Camels, Camels & More Camels!

Jaisalmer is a giant sandcastle with a town attached – an emblem of honour in a land of rough and tumble. The fort is a living monument to long-lost desert might, a Golden City of dreams that exceeds expectations of the most travel-sick tourist or hardened history buff. While Jaisalmer may always have been remote, it is filled with many artistic structures and monuments of local historical importance. The surrounding desolate landscape evidences a stark, austere beauty.

During my stay in Jaisalmer the annual Desert Festival was scheduled to take place. The festival is a showcase of Rajasthani culture and arts, with the majority of events focused around the desert dinosaur, the camel! From camel polo matches to spectacular routines performed by men in traditional dress, anything that could be done with a camel had a time and venue allocated. Rather than try to describe the events and sights of this 3 day festival I think it may be best to just show you some of the photographs!

Once the festival had passed I booked a guide to take me to some of the gypsy villages surrounding Jaisalmer. At first I was a little worried that I wouldn’t get to see any residents as everywhere we went was totally deserted, luckily though in the last village there was a family relaxing outside their traditional home, happy to meet us and have their photograph taken.

As the finale to my stay in Jaisalmer I booked a private camel safari to what was described as tranquil and tourist-free sand dunes. As many of you will know what you are promised when booking excursions rarely seems to be the case once you arrive, but an hour into our trek I saw the sand dunes rising magnificently out of the desert, and as promised, no other people in sight – a truly magical place to watch the sun set with only the sound of the wind passing you by.