This is the day trip travellers talk about longest afterwards. A 120-kilometre run northwest across open desert to the border belt, taking in a battlefield that entered military textbooks worldwide and a temple whose survival soldiers still call a miracle. Arranged by Shrinath Adventures with drivers who know the route and the rules.
Longewala War Memorial
On the night of 4–5 December 1971, a company of roughly 120 men of the 23rd Battalion, Punjab Regiment, under Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, faced a massive Pakistani armoured assault at this remote border post. Offered withdrawal, they stayed. Through the night they held their ground with a single recoilless rifle among their heavy weapons; at first light, IAF Hunter aircraft flying from Jaisalmer destroyed dozens of tanks trapped in soft sand.
Today you walk among captured tanks and artillery, through preserved bunkers and trenches, past a memorial pillar, and into a small museum where photographs and maps reconstruct the night hour by hour. Serving soldiers often visit, and conversations with them are frequently the most memorable part of the day. Major Chandpuri received the Maha Vir Chakra.
Tanot Mata Temple
Forty kilometres further sits a temple unlike any other in Rajasthan. During the 1965 war, artillery rained on this sector — by soldiers' accounts around 3,000 shells fell in the vicinity — yet the temple stood untouched, and many shells simply failed to explode. The pattern repeated in 1971. Defused shells sit in a glass case inside today.
The Border Security Force took over the temple's care after 1965; jawans serve as its priests and conduct the daily aartis. Visiting is devotional and patriotic in equal measure, with the immense silence of the borderland all around.
Practical Requirements — Read Before Booking
Carry valid original photo ID for every passenger. Indian nationals need no special permit for Longewala and Tanot; foreign nationals should confirm current rules with us in advance, as border-area regulations change.
The Babliyan border post beyond Tanot, where you can view the actual border fence, requires a separate permit arranged at the temple complex — availability varies day to day, so treat it as a bonus rather than a plan.
Photography restrictions apply near military installations and the border. Follow your driver's guidance exactly; drones are prohibited.
The Day's Shape
Leave Jaisalmer at 8:00 AM. The Jaisalmer War Museum on the Sam road makes an excellent 30-minute primer if time allows. Reach Longewala around 11:00, spend 90 minutes, continue to Tanot for early afternoon, and return by 6:00 PM. Fuel up before leaving the city and carry water and snacks — food options en route are limited and basic.
Who Should Do This
Anyone with an interest in military history, families wanting their children to understand something real, and travellers who've already seen the fort and the dunes and want the day nobody else on their tour bus did. It's also deeply popular with Indian travellers as a pilgrimage of sorts.
Combine It With
Most guests do this as the middle day of a four-day trip, with city sightseeing before and the desert camp night after. The full itinerary is packaged as our Longewala and Tanot border tour.
Highlights
Frequently asked questions
About 120 km each way; the full day runs 9–10 hours including time at both sites.