In Photos | The Quiet Preparations Before Pushkar’s Big Camel Fair

As the sun slips behind Pushkar’s dunes, the desert is already stirring for the camel fair: traders gather beside their animals, tourists ride through the sands and a meal cooks over an open fire. The Pushkar Camel Fair runs from November 17 to 24, with the quiet preparations unfolding in the warm glow before the crowds arrive

Tourists ride horses through the desert at sunset ahead of the Pushkar Camel Fair 2026, in Pushkar, Ajmer district, Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. | Photo: PTI

Camel traders pose for a photograph in the desert during sunset ahead of the Pushkar Camel Fair 2026, at Pushkar, in Ajmer district, Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. | Photo: PTI/Ravi Choudhary

A silhouette of a camel against the setting sun in the desert ahead of the Pushkar Camel Fair 2026, at Pushkar, in Ajmer district, Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. | Photo: PTI/Ravi Choudhary

A woman prepares meal in the desert during sunset ahead of the Pushkar Camel Fair 2026, at Pushkar, in Ajmer district, Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. | Photo: PTI/Ravi Choudhary

A camel trader poses for a photograph during sunset ahead of the Pushkar Camel Fair 2026, at Pushkar, in Ajmer district, Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. | Photo: PTI/Ravi Choudhary

People enjoy a camel safari in the desert ahead of the Pushkar International Camel Fair, in Pushkar, Rajasthan, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. | Photo: PTI

A camel trader, with camels, in the desert ahead of the Pushkar International Camel Fair, in Pushkar, Rajasthan, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. | Photo: PTI