Ranthambore
One of the best places in the world to see a wild tiger: in dry forest strewn with ruins and a 10th-century fort.
Oct-May 2 days
Travel calendar
Where to go in India in April
Heat on the plains: head for the hills. Here are 37 places at their best, the weather region by region, and the festivals worth planning around.
Weather in April
- North plainsHot (often 35-40 °C+).
- HimalayaLovely in the hill stations; high passes still closed.
- West & GoaHot and humid.
- South & KeralaHot, with pre-monsoon showers.
- NortheastWarm with spring showers.
Festivals & events
- BaisakhiMid-April · Punjab, Amritsar
- Vishu & regional New YearsMid-April · Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Assam
Escape to Darjeeling, Sikkim, Shimla, Munnar or Ooty, and sightsee early in the morning anywhere else.
On the map
Teal pins are at their best in April, sand pins are possible with caveats, and red pins are better left for another month. Tap a pin for details.
Where not to go in April
- DelhiExtreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoonsGo instead: Oct-Mar
- AgraExtreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoonsGo instead: Oct-Mar
- JaipurExtreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoonsGo instead: Oct-Mar
- UdaipurExtreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoonsGo instead: Sep-Mar
- JodhpurExtreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoonsGo instead: Oct-Mar
- JaisalmerDesert heat: 40-45 °C; desert camps mostly closedGo instead: Oct-Mar
- PushkarExtreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoonsGo instead: Oct-Mar
- VaranasiExtreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoonsGo instead: Oct-Mar
- KhajurahoExtreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoonsGo instead: Oct-Mar
- KolkataHot and very humidGo instead: Oct-Mar
- MumbaiHot and very humidGo instead: Nov-Feb
- Lonavala & KhandalaHot and dry: the waterfalls are goneGo instead: Jun-Feb
- Ajanta & Ellora CavesExtreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoonsGo instead: Oct-Mar
- Kutch & the RannExtreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoonsGo instead: Nov-Feb
- MysuruHot by Mysuru standards (mid-30s °C)Go instead: Oct-Feb
- HampiScorching heat among the bouldersGo instead: Oct-Feb
- Puducherry (Pondicherry)Hot and humidGo instead: Dec-Mar
- Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram)Hot and humidGo instead: Nov-Feb
- MaduraiVery hotGo instead: Oct-Mar
- HyderabadVery hot (often 40 °C+)Go instead: Oct-Feb
- Spiti ValleyRoads opening after winter; Kunzum Pass usually still closedGo instead: Jun-Sep
- Kedarnath and BadrinathTemples closed for winterGo instead: Sep-Oct, May-Jun
- Vrindavan and MathuraVery hot in the afternoons, often above 40 °CGo instead: Oct-Mar
- AyodhyaVery hot in the afternoons, often above 40 °CGo instead: Oct-Mar
- Ujjain and OmkareshwarVery hot in the afternoons, often above 40 °CGo instead: Oct-Mar
- OrchhaVery hot in the afternoons, often above 40 °CGo instead: Oct-Mar
- Bodh GayaVery hot in the afternoons, often above 40 °CGo instead: Oct-Mar
- Puri and KonarkHot and humidGo instead: Oct-Mar
- SundarbansHot, humid and cyclone seasonGo instead: Oct-Mar
- Dwarka and SomnathHot and humidGo instead: Oct-Mar
- Statue of Unity (Ekta Nagar)Very hot in the afternoons, often above 40 °CGo instead: Oct-Mar
- Shirdi, Nashik and TrimbakeshwarVery hot in the afternoons, often above 40 °CGo instead: Jul-Mar
- DiuHot and humidGo instead: Oct-Mar
- Tirupati and TirumalaVery hot in Tirupati town, and summer-holiday crowdsGo instead: Sep-Mar
- Rameswaram and KanyakumariHot and humidGo instead: Oct-Mar
- Udupi, Murudeshwar and the Temple CoastHot and humidGo instead: Oct-Mar
Possible, with caveats
AmritsarLeh & LadakhGoaBengaluruCoorg (Kodagu)ChikmagalurGokarnaKochiAlleppey (Alappuzha) BackwatersVarkalaChandigarhAlibaug
Shoulder season means mixed weather or just outside the peak months. Expect fewer crowds and lower prices.
