If you planning a trip to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan soon and are wondering how to go about it and what to do there, then read on to find out our top 5 things to do in Jaisalmer.
1.Go for a desert safari
Photo: Nisreen Akolawala
Desert safari in the magnificent Thar desert is the best way to experience living like a nomad. Waking up to the golden sunrise and sleeping under a million stars in the middle of the desert are few experiences you should not miss while in Jaisalmer.
Tip: Watch in delight how your local desert boy makes fresh food and tea for you in a jiffy with the stuff he has loaded on his camel.
Related: Offbeat ways one can travel in India
2. Visit the haunted village Kuldhara
Photo: Nisreen Akolawala
Two hundred years ago, an entire community of people vanished overnight. No one knows where they went but they left behind a curse for the entire village of Kuldhara owing which anyone who lives here will die. The famous legend has it that Salim Singh, the minister of the state of Jaisalmer, fell in love with a beautiful girl upon visiting the village and wanted to marry her, threatening the locals if this was denied. So the girl’s father, the chief of the village, abandoned the town along with people from 84 adjoining villages.
Related: Kuldhara the haunted village
3. Explore the living fort of Jaisalmer by foot
Photo: Nisreen Akolawala
If there is one place that is as close to walking right through a time machine, the Jaisalmer fort it is! As you discover the ochre colored housed inside Jaisalmer fort, the only living fort in India; you will discover temples, interesting curious/artifacts locally made, tiny cobbled pathways, interesting homes and happy welcoming people.
4. Visit Patwa Haveli & Nathmal Haveli
Photo: Nisreen Akolawala
Patwa haveli isn't a single haveli but a cluster of 5 haveli's, owned by the Patwa family. Designed immaculately, with a fusion of Rajputana and Mughal architectural styles; Patwa haveli's exhibit an elaborate filigree work on the local "Jaisalmer stone". The dexterous fingers of the stone carvers have created masterpieces of art, better and minute than those found on the Taj Mahal!
Related: Murudeshwar, the hidden paradise of Karnataka
5. Stay inside the Jaisalmer fort
Photo: Nisreen Akolawala
There is no better way of enjoying this 1156 AD built Jaisalmer fort than to stay inside it. Picture yourselves in ochre stoned hotel rooms (most of which are converted from merchant houses/haveli's) looking out into the vast landscape of the golden city of Jaisalmer with a hot cup of tea in your hand!
How many of you have been to Jaisalmer? What are your experiences, we would love to know.
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PS: This list is randomly written, and in no particular order of preference.
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