Wondering when the best time to visit Rajasthan is? Roughly-speaking: October to the end of March. This is when Rajasthan sees its best weather and is widely considered to be ‘peak season’. The rest of the year, i.e. April to September, is the ‘low season’.
In our opinion, you can’t go wrong travelling to Rajasthan in the peak season no matter which month you decide on. That said, certain months are better suited to some than others depending on how hot you like your holidays! And there are advantages to travelling out of season if your schedule won’t allow otherwise. Allow us to break it down for you…
The colourful festival of Holi falls in March and is one of the best times to visit Rajasthan
Peak Season
October, March and early-April
October, March and early-April are all lovely times to visit Rajasthan, with dry, sunny days and balmy evenings. Days can be fairly hot and often reach 35 degrees Celsius (95°F), dropping to a pleasant 20 (68°F) or so overnight. Holi, the Festival of Colour, falls in March. This well-known paint-throwing festival is colourful, noisy and good fun. In October there’s RIFF, the Rajasthan International Folk Festival, held at Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur. Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday is celebrated on October 2nd and is a national holiday.
Jaipur is particularly special at Diwali
November and February
In November and February, the temperature in Rajasthan touches about 30 degrees Celsius (86°F) during the day and hovers around 15 (59°F) overnight. Diwali, the Festival of Light, usually falls in November as does the annual Pushkar Fair (but has been known in October, depending on the lunar calendar).
December and January
December and January are the winter months in north India and the coolest time of year to visit Rajasthan. Days are usually warm with temperatures of about 25 degrees Celsius (77°F) – great for sightseeing. However, mornings and evenings are much crisper (between 5 – 10°C or 40 – 50°F) and often foggy. The fog tends to lift by late morning but can cause delays on internal and international flights, and train journeys. Rajasthan is a popular option for the Christmas and New Year holidays and it’s important to book early to secure the best accommodation. The Christmas and New Year holiday period (20th December – 5th January) is the peak of the peak season and hotel prices are at their highest of the year. On the 14th January, Rajasthan’s skies are filled with kites for the annual kite festival, especially in Jaipur.
“Rajasthan’s best hotels tend to fill up well in advance during the peak season months of October to March, and into early April over the Easter holidays. In our experience, three-or-four months’ notice should be enough to secure your first choice of accommodation, but we recommend booking as early as you can”.
Madeleine Hann, Co-Founder at Indian Excursions Co
October to March is perfect for an alfresco dinner, like this one overlooking the Taj Mahal in Agra
Low season
May and June
This is the hottest time of year in Rajasthan. Temperatures regularly exceed 45 degrees Celsius (113°F) during the day and sit at around 30 (86°F) overnight. Generally speaking, we don’t recommend visiting at this time of year. That being said, we appreciate heat is subjective and many of our Australian guests find it tolerable (Brits, on the other hand, usually don’t!). If you do decide to visit in May or June, please know it is our priority to ensure you’re as comfortable as possible (your car is air-conditioned and well-stocked with chilled water, and we’ll take advantage of the cooler early mornings to sightsee – think Taj Mahal at sunrise, rather than sunset). You may like to escape the heat by pairing a quick trip to Rajasthan with our luxury Ladakh tour, high up in the much cooler mountains.
The summer months of April, May and June are great for tiger sightings
July and August
July and August can be very wet and aren’t the best time to visit Rajasthan. It’s the monsoon season and Rajasthan receives the majority of its annual rainfall during these two months alone. Temperatures typically hover between 35 and 25 degrees Celsius (95 – 77°F). It rains most days but usually in a short, powerful burst rather than a day-long drizzle. A particularly heavy shower can cause traffic and often there’ll be some flooding on the road. Weather-wise, it’s not the best time of year to visit but there are certain advantages such as extraordinary value for money at some of the region’s best hotels (in many cases 60% off the winter tariff), and much lesser crowds at places of interest. Mosquitoes are a pest during the monsoon but malaria isn’t a concern (Rajasthan is considered low-to-no-risk).
Late-April (post-Easter) and September
Technically low-season, late-April and September are good shoulder months where you can take advantage of low-season pricing while avoiding the worst of the low-season weather. Temperatures touch 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) in the day and drop to a more comfortable 25 degrees Celsius (77°F) overnight. The heat is dry in late-April but humid in September and in September, you might experience some showers.
Please note that most national parks, including Ranthambhore, are closed from July 1st – October 1st each year. Many properties close for a month or two in summer. Tented camps such as The Serai in Jaisalmer and Samsara in Dechu are typically closed from April to September or October.
If you’d like to include a stop in the desert city of Jaisalmer, the best time to visit Rajasthan is from October to March
If you’d like to discuss planning your trip to Rajasthan at any time of year, please do get in touch. As specialists in private tours of this specific region, we’d be the ideal match to assist with your arrangements. You can learn more about us and what we do by clicking here, or, for inspiration, browse our sample tours of Rajasthan here.
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