Best places to visit in April
Rishikesh
The yoga capital of the world on the Ganges: ashrams, white-water rafting, suspension bridges and Himalayan foothills.
Sep-Nov, Feb-May 2-4 days
Manali
A Himalayan resort town for snow, apple orchards, adventure sports and the gateway to Lahaul, Spiti and Ladakh.
Oct-Jan, Mar-Jun 3-5 days
Shimla
The old British summer capital: colonial Mall Road, pine forests and the UNESCO-listed toy train from Kalka.
Sep-Dec, Mar-Jun 2-3 days
Dharamshala & McLeod Ganj
Home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile: monasteries, momos and the Triund trek under the Dhauladhar range.
Sep-Nov, Mar-Jun 2-4 days
Mussoorie
The “Queen of the Hills” above Dehradun: Mall Road, Landour’s quiet lanes and views of the snow peaks.
Sep-Nov, Mar-Jun 2 days
Nainital
A lake town in the Kumaon hills, with boating, ropeways and quieter lakes like Bhimtal and Sattal close by.
Sep-Nov, Mar-Jun 2-3 days
Jim Corbett National Park
India’s oldest national park, with sal forests, grasslands and the Ramganga river. Tigers, wild elephants and hundreds of bird species live here.
Nov-Jun 2 days
Darjeeling
Tea estates, the UNESCO toy train and sunrise over Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest mountain.
Oct-Nov, Mar-May 2-3 days
Gangtok & Sikkim
A clean, green Himalayan state of monasteries, high lakes and snow peaks.
Oct-Dec, Mar-May 4-6 days
Shillong & Meghalaya
The “abode of clouds”: living root bridges, crystal-clear rivers, waterfalls and some of the wettest places on earth.
Jun-Apr 4-6 days
Kaziranga National Park
Home to most of the world’s greater one-horned rhinos, plus wild elephants, water buffalo and tigers.
Nov-Apr 2 days
Mahabaleshwar
Strawberry fields, valley viewpoints and old forts in the Sahyadri hills.
Oct-May 2 days
Wayanad
Rainforest, spice estates, waterfalls and wildlife sanctuaries in northern Kerala.
Oct-May 2-3 days
Ooty
The Nilgiris’ classic hill station: tea gardens, botanical gardens and the UNESCO Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
Oct-Nov, Mar-Jun 2 days
Kodaikanal
The “princess of hill stations”: a star-shaped lake, pine forests and cliff-edge walks in the Palani hills.
Sep-Oct, Mar-Jun 2 days
Andaman Islands
Turquoise water, white sand and coral reefs: India’s best beaches and diving, in the Bay of Bengal.
Nov-Apr 5-7 days
Srinagar and Kashmir Valley
Houseboats on Dal Lake, Mughal gardens, chinar trees and the meadows of Gulmarg and Pahalgam: Kashmir is the classic Indian honeymoon and family holi…
Sep-Oct, Apr-Jun 4-6 days
Katra and Vaishno Devi
Katra is the base for the walk to the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi, one of the most visited pilgrimages in India.
Sep-Nov, Mar-May 2-3 days
Kasol and Parvati Valley
Pine forests, a fast blue river and cafe villages: Parvati Valley is the backpackers’ Himachal, with the Manikaran gurdwara and the Kheerganga trek n…
Sep-Nov, Mar-Jun 3-4 days
Tirthan Valley and Jibhi
Two quiet Himalayan valleys of wooden villages, trout streams and forest walks, next to the Great Himalayan National Park (UNESCO).
