A trip to Rajasthan’s oldest living fortified city of Jaisalmer is like taking a step back in time to the days of the Arabian knights. The first thing any visitor to the ‘Golden City’ will notice is the impressive yellow fortress woven into the top of the hill that dominates the centre of Jaisalmer. The Golden Fort, as it’s known due to the yellow sandstone used to build the fortress, still has a quarter of the city’s population living in it and is by far the highlight of a visit to this city. Within the fort are some of Jaisalmer’s most important historic and religious sites, as well as a living tapestry of what life could have looked like a thousand years ago when the city was a major stopover along the classic Asian caravan routes.

Camel Festival: beginning with a colourful procession of camels walking through Junagarh Fort, this fascinating festival is all about the camel. From the best-decorated camel to the fastest camel, there are some really interesting events backed up by cultural performances from the humans.

There is no airport near Jaisalmer, so international visitors will have to fly into Jodhpur’s airport, about 300kms away. Jodhpur is well connected to the rest of India and many other European, Middle Eastern and Asian cities through direct and connecting flights. Indian Airways and Jet Airways provide most of the travel routes around the country and to a few international destinations.