Best Place to Visit in India in January: Weather, Regions and Festivals

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) counts January and February as India's winter season. January is the coldest month of the year in Delhi and Shimla, while the south and the islands stay warm and mostly dry. These are IMD's average January figures for named weather stations.

The Delhi, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Srinagar, Gulmarg and Chennai rows are IMD's 1991–2020 normals; Leh's come from IMD's table for 2011 to 2024, and the others from IMD's climate profile of each city.

Delhi, Agra and the northern plains

Days are mild and there is little rain, but nights are cold. Delhi's Safdarjung station records fog on 21.6 days in an average January, more than in any other month, and IMD's climate profiles note winter fog at Agra and Varanasi as well. Dense fog forms in the night and morning hours, and IMD's fog warnings say it may affect some airports, highways and railway routes.

Rajasthan and the Thar desert

This is Rajasthan's easiest month for long days of sightseeing: Jaipur averages 22.5°C by day and Jaisalmer 23.4°C, and neither gets more than a few millimetres of rain. Nights in both cities average 8 to 9°C, so bring a jacket for early starts and evenings in the desert.

Kashmir, Ladakh and the Himalaya

Srinagar averages −1.9°C at night, and its January brings 63.6 mm of precipitation. Gulmarg, in Baramulla district, barely climbs above freezing by day, and the district administration describes it in winter as covered in snow and ideal for skiing. Leh averages −13.4°C at night. The Leh district gives the Srinagar–Leh highway's open season as May to November or December and the Manali–Leh road's as May or June to September or October, so in January both main roads are shut, while airlines fly daily between Delhi and Leh. In Himachal Pradesh, Shimla has its coldest month, and Himachal Tourism calls deep winter around Manali the time for snowfall and skiing.

Goa and the west coast

Goa is in its dry season. IMD's profile of Panaji gives January a 32.4°C average high and about 1 mm of rain, and describes the skies outside the south-west monsoon as lightly to moderately clouded.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the south

Kerala is warm and close to dry: Kochi averages 31.9°C and 25 mm of rain in January, and Thiruvananthapuram 23 mm. Tamil Nadu's coast gets most of its rain from October to December, IMD's post-monsoon season, when the north-east monsoon is established over the south. Chennai's January averages 16.2 mm, on fewer than one rainy day.

Kolkata and the north-east

Kolkata averages 25.8°C by day and 14.2°C at night, with 15 mm of rain. Guwahati, in Assam, averages 23.6°C and 11.0°C, and IMD records fog there in winter. In Meghalaya, January is Shillong's driest month, with 8 mm. The Assam Forest Department gives November to April as the best season for Kaziranga National Park.

The Andaman Islands

IMD describes Port Blair as wet through the year except from January to April. January averages 42 mm of rain, against more than 400 mm in each month from June to September.

• Rajasthan. Cool days suit forts, palaces and long drives, and January brings Jaipur's kite festival and the Bikaner camel festival. Our Rajasthan travel guide covers the main circuit, and our Rajasthan tour packages put it into private itineraries.
• The Golden Triangle. Delhi, Agra and Jaipur have their mildest days now. Plan drives and train journeys with the morning fog in mind.
• Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Both are warm and dry enough for the backwaters, the beaches and the temple towns; our Kerala travel guide sets out the routes.
• Goa and the Andaman Islands. Beach weather with almost no rain. The Andaman tourism department opens Jolly Buoy island only between mid-November and mid-May, and our Andaman and Nicobar guide explains the ferries and permits.
• Wildlife. Rajasthan Tourism says Ranthambore is open from October to June, and the Assam Forest Department puts Kaziranga's best season between November and April. Kanha's reserve warns that January can bring sub-zero temperatures and frost, so dress for cold early drives.
• Snow. Gulmarg is the place for it; our Gulmarg travel guide covers skiing and the gondola.

• Fog in the north. In its dense-fog warnings, IMD advises travellers to stay in touch with airlines, railways and state transport about their schedules. Leave a spare day between a long drive or rail journey across the northern plains and an international flight home.
• Cold nights and cold waves. In Delhi, Jaipur and the desert, nights average 7 to 9°C, and colder spells come too: in mid-January 2026 IMD reported cold-wave conditions over Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Pack warm layers; our packing guide has the list.
• Ladakh in winter. Fly to Leh, and allow for the rule: the Leh district requires every arriving tourist to acclimatise for at least 48 hours before going higher, to places such as Khardung La and Pangong Lake.
• Kashmir's valley. Srinagar is below freezing at night, so look for heated rooms and keep sightseeing days short.

For the months either side, February is drier still in the north, with fewer foggy mornings; see India in February.

• Makar Sankranti and the kite festival. Rajasthan Tourism advises being in Jaipur on or around 14 January, when kites fill the sky across the state and the Department of Tourism organises a festival. Our Makar Sankranti page explains how the day is marked elsewhere in India.
• Magh Bihu. Assam Tourism places Magh Bihu, one of the state's three Bihu festivals, in mid-January.
• Bikaner Camel Festival. Rajasthan Tourism says it is held on the second Saturday and Sunday of January.
• Republic Day. On 26 January every year a parade runs along Kartavya Path in New Delhi.
• The Desert Festival and the Nagaur Fair. Rajasthan Tourism puts Jaisalmer's three-day Desert Festival around January and February, and holds the Nagaur cattle fair between January and February; our Jaisalmer travel guide covers the fort and the dunes.
• Spituk Gustor. The Leh district lists this festival at Spituk Monastery in January.