A month of lamps, camels and golden light
Our family has spent Diwali in the walled city of Jaipur for longer than anyone can count. On the night itself, each home lights clay lamps called diyas on its doorstep and roof, and the city becomes a field of small flames. From the ridge above, you can see it all at once.
The week before Diwali: every house in Jaipur is whitewashed and every shopfront hung with lights.
- Weather
- Warm, sunny days, often the high 20s °C; cool nights, properly cold in the desert by the end
- Rain
- Rare
- Crowds
- High season, busiest in the Diwali and fair weeks
- Festivals
- Diwali, the Pushkar fair, Kartik Purnima, the Bundi Utsav
- Best for
- First-timers, families, couples, photographers and bird lovers
- Pack
- Light cotton, a warm sweater, a scarf for dust, something festive
- Johari Bazaar: it glows end to end, the sweet shops work through the night and the lanes fill with families in new clothes.
- The camel fair: around the full moon of Kartik, herders from across the desert walk their camels, horses and cattle to the sands outside the holy town of Pushkar.
- Pilgrims: they come in their hundreds of thousands to bathe in the sacred lake.
- Unforgettable: the Pushkar Camel Fair is noisy, dusty, devout, and nothing else in India quite compares.
- The finest weather: between and after the festivals, days are warm and dry, evenings cool, skies deep blue and the light golden from morning to dusk.
- Everything begins: the wedding season starts, the winter birds arrive and the desert camps are fully open.
- Why we ask you to plan early: everything works in November, which is exactly why everyone wants to come.
Weather in November
Days: warm and sunny across the state, often in the high 20s °C, with the occasional warmer day early in the month.
Evenings: pleasantly cool.
Desert nights: by the end of the month, around Jaisalmer and Bikaner, they are properly cold.
- Rain: rare.
- Clear air: in Rajasthan, though Diwali fireworks bring a haze for a day or two.
- Delhi's air: often very poor this month, which is one reason we keep Delhi short.
- In the cities: you will want a light layer after dark.
- A proper warm layer: for the desert camps, Ranthambore before dawn and the hills of Kumbhalgarh and Mount Abu.
- The whole year: our weather and climate guide has it.
Diwali, the festival of lights
What it celebrates: Rama's return to Ayodhya, and Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity.
- Falls on
- The new moon of Kartik, late October or November
- 2026
- Main night on 8 November
- 2027
- The end of October, by the almanacs
- Length
- About five days, with bazaars lit for a week or more
- Honours
- Rama's return to Ayodhya, and Lakshmi
- A moving date: because it follows the moon, it moves between years. We confirm the dates each year.
- Read more: our Diwali guide explains the meaning, and our Diwali in Jaipur journey is built around the week.
Dhanteras, two days before
Buy something new: ideally gold, silver or a brass pot, as a sign of prosperity.
- Johari Bazaar: packed until late, as families carry home small silver coins stamped with Lakshmi.
- Our pick: the best evening of the week for a walk through the jewellers' street with our guide.
Roop Chaudas, the day before
The fourteenth day of the dark half: a day for bathing, beauty and lighting the first lamps.
- Preparations: women apply henna and prepare the house.
- New clothes: in many families the youngest children are given some to wear the next evening.
Diwali night and the Lakshmi puja
At dusk: each family performs a puja to Lakshmi, lamps are lit on every doorstep and the fireworks begin.
- Join a puja: we arrange for guests to join that of a family we know, or a puja at your hotel.
- Afterwards: we drive up to Nahargarh to look down on the lit city.
- Monument hours: they can change on the day itself, so we see the big sights earlier in the week.
Govardhan Puja and Annakut
The next day: it honours Krishna, who lifted a mountain to shelter the cowherds.
- Nathdwara: at Nathdwara, the temple of Shrinathji offers the Annakut, a mountain of food.
- By long custom: tribal villagers from the surrounding hills come to carry away the rice.
- Extraordinary and crowded: one of the most remarkable days in the Mewar calendar.
Bhai Dooj, two days after
Brothers and sisters: much like Raksha Bandhan, sisters cook for their brothers and mark their foreheads.
- Busy roads: families travel to visit each other, and many shops stay shut.
- How we plan: a quiet day at your hotel.
Where to spend Diwali
Jaipur: our first choice, for its lit bazaars and the view from the ridge.
The Pushkar Camel Fair at the Kartik full moon
Arrive early: herders begin arriving a week or more before the official programme, and those early days are the best for real trading and photography.
The official programme: from about Kartik Ekadashi to the full moon, with races, contests, folk music and dance in the arena.
- Builds to
- Kartik Purnima, about two weeks after Diwali
- 2026 full moon
- 24 November
- 2026 official fair
- 17 to 24 November, per the state tourism calendar
- 2027
- Full moon in mid-November
- The town
- Sacred, vegetarian and alcohol-free
- The fairground: rides and stalls selling saddles, bells, leather and silver.
- The holiest bathing days: pilgrims arrive at the same time, the ghats are full day and night, and the Brahma Temple has long queues.
- Extraordinary and intense: we plan walks rather than drives on the busiest days, and keep our guides beside you in the crowds.
