(Apparently I can't link to anything yet, so the helpful link to my original reddit help thread you will have to google... it is the same verbiage as above.)

I've got a little problem. It seems that the Ahkari caravan has gone completely missing from my main character's game.
So I first found this bug outside of Whiterun. Caravan equipment was there, but no Khajiit. So I did a little bit of testing. I loaded up my oldest save and headed to Riften... again, the caravan was there and not a soul to be found. The tents, campfire, everything is there... except the Khajiit. I know it's the Ahkari because they are missing when they "visit" Whiterun and Riften. Only the Ahkari caravan visits Riften.

Each time I fight a dragon I make sure to pull the dragon far away from any semi-essential NPCs and limit it to interacting with guards, which will respawn. Anyways, I'm 80% sure they're not dead, but other than that I have no plausible explanation other than a bug. Either they're bugged or all dead, but if it's the latter I have no idea how it could have possibly happened. Ahkari should technically be an essential NPC, as she is required for a quest I have yet to complete.

I also ran into a strange issue with Ri'saad's caravan, as well. I was doing the testing for this issue and saw some Khajiit outside Whiterun. I was understandably excited, so I ran up to them (oh, BOO, it's just Ri'saad.) However, there was no caravan equipment, and they were all just standing around in the grass. Not so much as a mat to sit on. But Ri'saad was ready and willing to sell me some moon sugar, sitting where his mat should typically be.

I know it's not a HUGE issue, but not having them in the game makes me feel... incomplete. Not to mention a little pissed, because this currently includes Kharjo.

Anyone else experience this? Also, is it wrong that this makes me want to completely start over? And lastly, Bethesda, WTH is going on here?

They travel from hold to hold my guy! Fast travel to each hold and look around the entrances. They're often behind you when you fast travel.

I don't think you understand.

Everything... the tents, the mats, the campfire, the tanning racks... they're all there. Just no Khajiit. When the caravan is in another city, the area where they usually appear is empty. (In Riften, there is a dead campfire, but that's it.) I'm really doubting that they're dead, because as I said one of the characters is essential to a later quest that I haven't yet unlocked.

understood after you edited it to explain all that.

Yeah. I'm totally confused. What do you think? Is this a bug?

Ok, so I made it to page 3... so here's my one and only bump per forum rules.

Can anyone tell me if this is a bug or if it's possible for the entire caravan (including what should be an essential character) to die?

Sounds more like a bug but it is very possible that a dragon coulda wiped em out.

The disappeared on me also, but came back and disappeared again, so sounds like a bug.

The only one that disappeared on mine was the one Malborn wanted me to kill.

I have the same problem.
Since very long I see no caravan outside of Riften though I visit the city very often as I am doing a lot of quests for the thieves. I also cannot find Mi'jhaad which is very unfortunate for me as he's a Pickpocket trainer and i need training in pickpocketing. For a very long time I only meet with the Ri'saad caravan outside of Whiterun and Markhart and that's all I see of the Khajiit

I am curious to know if you have done the fence quests that requires you to do a task for one of the Ahkari caravan members... I ran into a bug with the Pawned Prawn in which he would not open his doors until I finished a somewhat unrelated quest, so maybe this has something to do with it.

I too have encountered this bug, the Khajit campsite appears outside Whiterun, Riften etc, but it's just empty tents, no Khajit are present. I only noticed it recently, so i can't point to a trigger or a cause, but it does seem to resolve itself after a while as now my camps are populated again. Although for a couple of game months, there was not a Khajit in sight.

After recruiting Kharjo (Khajiit Caravan bodyguard), all of the Khajiits vanished.

Their equipment and tents still pop up infront of holds but no one is there.
When I dismiss Kharjo, he travels along the normal trade route all by himself.


edit;
360, but this is newest topic on it.

Yes, I have retrieves Kharjo's Moon Amulet.
Today while coming out of Whiterun I saw the empty Khajiit camp outside. Then I happened to meet all members of Ri'saad's Caravan walking on the road leading to Whiterun (though it was pretty far from the city). So I suppose the caravans haven't vanished, just the Khajiit are somewhere on the roads, you try visit them late at night or early morning, they might be there.

Have you tried waiting at the caravan tents to see if they ever arrive?

Do you guys also have a bug with the day and time falling out of sync? That is, the day will not change after 12AM, instead changing days at a different hour. The PC version has it, and when it occurs, the Khajiit caravans will also fall fall out of sync. This leads to the behaviour you guys are experiencing with empty camps, or no tents.

Yup, I waited 12, 24, and 48 hours consecutively. Caravan equipment stayed there, no Khajiit to be seen. This bug persisted until I started up the game yesterday. I ventured just outside Riften, and Ahkari and crew mysteriously appeared along with the formerly empty caravan equipment. I can say that there were at least 2-3 in-game weeks passed with none of the Ahkari caravan populating outside Riften, Dawnstar or Whiterun.So problem is solved... for now. I'm relieved to know that my game is no longer bugged, but I'd still love to know what the hell was going wrong. Think it could have been that time sync bug? It sounds like it could have been. I assume this won't be fixed in the patch, either. :/

Found Kharjo and the caravan last night, outside Dawnstar, after an age of searching.