Thar Desert
Herping Expedition
A five day reptile expedition into the Thar Desert around Jaisalmer. Night drives, spotlight surveys and expert led field sessions in search of India's most fascinating desert reptiles.
04/05
Nights / Days
01
National Park
05 Days
of Desert Herping
06
Fixed Departures
+Customizable
Tour Dates
Thar Desert Herping Expedition
Six fixed departures run through the desert's cooler months, when reptile activity is easiest to track after dark - or we design a private itinerary around your calendar.
21 Nov - 25 Nov 2026
Early Winter
04 Dec - 08 Dec 2026
Pre - Chrismas
23 Dec - 27 Dec 2026
Chrismas Special
01 Jan - 05 Jan 2027
New Yaer Departure
15 Jan - 19 Jan 2027
Late Winter
25 Jan - 29 Jan 2027
Season Finale
Prefer your own dates?
We'll build a private departure around your schedule, group size, and reserves of choice.
Tour Overview
The Thar Desert rarely gets credit as a wildlife destination. Most visitors come for the forts and dunes, but a quieter world wakes up here after dark. Fast moving agamids, monitor lizards, secretive geckos, and desert snakes live across these sands, most of them rarely seen and even more rarely photographed.
This five day herping expedition takes you into the dunes, scrubland, and arid grasslands around Jaisalmer in search of these desert specialists. Days follow the rhythm of the desert itself, early basking hours, a quiet midday rest, then long nights out with spotlights and patience, led by an expert expedition leader throughout.
- Dedicated night herping excursions across dunes, scrublands and arid grasslands
- Search for monitor lizards, agamids, desert geckos, skinks and nocturnal snakes
- Expert led spotlight surveys and night drives through remote desert terrain
- Photography opportunities with some of India's rarest reptile species
- Small group expedition with daily species reviews and field discussions
- A rare chance to explore the Thar Desert beyond its famous forts and sand dunes
One desert, after dark
No jeep tracks here either - a single stretch of dune and scrubland worked mostly at night, with spotlights doing what headlights can't.
01
Thar Desert
Rajasthan
Dunes, scrubland, and arid grassland around Jaisalmer - a landscape known for forts above ground and a remarkable range of reptiles below the sand after dark, tracked by spotlight rather than jeep headlamp.
4 Nights of Herping Excursions · 1 Desert
The route, stop by stop.
A single base near Jaisalmer, with each day built around a different stretch of dune, scrubland, or remote desert habitat.
01
Jaisalmer
Days 1
02
Thar Desert
Days 1 - 5
Jaisalmer
Days 01
Day 1
Arrival in Jaisalmer and Introduction to Desert Herping
Thar Desert
Days 02 - 05
Day 2
Explore Dune Ecosystems and Night Herping
Day 3
Explore Remote Desert Habitats Around Jaisalmer
Day 4
Advanced Herping and Desert Wildlife Observation
Day 5
Final Herping Session and Departure from Jaisalmer
Itinerary Map
Inclusions and Exclusions
Included
- Accommodation in desert camp or lodge for 4 nights with all meals
- Expert expedition leader throughout the tour
- All night herping excursions, spotlight surveys and night drives
- Morning and afternoon field sessions each day
- Species identification guidance and field documentation support
- Bottled water during all field sessions and transfers
- Camera fee wherever applicable
- Assistance on arrival and departure
Not Included
- Personal expenses like laundry, phone calls, liquor, à la carte food, etc.
- International or domestic airfares and rail tickets.
- Travel insurance.
- Tips and Gratuities.
- Anything that is not mentioned in the inclusion section.
Booking & Terms.
Booking Procedure
To confirm your seat, a 50% advance amount along with a recognized Government Identity card (Aadhar, Pancard, Driver’s License, OCI, Passport, Voter’s ID, school/College ID) is to be sent to us.
For non Indian nationals, only Passport is allowed.
Id’s should be scanned and emailed at sa****@**********ia.com
Cancellation Policy
| Notice Given | Refund |
|---|---|
| 120 days or more before departure | Full refund |
| 60 days or more before departure | 80% refunded |
| 30–59 days before departure | 60% refunded |
| 21–30 days before departure | 40% refunded |
| 11–20 days before departure | 20% refunded |
| 10 days or less, or no-show | No refund |
Extend Your Wildlife Journey
Extend by 4 days
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Extend by 3 days
Bera Leopard Extension
Extend by 4 days
Ranthambore Safari Extension
Guest Testimonials
We thank all of our guests for trusting Big Cats India and for trusting us with planning their wildlife holiday with us. Read all our guest's reviews
Mr. Maxim Vetsuypens
Netherlands
We were a bit late with planning the safari trip and many good spots were fully booked, but Krunal was very helpful and creative in planning a trip that met our needs. The resorts where very comfortable and the food was tasty. Krunal was very responsive to our messages Read More
Marisa Romeo
Switzerland
magnificent safari tour/wonderful tour & safari I discovered Big Cats India via the internet, looking through various operators and having asked for some offers to go to national parks and possibly see and photograph tigers (mission accomplished, but it is never obvious to be Read More
Lewis Johnson
Australia
Had such an amazing tiger safari tour with Big cats at Pench tiger safari. Had 6 tiger sightings, 1 leopard sighting and 100s more wildlife over our 4 day tour. Big cats couldn’t have been more helpful with the whole booking and right the way through they were always asking how it Read More
Guest Gallery
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Thar Desert Herping Expedition?
4 nights / 5 days, based near Jaisalmer in the Thar Desert.
What is herping?
The practice of searching for reptiles and amphibians in the wild - here focused on desert geckos, monitor lizards, agamids, skinks, and nocturnal snakes.
Why are the excursions mostly at night?
Many desert reptiles are nocturnal or most active after dark, so spotlight surveys and night drives give the best chance of finding species that stay hidden during the day.
Is this trip suitable for casual travellers, or only specialists?
It's designed as a niche, focused expedition for reptile enthusiasts, wildlife photographers, and naturalists, led throughout by an expert expedition leader with daily species reviews.
What might I see besides reptiles?
Bird and mammal watching is available alongside the reptile-focused sessions, though the itinerary is built primarily around herping.