Cholistan Jeep Rally: Dates, Schedule and How to Watch

The Cholistan Jeep Rally is held every February in the desert south of Bahawalpur, with its base at Dilwash Stadium beside Derawar Fort. The 2026 edition, the 21st, ran from 11 to 15 February after being moved back a week from its first announced dates, and the week followed the usual pattern: an opening in Bahawalpur, qualifying near Derawar, then two days of full rally rounds with a stock-car race and a cultural night in between. The final day usually draws the biggest crowds.

It is Pakistan's best-known motorsport event and one of the country's largest outdoor gatherings, and it rewards some planning. This guide explains how the rally week usually runs, where spectators watch, where to stay, and how to get in and out without spending half the day in traffic.

When is the Cholistan Jeep Rally held?

TDCP started the rally in 2005, and in recent years it has been held in the first half of February. The 2023 rally ran from 6 to 12 February, the 2025 rally from 12 to 16 February, and the 2026 rally from 11 to 15 February.

The exact dates are usually announced in December or January, and they can move. In 2026 the rally was first scheduled for early February and then pushed back a week. If you are booking hotels or leave from work, wait for the official announcement from TDCP or the Punjab tourism department, and check again a week before you travel.

How the rally week usually runs

The 2026 schedule is a good guide to how the week is organised:

1. Opening ceremony in Bahawalpur (10 February in 2026), the day before the rally proper.
2. Registration and scrutiny in Bahawalpur (11 February), where cars and drivers are inspected, followed by the drivers' briefing. No racing yet.
3. Qualifying at Dilwash Stadium near Derawar (12 February). The first chance to see the cars at speed, with a shorter, more compact run.
4. First rally round (13 February), with the men's and women's categories out on the full desert track.
5. Stock category race and a cultural night (14 February).
6. Final round (15 February), again with men and women, plus dirt bikes, followed by the prize-giving in the evening.

The main categories are Prepared (purpose-built rally machines) and Stock (closer to ordinary four-by-fours), each divided into classes A to D, plus a women's category with its own pro and stock classes. More than 120 drivers took part in 2026. In recent years the top prepared class has been won by Zain Mehmood (2024 and 2025) and, in 2026, by Khalid Hameed; Nadir Magsi, the rally's best-known name, won it in 2015 and in each year from 2017 to 2019.

Where to watch the rally

The track is long, about 500 km in 2026, looping through the desert of Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan districts past old Cholistan forts such as Jamgarh and Moujgarh. Nobody sees all of it. Spectators generally choose one of two approaches.

At the base near Derawar

Dilwash Stadium, next to Derawar Fort, is the start and finish and hosts the qualifying round. This is the easiest place for families: it is reachable on the paved road, qualifying lets you see the cars at speed on a short course, and on the final day you see the finishers come in. Stalls, tea and food spring up along the approach road for the week. Many visitors combine the rally with Derawar Fort itself; our guide to Derawar Fort covers what you can and can't see there.

Out on the desert track

The keenest fans drive out into the desert in four-wheel drives and camp beside the track, watching the cars pass at full speed through the sand. This is the more dramatic view, and the harder option: it needs a proper 4x4, someone who knows the desert, and enough water and fuel for a day away from the road.

Wherever you watch:

• Stay well back from the track and behind any ropes or markers. Rally cars leave the line on sand, and the outside of a bend is the worst place to stand.
• Follow the marshals and police, and keep out of any area they close.
• Expect dust, a lot of it. Sunglasses and a scarf or mask make the day far more pleasant.
• Don't take an ordinary car off the tarmac. Sedans get stuck in soft sand quickly, and pulling them out in a crowd is nobody's idea of fun.

Crowds and traffic

The rally draws people from all over Pakistan, and attendance is counted in tens of thousands on the busiest days; organisers' own estimates for the week have run far higher. The road from Dera Nawab Sahib to Derawar was never built for that. In past years hundreds of police have been deployed to manage traffic on roads that are simply not wide enough, and slow queues are normal.

What helps:

• Go early. On race days, aim to be past Dera Nawab Sahib by early morning, before the main flow of cars from Bahawalpur.
• Pick your day. If crowds put you off, go on qualifying day or the stock race day rather than the first round or the final, when most people come.
• Leave before or well after the prize-giving. Much of the crowd heads home at once after the final, and the desert road back to Dera Nawab Sahib can crawl for hours.
• Fill up and buy water before the desert. Fuel stations in Ahmadpur East and Dera Nawab Sahib are the last reliable ones, and they get busy.
• Carry your CNIC, for police checks and for hotels.

Where to stay during rally week

This is the part that needs booking earliest.

• Bahawalpur. The largest choice of hotels and guesthouses, and the usual base. Many fill well before the rally, so book as soon as the dates are confirmed. The catch is the daily drive of about two hours each way, longer in rally traffic.
• Ahmadpur East and Dera Nawab Sahib. Closer, with a smaller and simpler choice of places to stay.
• Tented camps near Derawar. During rally week, operators set up tented camps in the desert around the fort, at a range of comfort levels. Choose an established operator, ask exactly what is included (bedding, toilets, meals, heating), and book ahead.
• The TDCP resort near Derawar. A small resort with six rooms and a camping area, completed in 2022 ahead of the rally. With so few rooms, don't count on getting one in rally week.
• Your own tent. Plenty of groups camp with their own gear, lighting bonfires and cooking through the night. Do it with a group, near other campers, and only where the police and organisers allow.

What the nights are like

The rally has become a festival as much as a race. By day there is the racing; by night the desert fills with campfires, music and barbecues, and in 2026 the programme included a cultural night, camel races and handicraft displays.

February in Cholistan means mild, sunny days and cold nights in the open desert. Bring proper warm clothes, a hat and a blanket or sleeping bag rated for cold if you are camping. Families with small children usually find a day visit from Bahawalpur, back to a hotel by night, much easier than camping.

What to carry

• Water and food for the whole day, whatever the stalls promise
• Warm layers for the evening, and a scarf or mask for dust
• Sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen
• Your CNIC, and cash, since card payment is rare in the desert
• A full tank, a torch and a charged power bank, as signal is patchy
• For camping: a tent, cold-weather bedding and a way to carry out your rubbish

Is it worth going?

If you enjoy motorsport, crowds and a festival atmosphere, yes. There is nothing else like it in Pakistan: powerful cars racing through dunes, a desert fort in the background and tens of thousands of people camped under the stars.

It suits you less well if you dislike crowds, dust and traffic, or if you want to see Derawar Fort and the desert in peace. In that case, go to Cholistan in December, January or late February instead, when the fort is quiet and the roads are empty. If you would like help planning a trip to Bahawalpur and the desert around rally week or outside it, tell us your dates. For general advice on travelling in Pakistan, see our travel guide.

Frequently asked questions