Khuri (Desert National Park)
Mud and thatch dune village on the Desert National Park edge
Best time to visit Khuri (Desert National Park)
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, off-season
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: November to February
- Shoulder: March and October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: April to August
Khuri (Desert National Park) season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Dec-Feb is the window: 24 C days, 5 C nights on the sand, camel rides out to the Desert National Park boundary and a clean Milky Way overhead
Summer March to May Shoulder
March still works if you start at dawn. April to June the Thar runs 45 to 48 C with hot wind all afternoon and most homestays simply close
Monsoon June to September Mixed, read the detail
Jun-Aug brings little rain but heavy dust storms and 42 C, and camel safaris stop; September cools slowly, so wait for October to book
Autumn October to November Prime time
October settles to about 35 C and the dunes are yours; November is the best all round, cool nights, clear skies and camps not yet full
What Khuri (Desert National Park) is actually like
Family run dune camps and mud houses with painted walls; evenings are Manganiyar songs round a fire, far quieter than Sam
Getting to Khuri (Desert National Park)
Bus or jeep 45 km southwest from Jaisalmer on the Barmer road, about 90 minutes to the village
Practical ways in: trainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 2 days
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Steady at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 226 m
- State
- Rajasthan
- Coordinates
- 26.6132, 70.7110
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Khuri (Desert National Park)?
November to February is peak season in Khuri (Desert National Park). March and October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to August. October settles to about 35 C and the dunes are yours; November is the best all round, cool nights, clear skies and camps not yet full.
How many days do you need in Khuri (Desert National Park)?
2 days is the usual stay. Family run dune camps and mud houses with painted walls; evenings are Manganiyar songs round a fire, far quieter than Sam.
How do you get to Khuri (Desert National Park)?
Bus or jeep 45 km southwest from Jaisalmer on the Barmer road, about 90 minutes to the village. Practical ways in: train and road.
Is Khuri (Desert National Park) expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs steady at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Is there a festival in Khuri (Desert National Park)?
Jan/Feb: Jaisalmer Desert Festival, 30 km northwest at Sam dunes. Time a trip around it and you see the place at its loudest, but book beds early.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Jaisalmer
Rajasthan
Golden fort rising from the Thar dunes
50 km from Khuri (Desert National Park), roughly under an hour by road
-
Kiradu Temples
Rajasthan
Ruined 11th-century Solanki temples alone in the Thar
140 km from Khuri (Desert National Park), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Barmer
Rajasthan
Thar frontier town of hand block prints and Kiradu ruins
150 km from Khuri (Desert National Park), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Balotra & Tilwara
Rajasthan
Luni-river print town and the Mallinath horse and cattle fair
230 km from Khuri (Desert National Park), roughly about 4 h by road
-
Khichan (Demoiselle Cranes)
Rajasthan
Village that feeds 20,000 demoiselle cranes each winter
240 km from Khuri (Desert National Park), roughly about 5 h by road
-
Osian (Osiyan)
Rajasthan
8th-century Jain and Hindu temples in a Thar oasis
290 km from Khuri (Desert National Park), roughly about 6 h by road
-
Jodhpur
Rajasthan
Indigo lanes stacked under Mehrangarh's 120 m clifftop fort
310 km from Khuri (Desert National Park), roughly about 6 h by road
-
Kolayat
Rajasthan
Kapil Muni's ghats on a temple lake in the open Thar
340 km from Khuri (Desert National Park), roughly about 7 h by road
More places to visit in Rajasthan
- Abhaneri (Chand Baori) Rajasthan
- Ajmer Rajasthan
- Alwar Rajasthan
- Balotra & Tilwara Rajasthan
- Banswara (Mahi Backwaters) Rajasthan
- Barmer Rajasthan
- Bhainsrorgarh Rajasthan
- Bhangarh & Ajabgarh Rajasthan
- Bharatpur (Keoladeo National Park) Rajasthan
- Bikaner Rajasthan
- Bundi Rajasthan
- Chittorgarh Rajasthan
- Deogarh (Devgarh) Rajasthan
- Deshnoke (Karni Mata Temple) Rajasthan
- Dungarpur Rajasthan
- Garadia Mahadev (Chambal Gorge) Rajasthan
- Hanumangarh (Bhatner & Kalibangan) Rajasthan
- Jaipur Rajasthan
- Jaisalmer Rajasthan
- Jaisamand (Dhebar Lake) Rajasthan
- Jawai Bandh (Bera) Rajasthan
- Jhalawar (Gagron & Jhalrapatan) Rajasthan
- Jodhpur Rajasthan
- Karauli Rajasthan
- Khejarla Rajasthan
- Khichan (Demoiselle Cranes) Rajasthan
- Kiradu Temples Rajasthan
- Kishangarh Rajasthan
- Kolayat Rajasthan
- Kuchaman (Kuchaman Fort) Rajasthan
- Kumbhalgarh Rajasthan
- Mandawa (Shekhawati) Rajasthan
- Menal (Falls & Temples) Rajasthan
- Merta City Rajasthan
- Mount Abu Rajasthan
- Nagaur Rajasthan
- Nawalgarh (Shekhawati) Rajasthan
- Neemrana Rajasthan
- Osian (Osiyan) Rajasthan
- Pushkar Rajasthan