[Singh09]

Hello BHPians,
I hope you guys won't mind a lengthy post, but putting the entire trip in short was not working and would have not done justice to this travelogue. So, sit back, relax and grab your favorite snack and drinks as we embark on this stunning and picturesque journey together.

BACKGROUND
As many of you know that I ventured into travel vlogging last year but for those who don't know let me share it again with you guys. I had ventured into Travel Vlogging which was a long-waited dream and along with cars it’s also my passion as well. So, I started my YouTube channel with the handle “Expedition Wheels”.

THE PLAN
I travel mostly solo or with my Brother in Law on few of my trips. But this trip was going to be a different one as it was going to be a family trip with my better half and junior. I planned this trip in December as his schools were off for winter break. Though we left our home on 28th December and returned back on 9th January and my google maps history looked like this:



THE RIDE
Honda Amaze CVT - Diesel

THE ITINERARY
Day 1 - Leave from Gurgaon, pickup better half and junior from Dwarka Mor (Nani house) and leave for Bikaner.
Day 2 - Biakner - Kuldhara - Sam
Day 3 - Sam - Longewala - Tanot - Babliyan (Indo - Pak border check post) - Jaisalmer
Day 4 - Jaisalmer - Jaipur
Day 5 - Jaipur - Moradabad

PREPARATION
Car - My car had been recently serviced but still I got everything checked including the tire pressure in my spare tire, wiper blades, filters and oils. Everything was up to the mark.
Medication - Ever since I have started my travel vlogging I keep all the necessary medicines in a box and just check it before leaving for a trip.
Food & Eatables - I stocked up my car with water bottles, chips, cookies, Frooti, Nuts, dry fruits and what not since junior was travelling with us.
Equipment - Checked all my equipments, their batteries, cables, tripod stands, memory cards etc.

DAY 1Gurgaon - Delhi - Bikaner
Kms Covered - 428 Kms
Route - Rohtak - Bhiwani - Bahal - Rajgarh - Sardarshahar - Bikaner.
Toll - Rs. 480/-

I woke up early and got ready by 8:00 am, only to find thick layer of fog outside. So I waited for about an hour and left Gurgaon by 9:00 am.

Since it was early morning and I took Southern Peripheral road and then Dwarka Express Way, it hardly took me 25-30 minutes to reach Dwarka Mor. I picked up both of them and straight away left for Bikaner. I had called my wife as soon as I left Gurgaon to be ready with luggage and junior.
We drove towards Nazafgarh and the GPS directed us onto the NH 344 towards

We switched so many highways before finally hitting NH 11that I completely lost count - felt like we were on a never- ending highway - hopping adventure! Even my road trip to Spiti didn't require this many detours. At one point, I started wondering if we were on a highway or just collecting them like Pokemon!

Overall the roads were very good except a couple of small patches but nothing Amaze could not handle with 3 people and full load of luggage.

Until Loharu - Bhiwani road you drive mostly on 4-6 lane highways but after that you drive on state highways with 2 way traffic for almost 100-110 kms but road conditions are good and it won't slow you down as the traffic was on the lighter side. But during this patch you don't have any eating joints so if you are planning to take this highway you better stock up your car with food.

Once we reached NH 52 after driving for almost 30 kms we saw first restaurant where we stopped and had our lunch as we were really hungry for real food besides the one which had with us for munching. But after that you will get a good amount of places to eat.
So after having our lunch we were ready to hit the road and I stepped on the accelerator and headed towards Bikaner.

We reached Bikaner around 6:00 Pm, just when it started to get dark. We checked into our hotel and ordered some tea and snacks. After resting for about hour and half, we headed towards the local market to explore few things and after spending around and hour or so, we came back to our hotel and had our dinner before calling it a day.

