Sixth edition of Desert Dash announced

Cougar Motorsport has announced the sixth edition of The Desert Dash – a luxury self-drive expedition from Jaipur to Jodhpur, exploring some back country roads and terrain in Rajasthan.

Designed as a self-drive expedition for business owners and corporate executives owning SUVs and premium cars, The Desert Dash 2015 is India’s most luxurious road trip through the magnificent terrain of Rajasthan and across royal palaces.

Participants in the five night long event will cover a total distance of around 1200km from Jaipur to Jodhpur, and will also get to drive through off-beat tracks in the desert. The destinations will include Jaipur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Khimsar and Jodhpur. Overnight stays will be organised at some of the finest heritage hotels in the region including the Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur, Khimsar Fort, Suryagarh Jaisalmer, Laxmi Niwas Palace Bikaner and the Taj Jai Mahal Palace Jaipur.

The route map: The event will kick off on December 1 with cocktails and dinner at the Taj Jai Mahal Palace in Jaipur. Next morning, the convoy will move towards Bikaner through some scenic routes that will include a drive across the Sambhar salt lake where there are no landmarks for navigation!

That night, the participants will get to stay at the magnificent Laxmi Niwas Palace in Bikaner where they will be served sumptuous Rajasthani delicacies for dinner along with cocktails and traditional entertainment.

On December 3, participants will drive across desert tracks towards the border. This is one of India’s most beautiful drives with huge sand dunes and a flowing water canal on either side of the road. Special entertainment will be in store that evening at Suryagarh in Jaisalmer with a live performance by Queen Harish, the dancing whirling Queen of the desert of India.

The convoy will move onwards to Khimsar via Pokharan and the bird sanctuary at Khichan after an early morning dune bashing session. After watching the sunset over high tea at the Khimsar Dunes Village, participants will check in to the Welcomheritage Khimsar Fort that also houses the Raja of Khimsar’s impressive collection of vintage cars.

The last day of the drive will take the participants to Jodhpur where they can explore the Mehrangarh Fort and try the Flying Fox before settling in at the Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace for the final evening of cocktails and dinner.

​Who can participate: Any person holding a valid driving license recognised in India may register to participate in The Desert Dash 2015. Any four wheeled vehicle, with either 2WD or 4WD can be driven.

​Charges: Participation slots are limited; the charges for participation for Indian Nationals are INR 100,000 per head, inclusive of Service Tax. The single room supplement payable in case a participant does not want accommodation on a twin sharing basis will be Rs 25,000.