The sacred village of Pushkar is usually home to about 15,000 people. Pushkar, considered one of India’s oldest and most devout spiritual sites, is home to the only Brahma Temple in northern India.

Once a year, in reverence of India’s most auspicious lunar period, this normally serene village comes alive with vibrance, color, and spiritual celebration as it hosts the world’s largest exotic horse and camel fair.

The Pushkar Fair brings together over 100,000 people, 10,000 horses, and 40,000 camels for several days of livestock trading, colorful equine and camel pageantry, races and performances, alongside pilgrimage and religious festivals.

Few Westerners have ever seen anything like the Pushkar Camel Fair - imagine the energy and excitement of 10,000 horses and 40,000 camels, brightly adorned and engaged in fiery competition and eclectic performances based on centuries old traditions, their owners vying for the perfect trade or the highest bid.

Relief Riders International, a United Nation’s award-winning humanitarian-based, adventure travel company, has been leading relief missions on horseback through breathtaking regions of India and Turkey since 2004.

From November 13-28, 2012, in the spirit of the pilgrimage to Pushkar, Relief Riders International will lead a relief mission to the Pushkar Fair. “I could not think of a better way to arrive at the fair than having delivered much-needed humanitarian aid to the rural and tribal communities of the region,” said RRI Executive Director Alexander Souri.

Our riders will participate in RRI’s critically important aid programs:
Give the Gift of Sight and Dental program, which provides free cataract surgeries and Dental care; the Give a Goat program, providing free goats for milk and food, to people living below the poverty line; and delivering de-worming medication and educational supplies to children.

The Relief Ride will set off on horseback from the historic Khimsar Fort, on the edge of the great Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Unlike most deserts, the Thar hosts an incredible variety of wildlife, including gazelles, blackbuck, and migratory birds. Riding on horses offers an intimate opportunity to experience this desert’s rich diversity and stunning landscapes. The Pushkar Relief Ride culminates with 3 nights of camping at the Pushkar Fair, giving riders the unique perspective of experiencing the world’s largest horse and camel fair on horseback.

“Experience has taught us that more and more people appreciate being able to travel with a purpose,” Mr. Souri explained, “The Pushkar Ride combines an exhilarating horseback ride through one of the world’s most distinctive landscapes to the mystical village of Pushkar with the satisfaction of making an immediately noticeable and positive difference in peoples’ lives. Our three-day visit to the Pushkar Camel Fair will leave our riders with memories that will last a lifetime.”