Best Places to Go in India in May: The Mountains, and Where the Heat Peaks

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) names May as the peak month for heat waves, which it declares on the plains once a station reaches 40°C and runs well above its normal, or reaches 45°C outright. Most of northern, central and eastern India is prone to them, from Punjab and Rajasthan to Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha, and IMD says Tamil Nadu and Kerala sometimes see them too.

In May's table, Delhi, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Srinagar, Gulmarg and Chennai carry IMD's 1991–2020 normals, Leh carries IMD's 2011–2024 averages, and Shimla, Panaji, Kochi and Kolkata carry figures from IMD's city climate profiles.

The plains and the desert

May is the hottest month of the year at Agra, Varanasi, Jaipur and Jaisalmer in IMD's figures, with average highs from 40.1°C at Varanasi to 42.1°C at Jaisalmer. Nights stay warm, at 25 to 28°C on average. It is also a stormy month: Delhi's Safdarjung station averages 5.9 days of thunder and 3.6 of squalls in May, the most squalls of any month, and Agra's profile notes dust storms from March to July.

The mountains

The high country warms up. Leh averages 19.8°C by day and 6.0°C at night, with almost no rain, and the Leh district gives the Srinagar–Leh highway's open season as starting in May and the Manali–Leh road's in May or June. Srinagar averages 24.7°C and Gulmarg 15.6°C. Shimla averages 24.1°C by day and 14.6°C at night. Himachal Tourism says the Rohtang Pass reopens by May. Lower down, the foothill towns are hot: May is Dehradun's hottest month, at a 34.8°C average high.

The south

May is Chennai's hottest month too, at 37.3°C, and Madurai's, at 37.9°C. On the west coast the pre-monsoon showers arrive in earnest: Kochi averages 319 mm of rain in May against 104 mm in April, and Thiruvananthapuram 195 mm. IMD's normal date for the monsoon's onset over Kerala is 1 June.

The east and the north-east

Kolkata's rain rises to 125 mm, with frequent thunderstorms, some bringing hail in April and May, IMD notes. In Assam, May and June are Guwahati's warmest months, at about 32.2°C, and Shillong is in its April-to-October rainy stretch. Kaziranga's season, by the Assam Forest Department's account, has ended with April.

The Andaman Islands

IMD's new normal date for the monsoon's arrival at Port Blair is 21 May, and May averages 399 mm of rain there. The Andaman tourism department closes Jolly Buoy island from mid-May to mid-November.

• Ladakh. Days in Leh average about 20°C and the roads begin to open. Our Ladakh travel guide covers Leh, Nubra and Pangong, and our Ladakh tour packages build in the time to acclimatise.
• Kashmir. Srinagar averages 24.7°C by day, with Gulmarg and the side valleys cooler; our Srinagar travel guide covers Dal Lake and the houseboats.
• Shimla and Manali. Himachal Tourism counts April to July as Manali's summer season; see our Shimla travel guide.
• Spiti. Himachal Tourism puts May and June temperatures there at 15 to 20°C and calls April to October a good time to go; our Spiti Valley travel guide covers the routes.
• Uttarakhand's hills and the Char Dham. The shrines are open for the season after their spring openings, and the hill towns are well above the foothills' heat.
• Mount Abu. Rajasthan Tourism calls it the state's only hill station and lists its two-day Summer Festival in May; our Mount Abu travel guide covers the lake and the Dilwara temples.

• Long days on the plains. With averages above 40°C in Rajasthan and close to it in Delhi, see Delhi, Agra and Jaipur at opening time and stay indoors through the afternoon. IMD's FAQ on heat waves warns that high humidity and hot winds make the heat worse on the body.
• Late-May beach plans on the west coast and in the Andamans. Kerala's pre-monsoon rain and the Andaman monsoon set in during the month.
• Kaziranga. It is out of season after April.
• Ladakh too fast. Even with the roads open, the Leh district requires at least 48 hours' acclimatisation in Leh before going on to places such as Khardung La and Pangong Lake.

June brings the monsoon to the south and the west; see India in June. Our guide to the best time to visit India shows the whole year.

• Buddha Purnima. The Government of Bihar describes it as marking the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death, on the full moon in May. Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment, is its main centre; see our Bodh Gaya travel guide.
• Thrissur Pooram. Kerala Tourism places it in the Malayalam month of Medam (April–May), in Thrissur.
• The Mount Abu Summer Festival. Rajasthan Tourism lists two days of folk music, Gair and Ghoomar dances and boat races on Nakki Lake.
• The Char Dham pilgrimage. May is the first full month of the season after the spring openings, so expect busy routes.