DAY 2Bikaner - Kuldhara - Sam Sand Dunes
Kms Covered - 396 Kms
Route - Bikaner - Bap - Phalodi - Pokhran - Jaisalmer - Kuldhara - Sam
Toll - Rs. 320/-

We started around 9:30 am after having a nice breakfast. It was kind of cold with temperature hovering around 9 degrees. Today's plan of action was to reach Jaisalmer by lunch time and visit the haunted village "KULDHARA" before reaching our destination which was Sam.
Stopped at the very first petrol pump and got the tank refilled as we had drove 430 kms on the last tank which I got refilled before Rohtak and still had around 15-20% tank left. Here the diesel price was Rs. 91.72/- which was approximately 3 rupees more than Haryana.

After getting the tank refilled we hit the road and within 15-20 minutes we were out of Bikaner and onto NH 11. And after driving for about 60-65 kms the 4 lane highway became smaller with two way traffic almost till Jaisalmer. But the road is very nice without even a single bump or pothole.

We came across this power station, look at the number of towers.

There are not much options to eat until you reach near Pokhran. You will get a couple of dhaba's before reaching Pokhran. Before this I hardly saw any good eating joints. Google maps showed us 5.20 hours for Jaisalmer but we reached Jaisalmer in 4 hours and trust me I didn't speed. The highway is straight and the traffic is almost zero. But my once piece of advice to everyone who plan to take this trip, BEWARE of cattle's on the road. Because the roads are nice and you will be at good speeds most of the time and they will come out from no where.

We reached Jaisalmer around 2 Pm and took a halt at Hotel Sky Plaza for lunch. Food was okay not good not bad. Distance to Kuldhara from the hotel was around 20 kms and Sam was near about 45 kms. So we were back on the road without wasting anytime because time was crucial as I wanted to explore Kuldhara and reach SAM on time so that we don't miss the sunset safari. You will encounter a lot of wind mills on your way to Kuldhara and they look really nice since it is something you don't see on regular days and man they are like infinite in numbers. Kuldhara is basically on the road to SAM from Jaisalmer and you just have to take a small detour for that. We reached Kuldahra around 3:00 Pm and entry fee per person is Rs. 30 and Rs. 50 per vehicle, no fees for children.

Entry to Kuldhara Village

KULDHARA Village
Kuldhara is an abandoned village which used to be home of Paliwal Brahmins. Once a prosperous village - now remain in RUINS. The narrative attributes Kuldhara desertion to Salim Singh, the formidable and brutal Diwan (Prime Minister) of Jaisalmer. He allegedly demanded to marry the village chief's daughter after catching sight of her. The villagers along with people from 84 nearby villages, fled their ancestral homes out of fear of his wrath rather than comply with his demands. They cursed the Kuldhara to prevent anyone from ever settling there again before departing. And today also no one is allowed to go into the village after 5 O' clock.


So after spending about around 20-30 minutes at Kuldhara we left for SAM. The road to Sam from Jaisalmer is getting widened at some places but you won't have any difficulties or issues reaching SAM. The views start getting better as you come near to SAM and you will start getting sight of small sand dunes before you enter SAM. As soon as you enter SAM you will start seeing resorts, camps and stay options on both sides of the roads. So it all depends how deep are your pockets when it comes to booking a stay.
We reached the property where I had booked the stay for the night. We checked into our camp, got fresh and had a cup of tea and laid down on the bed for about 30 minutes before our ride an old red "THAR" came to pick us up for our Desert Safari.
Our ride for the desert safari.

It took us about 20 minutes to reach the sand dunes. They drive you around on the sand dunes for about 15-20 minutes and then they drop you at a point where you can do other activities like ATV rides, para gliding and Camel rides. The charge for these activities are around 1000 -2000 bucks.


Now if you ask my honest review about the experience. Well it was not that great as I had expected and after you pay Rs. 3700 for a small 30 minutes of drive in the desert. If you are going for the first time you will like being in the desert and enjoying all the rides. But it was too crowded and people were spitting here and there which takes the charm away. Every sand dunes you see is distributed by group of hotels or resorts and if you go to the other one locals keep asking you which hotel and resort you have booked.
Honestly speaking if you have a 4x4 you can enjoy more rather than booking the safaris from your hotels. And secondly you can have fun at other spots which are less crowded. But if you don't have a 4x4 than you are only left with one choice.
A beautiful moment captured

Witnessed a beautiful sunset before we returned back to our camps. The overall vibe that you get at sunset was something worth waiting for. If you miss the sunset than you can always plan for the sunrise as safaris start early morning.
Once we were back from the Safari we got fresh as we were all in sand and your face and feel all dried up. The camp had high tea accompanied by the Cultural show.
Night view of the camp

Snacks served with high tea while you enjoy the Cultural show.

