Visiting India in April
Weather and climate guide
It’s getting hotter and more humid across most of India this month ahead of the monsoon rains, making it both an unpleasantly sticky time for a trip and a busy one over the Easter holidays. April is one of the best months for seeing wildlife in the national parks though, as water is becoming more limited, so animals congregate around the water holes. Head to Ranthambore National Park and Bandhavgarh National Park for a chance of seeing wild tigers, and Kaziranga National Park for more tigers, plus elephants and rhino – early morning game drives are best though.
Elsewhere, you’ll find meltingly hot temperatures in the high 30Cs across Rajasthan, along with Varanasi and Kolkata, although it’s slightly cooler on the coast at Mumbai thanks to the coastal breezes. Inland is hotter, so it’s not the best time of year to explore this part of central India, although if you can cope with the heat, it’s a good time to see wildlife here.
North India
To escape to somewhere cooler, the hill stations in the north or into the Himalayas are sunny and carpeted with wildflowers this month. Temperatures in Rishikesh are already in the mid 30Cs, but it’s far more pleasant at higher altitude, around 25C in the tea plantations of Darjeeling, or in Shimla, where monkeys meander among the Tudor-style beamed houses.
Heading right into the Himalayas, you can enjoy some spectacular views in the mountains and get a taste of Tibetan culture; combine Dharamsala with a visit to the Golden Temple of Amritsar, spin prayer wheels or hike past mountain lakes in Sikkim. It’s also one of the best times to visit Lumbini just over the border in Nepal, easily combined with a visit to Varanasi, where the birth of the Buddha is celebrated by Buddhists from across the world.
South India
Or embrace the sun on the beaches of Goa and Kerala, including the palm-fringed stretches at Kovalam or Marari. There’s little rain this month still although you’re unlikely to want to do anything more energetic than relaxing on a backwaters cruise, unless you head up in the hills at the tea plantations around Munnar and the hill stations of the Western Ghats where it’s cooler to get outdoors.
Or perhaps you’re thinking of travelling on another month..?
View the best time to visit India by region or by month:
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December
| Region | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East India | ● 15°C 🌤️ |
● 17°C ☀️ |
● 21°C ☀️ |
● 25°C 🌦️ |
● 28°C 🌧️ |
● 27°C 🌧️ |
● 27°C 🌧️ |
● 27°C 🌧️ |
● 26°C 🌦️ |
● 23°C 🌤️ |
● 19°C ☀️ |
● 16°C ☀️ |
| North India | ● 14°C ☀️ |
● 17°C ☀️ |
● 23°C ☀️ |
● 30°C 🌦️ |
● 35°C 🌧️ |
● 34°C 🌧️ |
● 32°C 🌧️ |
● 31°C 🌧️ |
● 30°C 🌦️ |
● 27°C ☀️ |
● 22°C ☀️ |
● 17°C ☀️ |
| North West India | ● 18°C ☀️ |
● 21°C ☀️ |
● 26°C ☀️ |
● 34°C 🌦️ |
● 39°C 🌧️ |
● 37°C 🌧️ |
● 35°C 🌧️ |
● 34°C 🌧️ |
● 32°C 🌦️ |
● 29°C ☀️ |
● 24°C ☀️ |
● 20°C ☀️ |
| South India | ● 26°C ☀️ |
● 27°C ☀️ |
● 29°C ☀️ |
● 32°C 🌦️ |
● 33°C 🌦️ |
● 30°C 🌧️ |
● 29°C 🌧️ |
● 29°C 🌧️ |
● 29°C 🌦️ |
● 28°C ☀️ |
● 27°C ☀️ |
● 26°C ☀️ |
Legend:
● Good weather
● Average weather
● Poor weather
A few of our favourite India holidays
