Wonbin Desert Camp, Jaisalmer
Safety, and what to expect out there
A camel, an open jeep and a night on open sand are safe enough that thousands of people do them every season, and not so safe that the risks are worth hiding. This page is the conversation we would rather have before you book than at the camp.
The heat, and the cold
From April to June the Thar runs past 45 °C in the afternoon. We will still take you and we will also tell you not to come. October to March is the season worth having.
What surprises people is the night. From November to February the temperature can drop close to freezing after midnight, and on open sand there is nothing between you and it. We hand out heavy quilts and keep the fire lit until morning. Bring a jacket. Guests underestimate this every single year.
The camel: who should not ride
A camel kneels for you, then stands back legs first, which pitches you forward hard enough that everyone grabs the saddle. Lean back and hold the front bar. Between getting on and getting off it is one of the gentlest things you can sit on.
Fine on a camel
- Children from about six, with an adult walking alongside
- Anyone reasonably mobile, at any age — it is sitting, not exercise
- Nervous riders, on the short sunset leg
- Larger passengers. These are working animals and it is not an issue
Take the jeep instead
- Pregnancy, at any stage
- A recent back, hip or knee injury
- Anyone who cannot hold on through the stand-up and sit-down
- A real fear of heights — you are about two metres up
Skipping the camel costs nothing and changes nothing else. We will drive you to the same place and you will arrive before the riders do.
The jeep, and dune bashing
Dune bashing is a driver taking a jeep at a dune face at an angle and dropping down the other side, several times, while everyone shouts. It lasts about ten minutes and it is good fun.
It is not the Gulf version. The dunes here are lower, the vehicles are older, and there is no roll cage and no harness. If you have a bad back, a recent injury, or you are pregnant, sit it out — the driver will stop and it costs nothing. It is optional on every trip we run.
If you get motion sickness in a car, take something an hour before, and eat before rather than after.
The quad bike and the buggy
These are paid extras, not part of any package, and they are the one activity we ask you to be conservative about. There are no helmets on some of the machines available in this area; ask for one and if there is not one, our advice is not to ride. We would rather lose the fee.
There is no washroom at Siala
On the open-desert camping trip there is no structure of any kind at the camping ground — no tent, no washroom, no tap. The desert is the washroom and the crew will show you which way to walk. That is the trade for having the place to yourselves, and if it is a problem the One Night, Two Days trip costs the same and has plumbing.
Distance from help
The camp is about 40 km from Jaisalmer, roughly 45 minutes by road, and there is a vehicle at the camp every night. Jaisalmer has a district hospital and private clinics. Mobile coverage out on the dunes is patchy to absent depending on your network.
If you take regular medication, bring it with you rather than leaving it at the hotel, and tell us at booking about anything we would need to know in a hurry — asthma, a severe allergy, a heart condition. It changes nothing about your trip and it changes everything about how fast we can act.
Children, and older parents
We host families most weeks. Tell us the ages when you book and we will put you in a tent with an attached washroom rather than out on the open sand, and slow the camel leg down. Under about six we would put you in the jeep for the camel section and nobody misses anything.
Food and water
The buffet is vegetarian, cooked fresh at the camp over open flame, and our kitchen is FSSAI registered. Drinking water is sealed bottled water and there is as much of it as you want. Tell us about allergies or dietary needs at booking and we will cook around them rather than around you.
What to bring
- A jacket, November to February. This is the one people regret.
- Long trousers and closed shoes for the camel. Shorts over forty minutes is a mistake you make once.
- Something for your head. We hand out turbans and they are not decoration.
- Sunglasses, and a strap for your phone — every season somebody drops one from two metres up.
- Any medication you take, and a torch if you like having your own.
What we take back out with us
Every vehicle carries rubbish bags and everything that goes into the desert comes back out of it, including what the kitchen generates. A guest told us in a public review that a guide of ours had left plastic bottles out there. They were right to say it and it should not have needed saying. If you ever see it on a trip of ours, tell the guide, and then tell us.
A question about your own booking
This page cannot answer one. A person can, the same day, in writing.
The other three
Wonbin Safari · Fort Road, Dhibba Para, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan 345001
GSTIN 08ESJPK0226D1Z1 ·
+91 86199 05664 ·
wonbinsafari@gmail.com
Last updated 3 September 2026.