Pushkar camel fair

camelgirl

Can't agree at all with Indizen on this one.

The Pushkar Camel Fair, which I finally was able to get to in 2006, was one of the most interesting experiences I've had in India.

Not a tourist trap at all, a genuine, real & for the herders of Rajsathan, an annual animal fair.

Yes, there are loads of extra tourists cramming every square inch and prices are 10 times higher than normal, but it's still an amazing experience.

Midwife Hong, you'd better get booked as fast as you can. The whole tiny town fills to capacity very quickly & you will be paying much more than is fair, so be prepared. They have 5 days to make their money for the whole year! I hated that part but look at it as a once in a lifetime experience, so we paid way too much for a crappy tent camp, though the food was included & it was outstanding.

My signature has a few photos from the Camel Fair in no particular order. And my avatar is a lovely camel also from the Fair!

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philip007

Hey Camelgirl

Just how did you book your accomodation in Pushkar during the fair ?

Cheers

camelgirl

It really was a huge pain in the neck to do the booking because we were trying to avoid the very expensive companies that offer super luxury tent accomodations ($200-$300 a night). Pushkar has many small budget hotels & that's where I started. Even though the prices were unbelievable. A $20 room was $100. But we couldn't even get those as they were already fully booked.

They put up fancy tent cities on the outskirts of town, near the Fair, so I found one that was less expensive than the luxury ones but still ridiculous. I booked it but they required a deposit. They have such a short time for this whole thing that they are more demanding than usual with the deposits.

Then the fun began. They didn't take credit cards and I would not pay a lot of money to send them what they wanted, a wire of some sort.

So we asked the parents of an acquaintance who live in Jaipur if they would pay the deposit money in rupees (the tent agency was in Jaipur) and we would give their son the money in dollars! They did it for us.

Now this is a really crazy way to have to do it.

I can only recommend getting online and contacting as many small hotels in Pushkar as you can find and there are dozens of small local travel agencies who also put up these tent camps. Do a search here on IM, as there are many threads on this topic also. Here is just one http://www.indiamike.com/india-hotel...ar-hotels-c83/

I don't want to discourage you. Many people here on IM claim you can just go to the town and wander around and find a budget place. I'm sure it's possible but I wasn't about to fly 24 hours from the US without a place to stay.

By the way, our tent, which was called "luxury" & cost $135 a night (we stayed 3 nights), was not even close to luxury but barely habitable! (You can get real luxury for that price in India!) But we've never regretted it for a minute. It was my dream to go to the Pushkar Camel Fair for a very long time & it was all worth it!

vonkla

We went to Pushkar in 2005.
To avoid the high prices and the large crowds during the festival we went to Pushkar a few day before it really begins.
The herdsman arrive with the camels and there is already a lot to see.
During that time the prices were still on the normal level. We stayed at the Pushkar Villas Resort for 700 rs. but those prices will be higher now.

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Wildhorse

I was there way back in 2002 and loved it. For a photographer, it's a dream come true. The colors - unbelievable. The camels - never seen so many. Standing on a hill and looking down to the traders with their camels camping - wouldn't want to have missed it.

I don't remember where I stayed. It was a hotel in town which cost three times as much as usual but nothing else was available when I tried to book it - about two weeks before everything started. Anyway, I was pleased. It was all a great experience.

wonderwomanusa

I stayed at the Bharatpur Palace Hotel in December 2008; I paid Rs600 for a lovely PINK room on the roof, overlooking the ghats. It was not especially quiet, as puja begins at 5am.

I found this e-mail address for them: bharatpurpalace-pushkar@yahoo.co.in

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tembo

Thanks for the heads up Aishah! Time to start planning.

scullygirl

I'd like to go to the camel fair on the 22nd of Oct, about 3 days before the camel fair begins. Will there be anything to see then? Are traders beginning to arrive that far ahead of the fair's opening? Thanks for any information.

vonkla

As I stated we visited Pushkar in 2005. I have looked up the dates in our travel diary.

We stayed arrived November 4 and left the 7th. The official start of the market was on November 8.
The first day there were already thousands of camels and the number increased during our stay.

It was easy to walk around and look at the live of the herdsmen. We got the impression that a lot of trading took place.
There were no festivities although you could hire a camel for a short ride.

For us it was a perfect time.

shanrulezz

has anybody stayed at the pink floyd cafe?
ive heard soo many good things!!
apparently the rooms are named after the different albums
any info anybody???

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