#MommyTravelDiaries: Jaisalmer & Jodhpur

I’m probably still recovering from this holiday as I write this post!

But it was indeed a fantastic holiday with the kids and like I always say holidays make you a richer person and give your kids the best experience ever. We went to Jaisalmer & Jodhpur with family and here is everything you need to know to make this a super fun and child friendly holiday. We captured our memorable experience in a video. Check it out above.

Also click below to check out our other travel vlogs and how to plan a child-friend itinerary while still enjoying the holiday!

Reaching Jailsamer:

The closest airport is Jodhpur. Drive from Jodhpur to Jailsamer is 5 hours. Make sure you hire a comfortable car with enough leg room and carry enough nibbles for an easy drive. There are enough eateries on the way to Jaisalmer so do not worry.

Accomodation

If you are looking at staying inside the fort then I would recommend Killa Bhavan . The hotel is built within the fort and has a home stay feel with warm staff and clean interiors. The view is splendid and the food, outstanding. The staff catered to all our odd hour requests for milk and cooking baby food without a frown. They went out of their way to give you taste of the local flavour. The owners are always available to guide you through your stay and make it an enriching experience.  

Reccos

Outside the fort but within the city: Here I would recommend 1stGate.in for a more contemporary stay. The hotel has a warm staff and the best food in the city. While you can choose from a whole host of hotels here I would strongly recommend choosing your stay within the Fort premises. It’s a beautiful walk around the fort and getting around the other tourist attractions from the fort. The view of the city from the rooftop of the fort is splendid.  Staying away from the fort would be like staying in any other property in any city across India.

Eating Out With Kids

Child friendly food in Jaisalmer is fairly easy. Make sure you ask them to reduce the spice for kids, reason being Rajasthani food is quite spicy. The rajasthani thali is a great option and all restaurants can cook up any dish from a basic khichdi to rice & lentils in no time. It’s also very easy to get Italian food like Pizzas, pastas in Jaislamer due to the influx of tourists.

Foodies Alert! Bookmark This:

1. K.B. Cafe opposite Patwa Haveli: Must try their Pesto Pasta
2. Ist gate.in for their authentic Italian food. Absolutely delicious Spaghetti Pomodoro
3. Don’t miss on the local kachoris, samosas and mirchi wadas.

Places You Must Visit:

1. Jailsalmer fort: A walk through the fort with the kids is a must do. It gives them a great sense of the architecture in those times alongwith the culture
2. Rani ki Haveli: Even though you will have lots of steps to climb its a great place to see with lots of bats, a brilliant view from the terrace and the museum inside the haveli
3. Gadisagar Lake: Watch the catfish and a boatride. An absolute favourite with the kids
4. Abandoned Village called Kuldhara
5. Bada Bagh: this might not interest the kids much but is a great photo op place
6. Desert Culture Centre & Museum: Don’t miss the puppet show in the evening at 6 p.m.

Sam Dunes

A 3 night stay in Jaisalmer would be ideal and moving on a tent stay at Sam Dunes is what I would recommend. Sam Dunes has a lot of tent options the one that worked well for us was Winds Desert Camp . The staff is really warm, the food can be customized to suit kids and is very safe and clean. The cultural program is nice and presented tastefully. We reached Sam at about 3 in the afternoon (don’t recommend reaching before that) and got ready for our Camel Safari.

Early Morning At Winds Desert Camp

You head out for a 15 minute drive to the dunes in a jeep and Camels & camel carts are available on request. The ride is safe, slow and easy. Get the kids to wear leggings or track pants with strapped sandals or crocs. Carry minimal bags maybe just a sling to hang over. The Camel ride last for about 30 – 45 minutes and is a must do. Make sure you reach in time for sunset and give the kids enough time to enjoy the sand dunes. We headed back to the tents for some Rajasthani folk dance and music followed by dinner. Next morning make sure you are up early to see the sunrise or atleast before the sun gets really harsh. Our drive to Jodhpur from here was about 5 hours so make sure you leave soon after breakfast and in time for a late lunch. Don’t forget to carry enough munchies to snack on. We chose a rather different stay in Jodhpur where we stayed about 15 kms away from the main city at Bishnoi Village Camp.  You can choose to stay within the city too with many boutique hotels overlooking the Mehrangarh Fort. I would recommend this one if you are keen on looking at a different stay and just staying away from the hustle bustle of the city. If shopping and eating is not on your priority list then you must check this out. Clean, AC mud hut rooms with organic vegetarian food is what you can expect. The staff and the owners are always around to address every need and are extremely warm.

Things To Do In Bishnoi Village Camp

1. Camel Safari
2. Black Buck & Deer Spotting
3. Spotting the Migratory birds
4. Visit to the Pottery & Block Print artisans
5. Understand & learn more about the progressive Bishnoi community

Here is what I liked about the food served there:

1. Organic Vegetarian food
2. Freshly cooked and happy to customize it for kids
3. They bring in the best kachoris, samosas and mirchi wadas for you from Jodhpur

Things To Do With Your Kids In Jodhpur:

1. Visit the Umaid Bhavan palace on your way to the airport and don’t miss the Kesar kulfi there
2. Visit the Mehrangarh fort. Flavoured milk, water and drinks are available at the Cafe

Essentials:

1. Food I would recommend really nothing but to eat local. You may want to pick up Tetra Pack of milk which is easily available in Jaisalmer for the Tent stay. Milk is available at all hotels so you needn’t worry. Just nibbles for the long drive between Jodhpur & Jaisalmer
2. Hats, Sun glasses & Sunscreens
3. Winters are chilly so warm clothing and breathable cottons otherwise
4. Sandals or strappy shoes for camel rides. Crocs work well

If you have been to Jodhpur & Jaisalmer then share your experience with us in the comments below or tag us @kidsstoppress on Instagram.