Sep-Nov, Mar-Jun 3-4 days
Dalhousie and Khajjiar
A quiet colonial hill station on five hills, and Khajjiar’s meadow ringed by deodar forest, often called India’s little Switzerland.
Sep-Nov, Mar-Jun 2-3 days
Kasauli
A small, green cantonment town 65 km from Chandigarh: pine walks, colonial churches and sunset views over the plains.
Sep-Dec, Mar-Jun 1-2 days
Naina Devi and Anandpur Sahib
Two great shrines 20 km apart: the hilltop Shri Naina Devi temple, one of the Shakti Peethas, and Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib, where t…
Oct-Apr 1-2 days
Haridwar
Where the Ganga leaves the mountains: the evening Ganga aarti at Har Ki Pauri, hilltop temples by ropeway, and the start of the Char Dham road.
Oct-Nov, Feb-Apr 1-2 days
Chopta and Tungnath
Meadows and rhododendron forest below Tungnath, the highest Shiva temple in the world, and the short trek on to Chandrashila peak for a Himalayan sun…
Sep-Nov, Apr-Jun 2-3 days
Auli
India’s best-known ski slopes, above Joshimath, with long views of Nanda Devi and a cable car through the oak forest.
Oct-Jun 2-3 days
Lansdowne
A quiet army cantonment town in oak and pine forest, home of the Garhwal Rifles, and an easy weekend from Delhi.
Sep-Dec, Mar-Jun 1-2 days
Kainchi Dham and Kumaon
Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram in a river valley near Nainital, now one of Uttarakhand’s most visited places, and the Kumaon hill towns of Bhimtal, Muktes…
Sep-Nov, Mar-Jun 3-4 days
Pachmarhi
Madhya Pradesh’s only hill station: sandstone gorges, waterfalls and cave paintings inside the Satpura Tiger Reserve.
Oct-Jun 2-3 days
Kanha and Bandhavgarh
Two of India’s best tiger reserves: Kanha’s sal forests and meadows (and the barasingha deer) and Bandhavgarh, with one of the highest densities of t…
Oct-Jun 4-5 days
Tawang
India’s largest Buddhist monastery, above 3,000 m near the Bhutan and Tibet borders, reached over the dramatic Sela Pass.
Sep-Nov, Mar-Jun 5-6 days
Mount Abu
Rajasthan’s only hill station, on a granite plateau: the marble Dilwara Jain temples, Nakki Lake and sunset over the Aravallis.
Oct-Jun 2-3 days
Matheran
A car-free hill station near Mumbai, reached by a toy train or on foot, with red earth paths and more than 30 viewpoints.
Oct-May 1-2 days
Coonoor
A quieter neighbour of Ooty in the Nilgiris: tea estates, colonial cottages, Sim’s Park and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (UNESCO).
Oct-Jun 2-3 days
Lakshadweep
India’s coral atolls in the Arabian Sea: lagoons, coral reefs and very few visitors, because entry needs a permit.
Oct-Apr 4-6 days
Frequently asked questions
Where should I go in India in April?
Top picks for April include Ranthambore, Rishikesh, Manali, Shimla, Dharamshala & McLeod Ganj, Mussoorie. Escape to Darjeeling, Sikkim, Shimla, Munnar or Ooty, and sightsee early in the morning anywhere else.
What is the weather like in India in April?
North plains: Hot (often 35-40 °C+). Himalaya: Lovely in the hill stations; high passes still closed. West & Goa: Hot and humid. South & Kerala: Hot, with pre-monsoon showers. Northeast: Warm with spring showers.
Where should I avoid in India in April?
Delhi: Extreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoons. Agra: Extreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoons. Jaipur: Extreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoons. Udaipur: Extreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoons. Jodhpur: Extreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoons. Jaisalmer: Desert heat: 40-45 °C; desert camps mostly closed. Pushkar: Extreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoons. Varanasi: Extreme heat, often 40 °C+ in the afternoons.