After the show ended we headed towards the dinning hall for dinner and by this time temperature had dropped to 8 degrees and it was cold. After having our dinner we returned to our camp and called it a day.

DAY 3 Sam - Jaisalmer
Kms Covered - 250 Kms
Route - Sam - Khuiyala - Longewala - Tanot - Babliyan Border - Ramgarh - Jaisalmer
Toll - Rs. 160/-

After a sound and shivering sleep we woke up fresh and frozen. Had our some really delicious aloo puree's with some nice coffee for the breakfast after which we got ready, packed our stuff and left for our next destination which was Longewala and it was around 115 kms. Got the tank refilled again in SAM and headed straight to Longewala.
Amaze all loaded and ready to hit the tarmac

Road to Longewala is literally a bliss to drive on. The black tarmac road looks really stunning with golden color sand on both the sides of the roads.

You will be tempted by the road to floor that accelerator but then again HOLD YOUR HORSES and look out for the cattle's in the surroundings. The roads are built so well that even a Fighter jet can land on these roads. They are far better than our expressways A.K.A Eastern Peripheral which has the ability to turn your car into a flying jet.
Reached Longewala in about 1.30 hours and visited the Longewala war memorial and the parking is right by the memorial. There is no entry fee for visiting the Memorial and it will take you around 20 - 30 minutes to cover the memorial.
Guns used in the Indo-Pak war


Main Battle tank T-55


M46 Catapult Gun


HUNTER Aircraft

[Singh09]

After spending some time at the memorial we headed towards the main Longewala Battlefield which is right across the road. You will find the actual tanks and jeeps used in the Indo - Pak war by the Indian Army and the captured Pakistan army tanks which they used to infiltrate into India.

Laungewala


Recoil jeep with anti-tank gun


Pakistan army tank - M4 Sherman Tank (Pakistan army's captured tank)


Pakistan army tank


Story of Laungewala War


You can than take a stroll through the trenches built and used by the Indian army and also take a look into a bunker built by the army personnel.
Trenches

Bunker

View from the bunker

They also have a Audio and Visual theater where you can spend some time if you feel like diving into the history of what happened.

After spending some time here we left for Tanot which was around 40 kms from Longewala and it took us around 25-30 mins to reach Tanot Mata Temple.

You will get your passes for the Indo-Pak border checkpost at Babliyan from Tanot. I parked my car and walked down to the temple area where you will see counters issuing passes. And time was almost 2 PM. I got shocked to see the line at the counter and I was pretty sure I am not getting there in time if I stand in the line. So I quickly called my wife to lock the car and come over with junior at the counter as they had a separate line for ladies. Even then it took us around 20-30 minutes to get our passes.
As soon as we got the passes we rushed to our car and left for Babliyan border checkpost which was around 20 kms from Tanot mata temple.

Quite a few Recommendations for people planning to take this trip:
1. Try getting the passes online so that you just have to pick them up from here as there is a separate window for passes booked online.
2. If you are coming from Jaisalmer then visit Tanot first and then Longewala.
3. If you are coming from SAM then start early and visit Longewala first and then Tanot.
Your pass will be checked two times and you need to hand it over to the security personnel when you go back.

You are welcomed with this gate.


Last Indian flag called the Zero Point.


You can see the fencing which is the border between the 2 nations.

After spending around 30 minutes we returned back to Tanot and visited the Tanot Mata Temple, had our lunch at a restaurant by the temple and left for Jaisalmer which was around 125 kms from Tanot.
Sand dunes on our way back to Jaisalmer.
Attachment 2732506

Amaze posing with the sand dunes.

