Desert Safari in Jaisalmer Part 3 – Into the Desert We Go

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If you miss my last two post about my Desert Safari in Jaisalmer, you could check them out here (Desert Safari in Jaisalmer Part 1 – A Little Hassle Upon Arrival and Desert Safari in Jaisalmer Part 2 – Scams in Jaisalmer that You Should Know).

So we were able to book our desert safari in Jaisalmer after three days of doing nothing in the Golden City but to shop around for the best deals in town and scour the internet for various reviews and information about the desert safari.

We got a deal with Hotel Neem Haveli for only 550 Rupees/day/person (5D/4N) inclusive of transport from city to where the camels are (tuktuk), food (basic local Indian fare – dal, rice, chapati, vegetable curries), drinking water, sleeping mattresses and three camels (one for the guide and one for me and one for my travel buddy). The route is not in their so called “touristic path” which means we don’t have to pay for any entrance fees.

We opted to take this route because it fit out budget and it was an opportunity to see some of the villages surrounding Thar Desert.

After booking the tour, writing all the details down on paper and asking Jamin, the operator if we could quit the tour within the five days and get a transportation back to the city, we packed our bags and slept early.

What we Packed in our Bags

Even though it was the monsoon season already in some parts of India, it was still very hot and sunny in Jaisalmer. We packed some stuff that could shield us from being too exposed from the hot sun to avoid dehydration. A couple of linen pants, one long sleeve shirt and a couple of tshirts and some underwear. Some toiletries, a couple of bottled water (spare) and some medicines. The rest of the stuff were packed in the bags that we later left to Jamin in his hostel the following morning including our electronics, except for the cameras which we brought with us.

First Came Ride

The following morning, Jamin picked us up from our hostel, bought some supplies (boxes of drinking water and some vegetables and flour and rice) and took us to the site where the camels were. We were the introduce to Sarif, our tour guide (who speaks English very well).

We loaded our stuff onto the carrying sacks together with all the supplies that Jamin bought for us. Jamin fixed the turbans on our heads and reminded us to keep on wearing it to provide extra protection for our heads from the heat. They briefed us some minor instructions about riding a camel and after around five minutes we hopped on the camel.

The camel stood and whoaaaaa! I held on to my dear life as it felt like I was going to be thrown up in midair. I have never ridden a camel before and only had an experience riding a horse once in the Philippines and an elephant in Jaldapara.

Papu, my grumpy yet gentle camel

Fortunately, the camel is fitted with comfortable padded seats so it lessens the impact on ones’ thighs (but it still hurts on the first few days). Sarif mentioned that he would instruct the camels to walk and run sometimes to make sure that we arrived in our destinations on time.

If the camel is just slowly walking then it’s like a leisure ride, no pain at all. But if the camel is running, then it’s a different story especially for me who’s not really that much physically active. It becomes painful on the lower back and on the thighs. But since we booked five days for this tour, then I told myself that I should try to endure the pain and continue on with the journey towards the desert villages.

Next: Desert Safari in Jaisalmer Part 4 – Five Days in the Desert

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