The Sound Hits You First
It’s not the camels you notice — it’s the bells. Hundreds of them, tiny brass bells strung on anklets, jingling in off-rhythm as the animals shift their weight on the sand. Then the smell: dung smoke, fried dough, sandalwood incense, all tangled together in the November air. Pushkar announces itself before you see it.
The Pushkar Camel Fair runs November 10–16, 2026, on the sandy flats surrounding Pushkar Lake in Rajasthan. Calling it a ‘camel fair’ undersells what it actually is — part livestock market, part religious pilgrimage, part desert carnival that’s been happening in some form for centuries. The town has a permanent population of maybe 15,000, and during fair week that number multiplies several times over.
What Actually Happens on the Sand
The livestock trading is the backbone of the fair, even if it’s not what ends up on most Instagram feeds. Camel traders from across Rajasthan — mostly Rabari and Raika herders — bring their animals in for buying, selling, and showing off. The camels get decorated: braided manes, embroidered saddle blankets, anklets with those little bells. Some traders shave patterns into their camels’ fur, geometric designs that take hours.
The trading happens early. By 7 a.m. the grounds are loud — men squatting in circles, arguing prices, slapping hands to seal deals. The numbers people throw around (50,000 camels, etc.) are probably inflated, and the livestock trade has been shrinking for years as mechanized transport replaces camel labor. But it’s still a working market, not a performance for tourists. The distinction matters.
Then there’s the competition circuit: camel races where the animals lope across the sand looking slightly offended, a longest-mustache contest that Rajasthani men take dead seriously, turban-tying races. Folk dancers perform in the evenings — Kalbelia women in black swirling skirts, moving fast enough that the mirror embroidery catches firelight. I’ve heard the night performances are better than the daytime ones, though it probably depends on the year.
The Lake and the Other Pushkar
Pushkar is one of those places where the sacred and the commercial sit uncomfortably close together. The lake — ringed by 52 ghats and said to have been created when Brahma dropped a lotus flower — is the reason the town exists at all. One of the very few Brahma temples in India sits on its western shore.
The fair’s final day coincides with Kartik Purnima, a full-moon festival when Hindu pilgrims come to bathe in the lake. The atmosphere shifts completely — from dusty market chaos to something genuinely devotional. Thousands of people wade into the water at dawn, oil lamps float on the surface, and for an hour or so the whole lake feels like it belongs to a different century.
A warning about the ghats: self-appointed priests will approach you offering to perform a ‘Pushkar passport’ blessing ceremony. It starts friendly and ends with a surprisingly aggressive request for donations. This isn’t a scam exactly — the blessing is a real tradition — but the pressure tactics are well-documented. A polite but firm refusal is fine.
Getting There Without Losing Your Mind
Pushkar doesn’t have an airport. Your options:
Via Jaipur — Jaipur International Airport is the main gateway, about 150 km southeast. The drive takes 3-4 hours depending on traffic and how many times your driver stops for chai. Trains run from Jaipur to Ajmer Junction (about 2 hours), and from Ajmer it’s 14 km to Pushkar by taxi or local bus.
Via Ajmer — Ajmer is the nearest railhead. Shared jeeps and auto-rickshaws run the short stretch to Pushkar constantly. The road climbs through a mountain pass (Nag Pahar) with decent views if you’re not carsick.
For international flights into Jaipur, Trip.com tends to have good options for routing through Delhi or Mumbai with domestic connections. Worth comparing a few sites since fares to Jaipur vary wildly depending on the route.
Where to Sleep (Book Now, Seriously)
Pushkar’s hotel stock is limited in normal times. During the fair, it’s genuinely difficult. There are broadly three tiers:
Desert camps — These pop up on the fairgrounds each year. The fancier ones have proper beds, attached bathrooms, and serve Rajasthani thalis for dinner with bonfire sessions afterward. The budget ones are basically tents with cots. Either way, you wake up to camel noises at 5 a.m. That’s either the appeal or the problem.
Town hotels — Pushkar has a strip of guesthouses and small hotels along the main bazaar road and near the lake. Nothing luxurious, but the rooftop restaurants with lake views are a genuine selling point. Book months ahead.
Ajmer fallback — If Pushkar is fully booked, staying in Ajmer and commuting the 14 km daily is annoying but doable. The commute during fair week takes longer than usual because of road congestion.
Browsing accommodation options through trivago can help you compare what’s left — desert camps sometimes list there alongside the regular hotels, though availability thins out fast after September.
The Honest Downsides
Pushkar during the fair is crowded, dusty, and loud. The daytime temperature in November hovers around 28-30°C, which is pleasant by Rajasthan standards, but the sun on the open fairgrounds is relentless. Evenings drop sharply — you’ll want a proper jacket by 9 p.m.
Dust is the main annoyance. The fairgrounds are sand and dirt, and with thousands of animals and people moving around, it gets into everything. Contact lens wearers: consider glasses for the day. Electronics need protection too — a ziplock bag for your phone isn’t paranoid, it’s practical.
Toilet facilities on the fairgrounds are basic. The desert camps have their own, but if you’re wandering the livestock areas during the day, options range from minimal to nonexistent.
Also: Pushkar is officially a vegetarian and alcohol-free holy town. You won’t find meat or beer in the main bazaar area. Some places on the outskirts quietly serve both, but it’s not something to count on.
Extending Into Rajasthan
November is arguably the best month for Rajasthan — warm days, cool nights, clear skies. If you’re already making the trip to Pushkar, adding a few more stops makes sense.
Jaipur is the obvious add-on since you’re probably flying through it anyway. Jodhpur (the blue city) is about 5 hours west by road. Udaipur is further but worth it if you have the time — the lake palaces there are a completely different kind of Rajasthan.
For day trips and guided tours around Rajasthan, KLOOK has a decent selection of camel safaris, cooking classes, and Jaipur sightseeing packages. Prices are usually reasonable, though the really specific Pushkar fair experiences tend to sell out early.
One Last Thing
The thing nobody tells you about the camel fair is how it sounds at night. The music and crowds die down around 10 p.m., and then it’s just desert — wind, distant bells, the occasional camel making that weird groaning noise they make. If you’re staying in a camp on the fairgrounds, you lie there on your cot and realize the whole city is sleeping on sand tonight. It’s not comfortable, exactly. But you don’t forget it.