The road back to Jaisalmer from Tanot runs almost parallel to the one which comes from Sam to Tanot. The one we took from Sam to Tanot was NH 70 and while returning back to Jaisalmer we took NH 68. It took us about 1.30 hours to reach Jaisalmer from Sam including a small 5-10 minutes break that I took to take some pictures. We reached Jaisalmer by 5 Pm and decided to go explore the Jaisalmer fort as well since we had time. The entry to the fort for visitors is till 6:00 PM. If you are going on a busy weekend or in the season then I would suggest you park your car as soon as you get the parking, don’t wait to get closer to the entry gate to park your vehicle. Parking is a nightmare luckily our guide got our car parked in a tight spot at a hotel where he knew the guard on duty.
We took an Auto while going uphill in the Fort as we were in no mood to climb that incline.


Jaisalmer fort is the only living fort where people actually live in the fort and you have small shops, cafes and street vendors selling local products. It took us about 40 minutes to take the tour of the Fort. And by the time we were done exploring the fort, we were all drained out and my body was asking for some night refreshments. But now comes the most important part of finding/booking hotels in Jodhpur.
View of Jaisalmer city from the Jaisalmer Fort


If you are booking a 5 star property than there is no issue but if you are looking for a decent 3 or 4 star property, guys do your due diligence because the pictures shown in online booking platforms like MMT or Booking.com are not exactly what you get in real. I actually visited 3-4 hotels and checked their rooms and they were no where as clean as shown in the pictures. I had a list of hotels as I did my homework before leaving for this trip as usual. So finally I got a good hotel with good and neat rooms accompanied by nice food and service. The property I stayed at was the "HELSINKI HOUSE". So after checking into the hotel I grabbed a chilled can "OF REFRESHMENTS" and after that had a nice dinner before calling the day off. If you are a Non vegetarian then sorry to disappoint you but most of the places are vegetarian and won't serve you non veg.


DAY 4 Jaisalmer - Jaipur
Kms Covered - 600 kms
Route - Jaisalmer - Devikot - Jawahar Nagar - Jodhpur - Beawar - Ajmer - Jaipur
Toll - Rs. 490/-


Woke up early, packed our stuff had our breakfast and we were back on the roads by 9:15 am as we had to drive almost 600 kms today. Since our hotel was almost at the outer of Jaisalmer it hardly took us 10 minutes to get out of the city. Before leaving Jaisalmer I would like to suggest that if you guys are planning to visit Jaisalmer then keep good quality moisturizers with you and a decent SPF ones as your hands, face, feet would dry and at places the water is salty especially in SAM so a decent shampoo as well. Keep the moisturizers handy as you would require it frequently.
Jaisalmer Fort view from the roof top of our hotel.


We took the Barmer road and got my tank refilled though it was half but as we had a long day ahead, I got it refilled. We took NH68 and as soon as you are on the NH 68 you will see windmills on both the sides as far as you can see, it’s just windmills all around.

After driving for around 30 mins on NH 68 we took a left onto Phalsund – Jaisalmer Road and drove around 75 kms on this road. This road had 2-way traffic with narrow roads and lot of Cattel’s on the road. It was mostly barren through out with some small villages at every 10 kms. After this you come across an intersection with a roundabout from where you have to continue straight onto Jethaniya – Jodhpur Road. This is where we encountered bad patches on the road in our entire trip. The road is in bad condition so I advise to drive with caution as the road appears to be good and you will be driving on decent speed but all of a sudden you will find your car in a pool of bad patches and decent size potholes and speed breakers which are not marked and with sun right in front of you it can be a bizarre driving on this patch.
After driving for around 48 kms on this road you finally get back on good road when you take a right on NH 125 towards Jodhpur, though it is not a 4 way but you can easily maintain good speed.


We had started feeling hungry but there were no good restaurants. After driving for almost 355 kms from Jaisalmer we came across a decent place to eat “Malhar Midway”. Got our tank refilled again around Beawar. Around Beawar the landscapes change and see small mountains all around. It feels good because till Beawar you are driving on small roads with barren lands and just empty fields throughout but from Beawar you are driving on 4-6 lane highways and small hills all around.

