Part 1 — 3 Days in Jaisalmer - Living Inside a Fort, Desert Sunsets & Golden Mornings 🏜️
We had almost 10 days in hand, and Rajasthan felt perfect for a long winter trip — forts, deserts, palaces, food, local markets, and endless stories hidden in every city. Ever since visiting Hampi, I’ve developed this strange fascination with historic architecture and ancient buildings that silently carry centuries of history within them. Rajasthan had always been on my list.
Even though flights were still expensive, we booked them anyway.
Most people usually begin Rajasthan with Udaipur and complete the circuit from there, but we decided to do it differently —
Jaisalmer → Jodhpur → Jaipur → Udaipur
And honestly? Excluding Jaisalmer from the trip would have been one of the biggest travel mistakes of our lives.
This was just the beginning of our 10-day Rajasthan journey.
Rajasthan in December ☀️❄️
Rajasthan in December feels straight out of a postcard.
Pleasant winter mornings, chilly desert nights, clear blue skies, and weather that lets you comfortably explore forts, lakes, palaces, cafés, and local markets without the exhausting summer heat. Whether you’re walking through Jaipur’s pink lanes, watching sunsets in Jaisalmer, or sitting beside lakes in Udaipur — winter makes everything magical.
But if you’re travelling during Christmas, New Year, or long weekends, expect crowds everywhere. Hotels become expensive, tourist spots stay packed, and popular cafés have waiting lines. December is peak season in Rajasthan for a reason.
Still, if you ask me — it’s absolutely worth it.
Jaisalmer — The Golden City 🌅
We stayed inside Jaisalmer Fort, also called Sonar Kella, through an Airbnb.
And honestly, living inside a fort was an experience in itself.
No cars are allowed inside the fort, so when we arrived, our host casually offered to carry our luggage on his scooty while my husband and I walked uphill through narrow golden lanes towards our Airbnb. Since the fort is elevated, you do need to walk almost a kilometre uphill with your bags — but the views make you forget the effort within minutes.
The sandstone houses glowed golden under the evening light, tiny cafés overlooked the city, and every lane felt like walking through history.
First Evening Inside Sonar Kella ✨
We reached Jaisalmer in the evening, so the first day was intentionally slow.
After settling into our Airbnb, my husband and I spent hours simply wandering through the tiny lanes inside the fort. The fort museum had already closed by then, but honestly, the atmosphere itself felt enough for the first evening.
Small shops sold embroidered textiles, leather bags, jewellery, puppets, lamps, and handcrafted souvenirs everywhere. If you love shopping while travelling, Jaisalmer Fort is heaven.
For dinner, we walked outside the fort and had authentic Rajasthani Dal Baati Churma at Thakur ji Restaurant overlooking the illuminated fort. Watching Sonar Kella glow at night while eating warm Rajasthani food felt surreal.
That first night itself made us realise why people fall in love with Jaisalmer.
Exploring the Golden City 🏰
The next morning, we woke up early to one of the most beautiful sunrises we had ever seen.
Golden sunlight slowly covered the sandstone buildings while the city quietly came alive below us. We had breakfast at our Airbnb and started exploring by 9 AM because December crowds in Rajasthan are very real.
We began with Jaisalmer Fort itself.
Unlike most forts in India, Jaisalmer Fort is still alive. People actually live inside it. Families, cafés, shops, temples — everything exists within those ancient fort walls. Walking through the fort feels less like visiting a monument and more like entering another era.
Inside the fort we explored:
Raj Mahal
Cannon viewpoints
Jain Temples
Hidden lanes
The yellow sandstone architecture throughout the fort gives it that famous golden glow, especially during mornings and sunsets.
After exploring the fort, we walked towards:
Patwon Ki Haveli
Nathmal Ki Haveli
Salim Singh Ki Haveli
The detailing on these havelis is unbelievable. Every balcony, window, and carving looked handcrafted with insane precision.
We usually prefer heavy breakfasts while travelling so that we can skip lunch and cover more places instead of spending hours café hopping during the day.
By evening, we reached Gadisar Lake for sunset.
And this is where Jaisalmer slowed down.
The calm water, boats floating quietly, sandstone temples around the lake, and the soft orange sunset reflecting on the water created one of the most peaceful evenings of the trip.
Later that night, we again wandered through the fort lanes, explored shops, and had dinner at Little Tibet Restaurant.
Desert Dreams & Endless Sand Dunes 🏜️
Our final day in Jaisalmer began slowly again with breakfast at the Airbnb.
After checkout, our host kindly allowed us to keep our luggage there while we explored more places before leaving for our desert safari.
We first hired an auto and visited Bada Bagh.
Bada Bagh is a collection of royal cenotaphs built in memory of Jaisalmer rulers. The place feels hauntingly beautiful — quiet, golden, and cinematic against the desert landscape. It’s especially stunning during sunrise or sunset.
From there, our desert adventure finally began.
We had already booked a Sand Dunes package beforehand. There are multiple types of desert tours available:
Same-day return trips
Luxury resort stays
Overnight open desert camping under the stars
And if I ever return to Jaisalmer, I would absolutely choose the open desert camping experience.
Around 2 PM, we left the city and drove almost 50 km into the desert.
On the way, we stopped at Kuldhara Village — the famous abandoned village often called haunted.
According to legends, the entire village disappeared overnight centuries ago, leaving behind empty homes and stories that still survive today. Whether you believe the stories or not, the place definitely carries an eerie silence.
Soon after, our jeep ride began.
For the first time in my life, I was actually witnessing endless desert landscapes in front of me. Golden dunes stretched endlessly while cold desert wind hit our faces.
You can also experience camel rides there, but honestly, simply sitting quietly and watching the desert was magical enough.
We were served snacks while watching one of the most beautiful sunsets of the trip.
Our guide, James, kept telling us stories about life in the desert — how water scarcity still affects villages and how many women continue walking kilometres every day just to collect water.
That conversation stayed with me long after the trip ended.
After sunset, we were taken to a desert resort where traditional Rajasthani folk performances were happening under the night sky. Music, dance, bonfires, cold weather, and desert silence — it all felt unreal.
Since ours was a one-day package, we requested a direct drop to the railway station afterwards because our next destination was waiting.
Jodhpur.
And just like that, our Jaisalmer chapter ended — dusty shoes, thousands of photos, tired bodies, and hearts completely full.
✨ To be continued — Jodhpur next.
If you need Airbnb links, desert safari contacts, or simply want to know how many times we got lost inside the fort lanes… my DMs are always open ✨🏜️
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