Mahindra Mojo Desert Trail: Riding Through The Sand Dunes

Open roads, long stretches, visibility of miles and a wild, roaring machine with you. Well, it sounds just like a dream but I was going to live it for a week. After having a magnificent experience during the Jungle Trail, I was thrilled to join the Mojo Tribe again for another expedition -- the Mahindra Mojo Desert Trail. So, let's start the journey...

Day-1: Jaipur to Nagaur - 294km

I was up early morning and evidently excited for the ride. The fact that I will be riding the Mahindra Mojo which is among the better bikes to ride on the highways made the ride more special for myself. And it was not just about the bike but the fact that we were going to cover the entire desert land of the country on this roaring beast, touching the international (India-Pakistan) border as well. Like the previous rides, Mahindra had organised everything that would be needed during the ride, such as medical help, roadside assistance van and refreshments. Moreover, there was a support vehicle carrying all our luggage so we can ride comfortably.

We started with the ride briefing, safety instructions and a short introduction of everyone, participating in the Desert trail. Leading the ride was Hemant Singh Bisht from team Mahindra and we were having some extremely talented riders with us like Sarath Shenoy who recently secured the fourth place in Alpine category of Raid De Himalaya. Flagging off from the Mahindra Two Wheeler dealership at Jaipur-Ajmer road, we had a good start on the expressway. The first stretch was of around 100km when we stopped for refreshments break and to interact with the fellow riders.

After another 100km, crossing Pushkar, we stopped for lunch that included Rajasthani flavours with "Gatta Masala" and "Sev Tamatar". As I was already having a good experience with the Mojo during the Jungle Trail, I was ensured that its soft cushioned seat, plush suspension set-up and spot-on riding position is going to keep me comfortable. Just after riding for around 94km more, we reached our first stay, which was in Nagaur. After taking a quick break at the hotel, I went out to explore the local market of the city. Everything was draped in a flavour of Rajasthan and there were lots of tempting sweet shops, and I gorged on "Kadhi Kachori" and "Gajar Ka Halwa".

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After a quick market visit, I returned the hotel to join everyone for the dinner as I wanted to know more about the fellow riders and their experience with the bike. Interestingly, there were 29 fellow riders with me, each with a different type of experiences.

Day-2: Nagaur to Jaisalmer - 716km

The itinerary read a distance of 716km but the open highways meant that the Mojo was in for a treat. So, we started just after a quick breakfast followed by refuelling. We did around 300km on the first day and the fuel remaining was a little below the half tank. That means the bike returned somewhere between 25-30kmpl, even after doing good speeds.

A couple of breaks including one for a quick lunch and we managed to cover over 300km within a good time to reach Jaisalmer War Museum. The patriotic feel was slowly reaching the heights as we were entering the gate of the museum. What made our visit special was to listen to the thrilling story of India-Pakistan war at Longewala Post from an officer who served our country. 

Before sunset, we left for our next destination, which was the popular abandoned village in the Jaisalmer district, Kuldhara. It is a ruined heritage site that gradually acquired a reputation as a haunted site. There we got to listen to the interesting story of the village while enjoying the sunset. So, it was all dark at the so-called haunted place but thanks to the bright illumination of the Mojo's dual headlamp, we managed to escape from that place.

Our destination was Rajputana Desert Camp where we were supposed to halt for two nights. Yes, we were going to stay in tents at a desert camp and everyone was excited. With some "Chai-Pakoda" we enjoyed lots of Rajasthani folk songs and dance forms, such as "Ghoomar" and "Kalbelia". By the end of the night, everyone was on the floor, dancing with the artists, it was really an amazing day.

Day-3: Jaisalmer to Jaisalmer via Tanot and Longewala - 1027km

Giving a break to our Mojos, we started day 3 with sunrise desert safari on camels and in jeeps. Tremendous experience it was and ended up with an interesting game which was to throw everyone in the sand dunes one-by-one. 

