by Nick

After some debate Lianna and I were signed up to join another couple on a camel trek into the Thar Desert outside of Jaisalmer. Sometimes in relationships, compromises must be made and this was one of those times. Lianna agreed to 2 nights provided she had a tent to sleep in instead of being exposed at night to the desert wildlife (spiders and scorpion she wants to add) so after paying a little extra her requirement was arranged and we were off.

The novelty of riding a camel wares off about an hour or two in as your legs cease to have bloodflow and you begin to wonder how long until you get off this animal. Camels have a slow undulating walk making it fall somewhere between less comfortable than a horse, but more comfortable than an elephant. By mid afternoon the four of us were seriously wondering how long we could do this for but because the sun was getting high and beating down, it was time for a welcomed mid day rest and lunch. Once we ate and collected our camels I donned my turban (with some help) and we were back in the relentless heat of the desert.

The Thar desert is mostly arid scrubland with larges expanses dotted with villages and shepherds with their sheep and goats. Eventually the dry earth changed to sand and our night camp came into view. We picked a well sheltered spot for camp which was surrounded by immensely large sand dunes and as quick as we could, we hopped off our camels and went running up the large sandy hills.

The sun began to set and the sand began to take on a golden colour, when out from the horizon a man and his camel approached us. When he said he had brought cold beer I thought the bhang cookies we had eaten earlier had caused me to hear things. A hefty price but well worth it and we were drinking beers on a giant dune in the middle of the Indian desert.

Once the sun was gone it was time for pre-dinner chai while we watched our guide make chapatis over the campfire. It was during the desert camp outs that we remembered the allure of why we were torturing ourselves on a camel. We were lucky to have a full moon which made it a beautiful night huddling around a tiny campfire listening to the camel men sing Rajasthani wedding songs.

The night was a sharp contrast to day when the temperature would plummet and unfortunately we didn’t have sleeping bags which would be an excellent idea for anyone planning a similar trip. Even though plenty of blankets were provided it was difficult to sleep through the night, especially for Lianna, whose stomach was a constant source of grief.

Our second day was slightly shorter and even though our other companions were in too much agony to continue on the camels, Lianna and I began to feel slightly better. Probably due to me having the slowest camel in the line and Lianna’s camel being attached to mine.

Our daily routine was similar to the one prior passing by time spotting gazelles and vultures in the distance and a nice long lunch stop under a thorny tree. Our second camp, another picturesque spot although not as impressive as the dunes from the first night, was set up as we huddled in for another quiet night on the desert. The following morning was a short ride to the nearest road where we were picked up by jeep and driven 30km back to a hot shower in Jaisalmer.

Many tourists come to Jaisalmer just for the camel safari’s and It’s a great way to experience the desert lifestyle first hand. Many operators are competing for the tourist buck and it can be a little overwhelming choosing one. We got recommendations from other tourists who had gone with our hotel, Hotel Renuka, and it seems most people were as pleased as we were with the outcome. We paid around 650rs each which is a little less than most operators were quoting but the camping and food was relatively basic. On the plus side, we were taken to lesser known dunes and other than seeing one group from our hotel the first night, we were alone in the desert.