Rajasthan Desert Safari Camp

Twenty-five tents stand on three acres of sand at Sam Sand Dunes in the Thar Desert, forty-two kilometres from Jaisalmer. Twenty air-conditioned luxury tents and five non-air-conditioned super deluxe tents occupy the site, each with en-suite bathroom, running hot and cold water, and a private veranda. Interiors carry traditional Rajasthani fabrics and furniture.

Camel safaris depart at sunrise and sunset, crossing the dunes on trained camels. Jeep safaris cover the same terrain in six-seater vehicles; dune bashing runs are available. Quad biking operates in twenty-five-minute sessions through the sand. Parasailing launches from a jeep tow. Cultural evenings feature Kalbelia, Kachhi Ghodhi, and Ghoomar dances performed by tribal women and men, accompanied by folk music around a bonfire. Candlelit dinners can be arranged on private dunes.

The camp has a restaurant serving Indian cuisine and a buffet at breakfast and dinner. Staff arrange excursions to Jaisalmer Fort, a twelfth-century sandstone fortress with ninety-nine turrets, and to Gadisar Lake, a fourteenth-century reservoir edged with temples and carved yellow-sandstone gateways. Patwon-Ki-Haveli, a five-storey merchant's residence built in the sixteenth century, and the Jain temples inside the fort are both within reach. You can hear folk drums from the tents most evenings.