Pushkar's four seasons
Weekends: families from Jaipur, Ajmer and the towns of central Rajasthan come, and the ghats are busier on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
School holidays: Indian holidays around Diwali, in late December and in early summer fill the hotels with families.
- Cool season
- October to March, our choice
- Hot season
- April to June, often above 40°C
- Monsoon
- July to September, the lake refills
- Kartik
- The fair, usually October or November
- Quietest good months
- December, February, early March
- Foreign travellers: they cluster in November, December and February.
- If you can choose: come midweek, avoid the full moon, and arrive in the afternoon so your first sight of the lake is at dusk.
- Water shapes the year: after a strong monsoon the lake brims all winter and the town looks its best. After a weak one, the water stands lower on the ghats by spring.
- We tell you first: we always let guests know how the lake looks before they come.
The cool season, October to March
Our recommendation: the season for almost everyone.
October and November: warm and clear after the monsoon.
- December and January: cold nights and misty dawns over the lake.
- February and March: they warm up gently into spring.
- The pleasure of it: soft light, blue sky, and early mornings on the ghats and up Savitri hill.
- The catch: it is also the busiest season, especially around the fair, Christmas and New Year.
The hot season, April to June
The heat: it builds quickly from April, and in May and June temperatures often pass 40°C.
- Desert winds: hot winds blow, the lake can shrink and most travellers stay away.
- Still beautiful: pilgrims still come, and dawns and late evenings are lovely, but the middle of the day belongs indoors.
- If you come: choose a resort with a good pool, and sightsee only in the first and last two hours of light.
The monsoon, July to September
Arrival: the rains usually come in late June or early July and fall mostly in July and August.
- Irregular: a few heavy storms rather than weeks of rain.
- The reward: the hills turn green, the air clears, and after a good monsoon the lake fills to its upper steps.
- The trade-off: humid, with some grey days, but a beautiful and peaceful time to see the town.
The month of Kartik
A season of its own: not weather, but in Pushkar it might as well be.
- When: this Hindu lunar month usually spans parts of October and November.
- What happens: the great fair and the holiest bathing days.
- Everything changes: the crowds, the prices, the noise and the energy. Read the fair section below before you decide to aim for it or avoid it.
Why the moon matters more than the month
A lunar calendar: Hindu festivals follow the moon, so their Western dates shift every year, often by two or three weeks.
Two halves: each lunar month has a bright, waxing half ending in the full moon, purnima, and a dark half ending in the new moon, amavasya.
Bathing days: both are special in Pushkar, when pilgrims come to bathe and the temples hold extra rites.
- Full moon
- Purnima, end of the bright half
- New moon
- Amavasya, end of the dark half
- Ekadashi
- The eleventh day of each half
- Holiest day
- Kartik Purnima
- Dates shift
- Often two or three weeks a year
- Ekadashi: the eleventh day of each half is also sacred to many.
- Quiet months fill up: even in a quiet month, a full moon can bring busloads of families.
- Kartik Purnima: the full moon of Kartik is the holiest day of the year and the climax of the fair.
- Choosing: for calm, plan around the full moons. To see the town at its most devout, plan for one, with a guide and an early start.
- We check for you: exact lunar dates change each year, so we never rely on last year's and tell you exactly what to expect.
- The wider calendar: our guide to the best time to visit Rajasthan explains the state's festivals.
Pushkar month by month
January, cold dawns and a sacred dip
Weather: the coldest month, with clear, sunny days in the low twenties and cold nights that can drop to single figures. Dawns on the ghats are misty and magical.
- Festivals: on Makar Sankranti, 14 January, pilgrims bathe in the lake to mark the sun's turn north, and kites fly over the rooftops.
- Crowds: moderate, busy around New Year.
- Good for: sunrise on Savitri hill, wrapped in a shawl, and long lunches in the sun.
February, the gentlest month
Weather: warm days, cool nights and very little rain.
Festivals: Basant Panchami, the festival of spring and of Saraswati, often falls in late January or February.
- Festivals: Mahashivratri, Shiva's great night, falls in February or March, when the cave shrine beside the Brahma temple fills with devotees.
- Crowds: light to moderate.
- Good for: everything.
- Our pick: if we had to choose one month for a calm first visit, this would be it.
March, Holi and the turn of the season
Weather: warming fast, pleasant in the first half and hot by the end.
Festivals: Holi, the festival of colours, usually falls in March, sometimes late February, and Pushkar celebrates it with famous energy, music and colour.
- Festivals: Gangaur, the festival of Gauri, begins the day after Holi and runs for about eighteen days.
- Crowds: very busy for Holi, otherwise moderate.
- Good for: Holi with a guide, and early-spring mornings in the rose fields.
April, the heat arrives
Weather: hot, with days in the high thirties and clear skies.
Festivals: Gangaur often ends in April, with women carrying images of the goddess in procession.
- Festivals: Ram Navami, Rama's birthday, falls in March or April.
- Crowds: light.
- Good for: travellers short of time who do not mind the heat, early mornings on the ghats and afternoons by the pool.
May, the hottest and emptiest
Weather: fierce, often above 40°C, with hot winds and dust.
Festivals: few for visitors, though full moons still bring pilgrims.
- Crowds: very few travellers.
- Good for: the determined. Dawn and the last hour of light are still lovely, and you may have the ghats almost to yourself.
- Our honest view: we rarely recommend May unless your dates are fixed.
June, waiting for rain
Weather: hot and increasingly humid, with the first storms sometimes arriving towards the end of the month.
Festivals: none of note for visitors.
- Crowds: very light.
- Good for: very little, honestly, unless you are passing through.
- If you must: spend your days in the hills of Mount Abu or by the lakes of Udaipur, and keep Pushkar to a single night.
July, the rains return
Weather: the monsoon arrives, with storms, cloud and relief from the heat. Humid, with grey days between bursts of rain.
Festivals: Guru Purnima, the full moon honouring teachers.
- Festivals: in some years Teej, the festival of the monsoon and of married women, when swings are hung from trees.
- Crowds: light.
- Good for: dramatic skies over the lake and a greening landscape.
August, a green and quiet town
Weather: the wettest month, warm and humid, with the hills at their greenest.
Festivals: Teej often falls in late July or August. Our page on Teej explains it.
- Festivals: Raksha Bandhan, when sisters tie threads on their brothers' wrists, comes in August.
- Festivals: Janmashtami, Krishna's birthday, falls in August or September.
- Crowds: light.
- Good for: travellers who love the monsoon and want the town at its most local.
September, the lake at its fullest
Weather: the rains taper off, and after a good monsoon the lake is full and the hills still green. Warm and sometimes sticky.
Festivals: the night-long jagran at the Savitri temple, on the seventh day of the month of Bhado, often falls in late August or September.
- Festivals: Pitru Paksha, the fortnight for honouring ancestors, usually falls in September or early October, and Pushkar is one of the great places for its rites.
- Crowds: moderate.
- Good for: seeing the lake brimming and the town before the season begins.
October, the season begins
Weather: warm days, cooler nights and clear, washed skies. One of the best months for light and photography.
Festivals: Navratri, the nine nights of the goddess, and Dussehra usually fall in late September or October.
- Festivals: Diwali falls in October or November. Our page on Diwali explains the festival of lights.
- Festivals: in some years the fair begins in late October.
- Crowds: rising.
- Good for: almost everything, before the peak.
November, the fair and the full moon
Weather: warm days and cool nights, close to perfect.
Festivals: in most years the camel fair and Kartik Purnima fall in November, with the holiest bathing days from Ekadashi to the full moon.
- Festivals: Diwali sometimes falls in early November, and after Dev Uthani Ekadashi the wedding season begins.