- Where to stay: usually two nights in a good camp near the fairground and two in a resort outside town, or a resort alone if you prefer quiet.
- The choice explained: our Pushkar luxury stays page.
- The whole week: our Pushkar Camel Fair journey shows how we arrange it, with an evening of qawwali at the dargah in nearby Ajmer.
Other fairs of Kartik, and the wedding season
- A holy month: Kartik is one of the holiest months of the Hindu year, and its full moon is a great bathing day at rivers and sacred lakes everywhere.
- Worth a detour: some of these fairs are small and local, and all are worth the drive if your dates line up.
The Bundi Utsav
When: in the month of Kartik, usually in late October or November.
- What happens: the Bundi Utsav fills the town with processions, folk music and dance, crafts and fireworks.
- Keshoraipatan: at Kartik Purnima, pilgrims bathe in the Chambal nearby and float lamps on the river at dusk.
Kolayat, near Bikaner
At the full moon: pilgrims bathe in the sacred lake of Kapil Sarovar at Kolayat, about an hour from Bikaner.
- The fair: it gathers around the ghats and temples.
- A desert Pushkar: smaller and almost entirely local.
The Chandrabhaga fair at Jhalrapatan
Where: the old temple town of Jhalrapatan near Jhalawar, in Hadoti.
- What: a livestock and pilgrimage fair on the banks of the Chandrabhaga river at Kartik Purnima.
- The scene: cattle traders and bathers, with the great Sun Temple standing over it all.
The wedding season begins
Weddings resume: they pause for the four months of the gods' sleep and resume after Dev Uthani Ekadashi, in late Kartik.
- Every evening: you will hear a brass band before you see a groom on his white horse, leading a dancing procession to the bride's house.
- Busy weekends: palace hotels and heritage gardens host great weddings on the most auspicious dates.
- The other side: our page on destination weddings in Rajasthan explains the season.
Where we send guests in November
- A first full circuit: November suits it better than almost any other month.
- Why: the desert is comfortable, the forests are open, the lakes still hold their monsoon water and every city is at its best.
Jaipur, for Diwali
Three nights around Diwali: Amber at opening time, the old city by day and the lamps by night.
- Where to stay: Rambagh Palace for its gardens, or Samode Haveli to be inside the walls.
- After Diwali: Jaipur settles into perfect weather.
Pushkar and Ajmer, for the fair
- Four nights: they cover both the herders' days and the full moon.
- Outside the fair weeks: Pushkar is calm and golden, the lake still full and the dawn on Savitri hill cool and clear.
Jaisalmer and the desert camps
Close to perfect: in Jaisalmer, warm days, cool nights, camps fully open and golden light all day.
Udaipur and Mewar
The weather: warm days, cool nights and the lakes still full from the monsoon.
- Festive: Diwali lamps line the ghats, and the wedding season brings bands to the hotel gates.
- Timing: book Diwali week early, and enjoy the calm weeks after it.
Bikaner and the cranes
One of the most comfortable desert towns: Bikaner in November.
- Combine: the Kolayat fair with Junagarh Fort.
- Khichan: stop on the way to Jodhpur or Jaisalmer, where thousands of demoiselle cranes now gather each morning.
Ranthambore, between the festivals
A lovely month: at Ranthambore, mornings are cool and misty, afternoons warm.
Easier tigers: the forest is drying and the grass thins, so they are easier to find than in October.
- Avoid Diwali week: Indian families fill the lodges and permits sell out. Come in the calm days after it.
- How long: two nights, with three or four drives, is the minimum we suggest.
- On the route: it sits neatly between Diwali in Jaipur and the fair at Pushkar, with a few quiet days in a lodge garden before the full-moon crowds.
- Bring: a warm layer for the open jeep at dawn.
The winter birds arrive
Keoladeo: at Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, the winter ducks, geese, pelicans and waders arrive through November to join the resident storks and herons.
A great spectacle: the park becomes one of the great bird spectacles of Asia.
How we explore it: by cycle-rickshaw with a naturalist, or on foot, in the soft early light. Our birding experience explains how we plan it.
- Ranthambore: the forest is drying and visibility improves through the month, with migrant birds arriving on the lakes.
- Diwali week at the park: one of the busiest of the year, and permits sell out fast.
- Jawai: the first migrants arrive on the reservoir and village tanks, and the leopards are back on their rocks.
- Khichan: the demoiselle cranes reach their thousands.
- Tal Chhapar: its grasslands hold blackbuck and wintering raptors.
- Palaces and wildlife: a wonderful month to mix the two.
Diwali sweets and the first winter food
Homemade sweets: families make their own Diwali sweets and savouries.
Sweet shops: counters piled high with barfi, kaju katli and boxes wrapped in shining paper for gifts.
Everyone sends sweets: if you stay with us, you will be given more than you can eat.
- Mawa kachori: a deep-fried pastry filled with sweetened milk solids and dipped in syrup, a speciality of Jodhpur.
- Malpua: in Pushkar, thick and sweet, fried in ghee and soaked in syrup, sold by the stalls near the ghats, all vegetarian, as the holy town requires.
