Best Places to Go in India in February: Weather, Beaches and Festivals

February is still winter in the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) calendar, but the north warms through the month. Delhi's average high climbs from 20.1°C in January to 24.2°C, and the number of foggy days at its Safdarjung station falls from 21.6 to 10.9. On the coasts, February is the driest month of the year at Panaji, Kochi and Port Blair.

For February, IMD's 1991–2020 normals supply the Delhi, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Srinagar, Gulmarg and Chennai figures, its 2011–2024 table supplies Leh's, and its city climate profiles supply Shimla, Panaji, Kochi and Kolkata.

The plains and the desert

IMD's profile of Agra gives February a 26°C average high, and Varanasi's 26.5°C, a few degrees warmer than January in both. Jaipur averages 26.1°C by day and 12.0°C at night, Jaisalmer 27.3°C and 12.5°C. Rain is rare: Jaipur's February brings about 10 mm.

The mountains

Winter holds in the Himalaya. Srinagar averages 0.7°C at night and gets 85 mm of precipitation in February; Gulmarg gets 207.5 mm, more than twice the valley's total. Leh averages −8.8°C at night but stays dry, with 7.6 mm. IMD's profile of Shimla notes that western disturbances bring heavily clouded skies on some days between December and March, and occasional thunderstorms with hail in winter. Both highways into Ladakh are still outside the open seasons the Leh district gives for them.

The beaches and the south

IMD's profile of Panaji records no rain in an average February and a 32.2°C high. Kochi's driest month is February too, with 22 mm, and so is Port Blair's, with 18 mm. On the Tamil Nadu coast, Chennai averages 31.2°C and 5.5 mm.

The east and the north-east

Kolkata warms to a 29.3°C average high, with 23 mm of rain. Assam Tourism names November to April as the best time for Kaziranga and says the best sightseeing starts in late February and runs to early April.

• Goa and Kerala's coast. These are the driest weeks of the year for a beach stay. Our Goa travel guide compares the north and south beaches.
• The Andaman Islands. February is Port Blair's driest month, and the Andaman tourism department keeps Jolly Buoy island open to day visits until mid-May.
• Rajasthan's desert. Days are still cool, and Jaisalmer's Desert Festival falls around January and February. Our Rajasthan tour packages cover the desert cities.
• Wildlife. Kaziranga's best sightseeing begins in late February, by Assam Tourism's account, and Ranthambore stays open until June. See our Kaziranga travel guide and Ranthambore travel guide for the safari zones.
• Ladakh in winter. For travellers ready for real cold, February is the month of Ladakh's winter festivals, from monastery dances to a snow leopard festival; our Ladakh travel guide covers planning a trip.
• Snow in Gulmarg. February is one of Gulmarg's wettest months, and the Baramulla district describes it in winter as covered in snow; our Gulmarg travel guide covers the slopes.

• Kashmir's valley. Srinagar's precipitation rises from 63.6 mm in January to 85 mm in February and peaks in March, so expect grey, cold days.
• Ladakh by road. The highways stay closed, nights in Leh average −8.8°C, and the Leh district's rule of at least 48 hours' acclimatisation in Leh applies before any trip higher.
• Early mornings in the north. Fog thins out, but Safdarjung still averages 10.9 foggy days in February, so keep some slack in plans for the first days of the month.
• Hill-station weather. Western disturbances can bring cloud, rain and hail to the western Himalaya, IMD notes, so leave a day in hand on mountain drives.

The month before is colder in the north and foggier: see India in January. March brings the first real heat on the plains: see India in March.

• The Desert Festival, Jaisalmer. Rajasthan Tourism says the Department of Tourism organises it around January and February, for three days of folk music and dance on the dunes.
• The Nagaur Fair. Held every year between January and February, the cattle fair sees about 70,000 bullocks, camels and horses traded, according to Rajasthan Tourism.
• The Goa Carnival. Goa Tourism puts it in February or March, depending on the date of Easter; it lasts four days, with Panaji as its main centre.
• Maha Shivratri. Incredible India places it in February or March; our Maha Shivratri page explains where it is marked most strongly.
• Ladakh's winter festivals. The Leh district lists Dosmochey (at Leh, Likir and Diskit), the Ladakh Ice Climbing Festival in Leh and the Ladakh Winter Snow Leopard Festival at Rumbak, in Hemis National Park, all in February.