Jamie029

I will be working in Delhi for 3 months this summer. My parents are looking to visit either that area or nearby. They've never been out of the country before so may be in a bit of a culture shock. So I'm looking for suggestions of areas in or around India (up to 6 hour flight) where I could meet them. Areas which are safe and have quite a bit of things to do. I also heard this was monsoon season, so not sure how that impacts destinations.

Thanks.

Cicerone

India is brutally hot in many areas in August, and the monsoon will be the Delhi area in August as well (usually hits early to mid July as I recall), this will make it hot and quite humid with some flooding possible. Temps in New Delhi and the “golden triangle” area like Agra (Taj Mahal) and Jaipur will be in the low 90s F and a good bit of rain. In addition, as your parents have never left the US before, this may not be the best place for them to go, as even in the cool weather many experienced Asian travellers find India a challenge. I love India, but it is not for the feint of heart and I would not consider it a good destination for someone who has never been outside of the US (assume you live there).

You can fly to Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok in 6 hours or less from Delhi. Any of these would make a good introduction to Asia and are much easier on the traveller. Assuming your parents are coming from the US, the flight times from the US to those destinations is not more than and may be less than, flight time to Delhi. Note that it will be quite hot and rainy in those places as well, but not quite to the extent of India. My own parents are in their mid-70s and have trouble coping with great heat and humidity, so take it slow and build in rest periods and even whole days with not a lot of activity.

If you want to stay in India, consider far northern areas like Ladkah. Places like the cooler hill stations of Darjeeling, Shimla are not ideal because you will encounter a lot of heavy rainfall in August.

Just over the Indian border to the north is Bhutan which is fascinating and has great weather in August, elevations are high, but most tourists are at less than 10,000 feet so this should not be an issue for your parents, but it is worth asking a doctor.

If you want strictly a beach holdiay, then the Maldives are a possiblity, although the flight from the US is quite long and requires at least 2 changes, so this may not be an ideal destination for your parents.

A good source for weather info is worldclimate.com and weatherbase.com

agtoau

I agree with Cicerone for the most part.

If Jamie029 wants her parents in India afterall, then consider Goa. The monsoon is on its way out in the latter part of August, the showers tends to be very short and are interspersed with sunshine. If you book a good beach resort, it should turn out alright.

Cicerone

Agtou, I mentioned Kerala for the beach rather than Goa, cause I think Goa gets more rain in August than Kerala as it is further north and the monsoon moves from south to north. I have not been in Goa for monsoon so can't say for sure.

USNR

Weather report: it will be 105 today in New Delhi. And this is only May! I feel sorry for you ... and your poor parents. We were there in November -- very pleasant, cloudless, and cool.

hobbes

DO not know your parents age Jamie, but my only word of caution re Leh (ladakh) is altitude - even fit, young people sometimes have problems acclimatizing. Otheriwse it is an enchanted place and I would reco you consider going during your India stint as it is only open June-Sept. Re your parents. I second Kerala - loads of places there you can go where the weather will be cool. Munnar (tea plantations), Thekkady (wildlife sanctuary), Kumarokam (backwaters). Look at www.cghearth.com for an idea of locations and hotels tho these are upmarket. Even if they do not fit your budget the descriptions of places are good.

01pat23

To USNR

Take your woollies!! I was in New Delhi last November and the nights were really cold. It was too cold for me to swim in the hotel swimming pool in the afternoon!!

Mealea

I vote for Kerala too!

I've been there in the summer and it was fine. The only place where it was very rainy was far inland. The coastal and backwater areas were perfect. Kerala is a wonderful place, friendly, and pretty easy for the traveler compared to other parts of India.

Cicerone - Just curious if you've been to Bhutam in August. I've always wanted to go, but I've heard that summer is the monsoon season and not a good time to go. I've been considering December. Please let me know if summer is good too. (I can take long vacations in summer and winter only.)

cigalechanta

you can find alot of information on the indian forum at lonelyplanet.com

jacketwatch

Woolies? Check your hemoglobin Pat. . We were in Delhi in Jan. and it was fine, a littel cool at night but easily tolerated by us. Tolerating the temps now is another matter.

rv224

Go for South India first - like Kerala, Goa, Bangalore or Chennai (you can do a side trip from Chennai to Pondicherry).

Delhi and Rajasthan during the summer is just so nasty, it really is not worth it. Temperatures can rise to 110 Farenheit, sometimes even more. Although hotels and some restaurants have air conditioning, many stores don't. And for some strange reason, in Delhi, over the summer, the government shuts down the electricity for a couple of hours.

Concentrate your trip where the weather is more pleasant.

Cicerone

Melea, I have been to Bhutan in March (festival in Paro). I think August may have a bit of rain, but I think most of it is in the lowlands. Have you checked weatherbase.com and worldclimate.com? Of the two, I think December would definitely be clearer than August in terms of seeing the mountains.

moschops

avoid Goa in August - its monsoon and everything will be shut

Rajasthan - the area with the most sites (jaisalmer, udaipur, jodhpur, jaipur etc) will be oppressively hot -

Kerala will be a good option to be on the coast - or you could do what the Brits did and retreat to one of the hill stations like Shimla

Mealea

Thanks Cicerone! I may be asking some Bhutan questions in the future on a separate thread.