Sam Sand Dunes · Kanoi · Jaisalmer
Sunset camel rides, dune bashing by jeep, sunrise trips and overnight rides out to open sand, run with our own camels, our own jeeps and men from the villages around Kanoi.
Desert safari at Sam
Everything on this page happens on the dune belt at Sam, a few kilometres from our camp and about 40 km west of Jaisalmer city. Camels go slow and quiet; jeeps go fast and loud. Most guests do one, plenty do both on the same evening, and there is no wrong answer.
What does matter is timing. We put safaris out roughly an hour before sunset so you are already on the sand when the light turns, rather than arriving as it finishes. In peak season the main sunset point near the road fills with buses and vendors — ask us and we will take you further out, which costs nothing extra and is a completely different evening.
Safaris can be booked on their own, with dinner and the folk programme, or as part of an overnight stay at the desert camp. Same-day bookings are usually possible if you message us before mid-afternoon.
Camel safari
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A camel walks at the speed the desert is meant to be seen at. You climb on near the camp, cross a stretch of scrub and rippled sand, and stop on a dune while the sun goes down. First-timers get a hand up and a camel man walking alongside the whole way.
The standard ride, and the one included in most overnight packages at the camp. Out to a quiet dune, camels sat down, tea and time to watch the light go before heading back for the folk evening and dinner.
A longer route through quieter sand for people who came for the ride itself rather than just the viewpoint. You get past the stretch every camp uses and out to dunes where there is nobody else in the frame.
Ride out in the afternoon and sleep on the dunes away from the camp, with dinner cooked out there and bedding carried for you. Best on clear winter nights, when the sky is the whole point of it. Needs advance notice and a minimum group size.
Jeep safari
Twenty to thirty minutes over the dunes with a driver who runs this line every day: up the face of a dune, along the crest, down the far side, and out to a high point for photographs. It is bumpy by design, and it is the part children remember.
Longer runs go past Sam towards the villages, the old border road and the open scrub, where chinkara and desert birds are common in the early evening. Private jeeps are available if you would rather not share with another group.
Skip the dune ride if you have back or neck trouble, or if you are pregnant. The camel ride or simply sitting out at sunset point is the better call.
Sunset on the dunes
Sunset at Sam is short and worth planning the whole afternoon around. From the camp it takes minutes to reach a good ridge, so we go out early enough for you to walk up, sit down and watch it properly rather than photograph it the entire way through.
Once it is dark the desert changes again. With no city light for forty kilometres, the stars here are the kind most visitors have never actually seen, and on a new-moon winter night the Milky Way is visible from the sand outside your tent.
Around the safari
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Add any of these when you book. The first three come with an overnight stay at the camp.
Manganiyar and Langa musicians, Kalbelia dancers and usually a fire act, on the open stage in front of the tents.
Rajasthani and North Indian buffet with roti off the tawa, followed by a bonfire that stays lit as long as people sit around it.
No streetlight for forty kilometres. Winter nights here are the clearest, and we can point out what you are looking at.
Out on the sand for first light, by camel or jeep. Quieter than the evening and the better light of the two for photographs.
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For guests who would rather not sit on a camel: the same route by cart, which also suits families with very small children.
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Out past the dunes towards Kanoi and the open scrub, with a stop at a desert village and time for birds and chinkara in the early evening.
Sightseeing options →Ways to book
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We quote current rates for your date rather than publishing prices that go stale. Message us and you will get a firm figure with nothing added afterwards.
Safari only
Same-day booking usually possible before mid-afternoon.
Get current rate
Safari + dinner
For guests already booked into a hotel in the city.
Get current rate
Safari + stay
The full desert night, and what most guests book.
See the desert campBefore you ride
How we work
The camels belong to our family and to the camel men from the villages nearby. They are working animals that have to last for years, so they rest through the hottest part of the day, are watered before and after rides, and we cap the number of trips any one camel does in an evening.
Nobody is pushed onto a camel. If you would rather walk out to the dunes or take the jeep, that is fine. Guests with back or neck problems, and anyone pregnant, should skip the jeep dune ride and take the camel or the cart instead.
Desert safari FAQ
The standard sunset ride is about 30 to 45 minutes out to a dune and back. Longer rides of one to two hours, and overnight camel safaris, can be arranged if you ask in advance.
It depends on the length of the ride, the number of people, and whether it is on its own or part of a stay at the camp. Message us with what you have in mind and we will send the current rate, fixed before you book.
No. The camel kneels for you to climb on and stands up front-first, which is the only part that catches people out — lean back as it rises. A camel man walks alongside your camel the whole way.
Yes, riding with a parent, and younger ones often sit in front. For very small children the camel cart or the jeep is usually the better choice.
The dune ride is deliberately bumpy. Children love it, but guests with back or neck problems, and anyone pregnant, are better off with the camel ride or sitting out at a sunset point.
Yes, and many guests do. Tell us when you book so we can time both before sunset — jeep first, then the camel ride into the sunset, works best.
Late afternoon. We aim to have you on the dunes about an hour before sunset, when the sand takes colour and the heat has gone out of the day. Sunrise safaris are quieter and better for photographs.
No. Safaris can be booked on their own, or with the folk programme and dinner, and we can drop you back to Jaisalmer the same night.
Full-length trousers, closed shoes, a cap or scarf, and sunglasses. From November to February add a jacket, because it turns cold quickly once the sun is down.
The main sunset point near the road gets very busy in season with buses, day-trippers and vendors. Ask us and we will take you out to quieter sand instead — it costs nothing extra.
Usually yes, if you message us before mid-afternoon. Overnight camel safaris and private photography trips need more notice.
Sandstorms and unseasonal rain can stop a safari going out. If that happens we will move it, offer an alternative, or refund that part of what you paid.
Tell us the date, how many of you there are, and whether you want camels, jeeps or both.
Sam Sand Dunes, Jaisalmer