A Jaipur to Jaisalmer taxi covers about 560 kilometres and takes nine to ten hours of driving. Most travellers break the journey overnight at Jodhpur rather than doing it in one push. The fare includes fuel, driver allowance, toll and state permits.
This is the longest drive we run out of Jaipur, and the one where the honest advice is usually not to do it in a single day.
The drive
About 560 kilometres and nine to ten hours of actual driving, before stops. It can be done in one push with a five in the morning start, and people do it — but you arrive tired, and Jaisalmer is a place worth arriving fresh to.
What we normally suggest instead: break it at Jodhpur. Jaipur to Jodhpur is under six hours, and Jodhpur to Jaisalmer is about five and a half. That gives you Mehrangarh Fort on the way for the cost of one extra night, and two comfortable driving days instead of one brutal one.
Worth stopping for
- Pokhran — the fort and the town, roughly two hours short of Jaisalmer.
- Nagaur — the Ahhichatragarh fort, if you route that way.
- Osian — eighth-century temples in the desert, on the Jodhpur–Jaisalmer leg.
Once you are there
Jaisalmer Fort is one of the very few living forts left in the world, with families still inside its walls. The Patwon ki Haveli, Gadisar lake, and a night at a camp in the Sam dunes — camel ride at sunset, folk music after dark — are the usual two days.
Desert nights get genuinely cold from December to February. Carry a jacket; people pack for “Rajasthan” and then shiver at the dunes.
What the fare covers
Car and driver, fuel, driver allowance, toll and state permits. Nothing is added at the end. Where the trip runs overnight, the driver’s accommodation is inside our fare, not added to your bill.
Booking it
WhatsApp us your dates and group size. If you are heading on to Jodhpur or Udaipur afterwards rather than returning, the desert circuit package covers the whole loop on one quote and works out better than separate transfers.
Questions about this trip
How long does it take to drive from Jaipur to Jaisalmer?
About 560 km and nine to ten hours of driving before stops. It is possible in one day with a very early start, but we usually suggest breaking it at Jodhpur instead.
Should we break the journey at Jodhpur?
We recommend it. Jaipur to Jodhpur is under six hours and Jodhpur to Jaisalmer about five and a half. You get Mehrangarh Fort on the way for the cost of one extra night, and two easy driving days instead of one exhausting one.
Is the driver's overnight stay charged extra?
No. Where a trip runs overnight, the driver's accommodation and allowance are inside the quoted fare, not added to your bill afterwards.
How many nights do we need in Jaisalmer?
Two. That covers the living fort, the havelis, Gadisar lake, and a night at a desert camp in the Sam dunes with a camel ride at sunset.
How cold does the desert get?
From December to February the nights are genuinely cold, sometimes single digits. Days are pleasant. Carry a jacket for the dunes.
Also from Jaipur
Jaipur to Jodhpur Taxi
A private one-way or round-trip cab from Jaipur to Jodhpur — about 335 km and under six hours,…
Jaipur to Mount Abu Taxi
A private cab from Jaipur to Mount Abu — about 490 km and eight to nine hours, including…
Jaipur to Ajmer Pushkar Taxi
A same-day or overnight cab from Jaipur to Ajmer and Pushkar — about 145 km, under three hours,…