Sam Sand Dunes · Kanoi · Jaisalmer

Desert camp in Jaisalmer — overnight tent stay at Sam Sand Dunes

Swiss tents with attached bathrooms pitched on the dune belt 40 km west of the city, with camel and jeep safari at sunset, Rajasthani folk music after dark, dinner around the fire and breakfast on the sand.

Book your desert stay WhatsApp us Call +91 97720 20667

LocationSam Sand Dunes

From Jaisalmer40 km, 1 hour

Check-in3 pm onwards

Tent categoriesDeluxe, Royal, Family

About the camp

What desert camping at Moon Star actually means

Moon Star Desert Camp is a permanent tented camp on the sand at Sam, near Kanoi village, on the Jaisalmer – Sam – Dhanana Road. Tents sit in rows around a central dining area and an open stage, each with a veranda pointing out at the dunes. You step out of your tent onto sand.

That is the single thing worth checking before you book any desert camp in Jaisalmer. Plenty of camps advertised as Sam camps sit on the approach road with no dune within walking distance, which turns every sunset into a drive. Put the pin on a map first — ours included.

The camp is run by one family, with staff, camel men and jeep drivers from the villages around Kanoi, and Manganiyar musicians who have played these songs here for years. Nothing is contracted out, so the person who takes your booking is the person who fixes it if something changes.

Most guests stay one night, which is the right amount of time: arrive in the afternoon, be on the dunes for sunset, eat and listen to music at night, leave after breakfast. Two nights suits anyone who wants a longer camel safari, a slow sunrise, or a day trip out towards Longewala and Tanot.

Tent categories

Desert camp accommodation at Sam Sand Dunes

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Three categories, all pitched on the sand, all with attached bathrooms, and all including the sunset safari, the folk evening, dinner and breakfast when booked as an overnight stay. Rates change with the season, so we quote the current figure when you send your dates.

2 guests

Category one

Deluxe Swiss tent

The tent most couples and small groups book. Double bed with fresh linen, attached bathroom with a western toilet and hot water, and a veranda with two chairs facing the dunes. Comfortable without pretending to be a hotel room — you are still sleeping in canvas in the middle of the Thar.

Double bed, fresh linen
Attached bathroom, hot water
Private veranda and chairs
Fan through summer
Heavy quilts in winter
Light and charging point

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2 guests · most booked Royal luxury tent at the Jaisalmer desert camp with camels at sunset

Category two

Royal tent

Bigger in every direction, furnished with Rajasthani block-print fabric and carved wood, with a proper sitting area rather than a bed and a gap. This is the tent couples take for an anniversary or honeymoon night, and the one we set up with flowers and lights when you tell us the occasion in advance.

Larger tent, king bed
Attached bathroom, hot water
Indoor sitting area
Rajasthani furnishing
Veranda facing the dunes
Decoration on request

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Up to 4 guests Family group on a camel cart beside the desert camp at Sam Sand Dunes, Jaisalmer

Category three

Family tent

Four beds under one roof so parents and children stay together instead of splitting across two tents at opposite ends of the camp. We pitch these closest to the dining and stage area, which keeps the walk back short when somebody has fallen asleep during the music.

Up to four guests
Extra beds for children
Attached bathroom, hot water
Close to dining and stage
Fan or quilts by season
Simple menu for children

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Camp facilities

What is on site at the desert camp

Attached bathroomsWestern toilet, running water and hot water in all three tent categories

Dining tentBuffet dinner and breakfast with seating for the whole camp

BonfireLit every evening once the folk programme finishes

Cultural stageOpen stage in front of the tents for the folk evening

Power and backupLighting and charging points, with a generator on standby

ParkingFree space at the camp for cars and tempo travellers

Camels and jeepsOur own animals and vehicles, on site every evening

Blankets and fansHeavy quilts for winter nights, fans through the summer

A night at the camp

How an overnight desert stay runs

The schedule follows the sun rather than a clock, so everything below shifts by an hour or so across the year. Reaching the camp by four in the afternoon is the one thing that matters — arrive later and you lose the safari or the sunset, sometimes both.

If your train gets in late we will rework the evening around it, and if you are driving yourself, tell us roughly when you expect to reach Sam.

