Travelling to India in June?

fuzz_a

Hi All,

I'm new to the board, but have been lurking for a little while and searching archives. I'm American, living near Boston, MA.

Anyway, I'd really love to visit India with my fiancee, but the only time we can feasibly do this is early this summer - leaving in the begining of June, and coming back in mid July the latest. our plan is to spend ~3 weeks there.

Because of what i've been reading about the climate at this time of year, we thought it might be best to spend our time in the north (delhi and points northwest, basically). But the more I read, the less sure of this I become. Is it even realistic for me to think of visiting India (even the NW corner) in pre-monsoon or the begining of monsoon season?

Thanks very much for your advice!

Aaron

ranjan154

Hi,

Summers are too hot in India, with temperature above 40 degree in almost all the parts of India specially Delhi and around places..

I would rather suggest you to choose Himachal Pradesh (Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala, Almora ...)as your destination, which has a very pleasant weather during this time..

__________________
Rakesh Ranjan
--------------
http://www.flickr.com/photos/travinfoindia/

robotvoice

good advice, also add to the list: darjeeling area and sikkim though you might get pretty wet.

fuzz_a

thanks for the reply.

so the climate in Himachal Pradesh is significantly different than Delhi? what about the Punjab then?

I would be flying in to Delhi anyway, and even with high temperatures like that, it'd still be worth my while to spend some few days in that area to do some sight seeing (taj mahal, etc).

IndeGuru

June/July is just not the right time to see Taj. Its really hot and humid there, if at all you have to come then head to the hills as above, N.W parts of India sizziling & it can be tough.

aadil

I did go to Khajuraho when it was 50 degrees Celsius and my friend from Spain almost collapsed due to the intense heat but I was pretty much alright but the next day onwards, after taking my advice and drinking a lot of water with Electral (electrolyte rehydrating salts in water) we were fine and had no problems at all even though we were travelling on foot the whole day in the hot sun and heat that was possibly the highest recorded in that place. We spent almost the whole month of June and July travelling the whole day in the sun and most of the places were in the range of above 45 degrees celsius everyday so there was no respite from the heat but we still managed to have a great time travelling all over the central, western and southern parts of India like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Hope you can also make the best out of your time out here when you come here though it is not the best time to be out here but if it is the only time you can make it then you better make the best out of it!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.

__________________
Climb high; climb far;
Your goal, the sky,
Your aim, the stars!!!

ranjan154

Yes, There is vast difference in climate in delhi and himachal pradesh. Because of the obivious reason Delhi is in plains and Himachal is mostly in hills, Himachal mean --Covered with snow -- you might be able to see some

Tajmahal - Agra .. very much like delhi too hot and humid.. i had been thier in summers and i regretted .. Although Taj looks beautiful any time of year.. My advice dont try to be adventurous..And choose the destination where you can stay and enjoy..

Let me know your personal interests .. me and IM team will try to help you making your trip plan..

mt.kailash

Travelling in the hot season is definitely possible-I live in cold misty Scotland and I made my last 2 trips to India in the hot seasons of 2001 and 2006! And I stayed in non A/C hotels.
Take aadil's advice on water and electrolytes.Also visit the Taj very early in the day as you have to remove your shoes and the marble gets VERY hot!!!

capt_mahajan

The climate effects different people differently.

Despite being born and brought up in India, the heat kills me. I simply could not enjoy travel in it; give me the cold anyday.

fuzz a, perhaps that is the question to ask before you decide your itinerary: how are you in +40 centigrade sun?

Nick-H

forty-plus!

Perhaps after a few more years in Chennai I might be able to cope with actually doing stuff in those temperatures

__________________
.


Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

robotvoice

the grass is always greener, you just need to head south, nick!

Noodle

I'm DEAD in the hot season, wild horses can't drag me out there. Here in Pune it's hottest in April and May (40 degrees), when the rains start in early June it immediately cools down to about 35 but is still sticky and warm till about August.

If you, fuzz_a, and your fiancee think they can manage these temperatures, good. If not choose areas where the monsoon starts in May and June, like Goa and Maharastra (the monsoon 'works its way up' from South to North), that is definitely easier to cope with, although it can be muddy and dirty and there are a lot of delays because of the strong thunderstorms.

And btw, aadil said drink a lot of water, and that means at least 3-4 litres a day! But as far as I know only one of those litres should be filled with a sachet of Electral.

Darmabum

I went to India specifically for the monsoon this year; was in Varanasi from late February through August. It wasn't the heat that got me as much as the humidity. Days could be in the low to mid 40's (nearing 120+ degrees for us who are centigrade-challenged). I stayed in a Rs 100 room, no AC and often - due to power cuts - no electricity for fans. For three months I sweated. Day and night.

If that type of heat is an issue, then yes, head north into the hills. But if your budget allows AC rooms, stay in the lower elevations. To go all that way and not see the architecture, some of the ruins would be - in my mind - a shame. It is doable, in the monsoon. Saw some great electrical storms . . . crowds are down (good deals on lodging) . . . very little hassle from rickshaw/silk-shop-guys - the heat lays them down too.

__________________
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure - Marianne Williamson

wonderwomanusa

Have you been to Miami in August? Pre-monsoon Northern India is hotterthan that, and about 99% humidity.

Much better in the Himchal area, which is why there are "hill stations."

fuzz_a

thanks for all your responses folks! you've definitely given me more to think about...

i mean, i knew that the temp gets to 40+, but so far almost no one has said absolutely not to go in early summer, so that still leaves some room for deliberation...