Camel Safari in Jaisalmer: Sand & Stars

 

Sand Dunes. Sunsets. Smelly Camels.

Jaisalmer is India's main jump-off point for a night spent in the desert cuddled up in your sleeping bag, lost in the moment gazing at the endless night sky shimmer on the untouched sand dunes in the distance.

We left Jaisalmer for a short drive out into the desert where we were greeted by our 2 camels & guide. Time for our camel safari to begin. After a very bumpy ride out to a few neighboring sand dunes we parked our camels on top of Sunset Point. For the record... elephant rides are far more comfortable than camel rides! We had 1 hour to spare before sunset & jumped at our chance to run around like two excited kids on Christmas morning. We ran, jumped, and rolled from one sand dune to the next. It was my first time in a desert! Finally, the sun began to set firing different shades of orange over the dunes sending the camel's silhouettes and shadows dancing around us.

As night fell on us back at our desert "hotel", another camel pulling a wagon showed up to whisk us away for our night with the sand & stars. The full moon shone like a new sun casting shadows across the untouched desert before us. We drifted to sleep while marveling at the scene around us. It was the two of us, our beds shoved together, and an endless array of stars & sand. We awoke to find the tracks of the desert's critters that come to life at night. We helped our guide for the night ( a 16-year-old boy!) harness the wagon back on the camel, loaded our bedding, and climbed aboard this time riding back to the village as the sun's firey glare rose over the dunes.