India Weather Jan/Feb 09 - packing advice
 

We're planning on going to india & Sri Lanka for 4 weeks in Jan/Feb 09...

Delhi,
Varanasai,
Agra,
Ranthambore,
Jodhpur,
Jaipur,
Goa,
Kerala,
Sri Lanka

What should we expect as far as weather goes? Just trying to determine how we'll need to pack.
Thanks!

I suggest clothes that layer. Last February it was quite cold in Delhi and Rajasthan and we were glad that we had fleece jackets and vests that we could wear as needed.

Jan/Feb in North India can be surprisingly cold - even down to low 30s F at night.

Ok great. Thanks for the feedback. Anyone know about the areas south of Mumbai?

I was going to ask the identical question. For Delhi, Agra, Jaipu (where I will be travelling in Jan) it seems like we are looking at 50s-70s in the daytime and 30s-50s at night. Is that about right? Sounds like winter in LA!

Jan and Feb are an excellent time for virtually all of India. “Winter” is an extremely relative term, especially if you are from a place which has an actual winter. “Winter” in India, other than in the northern Himalaya regions, means either hot, dry and humid (like in south India) or sunny and extremely pleasant temps in the high 60s F to low 70s during the day in and cool temps in the low 50 Fs in the evening north India. It is NOT below freezing and does not snow. Take a look at weatherbase.com for historical weather info.

In general, for guys, you would want long pants, for women pants or a skirt, and then for either a windbreaker or a medium-weight cotton sweater, short and long sleeve cotton shirts or turtlenecks. Layers are good as you can add or take off as the temps change during the day and also on your location. Socks and non-sandal type shoes are good as well. (You have to take off shoes in many places, like the Taj Mahal, but not socks, and the socks will keep your feet warm on the cold marble, esp at sunrise. Your feet also stay a lot cleaner.) IMO you don’t need to go as far as wool sweaters or wool turtlenecks, cotton ones are fine. However, a leather jacket or a wool blazer would not be totally out of place as you can throw it over anything you are wearing, this depends on how much you want to bring. (A wool blazer may be slightly less offensive to local Hindus, but no one is going to really be offended by what you are wearing, and they would never for a moment <i>dream</i> of saying anything to you about it even if they were. You are the guest.) Shawls are very useful, and you can buy beautiful embroidered wool ones in India. Lots of men wear them in India in the winter (and very elegant they look in them too), so don’t be afraid to start a new tourist trend….
For Ranthambore, bring gloves and hats for the sunrise game drives as those are quite cool until the sun comes up. If you have room are really prone to cold, long underwear may not go amiss either, esp in Jan. Most lodges will give you blankets to bring as well. Then dress in layers to peel on or off as the drive progresses.
For South India and Sri Lanka, look at weather websites, but generally hot and humid, but little or no rain so quite pleasant weather. Skirts, capris, pants are fine. T-shirts are fine. A hat for the sun for sure (an umbrella helps too actually.) Shorts are not normally worn by women in India and are worn rarely by men in my experience (except by Sikh men), again, no one would say anything to you as woman wearing shorts, and longish ones are fine, but in general, if you can avoid it, I would not wear shorts. If you do want to wear shorts, I would avoid doing so on a day you plan to visit any temples or mosques. Men in long shorts are fine.

Goa, Kerala &amp; SL will be warm..you wont need winter clothes at all. Pretty tough to pack for a trip like this. Its like when I did Cairns and Melbourne in the Australian winters or Orlando &amp; Niagara.

Great advice. Thanks everyone!

Sarah-
We're hoping to be in northern India this February. What clothing worked best for you? I'm wondering whether to pack a skirt, also shorts. Did you use long johns in Ranthambore? (thinking of the skinny silk ones).
Any suggestions much appreciated.

We visited both South India and North India in Jan 2006. North India (Agra and Rajasthan and Delhi) was 40s and 50s; South India (Bangalore, Mysore) was 80s-90s and starting to get humid. Since you are going a month later, I reckon it will be warmer in both places.

I would pack light and layerable clothing in pale colors. You'd be surprised but wearing long sleeves and long pants in light fabric is often more comfortable than allowing you skin to diretly feel the sun. Make sure you have a hat.

NGail - I think Sarah is long gone from this board. When we were in northern India in February 2005 my wife wore a below-the-knee skirt most of the time - never wore shorts (not really appropriate in Asia for women or men). Long johns would be helpful at Ranthambore as well as hat and gloves - it is quite chilly in the morning. Layers are best - you'll need a jacket in the morning but may be comfortable in short sleeves if you are out in the sun in the afternoon.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Puttakka and Craig for the good info.