Daniel Villafruela · Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary-EW-20131009.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gajner_Wildlife_Sanctuary-EW-20131009.jpg
Gajner
A former royal shooting retreat on the edge of the Thar, about 32 km west of Bikaner, where a lake, a wooded sanctuary and a royal palace make a restful overnight stop.
A royal retreat built around a lake
Gajner is a place to pause rather than a place to tour. The settlement grew from a lake and garden that a Bikaner maharaja, Gaj Singh, had made for his wife, and the lake, Gaj Sagar, is still the reason the place exists. Later, Maharaja Ganga Singh deepened it after the famine of 1899, then had the present palace designed by the architect Samuel Swinton Jacob, built around 1910 to 1913. It served as a private shooting estate for the Bikaner rulers and their guests. Today the old estate is a wildlife sanctuary, and the palace is run as a heritage hotel. For a traveller moving through the Thar, that means a very different evening from the walled-city stops on either side: water, trees, a chance of antelope on open ground, and lake birds in the cooler months, with Bikaner's fort and markets a road transfer away. It suits people who want an unhurried pause in the middle of a desert route.
Explore Gajner on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What you can do at Gajner
The day here is built around the lake and the sanctuary, with Bikaner a road transfer away for city sights.
Lake and gardens
- A slow walk along the Gaj Sagar shoreline in the cooler hours of the day
- Watching migratory water birds gather on the lake in the winter months
- Time in the palace gardens and courtyards, which are as much the point of the stay as any outing
In the sanctuary
- Outings into the scrub forest of the sanctuary notified in the 1980s may be possible, with current arrangements confirmed before booking
- Looking for blackbuck, chinkara and nilgai on open ground, with desert fox and wild boar also reported
- Sunset at the lake edge, when animals come down to drink in the dry season, though sightings are never assured
A half day in Bikaner
- Junagarh Fort, an old fort on flat ground in the city, begun around the end of the sixteenth century
- The National Research Centre on Camels on the outskirts, with visiting arrangements to be confirmed
- A temple to Karni Mata at Deshnoke, where rats are treated as sacred, roughly 30 km south of Bikaner
How long to stay
Arrive at the lake
Drive in from the Bikaner side after a morning of sightseeing, or arrive directly from the road, and spend the late afternoon walking the gardens and the lake shore before the light fades.
Sanctuary morning
If arrangements allow, take an early outing into the sanctuary to look for antelope and birds, then return for a relaxed breakfast. On a one-night stay, move on to the next stop on your route in the late morning; on a two-night stay, spend the afternoon in Bikaner.
Onward to your next stop
After a quiet last morning by the lake, leave for your next stop. If you spent the previous afternoon in Bikaner, the fort and the camel research centre will already be behind you, so the road can be taken at an unhurried pace. Confirm the road time to your next stop in advance.
Getting to Gajner
Gajner is reached by road from Bikaner, and most travellers arrive as part of a longer journey through western Rajasthan.
From Bikaner
- A short road transfer of about 32 km to the west
- Bikaner has a rail junction on the North Western Railway, well linked to Delhi and Jaipur
- Bikaner has an airport roughly 15 km west of the city; flight options change, so check them before planning around it
On longer routes
- Bikaner is roughly 330 km northwest of Jaipur, so a halt at Gajner usually follows a full road day
- Onward routes to Jaisalmer start from Bikaner, so confirm the road time with us before planning the next leg
- Roads are generally straightforward, but desert weather and traffic can lengthen a journey
Around the property
- The compound and lake edge are explored on foot
- Sanctuary outings may be possible, and we confirm the current arrangements before booking
- Guide and entry fees for the sanctuary are extra to the tour
Good to know before you come
Three points that shape what a night at Gajner will feel like.
The estate was one of the private game reserves of the Bikaner maharajas and hosted guests who came for hunting in the early twentieth century. Hunting there has long ended, and the land is now a protected sanctuary, so the history is background rather than an activity. It helps to see the place as a protected landscape that was once a royal pleasure ground.
Antelope such as blackbuck and chinkara, along with nilgai, are reported in the sanctuary, and the lake draws water birds in the cooler months. How much you see depends on rain, the water level and the season, and animals are wild. We describe what is possible, but we cannot promise particular species or numbers on any day.
The palace is privately run as a hotel, so access to the palace interiors and grounds is arranged by the hotel and is best confirmed in advance, and the sanctuary has its own rules. Facilities and arrangements can change from season to season. If a particular activity matters to you, we recommend confirming it before travel rather than relying on a general description.
Staying at the lake
Gajner is small, so the choice is simple: a heritage palace by the lake, or a town hotel in Bikaner. These notes explain what that means in practice.
The palace stay
- A royal palace beside the lake, built as a hunting retreat and now run as a heritage hotel
- Room types and facilities are set by the hotel and can change, so confirm details before booking
- Courtyards, verandas and a lakeside setting where much of the evening is spent outdoors
What suits this stop
- An overnight halt that breaks a long drive across the Thar into manageable pieces
- A rest day for travellers who have done several forts and want quiet rather than sightseeing
- A base for birdwatchers and photographers who prefer first light at the water
If you want the city instead
- Bikaner has town hotels near the fort and markets, about 32 km east
- A city base shortens the sightseeing day but loses the lakeside evening
- Many itineraries combine a Bikaner afternoon with the night at Gajner
Practical notes
Simple preparations for a desert-edge stay.
Climate and clothing
- Summers are very hot and winter nights can fall close to freezing, so layers matter in the cool season
- A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen for the open lake and sanctuary
- Closed shoes for walking on dry, scrubby ground
Costs and arrangements
- Sanctuary entry and vehicle charges are paid separately and are not part of the tour price
- Guide or naturalist fees are also extra
- Meals and activities depend on the property, so ask about options in advance
Respecting the place
- Keep distance from animals and avoid noise near the water
- Do not leave litter in the sanctuary or by the lake
- Photograph the palace grounds in line with the property's own guidance
Close to Gajner
Bikaner and its sights are a road transfer away; allow a relaxed margin.
Related to Gajner
Journeys that include Gajner — each one visits the city as part of its itinerary.
Frequently asked
Plan your journey
Our travel designers turn knowledge and inspiration into a journey crafted entirely around you.
Plan My Journey →