How to Reach Sam Sand Dunes from Jaisalmer

Written by the team at Sam Sand Dunes Desert Safari Camp. Updated September 2026.

It's a straight, easy hour on good road. The part people get wrong isn't the route — it's leaving too late and missing the thing they came for.

Sunset on the dunes is the whole point of the evening, and it doesn't wait. This page covers the route, the four ways of doing it, what each costs, and the departure time that gets you onto the sand with light to spare.

The route

1. Jaisalmer city Most travellers start from the fort area, the railway station, or a hotel near Gadisar Lake. All three feed onto the same road west.
2. The Sam road A single well-surfaced highway runs west out of the city. There are no confusing turnings, and it's signposted for Sam throughout. Fill in road name or number after checking Google Maps
3. Kanoi village Roughly two-thirds of the way. The landscape starts turning to open sand and scrub here, and the first camps appear. Verify village name and position on the route
4. Sam village and the dune belt The road ends at the dunes. Camps sit along the last stretch and around the belt itself.
5. Our camp Directly on the dune side. We'll send a location pin when you book, which matters after dark when everything looks the same.

Total distance is about 40–45 km, and the drive takes roughly an hour at a normal pace. There's no traffic to speak of once you're out of the city.

When to leave

Work backwards from sunset. You want to be at camp with time for tea before the camel ride starts, and the ride itself needs to begin well before the light goes.

Season	Leave Jaisalmer by	Why
November to February	3:30 pm	Early sunset, and the light goes quickly once it drops
March, April, September, October	4:00 pm	Longer evenings, but the dunes get busy at sunset
May to August	4:30 pm	Late sunset, and it's too hot to be on a camel before then

Four ways to get there

Getting to Jaisalmer in the first place

By train

Jaisalmer railway station sits about 2 km from the fort and is the arrival point for most visitors, with overnight services from Delhi and Jaipur among others. If you're heading straight to the dunes, we can collect you from the station rather than having you go into the city first.

By road

Jodhpur is the usual road approach, and it's a long but straightforward drive. Buses and shared taxis run daily. Coming from Bikaner or Jaipur, plan the arrival time carefully — that departure table above still applies.

By air

Jaisalmer airport operates seasonally with a limited schedule, so most travellers fly into Jodhpur and continue by road or rail. Check current flight availability before assuming it's an option.

Common questions