Jaisalmer Tour Package, 3 Nights 4 Days with a Desert Camp

What does this Jaisalmer tour package include?

This is a 3 nights and 4 days Jaisalmer tour package. You start and end at Jaisalmer airport or the railway station. You stay two nights in a hotel in the town, and your third night is in a desert camp at the Sam dunes.

On Day 1 you see Gadisar Lake and the sunset at Bada Bagh. On Day 2 you walk the fort, the Jain temples and the havelis. Day 3 takes you to Kuldhara in the morning, then to Sam for a camel ride and a night in the dunes. On the last day you see the sunrise on the sand, stop at the War Museum, and leave.

You can add one more day for Longewala and Tanot Mata, near the border. We explain below why that day needs its own plan.

Is 3 nights enough for Jaisalmer?

Yes, for the main places. The fort and havelis need one full morning. Bada Bagh and Gadisar fit into the first evening. Kuldhara and the dunes take the third day.

Add a fourth night if you want Longewala and Tanot. Longewala is about 110 to 120 km from the town, so it needs a whole day. If you want Jodhpur too, our Jodhpur Jaisalmer tour joins the two cities. For a wider plan, see our Rajasthan tour packages.

How do you reach Jaisalmer, and when does the airport run?

This is the question most pages skip. Jaisalmer airport is seasonal. It runs flights only in the winter months.

• By air, in winter only. In the 2025 to 2026 season, flights ran from October to March. There were direct flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. The airport then closed for about six months. For the 2026 to 2027 winter, Air India has announced a daily Mumbai flight from 25 October 2026, along with its winter Delhi flights. The airport is about 12 to 17 km from the town, about 30 minutes by car.
• By train. Jaisalmer has its own railway station. A few overnight trains run from Delhi and Jodhpur. Check the current trains on the official IRCTC site.
• By road from Jodhpur. Jodhpur is about 265 to 285 km away, about 5 to 5.5 hours by car. Jodhpur airport runs all year, so this is the usual way in from April to September.

If you fly in from abroad, land in Delhi first and rest for one night. Then take the morning flight to Jaisalmer in winter, or fly to Jodhpur and drive. Please book your flight only after you check the current schedule, as routes change each season.

Jaisalmer Fort: what to see, and the morning rule

Jaisalmer Fort is a living fort. Rawal Jaisal built it in 1156 on Trikuta Hill, and a few thousand people still live inside its walls. It has 99 bastions. Since 2013 it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as one of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan.

Inside you find the royal palace, small temples, homes, shops and the seven Jain temples. These temples were carved between the 12th and 15th centuries. The main temple is of Bhagwan Parshvanath. The Ministry of Tourism says the temples hold nearly 6,000 statues, and many were brought by Jain families who left their homes in 1947.

Here is the rule that changes your day. The Ministry of Tourism gives the Jain temple hours as 8 am to 12 noon. Some guides say they stay open a little later, but plan to finish by noon. So you must start your fort walk early. Take off your shoes and leave any leather item, such as a belt or a purse, outside. Wear clothes that cover your shoulders and knees.

The fort also has the Gyana Bhandar, an old library of Sanskrit and Prakrit manuscripts. UNESCO says the hill under the fort is at risk from water seeping into it. That is one reason we keep your hotel outside the fort walls.

Which havelis should you see in Jaisalmer?

See three. They stand close to each other in the old town, below the fort.

• Patwon ki Haveli. The merchant Guman Chand Patwa began it in 1805. His family kept building for about 50 years, one floor for each son. It is a cluster of five joined mansions, and one part is a museum. Allow about an hour.
• Salim Singh ki Haveli. Built in 1815 for Salim Singh, the powerful prime minister of the state. Its roof is shaped like a peacock and has 38 balconies. The Ministry of Tourism says it was built two floors taller than allowed, and the extra floors were later taken down. It opens from about 8 am to 6 pm.
• Nathmal ki Haveli. Built in 1885 for Diwan Mohata Nathmal. Local legend says two brothers, Hathi and Lulu, each built one half, which is why the two sides do not match. Two stone elephants guard the door. Part of it is still a family home. It opens from about 10 am to 5 pm.

Ticket rates and camera fees change, so please confirm the current rate at each gate.

Gadisar Lake and Bada Bagh at sunset

Gadisar Lake is about 1.5 km from the fort. It was the old water tank of the town. Sources agree it was rebuilt by Rawal Gadsi in the 1300s, though they give different years. You enter through Tilon ki Pol, a carved stone gate, and you can take a boat out on the water. The Ministry of Tourism also notes a laser water show after dark. Ask locally if it runs that evening.

Bada Bagh is about 6 km north of the town. It is a hill of sandstone chhatris, the memorials of the royal family. Rawal Jait Singh II built a dam here in the early 1500s. His son Lunkaran laid the garden and the first chhatri. The gates open from about 8 am to 6 pm, and the light is best at sunset.

Kuldhara: the true story behind the empty village

Kuldhara is about 18 to 20 km south-west of Jaisalmer by road. Paliwal Brahmins from Pali settled here. Historians say two memorial stones in the village record deaths in 1235 and 1238. So people lived here by the early 1200s.

