Adventures in the Desert: Jaisalmer

I  visited Jaisalmer over 10 years ago with my father and remember it fondly as my favourite place on our 4 week trip together, so I couldn’t wait to return here.  This filled me with apprehension as our train neared Jaisalmer, so rarely is a place as wonderful as your memory of it. Thankfully I was not disappointed.

This gorgeous little town in the middle of the desert still is an incredibly magical place.  Yes there are a few more touts than there were a decade ago, but compared to the rest of India, its a peaceful little place with the most stunning fort I have seen in India.

The fort rises up from the surrounding desert and sits above this tiny town.  Unlike the other forts I have seen in India, Jaisalmer Fort is a living one.  People live and work amongst its narrow alleyways.  Whilst this burden is placing the fort at considerable risk, it is a huge part of what makes Jaisalmer such a magical place to visit.

The town is also known for its Havelis, ornately decorated homes that line the streets.  Some are well kept others are falling into ruin and disrepair, but much of the detailed carvings are still apparent.

The other main attraction of Jaisalmer are the detailed Jain temples in the Fort.  These are only open for an hour or two each morning, and whilst beautiful, traipsing through the tourists to get a good look certainly made them a rather tiring place to visit.

There is not much else to this town, its small (less than 100,000 people) and that is also a big part of its charm.  It is to me still one of my favourite places in India, I just hope it doesn’t lose its charm to the many tourists who are now starting to invade its calm.