Click below for When to Go Regional Temperature Charts:
NORTH : Agra - Rajasthan - Varanasi - r - Shimla
SOUTH : Cochin - Goa - Kerala Backwaters
EAST : Calcutta (Kolkata)
WEST : Mumbai (Bombay)
India tours depend
heavily on the the climate because the
India weather. The seasons play a key
factor in any India travel. The sub-continent is so vast, 2,000
miles from north to south and west to
east, nearly as far, that the India weather
and temperatures are so different in the
north, central and southern areas.
The climate for India tours can be
generally regarded as three seasons -
hot, wet (the monsoon) and cool, and
each varies both in degree and duration.
India tours are usually best during the
cooler period from November to mid or
late February.
From March, India tours weather starts
becoming rapidly warm as the heat starts
to build up on the northern plains. By
this time in Rajasthan temperatures have
reached the mid 30°C’s. Travel to India in May sees
temperatures in Delhi and Agra and
the Taj Mahal are nudge above 40°C.
India weather in the central area means that
temperatures of 45°C
and above are commonplace. South India
also becomes uncomfortably hot during
this time. India tours late in May may
involve encountering the early monsoon
in some areas with high humidity,
electrical storms, short rainstorms and
dust storms that turn day into night.
The Monsoon
When the monsoon finally arrives the
rain comes in steadily. In the extreme
south it arrives at the beginning of
June and moves northwards to cover the
whole country by early July. The main
monsoon arrives from the southwest but
southern Kerala and the southeast coast
are largely affected by the short and
wet northeast monsoon, bringing rain
between October to early December.
Travel to India in the monsoon
and you can expect hot, humid and muddy
conditions. It may not rain all day but
it rains virtually every day. Humidity
rises as the sun follows and this
creates an unpleasant and tiring
atmosphere. Most foreign tourists start
their travel to India tour from October when the
monsoon has ended in most of the
country, though the best period for
Ladakh is May to October.
October and November is
neither too hot nor too cool, though in
some parts October can still be humid.
Between mid-December and mid-January
Delhi and other northern cities can
become surprisingly cold, especially at
night though temperatures are
comfortably warm at this time in the south.
India Tours Climate Summary
North: The northern plains are at their
most temperate, dry and sunny from
October to March. Delhi and nearby
States can experience light to heavy fog
during mid-December to mid January, but
south into Rajasthan can be relatively
unaffected. North of Delhi, freezing
temperatures are sometimes encountered
at night. When the Sun burns off the
mist, temperatures rise again. May and
June are extremely hot.
Himalayan Foothills and beyond: The
hilly regions are at their best from
March to October, except during Monsoon,
when there is some relief from the heat
of the plains. There can be snowfalls in
some of the hill stations late December
to February. Further north, Kashmir and Ladakh have their best season in July
and August, since the region is in the
rain-shadow of the first row of
Himalayan Mountains.
East and West: The central belt is
subject to Monsoon rains, with the
coastal areas being rather humid, and
the inland hotter during the day and
cooler at night.
South: There is a significant variation
in conditions in the South, with
November to April being the best months.
It remains hot throughout, with the
exception of the Hill Stations, which
are cooler. Monsoon is at its peak from
June to August on the West coast, but
the rather drier eastern side has its
rain mostly from October to December.