Bikaner
An hour from Bikaner, the Gajner Palace sits on the edge of a lake deep inside the Thar Desert and was once the winter shooting retreat of the Bikaner royal family. Today it is a heritage hotel surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary where imperial sandgrouse, wild boar, chinkara, and blackbuck roam freely. Boat rides on the lake at sunset, surrounded by desert horizon, are quietly magnificent.
Even if not staying at the palace hotel, you can visit the lake and sanctuary on a day trip. The Imperial sandgrouse flocks that descend on the lake at dawn in winter are a birding highlight.