Trip to Pushkar Camel Fair and Rajasthan

[redoxsim]

Hi all,

I'm considering a trip to visit the Pushkar Camel Fair in India (it's held on 2-5 Nov this year), with a few other places in Rajasthan, over a period of about 10 days. Heard it's an excellent destination for great photography.

Anyone interested (looking for fellow travellers to share costs) or have visited the camel fair before, will be happy to hear your experiences.

 

[Ah_Seng]

Are you gonna buy a camel in the fair?:think:

Actually, you can buy one , then ride the camel to Jaisalmer, then sell it off there....

 

[behyx]

Are you gonna buy a camel in the fair?:think:

Actually, you can buy one , then ride the camel to Jaisalmer, then sell it off there....

Hey this is something really cool. Is it possible???

 

[Francis247]

Hi all,

I'm considering a trip to visit the Pushkar Camel Fair in India (it's held on 2-5 Nov this year), with a few other places in Rajasthan, over a period of about 10 days. Heard it's an excellent destination for great photography.

Anyone interested (looking for fellow travellers to share costs) or have visited the camel fair before, will be happy to hear your experiences.

You can try to check out PSS. I think they are going there.

 

[Ah_Seng]

Hey this is something really cool. Is it possible???

I read abt this somewhere. It's possible but riding a camel is no joke, esp for men.
Jaisalmer is recommended to sell your camel cos there're many operators there offering camel tours to the desert.

After only a few hours of riding, i cannot tahan liao....need to massage my groin areas....:bsmilie:

Pushkar to Jaisalmer......very very long dist.....maybe can try Bikaner though......:bsmilie:

 

[Ah_Seng]

Btw redoxsim, though i did not visit Pushkar, from what i know, there will be huge increase in accoms prices during the fair. You might wanna check with the folks from thorn tree for more info.

I did visited Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer though when i was in Rajasthan. Since you only have 10 days, can skip Jaisalmer. I really love Jodhpur, the blue city. Wondering around in the old city in Jodhpur is amazing! Can stay below the fort in the old city. The ppl there are really friendly and do not bother you as much as those in Agra and Varanasi. Lots of stuff to shoot! Basically, India is a photographer's paradise!!!

 

[redoxsim]

yah, actually I was hoping to squeeze in a visit to Jaisalmer...but looking at the schedule, I realise it's indeed gonna be tough. Besides, I really want to focus on experiencing the camel fair. Don't think I want to buy/sell camels.

I've tried renting horses before in Mongolia for a 2 week ride across the steppes. Needs a lot of preparation, in terms of maps, rations, sleeping equipment, GPS, etc. And in 10 days...not a chance. But nice thought though.

Will check out PSS. But would rather not travel in a large bunch.

If anyone is interested, please do get in touch with me.

 

[redoxsim]

You can try to check out PSS. I think they are going there.

I've checked the PSS website. Don't see any information regarding a trip to Pushkar/Rajasthan.
Francis, any idea where I can find the info?

 

[Francis247]

I've checked the PSS website. Don't see any information regarding a trip to Pushkar/Rajasthan.
Francis, any idea where I can find the info?

It is not on the website. I think it might be better if you give them a call or drop by PSS on one of these weekdays evening to check it out.

 

[skinnylatte]

Camel-riding... really really causes kar chng tia. Especially for guys, I imagine.

That said, the pushkar camel fair is a huge event. Prices for hotels and transport will go through the roof, as the previous poster said. I didn't go to pushkar as it was rather touristy and after the hassles I faced in varanasi, I didn't want to go to a place like that (I think you'll know what I mean after you return..).. but do try to fit in a visit to Jaisalmer, it was fantastic. Jodhpur, Ajmer, Udaipur are wonderful too.

There's a great forum on india travel, www.indiamike.com. Everything I know about India, I found out from indiamike. If you need any help on India, let me know. I spend something like 3 months a year wandering around India.

 

[Ah_Seng]

Oh yes....how can i forget abt Indiamike. It's a great forum with helpful ppl...:thumbsup:

It's a shame with all the hassles in Varanasi. I love the place....esp the boatride in the mornings on the Ganges, minus the hassles....

 

[skinnylatte]

Yeah I really really wanted to like Varanasi... but... as a lady, my lady friend and I got eve-teased so many times we weren't offended anymore.

(Eve-teasing=the Indian term, a form of sexual harassment)

redoxsim: any help needed with any form of transportation arrangements in india, flight, trains, bus, let me know. i'm a bit of a train nut and i love indian trains. memorize timetables and stuff. i'll be able to help.

 

[redoxsim]

I'm thinking of flying into Delhi and heading towards Pushkar from there, stopping by Jodhpur on the way. Skinnylatte : Any advice on whether I should travel by bus or train?

As for high accommodation costs at Pushkar, I was thinking of staying at the nearby town of Ajmer instead, and then taking the bus into Pushkar during the day for the festivities. Feasible?

 

[skinnylatte]

Staying in Ajmer might be a good option as it's only 11km away from Pushkar. You might be able to hire a car or rickshaw to ferry you around while you're there. Rickshaw hire can be very very cheap, especially if you strike up a deal with an honest rickshaw-wallah, book him for a few days and all. It'll be a deal that's beneficial to both of you as you get your transport as and when you want and at a good rate, while he gets steady work at a better rate than he can charge locals.