- Crowds: enormous during the fair, moderate after it.
- Good for: the fair, if you plan early, and calm, golden days in the weeks after.
December, clear and calm
Weather: cool, sunny days and cold nights, with misty mornings on the lake.
Festivals: quiet after the fair, then busy again for Christmas and New Year.
- Festivals: in some years the Urs at nearby Ajmer falls in December or January, so check before planning.
- Crowds: light in the first half, busy at the end.
- Good for: unhurried sightseeing, cold dawns on Savitri hill and long afternoons in a resort garden.
Coming for the fair, or avoiding it
The trading days: in its first days, herders arrive with camels, horses and cattle, and the dunes on the west of town become a vast market.
For photographers: that is the time for them, and for anyone who wants to see the old desert trade.
- When
- Through Kartik, building to the full moon
- First days
- Herders, camels, horses, cattle
- Last five days
- Ekadashi to Kartik Purnima
- Stay
- At least three nights
- Book
- Many months ahead
- The bathing days: in the last five days, from Ekadashi to Kartik Purnima, pilgrims come in their hundreds of thousands. Faith on an overwhelming scale.
- Plan early: the best camps and rooms are booked many months ahead, and the exact dates are set by the lunar calendar each year.
- Both halves: stay at least three nights to see the trading and the bathing.
- How we do it: out at dawn with a guide who knows the herders, rest through the day, and avoid the densest crowds at the full moon.
- Read more: our page on the Pushkar Camel Fair, our fair guide and the Pushkar Camel Fair journey.
- To avoid it: skip the whole month of Kartik and come in December or February. The town is calm, the ghats quiet and the hotels at their most relaxed.
Holi in Pushkar
The bonfires: the night before, fires are lit to mark the burning of the demon Holika.
The morning: the town erupts in colour, with powder, water, drums and dancing in the streets around the main bazaar.
- When
- Full moon of Phalgun, usually March
- The night before
- Bonfires for Holika
- Where
- Streets around the main bazaar
- Over by
- Early afternoon
- Then home: by early afternoon it is over, and everyone goes home to wash.
- It can be rough: crowds are dense, and some revellers are drunk on bhang, an infusion of cannabis traditionally drunk at Holi.
- For women: unwanted attention is a real risk.
- How we do it: with a guide, in a small group, for a short time in the morning, or at a private celebration at your hotel.
- Prepare: wear old clothes, oil your hair and skin beforehand, and protect your eyes and your phone.
- Read more: our page on Holi in Rajasthan and the Holi in Rajasthan journey.
Light, skies and photography through the year
October and November: the clearest air of the year, washed clean by the monsoon, with crisp blue skies and long golden evenings.
December and January: soft, pearly mist on the lake at dawn, wonderful for photographs of the ghats from a rooftop.
- Clearest air
- October and November
- Misty dawns
- December and January
- Spring light
- February and March
- Haze and dust
- April to June
- Dramatic clouds
- The monsoon
- February and March: clear and warm, with spring light.
- April to June: heat haze and dust soften everything and the midday light is brutal. Shoot only at dawn and in the last hour of light.
- The monsoon: dramatic clouds, rainbows over the hills and reflections in a full lake, with the risk of grey days.
- The rule of the ghats: in every season, never photograph people bathing, and ask before photographing anyone at prayer.
- How we work: our photography tips explain it in sacred places.
Fitting Pushkar into a journey, season by season
In the cool months
Fits anywhere: October to March is the season for the whole of Rajasthan.
- The classic pairing: Jaipur, two nights in Pushkar with Ajmer, then on to Jodhpur or Udaipur.
- Add the desert: in January and February, Jaisalmer and Bikaner have pleasant days and very cold nights.
- Our journeys: the sacred Rajasthan journey and winter in Rajasthan both include Pushkar.
Around the fair
Pushkar first: we build the journey around it rather than the other way round.
