Sam Sand Dunes Closed After Sunset: 2026 Rules for Tourists

The Sam Sand Dunes near Jaisalmer are now closed to tourists after sunset. In a letter reported on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, the Rajasthan Forest Department’s Regional Forest Officer (Tourism and Wildlife), Jaisalmer, Ajgar Ali, told the Jaisalmer Hotel Association that camel safaris, sightseeing and other tourist activities in the designated dune areas of Sam and Kanoi must stop at sunset. Laser lights at night-time cultural programmes in hotels and camps in those areas are banned too, and so is dumping waste in the protected area. Both areas fall inside or next to the Desert National Park, and the department has warned it will act against anyone who breaks the rules.

For anyone booking a Jaisalmer desert camp this winter, the short version is this: the sunset camel ride still happens, but it now has to finish when the sun goes down. Night walks, night camel rides and jeep runs out onto the dunes after dark are off. What follows is what changed, what has not, and how to plan your trip around it.

What exactly the forest department has ordered

The Times of India and Dainik Bhaskar both reported the letter on 13 October 2026. Here is what it says, based on those two reports:

• No tourists on the dunes after sunset. Tourists may not enter the designated dune areas of Sam and Kanoi after sunset.
• No camel safaris or sightseeing after sunset. This covers camel safaris, sightseeing and “other tourism activities” in those dune areas after dark.
• No laser lights at night. Hotels and camps in Sam and Kanoi may not use laser lights during night-time cultural programmes, because the lights disturb wild animals and their habitat.
• No waste dumping. The department says some hotels in Sam and Kanoi had been dumping waste inside the sanctuary area, and that tourists had been leaving plastic bags and glass bottles on the dunes. It calls dumping in the protected area a breach of National Green Tribunal (NGT) directions. Hotels have been told to dispose of waste properly, stop guests littering and brief their staff and guests on keeping the desert clean.
• Enforcement. Hotels, camel safari operators and other tourism businesses have been told to make sure the rules are followed, and the department has warned of action against violators.

Neither report gives a separate start date or end date, so treat the rules as in force now and for the whole 2026–27 winter season.

Why it matters right now

The timing matters because Jaisalmer’s desert season is just starting. Google search data shows interest in “jaisalmer desert camp” jumping from about 18,000 searches in September 2025 to 40,500 in October 2025, and staying above 33,000 a month through December. Searches for “sam sand dunes” peak in December. Most of the people booking a camp this month will be travelling between late October and January, so they will be the first to plan around the new rules.

For years the standard Sam evening has run like this: a camel or jeep ride onto the dunes in the late afternoon, sunset from the top of a dune, then often a stroll or ride back in the dark, followed by a folk music and dance show with dinner at the camp. The first part still works. The after-dark time on the open dunes no longer does.

What this means for your trip

The sunset camel ride: still on, but start earlier

Nothing in the order stops you from going out onto the dunes in the afternoon and watching the sunset. What changes is that the activity has to end at sunset, not an hour after it. In practice, camel operators will want to set off earlier and bring guests back as the light goes. Plan to be at your camp, or at the dune entry point, by mid-afternoon.

For a rough idea, these are calculated sunset times for the Sam area (all times IST, rounded to the minute):

Sunset times are calculated for the Sam dunes area, not an official schedule. Your camp or camel operator will tell you the actual cut-off they are working to on the day.

Your desert camp stay: not banned

The order is about tourist activity on the designated dunes after sunset. It does not shut desert camps or forbid overnight stays. The laser-light rule is about how night-time cultural programmes at hotels and camps are run, which tells you the programmes themselves carry on. Expect your evening folk music, Kalbeliya dance and dinner to go ahead as usual, inside the camp, but with ordinary lighting instead of laser effects.

What is off the table after dark

• Night camel rides or “moonlight safaris” out onto the Sam and Kanoi dunes.
• Jeep or vehicle runs out onto the dunes after sunset.
• Walking out onto the open dunes for stargazing or photos once the sun has set. Camps may still offer stargazing within their own grounds.
• Laser shows at camp parties and cultural evenings.

If a seller is still promising a “night dune safari” at Sam this season, ask them where exactly it runs and how it fits with the forest department’s order. Doing it anyway puts you, the operator and the camp at risk of enforcement action.

