Offbeat Jaisalmer: Beyond Forts and Havelis

My way of researching and planning for a trip is slightly more unusual than how most others do it. I first make a list of all recommendations that are offered by the top Google search results (spoiler alert: most of them say the same thing), and then I start a deeper dig into the 5th and 6th pages of the results to find blogs and websites buried underground thanks to the likes of good SEO and poor content quality. It usually gives me a vague trail to chase to discover off the beaten tracks and unique experiences, but when the time for offbeat Jaisalmer came, I was unpleasantly surprised. 10 pages into the Google search results, I still saw the same lists of top 10 things to do and not the kind of lesser spoken charms I had hoped for. Needless to say, I was a little more than slightly bummed out. Sure, I would’ve liked to spend a day around the Jaisalmer Fort and its many cafes and Havelis, but that’s not all that I wanted to do. And if the world wide web doesn’t have it, it probably doesn’t exist…right? Wrong!

I went on with our plan with a little ray of hope. “There’s a massive desert right outside the city, it’s almost impossible to not find cool things”, I convinced myself and off I went. After a back-breaking 18 hours long bus ride and plain bread and milky tea for breakfast later, I was woken up to a stunning golden sunrise spilling over the treeless deserted horizon in the distance. My ray of hope started to shine brighter as the sun got higher up that morning.

Also read: “Getting a Food Coma in Jaisalmer – Eating Your Way Through the Golden City“.

🐪Visiting Jaisalmer? Here are a few quick links at a glance:
✈️Book Flights: Skyscanner for cheapest deals
🚤Book Transfers: 12goAsia
🛌Book Hotels: Booking and Expedia for best deals
🤳Book Tours: GetYourGuide, and Viator
🩺Global Travel Insurance: SafetyWing
🧴Sunscreen: Thank You Farmer (Reef Safe), Foxtale (SPF 70)

Kuldhara: an Epic Google Maps Mix-Up

One fine morning, Abbimnyou and I heard some fellow travellers in our guest house talking about Kuldhara- a village whose king was cursed by a goddess which led to deep sorrow and hardship upon the villagers. They ultimately ended up abandoning their homes and going elsewhere in order to survive. The village can now be seen flaunting half-standing houses which sounded like a good enough place to drive about 30 kilometres to, hoping that an offbeat Jaisalmer adventure awaited us. So off we went, with the trusted old Google Maps leading the way, and us following blindly into the scorching late afternoon.

About 15 kilometres in, Google asked to leave the blacktop tarmac road and instead make a turn on a dirt trail, and we followed suit. Perhaps, the village sits in a very remote location we agreed and kept going forward. The dirt track soon gave way to rock hard red soil which made the ride ~extremely~ bumpy. A wave of uncertainty started to set in before we passed a small village that helped us cling to that last ray of hope that maybe, just maybe we are indeed headed in the right direction, towards the offbeat Jaisalmer adventure we had been hoping for. But alas, we were wrong. Abruptly, Google told us that we had arrived and there was nothing around us except for windmills as far as the eye could see, yellow desertic soil and the occasional cactus shrub. We were definitely looking for unusual things to do in Jaisalmer… but this had gone too far!

We tried looking around for people or houses that may be able to direct us towards the ~actual~ Kuldhara, but we were perhaps the only two people around. Humans may be scarce in that area, but there were enough desert goats and Boti sheep with their tiny ears and black faces on a white body. What ensued next was an endless struggle to befriend these creatures, often to no avail. Once I had had enough of my caprine overload, we searched for the Kuldhara we had originally hoped for. Thankfully, we hit the main road with enough time till sunset so we decided to go further to our destination.

Eventually, we did end up reaching this offbeat Jaisalmer destination. The Kuldhara village was an eery reminder of a time that once was, and the jeera cultivation around that now is. Shrubs were growing in from the cracks in the buildings and pigeon and goat poop dominated much of the remaining surface, but climbing atop those houses and watching the sun set far off in the distance was definitely worth the little detour we inadvertently had to make!

Also read: “Sambhar Salt Lake: A Weekend Getaway from Delhi”

Khoohdi: In Search of “Offbeat Jaisalmer”

To witness the Great Indian Desert sunset was definitely on our list- an experience we did not want to miss. We were contemplating our options one morning, with a mutual dislike for Sam village thanks to its overcrowded and ~touristy~ reputation, when our guesthouse owner suggested that we make our way to Khoohdi (also spelt as Khuri) in the Thar Desert. “That’s where the actual magic of the Thar unfolds”, he told us. Not having heard of Khoohdi village before and hopeful to experience yet another offbeat Jaisalmer place, we had soon packed our bags and left for this small village some 50 kilometres away from Jaisalmer, with a small daypack to last us one night. We found an incredibly cheap place to spend the night and decided to take a quick nap while the sun became kinder and closer to the horizon.