- The shape: arrive from Jaipur, about three hours away, spend three nights at a camp or resort, then rest in a palace in Udaipur or Jodhpur after the dust.
- A calm night: Kishangarh's lake palace, about an hour away, makes a gentle first or last night.
In the monsoon
- Mewar's lakes: a lovely time for them. Combine Pushkar with Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur, at their greenest.
- Our route: the monsoon in Mewar journey shows how. Pushkar itself is quiet and fresh.
In the hot months
One night: between April and June, keep Pushkar to a night on the way between Jaipur and Udaipur.
- Escape the heat: spend more time in the cooler hills of Mount Abu or in palace hotels with good pools.
- Read more: our page on summer in Rajasthan.
The right season for you
First-time visitors
- When: between October and March, outside the fair and away from a full moon. February and December are our favourites.
- Why: you see the rituals, climb the hill and walk the bazaar without crowds.
Photographers
- When: the early days of the fair for the herders and camels, or December and January for misty dawns.
- Our route: the photography journey is built around these windows.
Pilgrims and the curious
- When: Kartik Purnima, a full moon, or Pitru Paksha, the fortnight for ancestors, to see Pushkar at its most devout.
- How: with a guide who can explain the rites.
Families
- When: October, November after the fair, February and March, with pleasant days for the dunes and pools warm enough to enjoy.
- Avoid: the fair crowds with small children. Our family journeys show how we plan.
Travellers who want calm
- When: December or February, on a weekday, away from the full moon.
- Or: the monsoon, when the town is green, local and peaceful.
Ajmer's calendar, fifteen minutes away
A shorter year: the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti follows the Islamic lunar calendar, about eleven days shorter than the Western year.
The Urs: its great festival lasts six days in the month of Rajab, and in the mid-2020s it falls around December and January, moving earlier each year.
- Calendar
- Islamic, lunar
- Shift
- About eleven days earlier each year
- The Urs
- Six days in Rajab
- Busiest weekly
- Thursday evenings and Fridays
- Crowds beyond imagining: during the Urs the lanes around the shrine fill with pilgrims, so plan carefully if your dates overlap.
- Within the week: Thursday evenings and Fridays bring the largest crowds and the most fervent qawwali.
- Ramzan: the month changes the rhythm of the old city, with quiet days and lively nights after the fast is broken.
- The two Eids: they bring great crowds.
- For a calm first visit: choose an ordinary weekday morning.
- Read more: our Ajmer Sharif Dargah guide explains the daily rituals, and our guide to the best time to visit Ajmer has more.
What to pack for Pushkar
Modest clothes: loose cotton or linen that covers shoulders and knees. You will be in temples every day.
A scarf or stole: for temples, the dargah at Ajmer and the sun.
Easy sandals: ones that slip on and off, plus thin cotton socks for hot or cold stone.
- Walking shoes: proper ones for the climb to Savitri hill.
- November to February: a warm layer, a shawl and a hat for dawn walks and desert evenings, which can be cold.
- In the hot months: a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, high-factor sunscreen and a refillable bottle.
- In the monsoon: a light rain jacket and shoes with a good grip for wet steps.
- Small extras: a torch for the pre-dawn climb, and a cloth bag for your phone at the temples.
- For Holi: old clothes you can throw away. Our packing guide has a fuller list.
What we tell our own cousins
Check the moon: before you book. A full moon in any month brings pilgrims, and Kartik Purnima brings hundreds of thousands.
Not on a festival day: avoid arriving then. Roads into town are often restricted, and you will spend your first hour in a jam.
- Book the fair early: as early as you can, and confirm the dates as soon as they are announced.
- Dawn and dusk: in any season, do the sacred sights then and rest in the middle of the day.
- The Urs too: it follows the Islamic calendar and moves about eleven days earlier each year. Our page on the Urs at Ajmer Sharif explains it.
- Fit the rest of the journey: our Pushkar itinerary and our weather and climate guide help you place Pushkar in a longer trip.
