Desert safaris from Jaisalmer
Sam Sand Dunes is forty-two kilometres west, about an hour by road. There are three ways out to it: by open jeep in the afternoon, by camel for the last hour of light, or for the whole night, at a camp in the dunes.
The jeep safari is what guests mention most on our Google listing: it comes up in 28 of the 163 reviews.
4.9163 Google reviewsAfternoon
Jeep safari
Out to the dunes in an open jeep, over the crests, and up onto a high one for the sunset. It is the trip guests write about most.
The jeep has no roof, so on the hour out to Sam you see the whole of the desert rather than a window of it: the scrub, the villages, and then the sand starting. At the dunes it leaves the road and takes the crests.
It stops on a high dune for the sunset, and you are back in town in the evening, in time for dinner on the roof.
- Where
- Sam Sand Dunes, 42 km west
- Leaves
- In the afternoon, set by the sunset
- Out there
- The dunes, then the sunset from the top of one
- Back
- In the evening
- Rate
- Ask the desk
Sunset
Camel safari
Slower, quieter, and the only way the desert makes any sense. An hour out on a camel, the sunset from the top of a dune, and an hour back.
It is an hour by road to Sam. From there you go on by camel, at a walk, each one led by its handler on foot, and you sit high enough to see over the scrub to the next line of dunes.
At the sunset point you get down and sit on the sand while the dunes go orange, then pink, then grey. The ride back is in the dusk.
- Where
- Sam Sand Dunes, 42 km west
- Leaves
- In the afternoon, set by the sunset
- On the camel
- About an hour out and an hour back
- Back
- In the evening
- Rate
- Ask the desk
Overnight
Overnight camp
A night at a desert camp in the dunes: tents, dinner cooked at the camp, a fire, and the Kalbeliya dancers once the drums start. Back in town by mid-morning.
Put it together with the jeep or the camel and the sunset comes first. Then the camp lights up: dinner laid out on rugs under strung lights, a fire, the drummers, the Kalbeliya dancers, a bhavai dancer with a stack of pots balanced on her head, and sooner or later the guests pulled in to dance as well.
Sleep in a tent, or ask for a bed made up out on the open sand. Guests who have slept out call it one of the best parts of the trip.
- Where
- A camp in the dunes at Sam
- Leaves
- In the afternoon
- The evening
- Sunset, dinner, a fire, music and dance
- The night
- In a tent, or on a bed under the sky
- Back
- By mid-morning, the next day
- Rate
- Ask the desk
Put a safari together
The jeep or the camel takes you out to the sunset, and the camp is where the evening ends. Ask for one of them, or for two or all three as one trip.
Send the date and how many of you, and someone at the desk replies with what is free and the rate. Nothing is paid on this website.
Or call +91 76657 09632
When to go
The safaris run all year. What changes is the heat, and the time the sun goes down.
- October to March
- The season for it. Warm afternoons, clear skies, and nights at the camp cold enough in December and January for a jacket and the blanket.
- April to June
- Hot, well over 40°C in the middle of the day. The trips still go out, in the late afternoon once the heat starts to lift, and the night at the camp is the pleasant part.
- July to September
- The monsoon reaches the Thar only lightly: warm and humid, the odd storm, and the quietest dunes of the year.
Jaisalmer’s Desert Festival, each winter and usually in February, ends with a day on the dunes at Sam. If your dates fall on it, book the safari well ahead.
Sunset at Sam
On the 15th of each month, Indian time. Every trip on this page is set by it.
- Jan
- 18:16
- Feb
- 18:39
- Mar
- 18:56
- Apr
- 19:12
- May
- 19:28
- Jun
- 19:43
- Jul
- 19:44
- Aug
- 19:25
- Sep
- 18:53
- Oct
- 18:20
- Nov
- 17:57
- Dec
- 17:57
Questions about the safaris
Anything not here, send it to the front desk on WhatsApp.
Do I have to stay at Mamamia to book a safari?
No. The safaris run for anyone, though guests get first call on the afternoon jeeps.
Where do the safaris go?
To Sam Sand Dunes, 42 km west of Jaisalmer and about an hour by road. All three are timed for the light out there, which means the late afternoon.
Which one should we do?
With one afternoon, the jeep: it covers the most ground. The camel is slower and quieter, and it is the one for the sunset. If you can give it a night, take the camp and put the jeep or the camel in front of it.
Can we sleep outside rather than in a tent?
Yes. Ask for it when you book and a bed is made up for you on the open sand. From December to February the desert is cold at night, so bring something warm.
What should we bring?
A scarf or a cap, sunglasses and water for the afternoon, and shoes you do not mind filling with sand. From November to February add a jacket: the dunes lose their heat fast once the sun is down.
How much does it cost?
Send the date and how many of you on WhatsApp and the desk replies with the rate. Nothing is paid on this website.
Ask the desk about a safari
Send the date and how many of you. Someone will answer with what is free.