South India in the summer.

rahul__rahul__

Hi,
what are good destinations in South India during the summer that are easily reachable from Mumbai by train, such as Kerala or something? Hopefully not some place that will be too hot in the summer..?
Thanks!
Rahul

lonelyaztec

It is really hot here in the summer. You must avoid.

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dan37_123

rahul, please specify the months..
There are hills stations in the south as well.
else, yes, it is HOT HOT and HOT all day and ALL NIGHT long

dan

atala

It should should be remembered that the experience of what is unbearably hot is subjective, and depends upon one's physical constitution and preference.

Before I came to India for the first time, I was told by a friend how very unbearably hot it was in summer. It was a misconception that kept me from coming to India for a number of years. A lot of first-timers who come in January are pretty shocked how cold it is in the North.

Later, when I was there in South India I was always waiting for that heat to become unbearable. It never happened, because it turned out I did not experience heat as very uncomfortable as did my friend.

I have never stayed for long in dry heat though, always the humid type. In dry heat one feels dehydration less, and it is therefore more dangerous, and sujectively unbearability starts at higher temps.

This was discussed somewhere else on IM.

It should also be mentioned that summer in different parts of India means different things. In South India it means April to June. According to the movement of the monsoon beginning around mid-June, the time period mentioned extends a bit the higher North a place is.

pontesnm

Summer (hot season) in South India would be say mid-April to say mid-June. Summer in US would be Memorial Day - Labor Day (essentially June through August). The best places to see during the former months are not necessarily best in the latter months. Mid-April to mid-June I would go to some place on the West coast or to some hill-stations.

Nick-H

I really would not much like to go sight-seeing in Chennai or nearby mid-april to mid-June. Kerala would be more comfortable.

speaking of course as a relative. It is a personal reaction.

At least partly, I seem to remember seeing a chart of what happens to the human body as the external temperature rises much above what it is used to. ISTR it was on the BBC the last time UK had what it calls a "heat wave".

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pmvelu

Hi,

If you would like to avoid hot summers, then following are the few or only places in South India:-

In Tamilnadu :

1) Ooty -> Over-crowded in April / May /June (3 Hours from Coimbatore / Mysore) Or 6 hours from Bangalore )
2) Coonoor -> 20 km from ooty (less crowded when compared to ooty)
3) Kodaikanal --> 3 hours from Madurai (Over-crowded in April / May / June)
4) Yelagiri -> 4 Hours from Bangalore (Nothing much to see but you could stay and relax)
5) Yercaud --> Called as "Poorman's ooty" with not much altitude, the temperatue is kind of cool --> 6 Hours from Bangalore Or 1 1/2 hours from Salem Or 6 Hours from Coimbatore
6) Kolli Hills --> Nothing much to see except 1 waterfalls (after walking 2 kms or so ) in the forest ( 4 Hours from Salem OR 4 Hours from Trichy)

In Kerala:-
You could still feel the heat due to the humidity & might be Vythiri / Lakkidi (Wayanad District) Or Ponmudi (80 kms from Trivandrum- Nothing to see except the Mist clad mountain and a lone Resort /Beer Parlour) Or Kumily (Periyar Reserve) Or Munnar ( 130kms from cochin) are the BETTER choices

In Karnataka:-
Kemmanagundi ( 53 kms from Chickmagalaru) Or (Bandipur / Bokkapuram(TN) / Masinagudi(TN)--> Resort Stays) Or Madikeri (Kodagu District)

In Andhra Pradesh:-

Arakku Valley (3 Hours From Vizag) Or Horsley Hills (Nothing much to see except relaxing in a resort) (3 Hours from Tirupathi)

And South india will be hotter / hottest in Summer months and hence I am not sure any non-Hilly place would suit your requirement.

Hope this is of some help
Regards
Velu

trojan

personally I reckon there are one or two weeks in the summer that are totally unbearable. even to Indian people. but the most important thing to remember is to deal with it the way local people do: cut down on activity, drink plenty of water, stay out of the sun, get a cooling water-fan thingy, start your day at 4 in the morning when it is still relatively cool and get your work done then, walk slowly and eat plenty of ice-cream, drink lassi/sugar-cane juice/fresh coconut etc. Eat cooling foods. talk to your Indian friends and find out what they recommend eating for the hot season. it may sound like a bunch of hokuspokus at first, but take my word for it, it really does work.

Don't forget about rehydration salts and glucose water. essential for those summer months.

Personally I would recommend heading inland for the hottest weeks of the year. but that is just a personal choice. find the dryer heat of the Deccan plateau much more pleasant than the humid coastal regions.

One word of advice - beware of prickly heat. Repeat after me: talcum powder and frequent showers are your friends.

PS - if you are out and about and feel over whelmed by the heat, ATMs are frequently airconditioned and provide that essential 5 minutes of coolness than will allow you to think straight enough to go sit down in the shade

it can be pretty unbearable, but don't be put off. just remember to adapt.

Surya reigns, humbly we surrender.