Around 4 pm, we hit the road in search of the actual desert with sand dunes, camels and the likes. Pretty soon, the bike could go no further in the loose sand so we decided to walk it ahead. There were no windmills in sight, as opposed to what we had heard about Sam and no hoards of noisy tourist groups to dull our offbeat Jaisalmer desert experience. There was the rare camel passing by with its mahout in tow, carrying a bunch of tourists for some money, but we had refused to partake in activities that involved animal exploitation. That evening ended with a fiery orange sky, as we strolled in the piercing silence of the undulating dunes of the Thar Desert, just the way we had hoped for. Khoohdi, without a doubt, remains on top of my “offbeat things to do in Jaisalmer” list, and also a much better alternative for desert camping in Jaisalmer instead of the overdone Sam village.

Also read: “Sustainable Travel: Mending Ways Post Coronavirus Lockdown”

Desert National Park – In Search of the Great Indian Bustard

As if we hadn’t learned our lesson the first time and being the Internet-induced generation we are, we relied on Google Maps yet again to reach one of the best offbeat things to do in Jaisalmer – the Desert National Park. Just about 15 kilometres from Jaisalmer later, Google announced that we had reached our destination, when in fact, we were bang in the middle of nowhere. Having spotted a signboard earlier on the highway, we took a U-turn and decided to go the good ol’ way of following road signs instead of using GPS. Some 50 kilometres later, we arrived in a village called Sudasari and were welcomed into the Desert National Park for ~real~ this time – with a signboard and all!

Desert National Park is definitely an offbeat place to visit near Jaisalmer. It’s a wonderful example of the Thar Desert’s ecosystem. We spotted several Indian spiny-tailed lizards scuttering away into the desert soil. At the national park’s tourist information centre, we were told that safaris were closed two years ago since the population of the endangered Great Indian Bustard were decreasing rapidly. The forest guard posted there, Dev, took it upon him to show us as much of the National Park as he could since we were the two of the very few people who ever make their way here ever since the safari shut down.

We were told that the Great Indian Bustard is one of the largest flying birds in the world but has an extremely poor frontal vision. As a result, they often crash into the windmills installed – in search of renewable energy options – and die. Several conservation efforts later, their chances of survival are slim, if not non-existent. Dev took us to the watchtower and with a lot of effort, helped us spot a male GIB far off in the distance with a gloated white neck, trying to attract a female to mate with. After hanging around for a while more, and watching a bunch of Chinkaras grazing around lazily, we finally head off back into the Golden City, satisfied with our dose of offbeat Jaisalmer that day.

Offbeat Things to Do in Jaisalmer – Final Thoughts

While adventure activities in Jaisalmer have become quite common like dune bashing and camel riding, people forget that more often than not, these activities are actually exploiting that natural ecosystem of the place in the name of “adventure”. While things to do in Jaisalmer lake Gadi Sagar Lake, Jaisalmer Fort, Cafe Hopping etc are harmless and fun activities, if you’re one to crave adventure, look out for these offbeat things to do in Jaisalmer. Enjoy your holiday, but responsibly!

Frequently Asked Questions About Offbeat Jaisalmer

1. How many days should I spend in Jaisalmer?

In order to truly familiarize yourself with the city, its common haunts and offbeat places in Jaisalmer, I suggest you spend at least five days here. There are enough cafes to try out and day trips to explore that will keep you busy all five days!

2. Why is Jaisalmer famous?

Jaisalmer is mostly famous for the magnificent Thar Desert and its rich Rajasthani culture. The Jaisalmer Fort is another highlight where one can shop for traditional Rajasthani souvenirs. The many cafes in Jaisalmer are worth exploring as well and day trips to places like Khoohdi, Kuldhara and Desert National Park make Jaisalmer definitely a worth visit!

4. Is Jaisalmer expensive?

Jaisalmer is one of the most budget-friendly cities in India. One can easily explore the city on a shoestring budget – as low as 500 rupees per day! But if you are looking for a luxury vacation, there are plenty of fancy hotels in Jaisalmer that have that option too!

5. What is the best time to visit Jaisalmer?

Winters are the most popular and the best time to visit Jaisalmer. Summers are too hot and the city is mostly empty. Spring is a shoulder season in Jaisalmer where crowds are less and the weather is bearable. But not many know that monsoons in Jaisalmer are a fantastic time to explore the desert city. The landscapes change drastically and there are barely any tourists around, but make Jaisalmer definitely worth visiting!

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