Desert Tales, Women Only
Two forts, one desert night with no phone signal, and a rooftop in Jodhpur nobody has photographed yet.
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Placeholder artwork — real trip photography drops in here.
About this trip
A women-only week through Rajasthan's west, avoiding almost everything on the standard circuit. Three nights in Jodhpur — the blue city, Mehrangarh fort at opening time, and Vikram's rooftops — then out to Jaisalmer, the golden fort that people still live inside, and a night in the Thar under canvas where the phone signal gives up and the stars take over. There is a block-printing workshop, a village lunch cooked by a women's collective we have worked with for years, and enough unscheduled afternoon time to actually sit somewhere.
- Mehrangarh fort at opening, an hour before the crowd
- A night in the Thar desert, in tents, with no signal
- Jaisalmer's living fort, and its Jain temples at dawn
- A block-printing session with a Bagru artisan family
- Lunch cooked by a women's collective in a Bishnoi village
- The Jaswant Thada marble cenotaph at golden hour
Day by day
7 days, written by the host who runs it.
Day 1Arrive Jodhpur
Airport or station pick-up. Afternoon in the old city's blue lanes, and dinner on a rooftop with the fort lit up above you.
Day 2Mehrangarh and Jaswant Thada
At the fort gates when they open. The audio tour here is genuinely one of India's best. Jaswant Thada at golden hour, then the Toorji stepwell in the evening.
Day 3Bishnoi villages and block printing
Out to the Bishnoi villages for the block-printing session and a lunch cooked by the women's collective. Back by late afternoon, evening free.
Day 4Jodhpur to Jaisalmer
The desert drive west, with a stop at the Osian temples. Reach Jaisalmer by evening, and walk into the fort as the light goes.
Day 5Jaisalmer, and into the Thar
Jain temples inside the fort at dawn, then Patwon ki Haveli and Gadisar lake. Late afternoon out to the Sam dunes, camel ride, and the night in camp.
Day 6Desert to Jaisalmer
Sunrise over the dunes, then back to town. Kuldhara, the abandoned village, in the afternoon. Last dinner in the fort.
Day 7Out
Breakfast, then drop to Jaisalmer station or airport.
What the price covers
Included
- 6 nights — 3 in a Jodhpur haveli, 2 in Jaisalmer, 1 in a desert camp, women-only twin sharing
- All breakfasts and dinners, plus the village lunch on day 3
- All transport including transfers, in a private vehicle
- Mehrangarh entry with audio guide, and all other entry fees
- The block-printing session and the camel ride
- A woman host with you throughout
Not included
- Travel to Jodhpur and from Jaisalmer
- Most lunches
- Fort camera fees
- Travel insurance
- Anything personal
Where you sleep, how you move
Stay
A restored haveli in Jodhpur's old city with a fort-facing rooftop, a comfortable heritage hotel in Jaisalmer, and one night in a Swiss-tent desert camp with attached bathrooms and proper beds. Women-only twin sharing. Private rooms ₹7,500 for the trip.
Transport
Private tempo traveller with a local driver for all seven days, including station and airport transfers.
What to carry
- Light cottons for the day and something warm for the desert night — it drops fast
- Comfortable walking shoes; the forts are all steps and cobbles
- A scarf or stole, useful for sun, dust and temples
- SPF 50, sunglasses, a hat
- A reusable water bottle
- Personal medication
Cancellation & refunds
Specific to this trip, because a permit-bound Himalayan departure cannot carry the same terms as a weekend by a river.
- More than 30 days before departure — full refund, less a ₹1,500 processing fee.
- 15 to 30 days before departure — 70% refund.
- 7 to 14 days before departure — 40% refund.
- Under 7 days before departure — no refund, but your seat is transferable to a friend at no cost.
- If we cancel a departure for any reason, you receive a full refund or a free transfer to another date, your choice.
Full terms are in our refund & cancellation policy.
Meet your host
Vikram Solanki
Based in Jodhpur, Rajasthan · 4 trips led
Eighth-generation Marwari, unreasonably good at finding the one rooftop in a city that nobody has photographed yet. Handles our desert departures and every private group that asks for Rajasthan.
Not quite the one?
There are other departures, and we would rather put you on the right trip than the nearest one.
Or reach us on WhatsApp at +91 96063 37793