Family Trip to India late May/early June
Oct 26th, 2017, 09:11 PM
#21
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I'm from Jaipur, so can speak from experience (also lived in some very cold places - Minneapolis and Salt Lake city for example). The heat is bad - but there're a few things you can do to offset the problems.
1. Your biggest risk is sunstroke. It's dry heat and the body will lose moisture rapidly. Try not to be under the direct sun between 10:30 am and 4 pm in Delhi or anywhere else in the north. Retreat to your hotel if possible and stay indoors.
2. It's not humid at all in the north/north west, carry plenty of water, a good hat (you'd be surprised how few modern day Indians actually do this, while those from smaller places use traditional headgear to great effect).
3. In Shimla and Darjeeling you'd compete with school vacation crowd. Indians are very family oriented and tend to save up for the may/june vacation time frame. The mall road in Shimla and the toy train (euphemism, its a UNESCO world heritage) are incredibly crowded in summer months since Shimla is drivable from Delhi and Darjeeling overnight train from Kolkata. If you'd like to be in the hills during those months, further afield is better.
4. Second the recommendation on Corbett. Tigers will come to watering holes and the jungle's very dry and therefore very sparse - very uncomfortable for humans but best time to actually see the big cats. Check closing dates - on June 15 the park would close for the monsoon season.
5. Go early in the morning to all attractions that close at sunrise - Humayun's tomb and Qutub in Delhi for example, Taj in Agra, etc.
It's hot, but not undoable and certainly you'd have the places to yourselves in many cases.
1. Your biggest risk is sunstroke. It's dry heat and the body will lose moisture rapidly. Try not to be under the direct sun between 10:30 am and 4 pm in Delhi or anywhere else in the north. Retreat to your hotel if possible and stay indoors.
2. It's not humid at all in the north/north west, carry plenty of water, a good hat (you'd be surprised how few modern day Indians actually do this, while those from smaller places use traditional headgear to great effect).
3. In Shimla and Darjeeling you'd compete with school vacation crowd. Indians are very family oriented and tend to save up for the may/june vacation time frame. The mall road in Shimla and the toy train (euphemism, its a UNESCO world heritage) are incredibly crowded in summer months since Shimla is drivable from Delhi and Darjeeling overnight train from Kolkata. If you'd like to be in the hills during those months, further afield is better.
4. Second the recommendation on Corbett. Tigers will come to watering holes and the jungle's very dry and therefore very sparse - very uncomfortable for humans but best time to actually see the big cats. Check closing dates - on June 15 the park would close for the monsoon season.
5. Go early in the morning to all attractions that close at sunrise - Humayun's tomb and Qutub in Delhi for example, Taj in Agra, etc.
It's hot, but not undoable and certainly you'd have the places to yourselves in many cases.
Oct 26th, 2017, 09:23 PM
#22
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AroraV thank you.
May I please add that it is different for you as you are used to those temperatures. My in-laws live in Delhi and Ajmer and always complain about the summer heat though for them its tolerable as they are used to it but for me it would be impossible. However for colder temps its the reverse. We were in Delhi several times and most of that was in winter. My nephew went out once December night with a long sleeve sweater and a parka we bought. I went with him with just a wind breaker. I am used to the cold so that was fine for me but him being used to such scorching summer temps the about 50'sF was very difficult.
May I please add that it is different for you as you are used to those temperatures. My in-laws live in Delhi and Ajmer and always complain about the summer heat though for them its tolerable as they are used to it but for me it would be impossible. However for colder temps its the reverse. We were in Delhi several times and most of that was in winter. My nephew went out once December night with a long sleeve sweater and a parka we bought. I went with him with just a wind breaker. I am used to the cold so that was fine for me but him being used to such scorching summer temps the about 50'sF was very difficult.
Oct 27th, 2017, 03:05 PM
#23
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Great points AroraV about the school and family crowds. That didnt't bother us, and our travel agent had wisely booked us into hotels and the Shimla "toy train" many months earlier, so finding train seats and good lodging wasnt a problem. I'd forgot how crowed the areas are--in particular Manali. But fromour tourist p.o.v, that just added to the fun!!!
Oct 27th, 2017, 08:28 PM
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@jacketwatch I wrote a long response but it vanished not sure why. Long and short of this is - last year first week June- a fellow worker (German American) from Philadelphia who had never been to India and his girlfriend (both nearly 40) and her three teenaged daughters came to Jaipur despite my advice to the contrary. They had a blast. They did select upmarket hotels where to retreat to, during the hotter part of the day, but surprisingly went for a full day tour to the Amber fort. Even I would not do that. Actually most locals avoid getting out during the hours mentioned in my previous post.
@calinurse - thank you
@calinurse - thank you
Oct 28th, 2017, 02:44 PM
#26
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JW, the post you refer to did not say an earlier post was "deleted"-- the word was "vanished." Happens to me too as well, whether posting here, in other forums or in emails, leaving my words of wisdom 
floating in cyberspace. I try to use the "save" function more often, then forget.
Apologies to the OP (Nick i Knoxville?) for this brief diversion.
I live in a place of moderate summer temperature and dry climate, rarely with extreme heat and never with the high humidity Jacketwatch endures in Chicago, or you endure in Tennessee. So extreme heat is well out of our "comfort zone." Nevertheless, we managed fine with limited (the key word) time in very hot temps. My top choice time of year for visiting India ? Not by a long shot. But it is do-able and you can still have a great trip.
floating in cyberspace. I try to use the "save" function more often, then forget.Apologies to the OP (Nick i Knoxville?) for this brief diversion.
I live in a place of moderate summer temperature and dry climate, rarely with extreme heat and never with the high humidity Jacketwatch endures in Chicago, or you endure in Tennessee. So extreme heat is well out of our "comfort zone." Nevertheless, we managed fine with limited (the key word) time in very hot temps. My top choice time of year for visiting India ? Not by a long shot. But it is do-able and you can still have a great trip.
