jimindc

I'm considering a trip to India this coming summer, but I'm nervous about the weather and associated headaches. Everything I've read says that the best time to visit is between October and April, but as a teacher, I don't have the option of taking time off during those months. I've looked around a lot, and found several sites recommending good summer destinations in India, but even those seem to come with the caveat that these destinations are more enjoyable during the cooler months.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has personal experience visiting India during late June or July. Is it worth it? Will I be miserable? Are there places in India where the monsoon isn't as much of a factor? Or am I better off going somewhere else and saving India for a time when I can go in the cooler season?

Thanks in advance!

duniawala

If you are OK with hot and humid weather you will be fine. If you go to the cooler in India (like Simla, Manali etc.)places you won't see much. Generally you will feel the heat as you walk through the sites like the forts etc.

Best if you do the golden triangle by the end of June. It is going to be hot but the monsoon is just days away. The eastern part of India starts their season around May and it slowly travels west and north, so the monsoon hits Delhi around July.

As for travel, take the air conditioned cars and trains. You stay at AC hotels. Venture out for shopping and dining after the sun sets.

All in all you should be fine. Just take the usual precautions about water and food.

You can look up travel packages on the net or even in these forums. Hae a good trip.

jimindc

Thanks for the reply, duniawala! I am definitely OK with hot and humid weather - I spent last July in Burma and have done summer trips to Morocco, Jordan, Vietnam, and other hot destinations. I guess I was more concerned about the possibility of downpours lasting for days, or the chance that train/bus routes would be disrupted.

I'm thinking I will try to squeeze in the Golden Triangle the last part of June (likely spilling into July) and then spend some time in the Himalayas.

Keyser

if you will be spending time in the himalayas then july would be a good time to visit....but for pretty much every other tourist destination in india july is a terrible time....its either too hot or raining too much....

vinay12345

belated June and July is good time northern India traveling. you can choose most famous & memorable places like Delhi, Taj Mahal in Agra, Kajuraho, Jaipur, Udaipur & more...

Golden Traingle tour is lifetime memorable tourist place..

Keyser

all these places would be extremely hot & humid in june & july....the absolute worst time to travel....

jimindc

I understand that this is "the worst time" to visit India compared to the rest of the year - I guess my question is whether it's still worth it, given that this time frame is my only option. (Unless I change careers, it will likely remain my only option for the foreseeable future!)

I think I've decided to give it a go for about a 12-day trip spanning the last few days of June and the first few of July. If anyone has specific suggestions about places to visit in the North I'd be glad to hear them!

Keyser

i can't really say whether it would be worth it or not....a few years ago i had a friend visit from paris & she said she had a great time, even though she was here in june-july....she was here for almost a month & did the whole delhi, agra, jaipur (golden triangle) bit & went to a couple of other places like varanasi before going to mumbai & kerela & a few other places i can't remember....then last year i had another friend visit from dc around the same time & he found the heat & rain to be too much for him....he ended up cutting his india trip short & went to nepal for a few days before heading back home....

MumbaiGuy101

You can cover the Golden Triangle in 6-7 days. For the rest of the holiday, I suggest a 3-4 day visit to Rishikesh, which is in the foothills of the Himalayas. It does not rain incessantly there nor is it so high up that there is a danger of landslides during the rains.

It is one of the best destinations in India for religious, spiritual, yoga and adventure tourism. Of course no adventure tourism during the monsoons.

jimindc

Thanks for the replies!

EricTheNerd

Sorry if this is OT, but is there a thread/area on FT (or elsewhere) with discussion of traveling on a teacher's schedule? As the summer months are the only viable time for travel, it feels like half the world (including India) is "off-limits" because it's too hot or too rainy. I've always wanted to go to India, but I've always put it off as being a poor option during the months I can actually travel.

desi

India is not as big as USA but still pretty big country.
It could be very cold in Boston and New York in Jan but Hawaii and Key West could be actually pretty warm. Similarly, if you plan to go trekking in Himalayas, june will be fine. Also, if you want to just enjoy the beauty of monsoon by staying at one hill station and not actually traveling, you will be fine.

I understand your predicament. I put off traveling to Alaska around xmas, every year.

DiegoSan

July? How about this: Within ten minutes of walking outside after your lovely morning shower you will be drenched in sweat. Within another half hour you will begin to feel dehydrated. You will drink water in one liter amounts and you won't even remember drinking anything because you will be thirsty again very quickly. You won't need to pee because you sweat out the water. You will shower 4 times a day if you can. If you don't you will hate yourself and people around you will wish you showered more often. The A/C in your hotel room will become like a dialysis machine to a kidney patient. You will begin to literally pray for rain. The rain showers/thunderstorms usually bring a sudden drop in temp (sometimes by 20 degrees F & lots of cooling wind) but they blow through pretty fast and in no time at all you are back to 110 degrees with 90% humidity. Have fun.

vinay12345

Most welcome in advance

You can travel in your summer vacation as you tell us as you are Teather & you can make vacation in summer, then I suggest you to top most tourist places in northern India like Goulden triangle tour (Delhi, Agra & Rajasthan). You are right that in may & June northern India has so hot, but if you make your tour with any tour company then you will have no face these types problems.
You can choose a luxurious tour with the Indian Railways tour package (IRCTC). You can feel comfortable, safe & most luxurious.