Pushkar Camel Fair tour in Rajasthan, India
| country: | India |
| location: | Rajasthan |
| departures: | 2009: 22 Dec 2010: 29 Jan, 19 Feb, 19 Mar, 15 Oct, 4 Nov, 6 Nov, 17 Dec, 24 Dec 2011: 28 Jan, 18 Feb, 18 Mar, 8 Apr |
| price: | From £1839 (18 days) including flights from the UK, from £1395 excluding flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
An in-depth tour of the classic sites of Rajasthan, including a range of spectacular forts, palaces and temples, complemented with a two-day camel safari into the desert. Alternatively you can choose to opt out of the safari and spend more time in Jaisalmer.
Pushkar Camel Fair
The picturesque Rajasthani village of Pushkar, surrounded by hills and dunes, provides a stunning setting for the world's largest annual camel fair at which an estimated 25,000 beasts are traded. The convergence of these animals and their brightly turbaned and colourfully veiled tribes-folk owners brings the arid deserts cape alive and a massive bazaar springs up to trade a myriad of items from lentils to jewellery. As well as trading, camels, horses and cattle are paraded and raced and a circus and fairground rides entertain the masses. We will spend 2 days at the festival, drinking in the electric atmosphere of this unique gathering. The timing of the fair broadly coincides with a religious festival dedicated to the Hindu creator god Brahma. Pushkar is an important sacred spot for Hindus and during the festival its otherwise tranquil lake is engulfed with thousands of devotees bathing in its holy waters.
Land of the Maharajahs
Arriving in Delhi we discover the new city with its wide boulevards, before heading to the hustle and bustle of Old Delhi to explore the bazaars of Chandni Chowk. We then head out onto the caravan routes, stopping at Mukundgarh and Nawalgarh, famed for their painted merchants' houses (havelis), and Bikaner - with its Jain temple and headquarters of the Camel Corps. From the desert city of Jaisalmer we set out on our own camel safari, traversing a starkly beautiful wilderness of dunes, rock shelves and scrubland. After exploring Jodhpur's awesome fortress and Ranakpur's holy Jain temples, we drive on to Kumbalgarh with its impressive fort and palace. We then reach Udaipur, the 'City of Dreams'; defended by huge iron-spiked gates against charging elephants, its island palace seemingly 'floats' on a magical lake.
Pushkar Camel Fair
The picturesque Rajasthani village of Pushkar, surrounded by hills and dunes, provides a stunning setting for the world's largest annual camel fair at which an estimated 25,000 beasts are traded. The convergence of these animals and their brightly turbaned and colourfully veiled tribes-folk owners brings the arid deserts cape alive and a massive bazaar springs up to trade a myriad of items from lentils to jewellery. As well as trading, camels, horses and cattle are paraded and raced and a circus and fairground rides entertain the masses. We will spend 2 days at the festival, drinking in the electric atmosphere of this unique gathering. The timing of the fair broadly coincides with a religious festival dedicated to the Hindu creator god Brahma. Pushkar is an important sacred spot for Hindus and during the festival its otherwise tranquil lake is engulfed with thousands of devotees bathing in its holy waters.
Land of the Maharajahs
Arriving in Delhi we discover the new city with its wide boulevards, before heading to the hustle and bustle of Old Delhi to explore the bazaars of Chandni Chowk. We then head out onto the caravan routes, stopping at Mukundgarh and Nawalgarh, famed for their painted merchants' houses (havelis), and Bikaner - with its Jain temple and headquarters of the Camel Corps. From the desert city of Jaisalmer we set out on our own camel safari, traversing a starkly beautiful wilderness of dunes, rock shelves and scrubland. After exploring Jodhpur's awesome fortress and Ranakpur's holy Jain temples, we drive on to Kumbalgarh with its impressive fort and palace. We then reach Udaipur, the 'City of Dreams'; defended by huge iron-spiked gates against charging elephants, its island palace seemingly 'floats' on a magical lake.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Delhi. |
| Day 2: | Arrive Delhi; city tour. |
| Day 3: | Train to Jaipur; drive Mukundgarh. |
| Day 4: | Visit Nawalgarh; drive Bikaner. |
| Day 5: | In Bikaner; visit Fort, Old Town and temples. |
| Day 6: | Drive Jaisalmer. |
| Day 7: | In Jaisalmer; tour including Museum of Folklore and havelis. |
| Day 8-9: | 2-day camel safari; 1st night camping, last night in Jaisalmer. |
| Day 10: | Drive Jodhpur. |
| Day 11: | In Jodhpur; visit fort and bazaar. |
| Day 12: | Drive to Pushkar; at Camel Fair. |
| Day 13: | Day exploring Camel Fair. |
| Day 14: | Drive to Ghanerao. |
| Day 15: | Drive Kumbalgarh; visit Fort; drive Udaipur. |
| Day 16: | In Udaipur; optional boat/bike tours. |
| Day 17: | PM fly Delhi. |
| Day 18: | Fly London. |
award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
small group cultural tours
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends it's good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as experiencing new cultures.how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment
We support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. Community Festivals express the very soul of a community, rooted as they are in local history and folklore. They’ll engage all your senses, with their din, colours, scents, tastes – the sheer rawness and spontaneity of the whole experience. This is a fabulous way to learn about the local customs and traditions and get an authentic view of the country you are travelling to in an unpackaged way. This tour offers a unique opportunity to witness the traditions of the Pushkar Camel Fair whose traditions date back centuries. Not only is this a major trading opportunity and a time for local people to let their hair down; it coincides with a great religious festival too. By using local tour leaders on this trip we’ll be able to get the kind of insight only a local can give into not only the background to both festivals but also the daily life of local people in a world that is rapidly changing. Wherever possible we like to meet the people themselves and get to learn a bit more of their lifestyle, but only where we can be sure we that we are not imposing on them. We believe learning about and respecting local people is an integral part of the travel experience. Employing local leaders also generates employment opportunities. We also support a variety of other local businesses such as restaurants, locally owned hotels and transport businesses. Our camel trek employs a large crew (and it is great fun getting to know them!) so we ensure our visit benefits a wide range of people. We aim to support development first and foremost by doing business well but there are many people in India who are unable to benefit from tourism. For this reason we also support the work of the Hope Foundation who work with some of India’s most vulnerable and needy people. We support a school in South India and an orphanage in Delhi. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |