When you think of Jaisalmer, you think of undulating golden sands as far as the eye reaches. There is the iconic imagery of camels, of course. Small wonder, the expectation of you completing at least one such safari riding camels is high. The sun is high in the sky in such imagery, burning the burnished gold of the yellow sands, if that were possible. It is only those who have seldom experienced the Desert that come to visit it. The best luxury desert camp in Jaisalmer is only too happy to put the correct imagery of the native scene forward. They are the ultimate guide to Sam Sand Dunes in Jaisalmer. The Jeep and Camel Safaris do not take you into town. Rather, they take you to Sam sand dunes. It is by exploring the Thar that you get a real appreciation of what makes Jaisalmer tick.
Best accommodation under the Sun
Under the Jaisalmer Sun, you will find better accommodation nowhere else but at the best luxury camp in Jaisalmer. Situated in the village of Kanoi, right next to Sam Sand Dunes, the camp is your pass to an experience unrivaled. Just hop onto a camel and check out the Thar. But of course, you will take this at the native pace, with musical and dance performances in the courtyard of the camp. There will be delicious meals served every now and then, even bespoke offerings meant just for your pleasure.
The sole goal of all this pampering is to help you make the most of the experience. These are peripherals to the meat of the matter. You save up your energies for that Camel Safari. Or Jeep Safari. Those, and the tryst with the Sun at Sunset Point.
The Sam Sand Dunes
The Sam Sand Dunes are the Thar that is closest to Jaisalmer, hence the reason for its reputation. The highest sand dunes have stabilized and become 150-meter-high hills. However, the majority of the landscape of the Thar in this region of Rajasthan is formed of wind-swept sands that keep wavering or undulating. The sand dunes are sufficiently deep so that Jeep Safaris gives you the roller coaster experience.
Sam Sand Dunes competes with the Golden Fort of Jaisalmer. The dunes are scenic but also treacherous. These are up to half a km high, besides being a km broad and 3 km long. Miles upon miles of undulating and rippling mesmerize the tourists that come from far and wide.
The shifting sands and the camel safaris give a real, tangible feel of the Thar Desert. It is at the Sunset Poin6t, where the tourists all congregate, that you feel finally submerged in the Thar. There is sparse vegetation here at best. The crests and troughs of the Sam sand dunes are yours to negotiate and navigate. That’s why camel safaris come highly recommended.
When the camels take your party to the rendezvous with the Sun, you feel the solitude in the meanwhile. The 90-minute ride is tranquil and unbroken by hectic instances of what we usually call ‘life’.
Small wonder, the climax of the Jaisalmer Desert Festival each year in February/March takes place on Sunset Point in Sam Sand Dunes. The whole festival is full of surprising, exaggerated activity. Processions, performances, contests, and competitions. However, all this can only be topped by a moonlit night on the sand dunes, the audience reacting ecstatically to the inspired performance of dancers and musicians seemingly at one with the Desert.
Jeep Safari
The luxury desert camp in Jaisalmer, or rather Sam Sand Dunes, will take you in a 4×4 vehicle to Sunset Point. The ride will not be bumpy. However, given that the dunes are half a km deep, you can imagine how the tires sink into the sands. How the traction is maintained will have to be seen to be believed. The tires run wild, trying to find friction so that there is forward motion. How this is negotiated also leads to a roller coaster experience. The jeeps are made for these types of rides, however. And the drivers are amply qualified to see that the jeeps do not overturn. You are required to hold on to the vehicle tight, though.
Camel Safari
You have not been to Jaisalmer, or the Thar or Sam Sand Dunes if you have not ridden camels. Each camel is a professional in that it is well-behaved. They are used to taking on half-hesitant riders and delivering the pleasures of the Camel Safari as promised. Camels make no false steps. Their steps are sure and measured in the knee-deep sands you can think up even as you read this.
Learning to camel-ride
Remember to wear high socks since the gait of the camel will push your trousers up. A hat, sunglasses, goggles, and scarf are desirable.
You have to approach the camel from the side, and slowly. Do not look the animal in the eye if you are nervous. If the camel is sitting, you just have to mount it. Throw your leg over the space next to the single hump. Using the stirrup, move your other leg over. There’s a handle at the seat’s front. Grab hold of it. If your guide suggests leapfrogging onto the back, do it. The guides know the camels best.
Remember to lean back as the camel starts to stand up. Just grab hold of the saddle and lean back to counteract the motion of the camel.
You will have to lean forward as the camel gets onto its front legs. As the camel pushes up, slowly lean forward. You want to end up with your back straight.
Conclusion
The Sam sand dunes are so prominent they impact the closing part of the Jaisalmer Desert Festival program. Only a moonlit performance on the high sands with bonfires and food and drink is sufficient testimony to the appeal of Jaisalmer’s One Desert. Jaisalmer does not exist without the Thar, without the Sam sand dunes. For the ultimate guide to Sam Sand Dunes in Jaisalmer, visit the best luxury desert camp in Jaisalmer. One cannot imagine a desert jaunt, or sojourn on the Dunes, without camel and jeep safaris. And only a great camp can organize those to perfection for you. Only when you have absorbed the sand dunes, can you turn to explore its offspring, the city of Jaisalmer.
