Best Places to Visit in India in August: Weather, Where to Go and What to Avoid

The monsoon covers the whole country in August, but it falls very unevenly. These are IMD's long-term averages for named weather stations; any single year can be wetter or drier.

• The northern plains are at their wettest. New Delhi (Safdarjung) averages 227 mm of rain in August, its highest of the year, on about ten days, with days around 34°C and nights around 27°C. Varanasi averages about 264 mm.
• The Himalaya is wet in the foothills and dry behind the main range. August is Dehradun's wettest month, at about 695 mm, while Leh averages only 8.6 mm, with days around 28°C and nights around 15°C. Srinagar averages 65 mm, about 30°C by day and 18°C at night.
• The desert has its wettest month, which is still light: Jaisalmer averages 73 mm, on three days or so, with days around 37°C.
• The west coast stays very wet, though less so than in July. Goa averages about 597 mm, on 23 days of the month; Mumbai (Santacruz) about 585 mm; Kochi about 379 mm, against 576 mm in July.
• The south inland is moderate. Bengaluru averages 163 mm, with days around 28°C; Chennai about 133 mm, with days around 35°C, because Tamil Nadu takes most of its rain later in the year.
• The east and north-east are wet and warm: Kolkata (Alipore) averages about 345 mm, on 17 days, and Guwahati about 266 mm.

For when the monsoon comes and goes in each region, see our monsoon guide; for the months either side, India in July and India in September.

Ladakh

August is a month of Ladakh's main season. The Leh district administration describes the climate as mainly dry, with little or no rain, and both highways are normally open in August: Manali–Leh from May or June to September or October, and Srinagar–Leh from May to November or December. IMD lists flash floods and mudslides among Ladakh's hazards, so keep a spare day. Our Ladakh travel guide covers acclimatisation and routes, and our Ladakh tour packages run through August.

Spiti, at fair time

Spiti lies in the Himalayan rain shadow and gets scanty rain, says the Lahaul and Spiti district, which gives mid-May to mid-October as the best time to visit. August has two of its fairs: the Ladarcha fair, once a barter fair for traders from Ladakh, Rampur-Bushahr and Spiti, now held at Kaza generally in the third week of August, and the tribal fair at Keylong, generally from 14 to 16 August, around Independence Day. The district rates landslide and flood risk as high, so allow spare days. See our Spiti Valley travel guide.

The Kashmir valley

Srinagar's August averages, 65 mm of rain, about 30°C by day and 18°C at night, make the valley a milder choice than the plains. Our Kashmir travel guide covers Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg.

Kerala, towards Onam

Kerala's rain eases in August, though it is still wet. Kerala Tourism says the rain falls for a few hours with sunny interludes, and that the monsoon is, according to Ayurveda, the best season for rejuvenation therapies. Onam begins in the Malayalam month of Chingam, which Kerala Tourism places in August or September. See our Kerala travel guide.

The desert, for those who do not mind heat

Jaisalmer's wettest month brings only about 73 mm of rain, though days are hot, around 37°C. Early mornings and evenings are the times for the fort and the dunes. Our Jaisalmer travel guide has the details.

• Beach holidays in Goa and Mumbai, where it rains on most days.
• Long drives in the Himalayan foothills. The Geological Survey of India says landslides occur every year, mostly in the monsoon, and counts large parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir as landslide-prone; Dehradun's August rain is the heaviest of its year. Drive in daylight and check the state's road status first.
• Kaziranga and Assam's parks. The Assam Forest Department gives November to April as Kaziranga's season.
• Long afternoons outdoors on the plains. Delhi, Agra and Varanasi are humid and get their heaviest rain this month, so see the sights early and keep the afternoons for indoor museums.

• Independence Day, 15 August, is a national holiday every year, marked across the country with flag-hoisting.
• Onam, Kerala's harvest festival, runs for ten days from the Atham asterism in the month of Chingam, which Kerala Tourism places in August or September, so in some years it falls in August and in others in September. Our Onam guide explains the festival.
• Spiti's fairs: the Keylong tribal fair, generally 14 to 16 August, and the Ladarcha fair at Kaza, generally in the third week of August.