Hi all In my previous thread I asked about food options in Udaipur, now I need some suggestions on Camel Safari in Rajasthan. In my previous trip I enjoyed a short camel ride at Chowki Dhani in Jaipur and really loved it. This time I want to enjoy a long Camel ride in real desert where I can see some sand dunes too. Do we have any option near Udaipur or Jaipur where we can enjoy day long camel safari in desert I am even open for a longer tour of 2-3 days too in desert away from city (I do not want to go to any theme park, when I say desert it means real desert). Thanks, Parker
Camel Safaris are common in Rajasthan. I have never had an actual experience of a camel safari but having lived in Rajasthan for fifteen years, camels and desert were a common sight for me. I never even gave a thought to the beauty of the desert. But now that I have been living in another state for last ten years, I sometimes miss those vast sand dunes, the wind storms , the camels and the desert. Jaisalmer is famous for its camel safaris and so is Bikaner. You get to experience the real desert there.
Camel rides can be really scary for those who have not experienced it. The reason being that you are sitting at a higher level than you would if you were on horseback. On the other hand, once you get used to it you can really enjoy the ride. I would love to ride a camel again after a long time.
Personally I won't come home from India until I have ridden a camel and an elephant. I also want to see the wildlife and especially the tigers. I don't think my trip will be complete until I can do all this. I don't only want to do it, I wanted it filmed. Nobody will believe me otherwise.
I have read that camel safaris are very common in this region. I think it would be interesting to go on a safari riding a camel.
The most popular place for camel safaris in India is in the desert surrounding Jaisalmer, in Rajasthan. Great camel safaris can also be done around Bikaner, also in Rajasthan. Many companies will give you the option of choosing your route, so you can decide if you want to take the road less traveled, or the more touristy track. The camels on these trips are the double hump Bactrian variety.
Doing a camel safari for a few days is woooonderful. I went from Jaisalmer, for three days, and my friend and I organised the safari through our hostel. A good up to date guide book should be able to give you options for booking safaris. We did it early in our trip, which was also good, as we both got sick in Delhi, so going out to the desert afterwards, eating simply, and being out in the sands, was a good way to recover before we carried on. What is more, Jaisalmer itself is wonderful. We only went because we wanted to do the camel safari, but I'm so, so glad we did. The hostel we stayed in was gorgeous. Stunning room, four poster bed, incredible view. There are extraordinary temples, with intricate carvings, some of various karma sutra-style positions. There are also beautiful, beautiful houses with carved stone screens, which are so delicate. It's like lace lattices, made of stone. Plus, when we went to see these beautiful carved houses, a guy who was sitting outside one of them invited us in to his, because he had a shop inside. We went in, and I bought the most beautiful, beautiful silk bedspreads there. We were shown bedspreads all across India on that trip, including Varanasi, and I know that Varanasi is famous for its silk, but I never saw anything like the ones that I bought there. Rather than being patchwork or embroidered all over, they were vast expanses of beautiful silk with a design within a border that started about a foot from the edge, and they were so opulent and gorgeous. I love them. I got a little carried away with my enthusiasm, but go, go to Jaisalmer. It's wonderful. Have a camel safari, and try to schedule yourself a day or so in the town, as well. It is definitely one of the surprise highlights of my trips to India.
Also, I forgot to mention - it's definitely 'real desert'. We saw other people about once a day. The first day, we stopped at our guide's village, where his daughters giggled and put henna on our hands, the second day, we reached a lace with one tree and some scrubby bushes and bumped into a friend of his who was a goat herd, and on the third day, we bumped into a couple of men that he knew about half an hour from Jaisalmer itself. We slept on the sands, and looked at the incredible clear stars, and learned to clean pots with sand, and listened to our guide do proper desert singing at the top of his voice sometimes, and it was great. I hope that you find a good safari, and that you have a wonderful time, too.
Well this is something that looking back on my trip I wish that we would have looked into, but truth be told we probably would not have had the time, but it would have been really interesting. We actually did not get too see all that much wildlife and were really confined to the more populous areas, which was great in its own way. I hope that you get to enjoy more of the former though.
Hello! There's no doubt that Rajasthan is the ultimate destination for camel safaris. Here's two places you can try for a camel safari: Pushkar in Ajmer District. This is about 145 kms away from Jaipur and about 277 kms away from Udaipur. It's actually very easy to get camel safari operators from the town itself. It's better to go to the town and get independent camel safari operators as this would be cheaper than those run by the hotel. It's your choice, you have the option for a whole day safari only or even an overnight safari. For the whole day safari, expect the journey to be around three to four hours to complete. You get to explore the Great Indian Desert of Thar and also see the Aravalli Range along the way. The route to the camel safari takes the tourists into small villages where they see the lives of the people who live in the town. During crop harvesting, it's particularly beautiful to see such views. Bikaner in Bikaner District. This is about 330 kms away from Jaipur. Many tourists who are interested in camel safaris choose this place because it's less commercialised and has better vegetation than Jaisalmer. Keep in mind that Jaisalmer's camel safaris are better when it comes to accommodations and amenities. Bikaner, for the most part, isn't as developed when it comes to their tourism of camel safaris. Anyway, it can still make for a good journey though especially if you like serenity and peace. You are taken into a real desert as well although there's not much to see. I hope this helps! P.S. The best time for a camel safari is during the months of October to March as the weather is cooler. Don't forget to bring your own water though. Good luck!
