Pushkar Camel Fair and Udaipur

Once a year, timed so you reach Pushkar three or four days before Kartik Purnima, usually in late October or November. We set dates as soon as the official fair calendar is announced. The trip runs nine days, from Jaipur on day 1 to Udaipur on day 9, with the three camp nights placed at the peak of the trading. Fair dates move with the lunar calendar; check current status before you travel.

Temporary luxury tented camps set up near the fair ground, with proper beds, attached bathrooms and meals. They are comfortable but simpler than a permanent hotel. They sell out early. Meals at the camp are full board, and Pushkar is a holy town where meat and alcohol are not served within its limits. Nights are cool in November, so we suggest a warm layer for the evenings.

It is one of the best photography events in India. Early mornings on the camel grounds give soft light and activity. A photographer-guide helps you find subjects and approach people respectfully. On day 4 we have you on the trading grounds at 6.30 am, as herders feed and groom their camels, and on day 5 you can watch sunrise over the fair from the Savitri temple. Evening aarti on the ghats adds another subject.

Yes, if rooms are available. The Westin is a comfortable resort on the edge of town. It sells out early for fair week. You give up waking beside the fair ground, but gain a permanent hotel, and your driver takes you to the camel grounds for the 6.30 am start with your photographer-guide. We hold rooms as soon as fair dates are announced; check current status before you travel.

Very crowded in the final days around the full moon. The early days are calmer and better for livestock. With early starts and a guide, you see the fair well without fighting crowds. That is why we arrive three or four days before Kartik Purnima and leave for Deogarh on day 6, as the pilgrimage crowds build for the full-moon bath. Avoid the full-moon day itself unless you want those crowds.

Yes, though in smaller numbers than in past decades, and mostly in the first days. Livestock restrictions have affected some years. We plan to be there for the trading. Herders arrive with camels, horses and cattle in the days before Kartik Purnima, and the grounds are busiest at first light, when bargaining begins. Livestock health rules can change at short notice; check current status before you travel.

Yes. Add Jodhpur and Jaisalmer after Pushkar for a desert extension, or Ranthambore before Jaipur. November is an excellent month for all of them. Ranthambore's main zones reopen in October, and desert nights in November are cool and clear. Extra nights in Udaipur at the end are another option. We book extensions early, as Jaipur hotels and fair camps sell out months ahead for fair week.

Light, modest clothing covering shoulders and knees, comfortable closed shoes for the sand, a hat and a scarf for dust. Evenings are cool, so bring a warm layer. Pushkar is a holy town, and you remove your shoes at the Brahma and Savitri temples and on the ghats, so shoes that slip off easily help. For the 6.30 am start on the camel grounds, a fleece is useful until the sun is up.

Yes, per person, twin sharing, from the figure shown. Fair-week rates are higher than normal. Single travellers pay a supplement. We confirm a firm quote once fair dates are announced. The final figure depends on the camp tent category and the rooms you choose at Rambagh Palace and the Taj Lake Palace. When the fair falls close to Diwali, Jaipur and Udaipur rates rise further.