First decision: which half of the fair
The herders' week: camels and horses arrive and trade begins before the official programme. More animals, fewer visitors, long conversations over tea. Our choice for photographers.
The official days: races, contests, music and the moustache competition on the mela ground, from Ekadashi, the eleventh day of the bright fortnight, to the full moon.
- Herders' week
- A week or more before the programme
- Official days
- Ekadashi to the full moon
- Full moon
- Kartik Purnima, the holiest day
- Dates
- Announced each year, we confirm them
- Diwali
- About two weeks before the full moon
- The full moon: the lake becomes the centre of the world for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. Extraordinary to witness, intense to be inside.
- The overlap: a few days when trading and pilgrimage meet. This is the fair most people picture, and the most crowded.
- Four nights for both: we usually place two nights late in the herders' week and two in the official days.
- The full story: our Pushkar Camel Fair page explains the legend of the lake and how the moon sets the calendar.
Booking: earlier than you think
When to book: as soon as you know you want to go. Many months ahead is normal for the full-moon days.
Minimum stays: some camps and resorts ask for a minimum of two or three nights in fair week.
- Lead time
- Many months for the full moon
- Minimum stay
- Common in fair week
- Flights
- Book after dates are confirmed
- Nearest airport
- Jaipur, about three hours
- Dates first: the district administration and Rajasthan Tourism announce the official programme each year. We hold rooms as soon as the dates are set.
- Flexible plans: because the fair follows the lunar calendar, it can shift by weeks from one year to the next. Plan your flights only after we confirm.
- Combine with Diwali: Diwali falls about two weeks before Kartik Purnima. Our Diwali in Jaipur guide explains how to see both.
- The ready-made route: our Pushkar Camel Fair journey is nine nights, with four at Pushkar and three by the lakes of Udaipur.
Camp or resort, and what to check
A luxury camp near the dunes
Why: you walk to the herders' camp before sunrise. For photographers this is the whole point.
- What good looks like: large canvas tents on raised floors, proper beds, attached bathrooms with hot water, heaters and fresh vegetarian food.
- What to avoid: rows of small tents beside a loudspeaker.
A resort at the edge of town
- Why: calm after a day of dust. A pool, a spa and a quiet night.
- Who we use: The Westin Pushkar Resort and Spa, Ananta Spa and Resort, and Pratap Mahal between Pushkar and Ajmer. See luxury hotels in Pushkar.
A palace an hour away
- Why: a royal house to sleep in, at the cost of the dawn camp mornings.
- Where: Kishangarh, about an hour away. All the options are on our luxury stays in Pushkar page.
The packing list we give our friends
Dark, washable clothes: the dust settles on everything. White linen will not survive the first morning.
Modest cover: shoulders and knees covered, for men and women alike. Pushkar is a sacred town.
Dawn layers: a fleece or a shawl for the cold sand before sunrise. By eleven, cotton is enough.
- Scarf
- A large cotton one, for dust and sun
- Layers
- A fleece or shawl for dawn
- Shoes
- Closed, dark, easy to slip off
- Camera
- A sealed bag and a blower brush
- Small things
- Wet wipes, lip balm, eye drops
- A large cotton scarf: for your face when the afternoon wind lifts the sand, and your head in the midday sun.
- Shoes: closed, comfortable and dark, that slip off easily. You will take them off at every ghat and temple.
- Sun kit: sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat for the arena, where there is little shade.
- Camera care: a bag that seals, a rain cover against dust, a blower and a cloth. Change lenses indoors only.
- For the eyes: lubricating eye drops. Contact-lens wearers may prefer glasses for the week.
- A small torch: for dark lanes and camp paths at night.
- Full list: our packing guide has one for every season.
A four-night plan that sees both halves
Night 1, arrive and walk to the lake
- Afternoon: drive about three hours from Jaipur, settle into the camp and rest.
- Evening: a walk to the ghats for the aarti, then an early night.
Night 2, the herders' dawn
Before sunrise: on the dunes among the camels, with tea at a herder's fire.
- Mid-morning: the horse lines and the saddle stalls, then back to rest.
- Sunset: a camel cart to the far ridges, beyond the crowds.
Night 3, Savitri and the arena
- Dawn: the climb or the ropeway to the Savitri temple for the view over the camp. See Savitri temple.
- Afternoon: the contests on the mela ground, then move to a resort for a quiet night.
Night 4, Brahma and Ajmer
- Early morning: the Brahma temple before the pilgrims arrive in force.
- Evening: fifteen minutes over the hill to Ajmer for qawwali at the dargah.
How to spend time with the herders
Go with a guide: ours speaks the herders' dialect and introduces you. A conversation through a translator is worth a hundred long-lens photographs.
Accept tea: sit when you are offered a glass at a herder's fire, and drink a little. It is the warmest welcome of the fair.
- Ask about the animals: a camel's age, its mother, the price it might fetch. Herders love to talk about their animals.
- Watch the bargaining: a go-between may hold the buyer's and seller's hands under a cloth, signalling numbers in private. Don't interrupt.
- Who they are: most camel men are Raika, also called Rebari. Our piece on the Rabari herders introduces their world.
- The horse lines: Marwari and Kathiawari breeders show their horses at a gallop. Our piece on Marwari horses explains the curved ears.
- No handouts: don't give money or sweets to children. If you want to help, buy something from a stall.
Photographing the fair well
Ask first, every time: most herders will pose after a few minutes of talk, and some will want to see the picture.
Never at bathing time: don't photograph people bathing in the lake, and be especially careful with women.
