lanes are empty. Havelis through the middle of the day when shade matters. Gadisar at the end, when the light comes back.
That is what this booking is: a car and a driver for eight hours, running the loop in the sequence that works, dropping you at the fort gate and picking you up on the other side rather than leaving you to find your way back to a parked car. About 80 km of driving in total, most of it short hops. The price is for the car, so a couple and a family of four pay the same.
Your day, stop by stop
1. Jaisalmer Fort
One of the very few forts anywhere that people still live inside, about a quarter of the town's population among them. Go early, before the lanes fill and the heat arrives.
Fort palace museum ticket, paid at the counter
2. The Jain temples inside the walls
Seven interlinked temples in yellow sandstone, carved to a level that stops conversation. They keep restricted visiting hours, usually the morning, which is why this comes first.
Temple entry and camera fee, paid at the door
3. Patwon ki Haveli
Five mansions built by one trading family, the most elaborate stonework in the town and the one everyone photographs. The interiors are the reason to go in rather than just look up.
Haveli entry, paid at the door
4. Nathmal ki Haveli and Salim Singh ki Haveli
Two more, ten minutes apart. Nathmal was carved by two brothers working from opposite ends and the two halves do not quite match, which is the best detail in Jaisalmer.
5. Gadisar Lake
A reservoir dug in the fourteenth century, ringed with ghats and small pavilions, and the place the town goes at the end of the day. The light on the water is the reason it is last.
Boat hire on the lake, if you want it
In your price
- Private sedan with driver for eight hours
- Pickup and drop at your stay in Jaisalmer
- Fuel, parking and driver allowance
- Route sequenced around temple hours and the heat
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Entry tickets at the fort, temples and havelis
- Meals
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Fort palace museum ticket
- Jain temple entry and camera fee
- Haveli entries
- Boat hire at Gadisar, if you want it
- Meals and drinks
- Personal expenses
Who this suits
Anyone happy on their feet for a few hours across the day. The fort lanes are cobbled and sloped and the haveli stairs are steep and narrow, so this is not a wheelchair or stroller day. Children of any age are fine with an adult. The car seats four at one flat price.
What to bring
A hat, sunblock, closed comfortable shoes for the cobbles, and more water than you would carry at home. Cash for entry counters and camera fees, several of which do not take cards.
Heat, not rain
Rain is rare enough here to be an event. Heat is the real variable: from April to June we shift the middle of the day indoors and push Gadisar later, at no extra cost. If a dust storm closes the monuments you take a full refund or a free reschedule.
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. Jaisalmer's real hazard is heat rather than terrain: the driver carries water, the car is air conditioned and the route is built to keep you out of open sun between noon and three. Tell your driver if anyone in the car is struggling and the order gets rearranged.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is the price of the car for eight hours. Four of you in a Dzire pay ₹2,990 between you, not each.
Are entry tickets included?
No, and we would rather say so plainly. The fort museum, the Jain temples and the havelis all sell their own tickets at their own counters and you pay them there. The vehicle price is the vehicle.
Can we drive up into the fort?
No. The lanes inside are too narrow and too busy for a car. Your driver drops you at a gate and meets you at another, which is a good deal better than walking back up for the car.
Is a guide included?
No. This is the car, the driver and the plan. If you want a licensed monument guide inside the fort, tell us on WhatsApp after booking and we will point you at one you can hire directly at the gate.
What about the desert and the camel safari?
That is the other day out, the Bada Bagh and Kuldhara run, which ends on the dunes at sunset. Doing both in one day would mean rushing the fort, and the fort is the reason you came.