TGWhen to go to India: seasons by region
India has no single season. Goa in winter, the Himalayas in summer, and the east rains when the south is dry.
“The best time for India is October to March” — that is written almost everywhere, and for the beach south it is true. But the country stretches three thousand kilometres, from the tropics to high mountains, and on the same day Kerala is hot and humid while Ladakh is below freezing.
So the question is not “when to go to India” but “when to go where I am going”.
Goa, Kerala and the south-west coast
The dry season runs from November to March. The sea is calm, humidity is bearable, evenings are cool. This is high season: prices are higher and the popular beaches are busy.
- November and March are the compromise: not yet or no longer peak prices, same weather
- June to September is the monsoon: heavy rain, rough sea, some places closed
- April and May are dry but hot and humid
Rajasthan and the Golden Triangle
Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, forts and palaces. Go between October and March: warm by day, cool at night. From April the heat sets in, and by May Rajasthan can reach fifty degrees — sightseeing becomes an endurance test.
Delhi has its own winter quirk: smog and fog in December and January, which delay flights.
The Himalayas: Ladakh, Manali, Spiti
Here it is the other way round. The season is May to September, when the passes are open and the roads work. In winter some routes are closed entirely, and high villages live at minus twenty.
- June–September is the only window for Ladakh and Spiti
- Rain barely reaches here: the mountains hold back the monsoon
- Allow a couple of days to acclimatise — the altitude is over three thousand metres
The east and Tamil Nadu
Chennai, Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram follow their own calendar: the rains come from October to December, when the west coast is already dry. The best time is January to March.
In short
- Southern beaches — November to March
- Rajasthan and the Golden Triangle — October to March
- The Himalayas — May to September
- The east coast — January to March
The visa does not depend on the season: the 30-day one is valid for 120 days from the date of issue, so it can be arranged long before the trip. We will handle it while you choose the route.