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NH 62 · Jaipur → Jaipur

Rajasthan Desert Circuit

Eight days of forts, stepwells, and dune camps on a Thar desert loop.

A motorcyclist on an empty desert highway under a wide sky

Jaipur

1100

km

Route
NH 62
Distance
1,100 km
Days
8
Season
October – March

Rajasthan built its history along its roads: caravan towns, toll forts, and painted havelis strung between water sources. This circuit follows that logic in a 1,100-kilometre loop from Jaipur — south-west through Pushkar to the blue city of Jodhpur, deep into the Thar to Jaisalmer, and back through the fresco towns of Shekhawati.

The driving is easy and the days are short, which is the point: mornings on empty desert highways, afternoons inside Mehrangarh's ramparts or down the spiral of a stepwell, and one night when the road ends altogether and you sleep among the dunes at Sam.

Who this trip suits

The route, day by day

  1. Day 1

    Jaipur · arrival

    Gather in the pink city. Evening walk through the old bazaars and a rooftop dinner facing Hawa Mahal.

  2. Day 2

    Jaipur to Pushkar · 150 km

    An easy warm-up drive. Sunset aarti on the ghats of Pushkar lake and malpua in the bazaar.

  3. Day 3

    Pushkar to Jodhpur · 210 km

    Across pastoral Marwar. Arrive in time for the last light on Mehrangarh's walls.

  4. Day 4

    Jodhpur

    A full day for the fort, Jaswant Thada, and the indigo lanes below — plus mirchi vada where the locals queue.

  5. Day 5

    Jodhpur to Jaisalmer · 280 km

    The emptiest, straightest desert highway of the trip. Watch the landscape thin to scrub, then to sand.

  6. Day 6

    Jaisalmer and Sam · 45 km

    Morning inside the living fort, afternoon drive to the Sam dunes, and a night at the desert camp.

  7. Day 7

    Jaisalmer to Bikaner · 330 km

    North along the border highway to Bikaner's red-sandstone Junagarh fort and its old-city sweet shops.

  8. Day 8

    Bikaner to Jaipur via Mandawa · 340 km

    Through Shekhawati's fresco towns, with a long lunch at a restored haveli, then back to Jaipur by evening.

Gallery

Scenes from Route On Wheels journeys

A hilltop fort lit up against the night skyA whitewashed dome shrine in the scrub desertA hilltop fort overlooking the old town at duskA motorcyclist on an empty desert highway under a wide skyA woman in traditional tribal jewellery, photographed on a journeyA street musician playing a stringed instrument

Highlights

What's included

  • Seven nights in heritage havelis and one dune camp, twin-share
  • All monument and fort entries on the plan
  • Camel cart to the Sam dunes and the camp's folk-music evening
  • Scouted route book with fuel and chai stops marked
  • Phone support from the crew for the whole trip

Not included

  • Fuel and tolls for your vehicle
  • Lunches and dinners outside the dune camp
  • Guides at monuments, unless requested in advance
  • Vehicle rental, unless arranged with us

The practical bits

Route
Jaipur → Pushkar → Jodhpur → Jaisalmer → Bikaner → Jaipur
Vehicle
Your own car, or an SUV we arrange
Roads
Excellent sealed highways throughout
Stays
Heritage havelis and one dune camp, twin-share
Fitness
Easy — fort climbs are the hardest work

Questions about this route

How much driving is it per day?
Between 150 and 340 kilometres on excellent highways — three to five relaxed hours. The two longer days are broken with proper stops, and there are two zero-driving days in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.
Is the dune camp comfortable?
It's a fixed camp with proper beds and attached washrooms, not an expedition bivouac. Nights get genuinely cold from December to January; the camp provides quilts and the campfire does the rest.
Can this loop start somewhere other than Jaipur?
Yes — Jodhpur and Udaipur starts work well, and on a private departure we can reshape the loop entirely. Jaipur is simply the easiest city to fly into and out of.

Drive the Rajasthan Circuit with us

8 days · 1,100 km · October – March

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