The best time to visit is October to March, when temperatures are comfortable. Summers are extreme — up to 45°C in June — and the desert is no place to be in that heat.
January or February brings the Desert Festival, a three-day event that takes place against the backdrop of the Sam Sand Dunes. Camel races, folk music, turban-tying competitions, and the famously eccentric Mr. Desert pageant make it one of the more enjoyable festivals in Rajasthan, and it draws a good crowd without the chaos of larger Indian events.