Festival · 6 Nights · Pushkar · Late Oct – Nov 2026
The greatest livestock fair on earth - camels, horses and cattle by the thousand, races, moustache and turban competitions, and folk music under desert stars by the sacred lake.
Private & Fully Customizable
Every journey we plan is completely private and shaped around you. We craft this route in three lengths - all fully customizable to your dates, pace and budget:
Why this journey
Once a year, the sacred lake town of Pushkar hosts one of the most photographed gatherings on earth - some 50,000 camels, horses and cattle converge on the dunes for the great Pushkar Fair, alongside traders, pilgrims, gypsies and sadhus.
There are camel races and beauty contests, the longest-moustache and turban-tying competitions, a cattle market that stretches to the horizon, and, each evening, Rajasthani folk music around campfires under a sky full of stars. By day, the sacred Brahma temple and the 52 ghats hold their own quiet devotion.
We base you in luxury tented comfort beside the fairground, with your own guide to the spectacle - one of the great festival experiences of India.
The fair has two distinct halves. Through the first days (17-21 November 2026) the dunes on the town's edge fill with tens of thousands of camels, horses and cattle, their owners trading, racing and competing in moustache and turban contests. Then the mood turns sacred: as Kartik Purnima approaches on 24 November 2026, pilgrims descend to bathe in the holy Pushkar Lake and the ghats glow at dusk with thousands of floating oil lamps. We frame both - the spectacle and the devotion.
Major Attractions
The Itinerary
A representative 6-night flow timed to the fair. The fair builds over the week from livestock trading to cultural finale; we tailor the plan to the year's schedule.
Arrival · Jaipur
Met at Jaipur, the gateway to Pushkar, with an easy first evening in the Pink City - a rooftop dinner or a first bazaar - before the great desert fair.
Highlight Amber light on the city walls as Jaipur settles into evening.
Jaipur → Pushkar (≈3 hrs)
To the sacred lake town of Pushkar and your luxury tented camp beside the fairground. A first wander among the long camel lines and the trading as the fair gathers, the dust gold in the low sun, and the lamplit evening Aarti at the holy lake.
Highlight Thousands of camels resting on the dunes as the dust turns gold at sunset.
Pushkar
A full day at the fair in its trading prime - the vast cattle and camel market stretching across the dunes, the buying and bargaining, the camel races and the famous competitions, the craft and food stalls, and the sheer colour and chaos of it all.
Highlight Decorated camels thundering down the racetrack in a cloud of dust.
Pushkar
A dawn climb to the Savitri temple above town for the light coming up over the fairground, then the great set-pieces - the longest-moustache and turban-tying contests, the folk dancers and Manganiyar musicians - and an optional hot-air balloon drifting over the camel lines at sunrise.
Highlight The whole fairground spread below as a hot-air balloon lifts at dawn.
Pushkar
The quieter, devotional side of Pushkar as the sacred days approach - the Brahma temple, one of very few in the world, the 52 bathing ghats, and the rose-and-spice bazaar - and a final evening of folk music around the campfire under the stars.
Highlight Lamps drifting on the holy lake at the evening Aarti, the fair humming beyond.
Pushkar → Jaipur · Departure
A final fair morning - one last walk among the camels and the colour - before the drive back to Jaipur for your onward journey.
Highlight A last look back at the dunes and the camel lines from the Ajmer road.
Jaipur · Departure
Your transfer to the airport for your onward flight - or onward into the wider palaces and deserts of Rajasthan.
Where You Stay
Representative stays - luxury tented camps beside the fairground (demand is very high; book early). Confirmed with your quote.
En-suite tented luxury beside the fairground, with dining and folk performances.
50,000 camels, races, competitions and folk nights - the great desert fair.
A Pink City base for arrival and departure.
The Detail
Pricing
Indicative lead-in price for the festival season. Premium tented camps are quoted on request - book early.
Common Questions
Good to Know
17-24 November 2026, climaxing on the Kartik Purnima full moon (24 November). Trading and camel events peak 17-21; the sacred lake-bathing days follow.
Pushkar is about 3 hours from Jaipur by road and 30 minutes from the railhead at Ajmer. We drive you in, usually woven into a wider Rajasthan circuit.
An Indian e-Visa is all that is required for foreign visitors - we send a step-by-step guide.
Photographers and culture travellers above all. The fairground is dusty and lively; we base you in a comfortable luxury tented camp or a heritage hotel away from the crush.
Layers for warm days and cool desert nights, a scarf against the dust, strong sun protection, and a good camera - dawn over the camel lines is extraordinary.
A full Rajasthan grand tour - Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur - or the desert forts of Jaisalmer and Bikaner.
Continue Exploring
AdventureJaisalmer and the Sam dunes - golden sands and a starlit camp.
LuxuryJaipur · Jodhpur · Udaipur - the grand palace circuit.
GuidePalaces, forts, deserts and all our Rajasthan tours.
Plan Deeper
Go deeper on the destinations along this route - what to see, where to stay and when to go:
Tell us your dates around the fair - tents book out early. A thoughtful proposal follows within 24 hours during office hours.
Planned and hosted by our own team in Kolkata — the same people who filmed this route. Meet us.
Read our booking and cancellation terms before you enquire.
Prefer to talk first? WhatsApp us or call +91 74497 70077.