Sunrise rides

Neither report says anything about early-morning access. Some camps offer a sunrise walk or camel ride. Check with your camp what it is allowed to run before you plan around one.

Christmas and New Year at Sam

Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s Eve are among the busiest nights at Sam’s camps. If you have booked a New Year’s Eve camp package, ask the camp now how the evening will run. The dinner, music and dance programme can still take place at the camp, but a laser show cannot, and guests will not be taken back out onto the dunes after dark.

Do your bit on the dunes

Much of the order is about litter. Take back every bottle and wrapper you carry onto the dunes. The Desert National Park is home to wildlife, including the endangered Great Indian Bustard, and the department says waste from hotels and visitors has been reaching the protected area.

How a well-planned Jaisalmer itinerary handles this

For most travellers, the new rules only change the timing of one afternoon. A practical way to plan your days in Jaisalmer this winter looks like this:

• Morning: Jaisalmer Fort, the havelis (Patwon ki Haveli, Nathmal ki Haveli) and Gadisar Lake while it is still cool.
• Early afternoon: drive out on the Sam road and check in to your camp, with time to settle in before the ride.
• Late afternoon: camel or jeep ride onto the dunes, sunset from the dunes, then back to camp as the light goes.
• Evening: folk performance and dinner at the camp, and stargazing from the camp grounds on a clear night.

Our Padharo Rajasthan tour includes Jaisalmer, and we time the desert evening on every booking around the new sunset rule. If you want a longer circuit with Udaipur, Jodhpur and Pushkar, start from our Rajasthan tour packages. Travellers combining the desert with Pushkar Mela 2026 (10–26 November) should allow an extra day, because camp availability around the fair dates tightens quickly.

For travel agents and tour operators

If you sell Jaisalmer, check this week’s confirmations and itineraries for anything that runs on the dunes after sunset: “moonlight safari”, “night dune bashing”, late camel rides, laser-show New Year packages. Reword them before the client arrives, so the change does not land as a disappointment on the day. Our Rajasthan DMC guide for travel agents covers how we handle desert-camp contracting and ground operations for B2B partners this season.

Frequently asked questions

Are the Sam Sand Dunes closed?

No, not during the day. As of 13 October 2026, the forest department has closed the designated dune areas at Sam and Kanoi to tourists after sunset. You can still visit in the afternoon and watch the sunset from the dunes.

Is the camel safari at Sam banned?

Only after sunset. Daytime and sunset camel rides can still run, but they must finish by sunset. Camel safaris on the designated dunes after dark are banned.

Can I still stay overnight in a desert camp in Jaisalmer?

Yes. The order covers activity on the designated dunes after sunset, laser lights and waste dumping. It does not close camps or ban overnight stays.

Will there be a cultural programme at the camp?

Yes, but without laser lights. The order only bans laser lights at night-time cultural programmes. It does not ban the programmes.

Does the rule also apply to Khuri?

The reports name Sam and Kanoi only. They say nothing about the Khuri dunes, which lie on a different road south-west of Jaisalmer. Check with your camp or the forest department before planning any after-dark dune activity anywhere near the Desert National Park.

How long will the restriction last?

No end date has been reported. Treat it as in force for the whole 2026–27 season unless the forest department says otherwise.

What is the best time to visit Sam now?

Arrive at your camp by mid-afternoon, head out onto the dunes about 90 minutes before sunset and be back at camp by dark. From November to mid-December, that means starting your ride at around 4:15 pm.

Plan your Jaisalmer desert trip

Suzu Travels plans private Rajasthan itineraries, and we build the Jaisalmer desert evening around the new sunset rule from day one. Call or WhatsApp us on 7087488961 for a quote.

Sources

• The Times of India — “Jaisalmer’s Sam dunes shut to tourists after sunset, night camel safaris banned” (13 October 2026)
• Dainik Bhaskar — “सम-कनोई में सूर्यास्त के बाद ऊंट सफारी बंद” (13 October 2026)

Last updated: 14 October 2026. Sunset times are calculated for the Sam dunes area and rounded. Search figures are Google Ads Keyword Planner estimates for India.