Rajasthan & the Palaces6 min readPublished 20 June 2026
Hero photograph: Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Jaisalmer is the golden city of the Thar — a living sandstone fort rising from the desert of far-western Rajasthan, its honey-coloured ramparts glowing at sunset like something conjured rather than built. Remote enough to have kept its romance, it is the most atmospheric of Rajasthan's cities, and the gateway to the great sand sea beyond.
What makes Jaisalmer worth the journey?
Unlike most Indian forts, Jaisalmer's is still inhabited — a warren of lanes, Jain temples and carved merchant havelis✦havelisA traditional mansion built around courtyards, its fortunes tied to merchant and noble families. The painted havelis of Shekhawati and the sandstone…Read in the glossary ↗ where families have lived for centuries. The whole city is built from the same golden stone, so it seems to belong to the desert itself. It is smaller and quieter than Jaipur or Jodhpur, and all the more beguiling for it.
How do you experience the Thar in luxury?
Beyond the walls lies the desert, and the finest way to meet it is from an exclusive tented camp — canvas suites with proper beds and bathrooms, private dinners under the stars, and a camel or jeep safari onto the dunes for sunset. It is glamour and wilderness at once, and utterly unlike anywhere else in India.
The best time is October to March, when desert days are warm and nights cool. Elevated India pairs the golden city with a private desert camp and weaves Jaisalmer into a wider Rajasthan circuit, so the Thar becomes the wild, romantic climax of a royal journey.
Questions, Answered
Is Jaisalmer worth visiting?
Yes. Jaisalmer is Rajasthan's most atmospheric city — a living golden-sandstone fort in the Thar desert, full of Jain temples and carved havelis, and the gateway to exclusive desert camps and camel safaris. It is quieter and more romantic than Jaipur or Jodhpur.
What is the best time to visit Jaisalmer and the Thar desert?
October to March, when desert days are warm and clear and nights are cool and comfortable — ideal for a tented desert camp and sunset safari. Summer is extremely hot. Elevated India pairs Jaisalmer with a private desert camp within a wider Rajasthan journey.
Journeys That Take You There
