How to visit the Pushkar Camel Fair 2026.

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“Why does one want to go to a camel fair?”, my friend Lena asked me. “I honestly don’t”, I said, “I just realized I am going to be in India when it is happening so it would be weird not to go.”

And this is how I made the decision to visit the Pushkar Camel Fair during my November trip to India with Finnair. I like camels, it was a reason to give Pushkar, a city I previously didn’t warm up to, a second chance, and – why not? 

However, booking my trip to the Pushkar Mela was anything but easy. Not only do prices around the time of the fair skyrocket, it was simply very hard to find reliable information about the logistics. But I made it and had a great time. So I thought I would put a little guide together for you in case you want to visit the Pushkar Camel Fair in 2026. 

The Ins & Outs of Visiting the Pushkar Camel Fair

What is the Pushkar Camel Fair? 

The Pushkar Camel Fair is better known as the Pushkar Mela or Pushkar Fair (mela means a fair or Hindu festival). It is one of the biggest livestock fairs in India and originally started just with cattle. The camels were added later as a draw for visitors. I guess there is so much cattle in India that people don’t really travel far to see a cow and camels are a bit more unique.

There is a week of trading and then a week of festivities. While most of the livestock will have left by the time official fair starts (apparently there were around 50,000 cattle, horses, and camels this year according to the India Times), you will still get to see plenty. But there are also many cultural Rajasthani activities for visitors. These include dances, performances, games, magicians, and yes, competitions with some of the animals. There is also an actual fairground with rides, food, and lots of shopping opportunities. 

And of course, there are also many religious and spiritual activities all around town like the Maha Aarti. Apparently, it is good fortune for your life and your body if you bathe in the holy Pushkar Lake during the fair. I did not because I am terrified of carp in general, and was told later that there are also snakes in the lake. And while I consider myself a slightly seasoned India traveler by now bathing in an Indian lake or river is not on the agenda for me yet. Ask me next year. 

Where does the Pushkar Mela take place? 

The Pushkar camel fair takes place as the name implies in the town of Pushkar in Rajasthan. It is about 150 km west of Jaipur. Pushkar is considered a very sacred place for Hindus and is home to the only Brahma Temple in the world. With that, there is no consumption of meat, eggs, or alcohol allowed in town. 

I consider it slightly ironic that it has still become home to one the biggest livestock fairs in the world. Oh well, another of India’s wonderful juxtapositions. 

There are events all around town and the Pushkar Lake but the fair is set up around the Mela Ground, a slightly derelict-looking stadium. The actual trading area and living quarters of the traders are just outside of town and stretch towards the Pushkar Desert at the foot of the Shree Savitri Mata Mandir. The government actually puts up makeshift tents and facilities for the two weeks of the Mela for the traders and their animals for free. 

That said, if you are looking for romantic camel traders perched on a dune surrounded by nothing but the wind, you will be disappointed (as was I). The Pushkar Mela, Rajasthan is a really busy trade show for the vendors, a regular fair for the locals, and a slightly disorganized cultural event for visitors. I’d say it is still worth checking out if you find yourself in the country. 

When is the Pushkar Mela 2026?

The Pushkar Camel Fair 2026 will take place on November 17th to 24th, 2026.

However, the trading takes place the week prior to the official cultural program for visitors. You can see the program below from last year’s Pushkar Fair to get an idea of what is going to happen. Unfortunately, the exact programs are always released quite close to the actual dates making it hard to plan if you don’t want to stay the whole week. 

I arrived on the official opening day in time for the Maha Aarti Pushkar Abhishek which was lovely to witness. It is simply put a ceremony of light, done on the ghats of the lake in this case. You can just follow the crowds and join the festivities. Only requirements: shoes off at the ghats!

I also had a chance to see the camel decoration and the camel and horse dance competitions – more about that in a bit – but unfortunately missed the moustache competition and the turban tying which I would have loved to see. 

Considering that the Pushkar Mela program 2026 probably won’t be available until a week or so prior, I recommend you either come for the first three days or the last three days. 

Do I need a guide to visit the Pushkar camel fair? 

Technically you don’t need a guide for the Pushkar Mela. The Mela Ground is right by the outskirts of the city center and hard to miss. I went on my own for one morning and with a guide for the next. While it can get a bit boring if you are on your own, I never felt unsafe and even made some friends to wander around with. 

That said, it is nice to have someone explain the background of the Mela and the different activities to you. 

I booked a private guide through the Pushkar Route and cannot recommend Kapil and his brother enough. They also do regular spiritual city tours in Pushkar but I asked them specifically to show me around the Camel Fair and hope they will add some more specific Mela tours in the future. My private tour was ₹ 3000 for the day which I felt was more than fair. 

