Osian (65 km north) is the closest thing the Thar Desert has to a Khajuraho — a cluster of beautifully carved Jain and Hindu temples rising from the desert sand, built between the 8th and 12th centuries. The largest, the Sachiya Mata temple, is still actively worshipped. The temples are rarely crowded and the surrounding desert landscape is dramatic. An early morning auto-rickshaw or taxi will get you there and back in half a day.
Bishnoi Villages (25 km south) are home to one of the most remarkable conservation stories in India. The Bishnoi community has protected wildlife and trees as a religious duty for more than five hundred years — their founder Guru Jambheshwar forbade the cutting of trees or the killing of animals in the 15th century, and the tradition has held. The result is that the villages are surrounded by peacocks, blue bulls (nilgai), and black buck, all completely unafraid of people. Several operators run half-day village trips from Jodhpur; most include a stop at a potter and a textile printer. Bring water and go early before the heat arrives.
Khejarla Fort (85 km northeast) is a 17th-century Rajput fort converted to a heritage hotel, set among flat scrub desert with no other development in sight. The drive alone is worth the trip for the landscape — the Thar opens up in this direction, the land becomes flatter and drier, and the occasional baobab tree (carried here from Africa centuries ago, local lore says, by the wind) appears by the roadside. The fort's owners maintain it attentively and welcome day visitors; the garden restaurant serves lunch.