Hotels in Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer offers three general choices: Stay inside the fort, stay in the town that sprawls at its base, or head out into the desert and stay at one of the "resorts" or tented camps a few minutes' drive from the town itself, built where there is space for such luxuries as swimming pools and gardens. The best of the latter are Rang Mahal (closest to town), Jaisalmer Gateway Hotel, and Fort Rajwada. Choices in the town are a mixed bag, but if you're looking for historic ambience, good food and great atmosphere, nothing beats Nachana Haveli. As for staying inside the fort, there is now such a strong argument against it that we cannot in good faith recommend it. The increase in water usage (mostly due to tourist traffic), which relies on medieval drainage systems, has started to literally pulp the ancient sandstone fort, and clearly the best way to preserve it is to avoid staying in the fort itself (please see box below). And our top overall pick? The new Serai, located deep in the desert, where you can feel the sand between your toes. (An excellent value desert alternative is Moolraj Sagr which has 18 water-cooled tented suites, set in lush gardens with its own baoli; tel. 03014/207070; www.jodhanaheritage.com; Rs 12,500 double, plus 10% taxes, including all meals.)

Sand Castle in Peril

The oldest living fort in history is literally crumbling and as a result has been listed on the World Monument Fund's Most Endangered Sites. The ancient bantonite sandstone structure is exhibiting very real signs of an imminent collapse -- with its external walls saturated with dark wet stains, seepage from lack of drainage systems and a direct result of tourism activity inside the fort itself (excessive water and sewerage use); one can already see areas which have crumbled and are undergoing repair work. In 1998 six people died when an exterior wall collapsed, which was followed by a number of its bastions in 2000 and 2001. Once merely a small village consisting of a handful of tiny dwellings and home to only the fort inhabitants, lack of regulation and legislation, and demand, has seen unchecked development with close to 40 hotels crammed into the tiny historic space. And it's not only the structure that is being destroyed: the ambience and history is now covered with rank commercialism -- rows of fabric and textiles cover the beautiful sandstone walls, Thai fishermen's pants and signs for Tibetan restaurants fill the winding, cobbled alleyways, discarded plastic bottles and litter accumulate in every corner, while you are constantly requested to "just look." The pols are lined with reclining touts and the families who live in the fort, most who do not have associated business interests with it, are becoming increasingly irate with the situation. In fact more and more of the young families have decided to make their homes outside the fort due to cultural pressures, lack of space, and the inability to continue their lives undiluted by tourism. This is not the Jaisalmer to which people have traveled from all over the world, and then across the Thar Desert to find; nor is it the one that will provide its inhabitants with a sustainable income or historical legacy. Its beautiful honeycombed fort, the nectar of this desert flower city, is in danger of being ruined on every level (structural, experiential, and cultural) and it is for this reason that we have not included any accommodation or restaurant reviews inside the fort, choosing rather to focus on the ample range of lodgings and dining outside this ancient endangered sandcastle.

An international campaign, Jaisalmer in Jeopardy (JiJ), has been established to facilitate repair and maintenance work for the fort. It has upgraded homes, implemented drainage and sewage infrastructure among other fortifying work. For the past 10 years, and at the time of writing, the authorities have made regular assessments and have concluded that the best solution in the interests of preservation would be to shut down the hotels and restrict tourism activities. Of course when people's livelihoods are affected it is a political football and a sensitive and emotional subject.

If you'd like to contribute in any way contact JiJ (tel. 020/352-4336; www.jaisalmer-in-jeopardy.org).