Im interested in going to India in late Oct and assuming tours will be available due to the changes in UK foreign office advice. Ive got some questions on Jaisalmer as the gov are advising against certain parts of Rajasthan.
Is Jaisalmer VERY heavily militarised at the mo?
Are camel trips to the Sam Dunes/Thar Desert gonna be avail or are they cancelled/limited at the mo as its so near to the Pakistani border?
Are any other parts of Rajasthan heavily militarised?
Re: Indian tours in Oct-Jaisalmer
Hi Sian
Thanks for your post.
At the moment, as you're probably aware, Foreign Office advice towards travel to India has been recently relaxed. However, travel to areas near the Indo-Pakistani border are still being advised against.
We have been in touch with the embassy in Delhi, who have advised that advice regarding travel to Jaisalmer is likely to change by the end of September. If this happens, then we will visit Jaisalmer as usual on the relevant tours. Hopefully, we would also be able to operate the camel trips into the desert.
If, however, travel to such areas continues to be considered out of bounds, then we will have to amend our tours accordingly and replace a visit to Jaisalmer with something else, although this would obviously depend on the situation at the time.
Jaisalmer has a military presence all year round as it is close to several army bases, and is quite near to the border. If you visit Rajasthan, you will find that the state has a number of military bases.
If you are interested in our policy regarding India at the moment, then check out the 'Travel Update - India' post on the 'Information' section of the travel forums.
I hope this information helps.
Jim O'Brien
The Imaginative Traveller Online