India Weather Guide - Travel Information
The seasons are a crucial factor in any India travel because there are major variations in temperature and weather in the north, south and central areas. India is 2,000 miles from north to south and nearly as far west to east.
India weather can be broadly regarded as three seasons - hot, wet (the monsoon) and cool, and each varies both in degree and duration.
Ideal time for India travel is usually during the cooler months from November to late February. From April to June, it becomes really hot with occasional dust storms. June is the start of the Monsoon, which lasts until September is most regions.
When to travel to:Agra - Amritsar - Chennai - Cochin - Darjeeling - Goa
Kolkata - Mumbai - New Delhi
Rajasthan - Shimla - Udaipur - Varanasi
India Weather GuideTravel Information - Visas - Climate - Dress - CurrencyEntryAIR: All the four major cities- New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai have direct international air connections. Domestic airlines operate between cities. The domestic carrier, Indian Airlines, flies into the neighbouring countries. SEA: Mumbai, originally the main point of entry into India, still receives sea travellers via passenger ships and freighters. ROAD: Overland, there are several points of entry into India. For up-to-date information on border crossing-points, contact Indian overseas missions or government tourist information offices. Immigration and Visas All visitors, except those from Nepal and Bhutan, must have valid passports stamped with current visas. Visitors must register with the Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office within 14 days of arrival. Your hotel will take care of this service upon check-in. As a precaution, contact the nearest Indian embassy or consulate in your home country before making your travel plans. All Indian consular offices issue visas. Business travellers are advised to apply for a multiple-entry business visa, which is valid for one year. Special visas can be issued for trekking, botanical expeditions, and sports or journalism related activities. Visitors may move freely throughout the country, except to restricted or prohibited areas. Customs Visitors with more than US$ 10,000 (or the equivalent in travellers' cheques or bank notes) must fill in a currency declaration form. Visitors are allowed to bring in up to 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, and one litre of alcohol, duty-free. Non-sporting firearms and narcotics are prohibited, as are gold bullion or coins (except by Indian nationals returning from working abroad, who may bring in a maximum of 5 kilograms). The penalties for violations are heavy. If you plan to bring in your own VCR or portable computer to use while in India, ask for a re-export permit from customs officials on arrival. The permit will be written into the back of your passport, unless you can present the item to Customs while leaving, duty will be levied. If the item has been lost or stolen, make a prompt report to the nearest police station and get a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) taken down by the police. Show this report to the Assistant Collector of Customs, who will then decide whether or not to levy duty. India restricts the export of antiques, including foreign-made artefacts and items more than 100 years old. The Archaeological Survey of India determines whether items are restricted. Visitors may not bring in or take out of India anything made from endangered animal species. Currency The units of Indian currency are the Rupee and Paisa (100 Paisa equal 1 Rupee). Paper money is in denominations of Rupees 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000. Coins are in denominations of Rupees 1, 2 and 5. Visitors may not bring in or take out any Indian currency, except in the form of travellers' cheques. Avoid unauthorised moneychangers, you run the risk of receiving forged rupees, or being cheated. Exchange facilities are generally available at airports and docks, and authorized moneychangers usually display the rates of exchange. Credit cards are widely accepted in major hotels, restaurants and shops. Weather Information Climate India has three major seasons: winter, summer and the monsoon. The winter months (November to March) are pleasant in most of India, with bright sunny days and cool nights. However in the northern plains however, the temperature can fall dramatically. Until early April snow can fall on the Himalayas and its foothills. In most parts of western, southern and eastern India,the months of December and January are pleasantly cool. In the summer months (April-August), northern India is hot, with daytime temperatures reaching around 45 °C. Most hill resorts, like Shimla, Mussourie and Nainital (the summer capitals during the days of the colonial Raj) are busy with Indian tourists avoiding the heat. The southwest monsoon usually arrives in the the southern tip of India in early June, tracking north over the next two months. The majority of rain in India falls between June and September, however the south-eastern areas also get the north-east monsoon rains between mid-October and the end of December. Dress Light and loose, easily laundered clothing is recommended for the south, and particularly from April to September in the northern plains. Warmer clothes, including woollens, are needed for the north in the winter. In the hill stations warm clothing is needed all year round Very formal dress is not usually required in India, though some hotels and clubs do insist on a degree of formality in their dining rooms - long trousers and a conventional shirt are usually sufficient. Businessmen should wear a jacket and tie, or a tailored safari suit when meeting counterparts or senior officials. Women should follow the same principle. When touring, avoid revealing tops, short skirts and shorts. A set of loose-fitting salwar-kameez is a good investment. Language English is the lingua franca between Indians of different regions. Staff at airline, railway and telecommunication counters and offices are usually fluent in English. Direction signs are also usually in English. Visitors can use books like Words in Indian English by S. Muthiah to interpret local dialects. Hindi, the official and most widely spoken language, is concentrated in the northern states. Dravidian languages such as Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada prevail in the south. LUXURY INDIA HOLIDAYS India Travel Luxury and Oberoi Hotels - The Elite Collection - 8 super-luxury itineraries The India Tours - The Boutique Collection - 42 luxury itineraries LUXURY INDIA HOTELS Luxury India hotels and Oberoi Hotels There are many luxury India holidays and luxury India hotels to be enjoyed in conjunction with the India Weather Guide. |
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