Thar Desert Life & New Year Experience

Day 1 (26 December): Arrival in Jaisalmer

Arrive in Jaisalmer and transfer to your boutique haveli-style hotel. After check-in, relax after your journey. In the evening, take a relaxed walk around the old city and visit the historic Gadisar Lake.

Overnight: Jaisalmer

Day 2 (27 December): Jaisalmer Sightseeing, the Golden City

After breakfast, explore the historic heart of Jaisalmer with a local guide. Visit the magnificent Jaisalmer Fort, one of the world’s few living forts, along with its intricately carved Jain temples. Wander through the old lanes to Patwon Ki Haveli and other grand havelis, then browse the local markets and traditional shops. In the evening, relax on a rooftop overlooking the golden fort.

Overnight: Jaisalmer

Day 3 (28 December): Jaisalmer – Kuldhara – Thar Desert

Enjoy an easy morning in Jaisalmer. After lunch, drive into the Thar Desert, stopping at the mysterious abandoned village of Kuldhara. Continue to the camel point and begin your first camel ride across the desert towards the sand dunes. Watch the sunset from the dunes, then enjoy tea and snacks, a traditional open-fire dinner, and a bonfire beneath a sky full of stars.

Overnight: Desert Wilderness Camp

Day 4 (29 December): Desert Trails & Village Life

Wake up to a desert sunrise. After breakfast, continue by camel through remote desert trails and changing dune landscapes. Visit a traditional desert village to meet local people, see their homes and livestock, and learn how communities live in this harsh landscape. Enjoy a simple lunch in the shade of a desert tree, then ride on to a new location for sunset, followed by dinner around the fire.

Overnight: Remote Desert Camp

Day 5 (30 December): Deeper into the Thar Desert

Today is another day of slow and authentic desert exploration. Travel by camel or desert vehicle, depending on the terrain, through remote landscapes. Visit another small settlement to meet local villagers and experience their traditional way of life. After lunch in a peaceful desert setting, continue to another wilderness location for sunset, a bonfire and a traditional desert dinner.

Overnight: Desert Wilderness Camp

Day 6 (31 December): Desert Life & New Year’s Eve Celebration

Enjoy a relaxed morning camel ride, desert exploration and village interaction, followed by lunch in the wilderness. In the afternoon, travel to the main desert campsite and settle in before the celebrations begin. As the sun sets, the camp transforms into a festive Rajasthani celebration with a traditional welcome, hi-tea, a bonfire, folk music and dance, and an authentic Rajasthani dinner. Count down to midnight with a cake cutting and fireworks, and welcome the New Year in the heart of the Thar Desert. After the celebration, move to a quiet dune location for the night.

Overnight: Desert Camp

Day 7 (1 January): From the Dunes to a Desert Village

Wake up slowly after the New Year celebrations. After breakfast, leave the dunes behind and travel to a traditional desert village. Here you will stay with a local family rather than in a tourist camp. Settle into your simple village accommodation, learn about local customs and daily routines, help with or watch the traditional cooking, and enjoy a home-style desert meal. In the evening, sit with the family and listen to stories about life in the desert.

Overnight: Village Homestay

Day 8 (2 January): A Day Living Like a Desert Villager

Today is intentionally kept slow, with no fixed sightseeing schedule. Spend the day with your host family, walk around the village, visit nearby fields, see livestock and traditional village activities, and learn how people find water and food in the desert. Share meals with the family, enjoy a peaceful sunset, and end the day around the evening fire in the quiet of a desert village.

Overnight: Village Homestay

Day 9 (3 January): Village – Jaisalmer Departure

Enjoy your final morning with the family over breakfast and take one last walk to photograph the village and desert landscape. Say goodbye to your hosts and drive back to Jaisalmer for a direct transfer to the airport for your onward journey.