The Thar Desert of Rajasthan is India's camel country, with the annual Pushkar Camel Fair (October-November) drawing some 200,000 camels, horses and traders in a week-long spectacle of trading, racing, decoration contests and folk music — one of the world's largest livestock fairs. Beyond the fair, Jaisalmer offers desert safaris on camelback to the Sam Sand Dunes, typically on overnight itineraries with Rajput hosts and folk musicians around campfires. The cool dry season (October-March) is essential; summer is unbearable.