Check availability

Arrival, 3 to 4 pm
Welcome drink and tea, keys, and a first look at your tent before the light starts to go.
Camel or jeep safari, around 5 pm
Out onto the dune belt. Camels for the slow version, jeeps for the ride over the crests, or both.
Sunset on the dunes
We stop away from the main crowd, with chai and something hot to eat while the sun goes down.
Folk evening, around 7:30 pm
Manganiyar musicians, Kalbelia dancing and usually a fire act on the stage beside the tents.
Dinner, around 8:30 pm
Rajasthani and North Indian buffet, pure vegetarian always available, served in the dining tent.
Bonfire and stargazing
The music winds down and the fire keeps going. No streetlight for 40 km, so on a clear moonless night you can see the Milky Way from outside your tent.
Sunrise and breakfast
Worth the alarm. Parathas, eggs, toast and chai afterwards, then a relaxed checkout.

Food at the camp

Rajasthani dinner, cooked on site

Dinner is a buffet of Rajasthani and North Indian food: dal, a seasonal sabzi, ker sangri when it is available, gatte, roti made fresh on the tawa, rice, papad, salad and a sweet. Non-vegetarian is served on request and needs telling us in advance.

Pure vegetarian food is always on the counter. Jain and no-onion-no-garlic meals can be arranged with a day's notice, and we can keep a simpler plate aside for young children.

Breakfast the next morning is parathas, eggs, toast, butter, jam and chai. Evening tea comes with pakoras and biscuits before the safari goes out.

Buffet dinner included with every overnight stay
Pure vegetarian counter at every meal
Jain or no-onion-no-garlic with advance notice
Guests may bring their own alcohol; we do not run a bar

Camp activities

What there is to do at the desert camp

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Everything below happens within a few kilometres of the tents. The first two are included with an overnight stay; the rest can be added when you book.

Included

30 to 45 minutes

Camel safari

A camel walks at the speed the desert should be seen at. The sunset ride goes out to a quiet dune and back; longer caravans and sunrise rides can be added.

Camel safari details →

Included

20 to 30 minutes

Jeep safari

Dune bashing with drivers who run this line daily — up the face, along the crest, out to a high point for photographs, and back before dark.

Jeep safari details →

Sunset over the Thar Desert dunes near Moon Star Desert Camp

The half hour that matters

Sunset on the dunes

We go out early enough to walk up a ridge and sit down rather than arrive as it finishes, and away from the busy sunset point when the buses are in.

All safari options →

Included

Evening at the Jaisalmer desert camp where Rajasthani folk music is performed

About an hour

Folk music and dance

Manganiyar and Langa musicians on harmonium, dholak and khartal, Kalbelia dancers, and usually a fire act to finish. Most guests are on the stage by the end.

Included

Bonfire and night sky over the sand dunes at the Jaisalmer desert camp

After dinner

Bonfire and stargazing

The fire stays lit for as long as people sit around it. With no city light for forty kilometres, the winter sky here is the part most guests remember.

Photographer walking the dune ridges near Sam Sand Dunes at first light

On request

Sunrise and photography

A private jeep and driver timed for first light, stopping wherever the light is good rather than following a fixed route. Book it the evening before.

Ask about this →

Ways to stay

Desert camp packages

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We do not publish fixed prices. Rates in Jaisalmer swing hard between December and June, and a group of two pays differently from a group of eight, so a printed number is either out of date or padded. Send your dates and you will get a firm figure.

Overnight desert camp stay with tents and camels at Sam Sand Dunes

Overnight stay

One night at the camp

Tent with attached bathroom
Camel or jeep safari at sunset
Folk music and dance programme
Rajasthani dinner and bonfire
Breakfast the next morning

Rate depends on tent category, group size and season.

Get current rate

Evening desert safari and dinner visit at Sam Sand Dunes without an overnight stay

Evening visit

Safari and dinner, no stay

Afternoon arrival at the camp
Camel or jeep safari and sunset
Folk evening and dinner
Drop back to Jaisalmer the same night

For guests already booked into a hotel in the city.