Book a tour with the Pushkar Route

After a morning at the Mela Ground, Kapil picked me up at 4 pm to take me to the area where the traders stay at the beginning of the Pushkar Desert. While this is also something you could do on your own, I don’t recommend it. It is quite a walk away from town and transport is a bit tricky due to the mad traffic. 

The area is vast and so busy with people, cattle, horses, and yes, camels. Again, it is nice for someone to show you the ropes, translate, and generally just guide you through the wonderful madness. 

How to get to Pushkar

Here is the bad news – there is no train station or airport in Pushkar. Instead, you will need to take a train to Ajmer which is about 15 km from Pushkar. In fact, if you search on any booking platform you will probably be shown connections to Ajmer without even asking. 

To get to Pushkar from Delhi, the easiest way is to take a train to Ajmer which will take 5 to 7 hours depending on the type of train. 

To get to Pushkar from Mumbai you can also take a train but the trip will last over 16 hours. An easier option might be to fly to Jaipur and then take a bus. 

You can check the best connections and buy your ticket on 12Go or if you are considering a train, buy it directly on the IRCTC website. 

Read more:

How to book train tickets in India.

Once you have made it to Ajmer you will need to get an auto riksha or taxi to Pushkar. If you don’t want to haggle over prices with a bunch of drivers, I recommend you ask your accommodation to book a pick-up for you. It will cost you about ₹ 1000 but is worth every cent in my opinion. 

Where to stay in Pushkar? 

Wherever you book a hotel in Pushkar make sure to not leave it too long – prices pick up like crazy during the Pushkar Camel Fair. I also recommend you pick an accommodation within walking distance from the lake and the fairground. 

I have stayed at Inn Seventh Heaven twice now and cannot recommend them enough. It is a beautiful Haveli with comfortable rooms and a stunning open courtyard. Some rooms have aircon, and other fans, and what they have in common are strong hot showers – a welcome after a long day out hugging camels. 

They also have a nice rooftop where you can get yummy food at great prices. And if you end up sick for some reason like I did not once but twice in Pushkar, they will even bring you food to your room at no extra charge. 

The staff is also lovely and super helpful, and they have a wonderful Bengal Tiger cat. And best of all if you are coming to visit the Pushkar Mela they are still affordable. While they do raise their prices a bit they don’t go up like crazy as in so many other hotels around town. 

Book a room at Inn Seventh Heaven

General tips for your Pushkar Mela visit

Clothing

One thing is certain – you will get dusty so you should dress accordingly. Whether you just stay on the Mela Ground or visit the areas where the traders are like I did, there will be a lot of sand. I wore my Birkenstocks, long loose cotton pants, and a kurti over them. I also had a scarf on me for sun and dust protection, a shoulder bag, and sunglasses. I think my outfit was pretty good – I could have just used an extra layer of sunscreen as there is very little shade at the Mela Ground. 

Also, bring more wet wipes than you think you will need as well as water. 

And this should go without saying: considering that Pushkar is a very sacred place, wearing more is more. Shorts and tanktops are not appropriate here. 

Money

Considering that you don’t have Indian payment apps and will probably just pay for small amounts, cash will be king during your Pushkar visit. Plan accordingly because ATMs may run out. There are a few around town but I had to try a couple to find one with money left over on the Sunday evening. 

How much is the Pushkar Mela

So far, the majority of the events at the Pushkar Mela are free. But obviously, you will have to pay to use the rides, food, drinks, etc., and if you are hiring a guide. Also, the sand exhibits charged a small cover fee but honestly, I didn’t spend much overall. 

That said, the prices are raised throughout town quite a lot during the Mela which goes for hotels, transfers, and some guides.

Toilets

I didn’t see any toilets around the Mela Ground but I am sure there must be some. I honestly didn’t look – considering the state of fair toilets anywhere in the world I really wasn’t keen. I was told by my guide though that any hotel will let you use their toilets if you ask so this would be my go-to option. 

Animal welfare at the Pushkar Mela

This is a tough question and one I still cannot answer though I have tried to do research and talked to a few Indians about it. I guess some animals have always been used as a source of food, for work or both. Considering that people bring their animals to the Mela to be sold, their well-being is in their best interest. Or at least it should be. However, people cover long distances with their animals and having not the greatest living conditions in general may make this difficult. 

We did see quite a few emergency vehicles for different-sized animals all around and apparently, Animal Aid Abroad keeps organizing a free camel treatment camp during the fair. 

While I was initially very keen to see the camel and horse dance competition, I wasn’t so sure about it in hindsight. Some animals were handled really roughly, some even beaten – if this was just what we saw on stage, I don’t want to imagine the behind-the-scenes. The Indians I have spoken to have given me mixed messages about the treatment. Just like with elephants it would be nice if we stopped using animals for human entertainment at least. And add more moustache competitions to the program. 

3 WEEK RAJASTHAN ITINERARY FOR INDIA FIRST-TIMERS.