Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer Fort (Sonar Quila)

Known as Sonar Quila, the Golden Fort, it appears to grow out of the desert itself. UNESCO notes that it is the only fort in the Hill Forts group set in desert terrain, and that it contains an extensive township that is still inhabited, along with a group of Jain temples. Those temples, dedicated to the Jain Tirthankars Rikhabdevji and Shambhavdevji, date from the 12th to the 15th centuries and are carved from the same yellow sandstone.

The town and its lake

Below the fort, the town's lanes are lined with carved sandstone havelis. Gadisar Lake is another popular stop, and the royal cenotaphs at Bada Bagh, about 6 km north of town, are a favourite place to watch the sunset.

Into the desert

Camel and camel-cart rides are offered at the Sam and Khuri sand dunes, mainly by local camel owners, and some desert camps include them in their packages. The Desert National Park nearby protects the Thar's landscape of undulating dunes, jagged rocks and salt-lake beds, and wildlife such as the blackbuck, the chinkara and the desert fox. It is also home to the endangered Great Indian Bustard, one of the world's heaviest flying birds.

Beyond the town

• Kuldhara — an abandoned village whose sudden desertion is the subject of a well-known local legend.
• Amar Sagar — a lake and oasis on the western outskirts, beside the 17th-century Amar Singh Palace and an old Shiva temple.
• Vyas Chhatri — a group of cenotaphs in Bada Bagh dedicated to Ved Vyas, the sage credited with the Mahabharata, and the town's best-known sunset point.
• Wood Fossil Park (Aakal) — fossilised wood that records the region's geological past, some 180 million years old.

The Desert Festival

Rajasthan's Department of Tourism organises a Desert Festival around January–February, with folk music and dance, puppeteers and camel events. Dates change each year, so check official announcements before you plan around it.