magical

We are planning a trip to Jodhpur & Jaisalmer in Rajasthan in Feb-Mar 2010 (as part of a longer trip to north India). I am having trouble finding flights from either Delhi to jaisalmer or Jodhpur to Jaisalmer. There are no major airlines showing these flights. Are there any small local/private airlines?

Anyone know of a better way to get from JDH to JSM other than driving. I think it's a rather long drive, perhaps 6-8 hours atleast, is it not?

I am open to train travel as well, but that could be a long haul too?
Thanks for any input.

DelhiBelly

HELLO magical there is no way to travel by train of flight you can gat car whit driver it take 5to6 hrs drive and if you want to fly from delhi to jodhpur there is flight from delhi to jodhpur you can look here www.makemytrip.com

thursdaysd

"there is no way to travel by train " - nonsense.

There is a train from Delhi to Jaisalmer which goes through Jodhpur, plus another train that starts in Jodhpur. See www.indianrail.gov.in - Trains Between Important Stations. The Delhi train will be more comfortable. See seat61.com/India.htm for exhaustive info on train travel in India.

Nywoman

There are no flights to Jaisalmer because of its vicinity to Pakistan. We went from Pushkar by car which was not very onerous. However leaving Jaisalmer to go to Udaipur was a bit more strenuous. We ended up on an overnight bus.

magical

Thanks for all your responses.

Excellent links to train info....thanks thursdaysd.

Looks like there are good train connections between Jodhpur & jaisalmer...about a 5 1/2 hour trip...not bad. Now I can proceed with my planning for the trip.

Good explanation for why there are no flights to Jaisalmer...thanks Nywoman.

Good site for Indian air travel...thanks DelhiBelly. Have you used this site for travel outside India as well?

Cicerone

There have in some years been flights between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, but this changes very frequently. (As noted above, it has something to do with the fact that the airport is a military one that is often closed to commercial flights due to the proximity of Jaisalmer to Pakistan.) That is why I would suggest the train or driving as well. However, you could wait and see if Kingfisher has the flights going for your dates and then make bookings as things firm up. (I just checked their website and they are not showing flights from Jodphur to Jaisalmer at this time, and neither is Air India which sometimes also flies. Given the direction things seem to be going in Pakistan, I would not hold out much hope for this.) The train is only about 6 hours. And an Indian train is part of the overall experience of a trip to India, IMO. There is also a night train from Delhi, but that takes 17-hours.

The drive between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer is about 6-7. The drive is virtually all 4 lane highway and can be a bit boring (other than the general thrill of living through a long drive in India as your driver careens around cows and motorcycles/cars/trucks at breakneck speed) as you won’t get a chance to drive back roads where you can see village life. So you would need to make sure you take time to get to smaller countryside areas outside either on foot or by car to see something of village life.

magical

Thanks Cicerone.

I think I might do rail one way and car on the return between Jaisalmer & Jodhpur since time wise they are about the same. Car will provide more flexibility, perhaps, but it will take up most of a day (assuming traveling during daylight...preferable).

Did you say you had a preference for rail since the drive is longer and on a 4-lane highway (not that interesting)?

There is a train 4060 Delhi- Jaisalmer express that leaves JSM at 1645 and arrives Jodhpur at 2230, so this would be convenient. Your thoughts?

JaneB

The train trip to Jaisalmer was very interesting. Sitting across the aisle was a bride and groom on their honeymoon. Jaisalmer seems to be a favorite honeymoon destination because we saw other newly weds. The bride was dressed in a traditional outfit with henna designs on her hands. The groom was dressed in quite a modern fashion--jeans, cell phone, etc. They both spoke excellent English. They had only known each other a few weeks. BUT I must say, the bride certainly liked what she got. ! She was very openly affectionate, which was surprising to me.

We had a great time in Jaisalmer--stayed inside the walls--but cannot remember the name of the hotel.

Cicerone

Generally yes, my preference is for rail on that route because the drive can become tedious after a while. The only problem I would see with the particular train is that in winter the sun will set by 5 or 5:30 pm (see sunrisesunset.com). Therefore you won’t be able to see much of the countryside. That to me is sort of the point of taking the train. But if you can’t fit in a day train because of your schedule, then that train looks good.

I have not done it, but you could look at maps and guidebooks and search websites to see what there is in terms of back roads to get to Jaisalmer, for perhaps at least part of the way. That might lead you to some village areas. However, if you have a few days in either Jaisalmer or Jodhpur you should be able to get out to village areas from either so that may be sufficient.

live42day

I will be travelling by train from Jodphur to Jaisalmer and by train again Jaisalmer to Jaipur in Jan 2010, (next month).
I will do a trip report and let you know what it was like if you can wait until then.