We reached Jaipur around 6:30 pm and headed straight to our hotel, checked in and laid down for couple of hours. We went out for a small drive in the night and visited Hawa Mahal, Albert Hall Museum and some local market. If you are visiting Jaipur than I highly recommend you visiting the Hawa Mahal and Albert Hall museum during night as well because both these places look really nice when the lights are ON. Found a good roof top café and had our dinner and then back to our hotel before calling the day of.



DAY 5 Jaipur - Moradabad
Kms Covered - 467 Kms
Route - Jaipur - Dasna - NE4 - Faridabad - Noida - Moradabad
Toll - Rs. 1050/-

Today was the last day of our journey, so we took our own sweet time to get ready, have breakfast and pack our stuff. And we were in our car and started our journey back home by 10:45 AM.
It took us almost 30 minutes to leave Jaipur. And till Dausa the traffic was bit on the higher side but as soon as we were on the NE-4 it was a breeze driving on the expressway. I did get the tank refilled in Jaipur. With in couple of hours we were onto the Faridabad extension road which is connected to NE – 4 and landed at Kalandi Kunj. We headed to sector 18 Noida and had our lunch at KFC and were back on highway in no time.
Delhi - Mumbai Expressway

When I reach on the NH 24 I realized that GRAP – III was in effect and I was driving BS-4 diesel all around NCR. By god’s grace nobody stopped us. I floored that accelerator until I reached Dasna toll.
And by 6:30 Pm we reached home after 10 days. The total distance that we travelled in these 10 days was 3000 km and the overall trip average was 18.5 kmpl.

It was an amazing trip with junior and better half. Would love to reply on queries if anyone has any on planning their trip to Jaisalmer. Rest you guys are most welcome to visit my channel and watch my travel vlogs and give some love (Like, Comment, Share with your loved ones) and feedback as well. Will see you guys soon with another travelogue. And if you guys do visit the channel than do Subscribe to the channel.
Thanks.

Links to all the vlogs on my channel for this trip are as below:

Episode 1:

https://youtu.be/fMM93aFLx4w

Episode 2:

https://youtu.be/auZtRsc_LAM

Episode 3:

https://youtu.be/n3lKdQdHRw4

Episode 4:

https://youtu.be/LG6byEssPHg

Episode 5:

https://youtu.be/9TB1j0Bv-mg

Episode 6:

https://youtu.be/sr7tfpxJIKQ

Episode 7:

https://youtu.be/Ovch0Sk8-XI

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Sa!lor]

Nice detailed travelogue, brought back memories of my trip in 2024.

As we were aware of SAM sand dunes being too crowded we chose our camp stay at KHURI Sand dunes and it turned out to be a great decision as KHURI gives you amazing dunes with no crowd at all and as we went in our Thar 4x4, we were accompanied by the camp guide in our own vehicle to experience the dune bashing which was amazing doing it in our own vehicle and experiencing the real power of the vehicle.

We also had taken sleeping under the sky option for one night where we were taken to a dune during sunset on camels and beds were arranged in open desert for the night stay, it was one of a kind experience sleeping under the open sky looking at the stars but being January at night the desert became very cold but we had been given enough blankets to stay warm along with bonfire.

Next time if you visit Jaisalmer, I would suggest you to experience sleeping under the open sky, it might not be possible with a small kid but with all adults it is a must experience.

Rajasthan has so much to explore, it can take a few trips to entirely see the beauty of Rajasthan.

[Kkumar]

Nice travelogue with beautiful photos. A detailed review with respect to routes and destinations. Thank you for sharing and keep on munching miles.

[Singh09]

Originally Posted by Sa!lor

Next time if you visit Jaisalmer, I would suggest you to experience sleeping under the open sky, it might not be possible with a small kid but with all adults it is a must experience.

That's the plan for next time

Originally Posted by Sa!lor

Rajasthan has so much to explore, it can take a few trips to entirely see the beauty of Rajasthan.

Yes it does. It's too big to explore in one go.