Best time for visiting INDIA

Interested in 2018 trip, and when would be the best time to reserve the trip for??
I read that October to March is better- so my choices are October or January.
Unfortunately, I didn't spend enough time researching my Japan trip this year, and we went in September- which was a BIG mistake- rained all the time, and typhoon season. It seriously impacted the enjoyment of that expensive trip, and I never want to do that again

Comments

  • edited December 2016
    Hi Kathy - I am set to go on this trip beginning February 16, 2017. My best months for travel this year due to my work schedule was January/February/March. However, after researching a bit, I found out that Republic Day was on January 26, 2017 - this is a big holiday, excess crowds (even more so that is usual) and no alcohol is served (not a big issue..but a glass of wine with dinner is rather lovely!)). I decided to avoid being in India on Republic Day...so I then considered the February and March dates. The weather averages for India (from North and South) seemed a bit more moderate in mid-February.

    I quickly googled weather in India - and remember, India is a vast country with a great variant in temperatures, etc. This is what I found: India’s vast size means that whatever the time of year you plan to visit, there is a region that has comfortable temperatures and clear skies. Generally speaking, the summer months of April and May are the months to visit India’s North-East, while November to March are good months to visit both the north around Delhi and Rajasthan, and India’s south. Though the monsoon rains arrive between June and September, it is still possible to plan a visit in these months.

    Based on this - and your recent rainy typhoon experience in Japan, I would avoid October--it is too close to the end of India's monsoon rains! Maybe the January dates of the trip avoid Republic Day --

    By the way, I am thinking of the Japan trip for next year -- putting the weather aside, what were your thoughts??

    Nancy
  • I would go in February, I think that is when we went on the Spotlight tour, the south will be getting quite hot by then.
    Tauck publishes temperatures and rainfall charts for all their tours, I look at those and more detailed ones on the web before I book any of their tours but I have noticed in reading the forums that many people do not even think about what the weather may be like where they are visiting before they book a tour. I learned all about climate, geology and so on at high school in the U.K. And can pretty much assess what weather may generally be like in most countries, you know, things like the west side of an island being wetter than an east, when hurricane seasons are and so on. I was just reading recently that American schools do not do a good job teaching world climates. I certainly have never spoken to any American that knows that England has a much milder climate than my part of the US.
    Japan is one of my favorite countries, I have been twice, not with Tauck but independently. I would love to go again. It can certainly get very humid there at certain times of the year plus the typhoon season. Years ago the Japanese would only turn on the A/C at a certain time of the year, whether it was hot or not, they were very rigid about traditional times to turn on/off heat and A/C
    Enjoy Japan and India!
  • We went in January (tour began on the 7th) 2016 and we were very pleased with the weather. It was moderate in the north, maybe a jacket in the early hours and the evening, and warmer in the south. I do not think you will escape the humidity in Kerala at any time, but it was still pleasant. We were very pleased with our time frame.
  • Another thought: (easy if you have an I-phone). Add all of the cities you will be visiting on the weather app and then as January unfolds, you can watch the weather in each city to gain some insight.
  • I tentatively booked January 11, 2018- but now I see we arrive in Mumbai at the end of the trip, around Republic Day January 26, 2018, and leave on 1/28/18 from Mumbai back to US. Would we be able to do any sightseeing there, or get stuck in all the extra congestion of the Holiday, and have an unpleasant time?
    With my work parameters, I have to use up all except 80 hours of vacation time, by end of January, so my scheduling of a long vacation is either January or October/November time frame. Some Indian doctors at work have told me Diwali is usually around November- and might not be a good time to go, either.
    As I previously mentioned, Japan was not a good choice for September, but we had a wonderful time In Africa in September a few years before.

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