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Two nights

Longer desert stay

Two nights in the tents
Longer camel safari or overnight ride
Sunrise on the dunes without rushing
Day trip to Khuri, Longewala or Tanot

Best in the winter months. Ask us what fits your dates.

Get current rate

Looking for the camp combined with city sightseeing and transfers? See the Jaisalmer tour packages.

Planning your night

Best time to come, and what to bring

October to March is the comfortable season at Sam. December and January nights get genuinely cold — close to freezing on the worst ones — and every year guests underestimate it. April to June is very hot by day, though evenings after six are fine and the dunes are almost empty. The monsoon months are quiet, humid and cheap.

Warm jacket, socks and a cap from November to February
Sunglasses, sunscreen and a scarf for the wind
Shoes you do not mind filling with sand
A power bank, and cash — there is no ATM at Sam
Any regular medicines; the nearest chemist is in the city

Reaching the camp

Approximate distances by road from the camp at Sam
From	Distance	Drive
Jaisalmer Fort and city centre	About 40 km	1 hour
Jaisalmer railway station	About 42 km	1 hour
Jaisalmer airport	About 45 km	1 hour
Kuldhara village, en route	About 25 km	30 minutes
Khuri dunes	About 50 km	1 hour 15 min

Arrange a transfer

Desert camp FAQ

Questions about camping at Sam Sand Dunes

Which is the best desert camp in Jaisalmer?

Judge any camp on three things rather than the word "luxury" in its name: whether it is actually on the sand or on the approach road, whether the tents have attached bathrooms with hot water, and whether the camp runs its own camels, jeeps and musicians or buys them in on the night. Moon Star is on the dune belt at Sam, all three tent categories have attached bathrooms, and the safari and folk evening are ours.

Where exactly is Moon Star Desert Camp?

On the Jaisalmer – Sam – Dhanana Road at Sam, near Kanoi village, Rajasthan 345001. About 40 km west of Jaisalmer city, roughly an hour by road.

What is included in a desert camp package?

An overnight stay includes the tent with attached bathroom, a camel or jeep safari at sunset, the Rajasthani folk music and dance programme, dinner, the bonfire and breakfast the next morning. Transfers, longer private safaris, alcohol and monument tickets are not included.

How much does desert camping in Jaisalmer cost?

It depends on the tent category, the season and the size of your group, and rates move sharply between December and June. We quote a firm figure on WhatsApp for your dates rather than publishing a price that goes stale, and nothing gets added afterwards.

Do the tents have attached bathrooms and hot water?

Yes. The Deluxe Swiss, Royal and Family tents all have attached bathrooms with a western toilet, running water and hot water.

What time should we reach the camp?

Between 3 and 4 pm. That leaves time for the safari, sunset on the dunes and the folk evening before dinner. Checkout is after breakfast the next morning.

Is the camp cold at night in winter?

Yes, and more than most guests expect. December and January nights at Sam can drop close to freezing, with wind making it feel colder. We provide heavy quilts and extra blankets on request, but bring a jacket, socks and something for your ears.

Is there electricity, mobile signal and Wi-Fi?

There is lighting across the camp and charging points in the tents, with a generator as backup. Jio and Airtel usually work at the camp, though signal drops out on the dunes. There is no reliable Wi-Fi — which, for one night, most guests end up glad about.

Is the camp suitable for families with children and for older guests?

Yes. Family tents sit close to the dining area, the camel ride is gentle and a camel man walks alongside, and anyone who would rather not ride can go out by jeep or simply sit on a dune for sunset. Guests with back or neck problems should skip the jeep dune ride.

Can we visit for the evening without staying the night?

Yes. A day visit with safari, sunset, the cultural programme and dinner is possible, and we can arrange a car back to Jaisalmer afterwards.

Do you allow alcohol at the camp?

Guests are welcome to bring their own for their tent and the seating area. We do not run a bar.

How do I book, and is an advance needed?

Send your dates on WhatsApp or through the contact page and we will confirm what is available with the current rate. An advance is normally taken to hold tents on busy dates, and the balance is settled at the camp.

Hold a tent for the night you want

Winter weekends and the Desert Festival dates fill early. Send your dates and we will tell you honestly what is left.

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