During the 1800s the people left, and by the end of that century very few were still there. Nobody knows why for sure. A falling water supply is one reason given, and a 2017 study suggests an earthquake. Local legend blames the cruelty of the minister Salim Singh, and says the people left in one night. Some versions add 83 more villages. That number is a legend, not history.

Walk the lanes slowly. You see the house walls, the old wells and a small temple. Peacocks often walk among the ruins. Go in daylight, as there is little shade and no light after dark. Confirm the current ticket and closing time at the gate.

Sam or Khuri: which dunes are right for you?

Sam is about 40 to 46 km west of Jaisalmer, about 1 hour by car. The Ministry of Tourism says the dunes rise up to about 60 m. Tent camps line the road, and the evening brings camel rides, jeep drives, folk music and dance. It is lively and easy, which suits families with children.

Khuri is about 45 to 53 km from the town, by the road to the south-west. It is a small village of mud houses, and it is quieter. Pick Khuri if you want a calm night and fewer crowds. We plan Sam by default, and we can switch you to Khuri.

One thing may have changed at Sam. In December 2025, one news report in Patrika said that most resorts there now give tents only to families and couples, after trouble with large groups. This is the choice of each resort, not a government order, so it can differ from camp to camp. If you are a group of friends, tell us early so we pick the right camp.

Can you visit Longewala and Tanot Mata, and what are the border rules?

Yes, on an extra day. The Ministry of Defence's Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan site puts Longewala about 120 km from Jaisalmer, about 2.5 hours by road. A map check gives a little less, about 110 km. The Battle of Longewala was fought from 4 to 7 December 1971. Today there is a war memorial, a museum and equipment used in the battle.

Tanot Mata is a temple of the Goddess near the border, about 120 to 137 km from Jaisalmer by the road you take. Devotees believe the Goddess saved the temple in the 1965 and 1971 wars, when the shells that fell near it did not explode. Some of those shells are kept in the temple museum. The BSF has looked after the temple since the 1965 war. The temple opens from about 6 am to 10 pm.

Please know these rules before you go:

• Since 12 February 2026, you need an online pass for the Babliyan border post, about 20 km beyond Tanot. Each adult needs a pass. You book it on the Shri Tanot Mata Mandir Trust website, with an ID such as Aadhaar. The trust says only Indian citizens are allowed, and the time slots run from 8 am to 4 pm.
• In March 2026, the district barred night movement from 6 pm to 7 am within 5 km of the border, in villages including Tanot and Longewala. That order ran till 30 April 2026. Rules like this can come back, so plan to leave the border area before sunset.
• In June 2026, a Home Ministry order put the border areas of Jaisalmer district under special rules for foreign nationals, and it names OCI card holders too. Jaisalmer town, Sam, Kuldhara, Khuri, Bada Bagh and Amar Sagar are left out of these rules, so the main tour is fine. Tanot and Longewala are not on that list, and the Babliyan border pass is for Indian citizens only. If you travel on a foreign passport or an OCI card, tell us early and we help you check the current permission process.

When is the best time to visit Jaisalmer?

November to March is the best time. Days are mild, between about 4.6 C at night and 35 C by day in the coldest months. Nights at the desert camp are very cold in December and January, so carry warm layers.

April to June is very hot, up to about 46 C. The airport is also closed in these months. If you must come in summer, see the places early in the morning and late in the evening.

The Desert Festival runs for three days in late January or February. In 2026 it ran from 30 January to 1 February, with camel races, folk music and the Maru Shri contest. Hotels fill up fast in those days. For a ready festival plan, see our Jaisalmer Desert Festival page. The Bikaner Camel Festival tour also comes in January.

What to eat and buy in Jaisalmer

Try the sweet of the town, the ghotua laddoo. It is made of gram flour, sugar, desi ghee, saffron and cardamom, pounded with a wooden hammer until it turns soft. The word ghotua means pounding. For it, go to the family shop of Dhanraj Ranmal Bhatia in Bhatia Market, near the fort, which is also known for panchdhari laddoo. The Tribune says the family has made sweets for ten generations.

For a meal, ask for dal baati churma and mirchi bhajiya, both named by the Ministry of Tourism as local dishes. Kesariya thandai is a cool saffron milk drink. Laal maas is a mutton dish, so vegetarian families should ask before they order a thali.

For shopping, look for mirror-work textiles, silver jewellery and small yellow-stone carvings in Sadar Bazaar and Bhatia Market. Most leather sold here is goat leather, so do not pay extra because a seller calls it camel leather. Shops outside the fort walls often give better value.

You will also see bhang shops near the fort gate. Bhang is a strong drug. Keep children and elders away from it, and never drive after it.

How is this package different from others?

We read the top pages that sell Jaisalmer packages. Most give no day-by-day plan, and none gives the road distance for each day. Only one says the airport is seasonal, and none gives the months. None explains the border pass, the night rule near the border or the rule for foreign passport holders.

This page gives you each of those, with dates. It also tells you about the Sam camp rule for groups, the Jain temple morning hours, and the real history of Kuldhara. Official sources come first, then trusted guides. Where sources differ, we tell you so.

If you want a longer desert trip, see our Rajasthan desert safari and Rajasthan desert tour. For forts and palaces across the state, see the Heritage of Rajasthan tour package. To add the lakes, see our Udaipur tour package.