I have heard very good things about Ajmer. Being a holy site for Muslims in India, it will provide you with a good picture of Rajasthan, especially when compared to Pushkar, which is holy for the Hindus. But if you are able to find a good deal in Pushkar, then you may be missing out on the atmosphere of the camel fair if you decide to stay in Ajmer (though that's up to you).

Train travel in India is infinitely more comfortable than bus travel, especially in Rajasthan (which has one of the worst bus systems in India, IMHO). From Delhi to Ajmer, Jodhpur, etc, train connections will be plentiful and fast, though you'll probably get on a bus at some point. I think bus travel in November will be much better (I was there in April at the height of the Rajasthani summer.. 48 degrees.. NO AIRCON).

If you're going to Jodhpur, I can happily recommend Durag Niwas. The hotel was cheap, fantastic, and the host was great — he can point you out to the best places in town. I wrote very briefly about Rajasthan, including Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, so you may be interested in taking a look.

On your way back from Rajasthan, you could perhaps drop off at Agra, see the Taj Mahal, and catch the fast train back to Delhi the same day. Agra can be done in half a day, so why not see the Taj while you're there.

 

[Long Thai Bean]

I've checked the PSS website. Don't see any information regarding a trip to Pushkar/Rajasthan.
Francis, any idea where I can find the info?

Briefly saw a mailer this month regarding the trip ... If I reacall correctly, it was somewhere about $3,500 per person in a twin sharing room and the group size was about 15 people.

Best to go down and talk to some of the admin or instructors there.


RGDs

 

[skinnylatte]

Briefly saw a mailer this month regarding the trip ... If I reacall correctly, it was somewhere about $3,500 per person in a twin sharing room and the group size was about 15 people.

Best to go down and talk to some of the admin or instructors there.


RGDs

$3500.. I can spend 6 months in India with that money! But that's just me.

 

[redoxsim]

$3500 sounds too much.
Hoping to get by with less than $1500 for the 10 days (incl. airfare).
Anyone with airfare lobang to Delhi? The current NATAS deals require travel before 15 Oct, which is half a month earlier than my planned departure.
Skinnylatte: Do you advise pre-booking my train seats even before departure from Singapore?

 

[skinnylatte]

$3500 sounds too much.
Hoping to get by with less than $1500 for the 10 days (incl. airfare).
Anyone with airfare lobang to Delhi? The current NATAS deals require travel before 15 Oct, which is half a month earlier than my planned departure.
Skinnylatte: Do you advise pre-booking my train seats even before departure from Singapore?

Trust me $1500 for 10 days.. you'll be living like a prince!! Haha I did like a around-the-subcontinent jaunt (Calcutta, Darjeeling, Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore) on... less than $1500, for 2 months. Didn't suffer one bit either!

I think airfare to delhi is cheapest (600ish) compared to other parts of India (other parts, >800ish).. try calling Mustafa Travel or International Indenting House, they usually have the best fares. Sometimes SIA have promos, $550 or around there. You can talk to a travel agent about buying Air India tickets to Delhi, they usually can do something about giving you a substantial discount off one or two legs of domestic flights, if you're interested in saving time.

Yes, booking indian trains beforehand is a must. Trains fill up very quickly especially if you want to travel by a certain class. I recommend travelling by Tier 3AC, which is something like sleeper class but with AC. Quite comfortable. Tier 2AC is a bit more expensive but more comfortable. Both are fine. On Sleeper class (w/o AC) you can travel most distances for less than S$15. On 3AC, less than S$30. 2AC for less than S$45, as a general guide. 3AC is the most value for money and very comfy. I travelled in peak season and had to prebook my trains 2 months before hand, but that's cos I'm super kiasu. There are ways to get around the system, such as by buying foreign tourist quota tickets or tatkal emergency tickets but I didn't want to hang around the stations too much waiting for a ticket to be available. It is possible to make your train bookings online, it's fairly simple and I've done it myself. It costs a few cents extra but you can print out an e-ticket so that's super convenient. I can help you with that when the date draws near.

Regarding air tickets, don't worry too much. After NATAS blows over the agents will be able to give you the prices for travel in early November. Just the way their windowing periods work. Since it's early Nov I can say it won't be much more expensive especially if you book once the rates are available. I think around 550-650 can get already, standard price for Delhi.

 

[redoxsim]

Regarding air tickets, don't worry too much. After NATAS blows over the agents will be able to give you the prices for travel in early November. Just the way their windowing periods work. Since it's early Nov I can say it won't be much more expensive especially if you book once the rates are available. I think around 550-650 can get already, standard price for Delhi.

Your prices include taxes and fuel surchage?

 

[nuts]

I spent close to $800 for 10days in Kolkata & Darjeeling, including the airfare at $500... I didn't get any train tix in advance and queueing to get them is frustrating! There are runners for agents queueing to get tons of tickets and there're many queue-cutting going on, so I spend 2hr+ getting the tix!
So yes, I would think getting tix in advance is advisable... ;p

Anyway,
/shameless plug on
There is a travel community forum which I'm trying to build at http://www.wookup.com/travelnet/ in case you pple didn't know...
/shameless plug off