India in July, August or September
 

There is nothing anyone can say here that hasn't been said on the internet before. The most informative discussions are probably old threads on Indiamike, not FT. A search for something like "Indiamike travel monsoon" will yield lots of knowledgeable posts.

Short answer: don't do it. It's not just the rain (indeed it doesn't rain as much in Rajasthan), it is the heat and the intense humidity.

Thank you for your advice, SeeBuyFly. :) I'll check out Indiamike. I haven't look at that site in a long time.

I take it going earlier next year (May or June) would mean just excruciating heat, especially in Rajasthan.

April things heat up, May sees some thunderstorms due to the intense heat and in June everyone is awaiting the onset of the rains, which in the first few days causes flooding.

July-Sept is OK to travel as the rains are more regular and the initial flooding due to clogged drains et al subsides. Everything is still warm/hot and very moist. You could have phases of 2-3 hours where it rains buckets. If you plan for that you can visit the sites inbetween the rain.

I like going to India any time of the year. I'd pick April-May to be a tourist in North India. It's very hot, but also dry, and there aren't many other tourists around.

The monsoon rainfall can be cataclysmic and it seems to arrive without much warning--it's sunny and three minutes later you are standing in six inches of water.

I found Bangalore completely pleasant in July. Goa would be stormy at times but could be fun in July-August. I've been in Delhi in July and August and while I took showers 2-3 times a day, I didn't find it any worse than Washington DC in the summer.

Indians travel to the mountains in the summer, and there are a lot of mountain destinations to choose from.

Thank you, oliver2002 and GoraDesi. Those are good suggestions.

I've been planning this trip in my mind for years. In fact, I can look back here on FT and see questions I've asked about India. It's finally hit me that that ideal Nov.-Feb. window for travel to India doesn't work for me for a long trip, and I'm not going to travel all that way for just a few days. So, hot, dry summer or hot, wet monsoon it must be if I ever want to get there. I'm zeroing in on Rajasthan because I've always wanted to go there and it seems that a drier part of the country might be more navigable during the monsoon.

The coming of the rains is a relief from the worst of the heat, and is welcomed across India. It is a great time to stay home, relax and watch the rain come down and all the vegetation turn bright green. If you don't have to move a muscle, and there is a fan swirling overhead (*), the heat and humidity are not at all bad, and who cares about the mud outside.

If you have to go out and see the tourist sights, well, that's a different matter altogether.

For a more positive view, read "Chasing the monsoon".

(*) I lived there before AC was a thing, and anyway AC isolates you from nature.

You're right, SeeBuyFly. Traveling somewhere and living somewhere are totally different experiences. I'm no stranger to heavy rain, and we're just coming off a very heavy rainy season in Costa Rica. I wasn't out trying to see the sights. *** That's the difference. ;)

I've ordered Chasing the Monsoon. Looks like a good read. Thanks!

*** Most nature tours here go on rain or shine, and some of the most fun excursions I've had have been in the pouring rain. Tour operators provide ponchos and boots. You get soaked. :)

In India, if you wear waterproof ponchos and boots, you will still be soaked, except with sweat. Those don't work in Indian humidity.

I have not been to Costa Rica, but I have a suspicion that your rain is not comparable to monsoon rain.

Perhaps. I was following your lead that surviving the rainy season in a place where you live is not the same as when you travel somewhere. You're a lot more exposed to the elements in the latter situation. :)

July-September is not ideal but its doable. I have a lot of friends & relatives who visit around this time.

Rajasthan will be extremely hot during that time & going out in the afternoons will be uncomfortable. Just keep that in mind.