- Sohan halwa: in Ajmer, dense and chewy, sold by the slab around the dargah.
- Winter vegetables: as the nights cool, village kitchens start cooking with fresh fenugreek, mustard greens and the first winter carrots.
- Palace kitchens at their best: chefs are back from leave and the season's menus are fresh.
- A royal dinner: ask for one in a courtyard, with laal maas, safed maas and gatte ki sabzi, the gram-flour dumplings of the desert.
- Each dish: our Rajasthani food guide explains them.
Delhi, Agra and the road to Rajasthan
Delhi's air: November is when it is most likely to be poor, as crop smoke from the north, Diwali fireworks and still winter air combine over the plains.
It varies: a great deal from year to year and week to week, so we watch the forecasts closely.
- How we plan Delhi: keep Delhi to a night or two at most, and fly on to Jaipur or Udaipur rather than driving out through the city's traffic.
- The right shape: a night at The Imperial or The Oberoi, a morning in the old city and an early flight.
- Agra: usually clearer than in December, when dawn fog returns, so November is a good month to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise.
- Agra to Jaipur: stop at Bharatpur for the first winter birds and at Abhaneri for the great stepwell.
- At its best now: our Golden Triangle and Udaipur journey follows exactly this route.
- Avoiding Delhi: fly into Jaipur or Udaipur through a connecting city, or begin in Mumbai and fly straight to Udaipur. Our airports and flights guide explains the options.
Crowds, rates and why we ask you to book early
Everyone comes: international travellers arrive in numbers, Indian families travel for the Diwali holidays, and weddings fill palace hotels on auspicious dates.
The busiest periods: Diwali week and the Pushkar fair are among the busiest of the whole year.
- Season
- High season
- Busiest
- Diwali week and the Pushkar fair
- Book ahead
- Many months for the festival weeks
- Rates
- High and rising towards December
- The best rooms: in Jaipur, Udaipur, Pushkar and Ranthambore, they go months ahead.
- Rates: high and rising towards December.
- Plan early: ideally many months ahead for the festival weeks.
- Outside Diwali and the fair: busy but comfortable, and early mornings at the great monuments are still calm.
- No published prices: they depend on your dates, hotels and room categories. Our guide to what a luxury Rajasthan journey costs explains how we quote, after one conversation.
What to pack for November
Light cotton: for warm days, and long sleeves for sun and temples.
A warm sweater or fleece: for desert nights, dawn safaris and late-month evenings.
- A scarf: for dust at the Pushkar fair, and to cover your head in temples and at the dargah.
- Something new and festive: for Diwali evening. We can arrange a tailor or a fitting at a shop we trust.
- Shoes: comfortable ones for fairgrounds and forts, and slip-ons for temples.
- For smoke and noise: ear protection for children during Diwali fireworks, and a mask if you are sensitive to smoke.
- A camera bag that seals: fine sand gets everywhere at Pushkar.
- The full list: our packing guide.
A sample week in November
When it fits: years when the herders gather at Pushkar within a week of Diwali.
- In 2026: the official programme begins about nine days after Diwali, so we add two or three nights at Ranthambore between Bundi and Pushkar, which makes a ten-night journey and arrives as the camels do.
- When Diwali falls in October: as in 2027, we lead with Diwali in Jaipur, rest in Ranthambore or Udaipur, and reach Pushkar for the full moon in mid-November.
Days 1 to 3: Jaipur for Diwali
Arrive: two days before Diwali.
- Dhanteras evening: walk Johari Bazaar.
- Before the festival day: see Amber and the City Palace.
- Diwali night: join a family Lakshmi puja, then drive up to Nahargarh to look down on the lit city.
Days 4 and 5: Bundi
The drive: south to Bundi, about four hours, for two quiet days after the noise of Diwali.
- What you find: the lakes still full and the palace warm in the November sun.
- Morning light: the Chitrashala murals are at their best.
Days 6 and 7: Pushkar for the herders
The drive: about four hours to Pushkar, as the camels arrive.
Before sunrise: out to the sands with a guide who knows the herders.
- Midday: the heat of the day at your camp or resort.
- Evening: the aarti on the lake from a quiet ghat.
- Last evening: drive to Ajmer for qawwali at the dargah.
- Onward: leave from Jaipur, about three hours away.
Our advice for November
Who will love it: first-time visitors, families, couples, photographers and bird lovers.
If you dislike crowds: you can still enjoy November, as long as you avoid Diwali week and the fair, or plan them with care.
Either side: for the same weather with more sparkle and bigger crowds, read Rajasthan in December. For the opening of the season, see Rajasthan in October.
- Every month compared: our best time to visit guide.
- Book early: Diwali and the Pushkar fair, ideally many months ahead.
- Keep Delhi short: and check the air quality before planning long days there.
- Monuments before Diwali night: hours can change and roads are full.
- At the fair: go out before dawn and come back for the middle of the day.
- Respect Pushkar: it is vegetarian and alcohol-free, so enjoy a glass elsewhere.
- Photography: ask before photographing herders, pilgrims and bathers, and never on the bathing ghats.