- Best light
- Dawn and the last hour
- Worst light
- Eleven to three
- Lenses
- Change indoors only
- Always
- Ask before close-ups
- The light: half an hour before sunrise to an hour after, and the last hour before dark. Midday is flat and hazy with dust.
- Dust in the air: in the late afternoon, backlit dust turns the dunes gold. Shoot into the sun with care.
- Balloons: on some mornings hot-air balloons rise over the fairground. Our hot-air balloons page explains when we can arrange a flight.
- Be generous: if someone poses for you, show them the picture and thank them. Some will ask for a small tip, and it is fair to give one.
- More advice: our photography tips cover etiquette and light across Rajasthan.
Crowds, cash and staying comfortable
Cash: carry small notes for tea, tips and stalls. Card machines are scarce on the sand and phone payments can fail in the crowds.
Valuables: leave them at the hotel. Keep a hand on your bag in the busiest lanes.
- Road closures: around the full moon, roads into town close to most traffic. We drop you at the nearest point and walk in with our guide.
- Women travellers: the full-moon crowds are dense and a few men behave badly. Our guides stay with you, and we use rooftops for the evening aarti. See women travellers.
- Fake priests: if someone presses a flower into your hand, offers a blessing and asks for a large donation, decline politely. We arrange a genuine puja with a priest we know.
- Dust and lungs: if you have asthma, bring your medicines and a mask. The afternoon wind can be heavy.
- Rest: never schedule anything between eleven and three. The herders don't, and neither should you.
Quiet corners in a crowded week
The far ghats: the lake has fifty-two ghats. The ones away from the main bazaar stay calmer, even in fair week.
Savitri hill at dawn: the climb is quieter than the town below, and the view over the herders' camp is the finest in Pushkar.
- The far dunes: walk ten minutes beyond the last herders' shelters and the sound of the loudspeakers fades to nothing.
- A rooftop at noon: a shaded roof with a cold lassi, watching the town go by below, is our favourite way to spend the hot hours.
- Your resort: the reason we suggest two nights outside town. A pool and a quiet garden make the fair days twice as good.
The rules of a sacred town
Vegetarian: no meat or eggs in town. Please don't bring them in.
No alcohol: it is not sold in Pushkar. Some resorts outside town have their own arrangements within the law. Ask us.
- Food
- Vegetarian only
- Alcohol
- Not sold in town
- Ghats
- Shoes off, no bathing photos
- Dress
- Shoulders and knees covered
- Shoes off: on every ghat and in every temple. Leave them with your guide.
- No public affection: no kissing or close embraces in public.
- At the lake: walk quietly, don't step over people's offerings and never touch a priest's things.
- Temples: dress modestly and follow the guide on photography. Our temple etiquette guide explains more.
Eating and shopping at the fair
Malpua: Pushkar's famous pancake, fried in ghee and soaked in syrup. Eat it hot in the bazaar with a clay cup of lassi.
Fair snacks: pakoras, kachoris and jalebis from the big iron pans. Choose stalls frying in front of you.
- Rose products: rose water and gulkand, a preserve of rose petals, from the town's rose gardens.
- Camel finery: beaded collars, bells and embroidered saddle cloths. Lovely as wall hangings at home.
- Silver: anklets, bangles and herders' jewellery at the stalls. Buy for beauty, not as an investment.
- Bargaining: prices on the sand are negotiable. Smile, offer less, and walk away if it doesn't feel right.
- Our food guide: see food of Pushkar for the quieter weeks.
Mistakes most first-timers make
Sleeping through dawn: the best hour of the fair is before sunrise. Set the alarm.
One night only: a blur of dust and noise. Three nights is the minimum.
- Only the arena: the contests are fun, but the heart of the fair is on the dunes among the herders.
- The wrong clothes: white linen and good shoes. See the packing list.
- Midday outings: hot, flat and dusty. Rest instead.
- Photographing without asking: it closes doors that a smile and a question would open.
- Leaving too soon: an evening of qawwali at Ajmer, or a day at the lakes afterwards, makes sense of the whole week.
Getting there and getting around
By road from Jaipur: the usual way, about three hours on a good highway. We time the drive to arrive by mid-afternoon.
By train: Ajmer is the nearest major station, and fast trains link it with Jaipur and Delhi. See our guide to trains.
- From Jaipur
- About three hours by road
- From Ajmer
- Fifteen minutes over Nag Pahar
- To Udaipur
- Five to six hours
- To Jodhpur
- Four to five hours
- Nearest airport
- Jaipur
- In town: walking is fastest. Pushkar is small, about half an hour across on foot.
- Around the full moon: roads close to most traffic, so your car waits at the edge of town and we walk in together.
- Camel carts: slow, bumpy and fun for a sunset ride out to the dunes, with a handler we know.
Where to go after the fair
Udaipur: about five to six hours south, broken with lunch at Deogarh Mahal. See Udaipur.
Jodhpur: about four to five hours west, and from there the desert continues to Jaisalmer.
- Bundi: the Bundi Utsav is also held in Kartik.
- The sacred trail: Pushkar, Ajmer, Nathdwara and Ranakpur. Our sacred Rajasthan journey can reach Pushkar for the full moon.
- Later in winter: the Nagaur cattle fair is a quieter livestock gathering for a second visit.
Is the Pushkar fair for you?
You will love it if: you enjoy early mornings, living tradition and long conversations through a translator.
Photographers: endless pictures, if you ask first and come early.
- Families: children with patience for dust love the camels. Keep hands held in the crowds.
- Harder if: you dislike crowds, noise or dust, or want wine with dinner.
- The calm alternative: visit Pushkar in December or February, when the ghats belong to local pilgrims. Our Rajasthan in November guide shows what else the month offers.