Our first stop for the day was the Jaisalmer Fort which is also known as the golden fort because of the colour of stone it is built of. It is not just an ordinary fort but one of the largest fully preserved fortified cities in the world, where you will find people living in old buildings or "havelis" along with a huge market. You can buy some cool cultural stuff and collectibles from there as well.

Our next destination was "Tanot Mata" temple. According to the literature, Tanot Mata is a clone of divine goddess Hinglaj Mata. One of the eighteen Shakti Peethas of the goddess Sati, Hinglaj Devi's temple is located in Balochistan, Pakistan. Excited to see this interesting place, we all were making a good pace and the roads were with us as well. Long straight stretches with visibility of miles and no diversions, it was the time to live our free ride dream.

But wait, there were tempting sand dunes around as well, which were calling all the off-roading enthusiasts. Yes, we did it! We took our bikes in the dunes and the punchy torque of the Mahindra Mojo was really very helpful while riding on the sand. Obviously, some of the bikes got stuck in the sand due to lack of experience with this kind of terrain but help was always at hand from fellow bikers.

Just in a couple of hours, we reached Tanot which is close to the border with Pakistan. It is very close to the battle site of Longewala of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 which was our next stop. Tourists cannot go beyond this temple to see the Indo–Pak Border without relevant documentation in advance from the District and Military Authorities that we were already having. 

The road became a little narrower but zero traffic, so we were continuing with almost similar pace. Reaching Longewala Post was a very special feeling as we already knew the story of the battle site. However, the proper documentation we got to see there in a theatre room. The post we stopped at is around 15km from the international border but we were not allowed to go beyond. So, we headed back to our hotel. 

Day-4: Jaisalmer to Sanchore - 1424km

Despite spending another evening at the desert camp, some of us were a little disappointed because of not touching the international border. However, Mahindra guys promised us during the breakfast that today we are definitely going to see the zero line. 

So, we directly hit Gadra Road post which is located at the international border with Pakistan. Our government registered identity cards were checked and we were also strictly instructed to not take any photographs at the border area. An officer there navigated us to show the borderline. He also told us that the original old Gadra City is located in Pakistan while here we only have Gadra road and a small town developed near it later.

It was time for lunch and we tasted some different Rajasthani flavours, this time it was "Bajra Ki Roti" that we had with Jaggery and some spicy food. By the sunset, we reached to our stay in Sanchore and elicited sand from our shoes. 

Day-5: Sanchore to Bhuj – 1,786km

It was the last day of the leg one and I wanted to enjoy every moment of it before bidding adieu. So, we hit the road again making a good pace on wide highways with thundering exhaust note of the Mojo's dual exhaust. The fascinating curves were tempting me and I couldn't resist myself in entering them without losing the three digit pace. This time I felt the importance of having performance tyres on your motorcycle. The Pirelli Diablo Rosso II were brilliantly adhering the road that I didn't lose my confidence even for a fraction of a second. 

Entering Gujarat, we found a good patch of sand, slightly wet though. Without any ado, we took our bikes off the road and I guess no need to mention for what. Had a great time riding near a lake but we asked to catch the road back as there were some activities planned for the evening. 

After doing some good miles, we reached our stay which was a village resort and my tripmeter was showing a total run of 1,786km. Freshened up, we all assembled at the activity area, where a bonfire and music was waiting for us with some snacks. It was my last evening with everyone on this ride and I wanted to interact with everyone. While most of us were sharing our experiences with each other, some were busy in dancing. It was really an amazing feeling, the true biking brotherhood in the moments we shared on this journey. This is why, we always say that a biking trip is not just about riding a motorcycle but it is a lot more.

Next morning I was ready to fly back from Bhuj, while the fellow riders were continuing the chapter with the leg-2 to Ahmedabad via Dhordo, Koteshvar and Mandvi. It was a 9-day journey, combining both the legs but sadly, I got to complete only the first one. However, I received lots of pictures of the second part from the fellow riders and I can say that they had a lot more fun for the next four days as well.

And, one more thing. HAPPY NEW YEAR!