Locations: JAISALMER DESERT

The Desert Festival is held in Jaisalmer, usually in the month of January or February, every year. The duration of the festival is three days and it comes to an end on Poornima, the full moon day.
 

The main purpose of the Desert Festival is to display the rich and colorful culture of the state of Rajasthan. Dressed in vibrant and colorful attire, the locals dance to the tunes of lingering ballads of heroism, romance and tragedy of the folk heroes.
 

The major attractions of the Desert Festival of Jaisalmer include snake charmers, puppeteers, acrobats, folk performers, etc. Especially, the Gair and Fire dancers, in their vibrant and colorful costumes, capture your heart. However, amongst all these, the ship of the desert, camel does not lose its special place. Apart from the camel rides that are quite popular, camels take part in a number of events. Of them, the most famous and unique ones are camel polo and camel dance.
 

Other events include the turban tying competition and a display of the most glorious mustaches. Turbans and mustaches are deemed to be the symbols of honor in the state of Rajasthan. Then, there is a Mr. Desert contest that further adds to the enjoyment. With the fascinating Jaisalmer Fort or the Sonar Quila and the sand dunes serving as the backdrop, the celebrations gain an added advantage. There are also brilliant performances by the folk artists, dancing elegantly to the tunes of the folk music.
 

Traditional handicrafts of Rajasthan are also traded at the fair.
 

This itinerary covers the entire festival in the minimum possible time. It incorporates the major sightseeing places and excursions (from the festival venue) with the main events of the festival. The program can be customized as per your requirement.
 

Welcome to Incredible India : Welcome to Incredible India! You are welcomed & picked up by our executive from the International airport and transferred to the hotel in your private car. (Our executive will be waiting outside the custom area with a placard of your name) We will have a welcome briefing covering the various aspects of the tour (ensuring that you have the best of the Indian holiday) and you will be handed over the India travel kit containing all relevant documents of your trip (air/rail tickets, hotel vouchers, transport, guide, sightseeing vouchers, writing pads with other travel related documents).

Moving to the desert land : You fly from Delhi to Jodhpur. From here drive to Jaisalmer - the golden city of India. En route, we stop first at Osian and later at Keechan. At Osian, there are intricately carved temples erected by the wealthy merchants of the area. They are said to compare to the world class Hoysala temples of Karnataka and Sun temple of Konark. While at Keechan, you get to see flocks of Demoiselle cranes, 300 or more birds that migrate over 4,000 km mainly to India. As the smallest of the 15 species of cranes found worldwide, the Demoiselle is docile and easily domesticated.

Later drive to Jaisalmer to check in at the hotel for the night stay.

The Golden Oasis : Wake up early in the morning to attend the Mangal aarti (prayers sung in praise of God) at the Gadsisar Lake. On completion of the aarti, you return to the hotel for breakfast after which you set out to see the astounding Jaisalmer fort and the royal cenotaphs.You will then be dropped at the venue of the festival.

Rest of the day is for you to enjoy and even participate in the various programs of the day that include the Turban Tying Competition for Indians and foreigners, contests for the best moustaches, Mr. and Miss. Desert followed by Surya Kiran Show (acrobatic performance) by the Indian Air Force. At the end of the day are held various folk dance and music programs and fire works display - but we suggest you to return to the hotel after air show and attend the music programs the next day.

Go sporty! : Ladies and Gentlemen do your breakfast well and energize yourself as today, at the festival venue, you have a chance to participate and contribute to your team's win in a Tug of war - Indians Vs Foreigners (both men and women). Ladies also have the opportunity to test their balancing act in the Matka (earthen pitcher) race competition. Besides enjoy the camel decoration, camel polo and other programs.
Later, you can visit a few heritage havelis (Mansions of rich merchants) and spend the evening roaming about in the city. Return to the hotel for overnight stay.

Festive finale in untrammeled sands: After breakfast set out to enjoy the cricket match (Indian Vs Foreigners). Then you will drive to Sam sand dunes, the venue for the grand finale of the desert festival. On reaching there, you first go for a ride on the 'ship of desert' i.e. the camel.

Today, along with other programs, you enjoy the grand cultural program by Rajasthani folk artists in a perfect milieu. The day is concluded with an opulent display of fireworks late in the evening. Overnight in a tented accommodation here.

Tour Ends : The celebration comes to an end and its time to bid adieu but with vibrant impressions of Rajasthan's vivid culture in your memory book. After breakfast we will drive you to Jodhpur airport from where you catch your flight for Delhi.

N.B. The festival dates for 2015 & 206 are as follows:

2015     February 1st to 3rd.
2016     February 21st to 23rd.