The best winter destinations in India (November to February)

By the Nexara Holidays travel desk · 2 min read

Winter is the main travel season for most of India. Here is where to go, depending on what you are looking for.

Beaches

• Goa: sunny days and calm seas from November to February.
• The Andaman & Nicobar Islands Islands: clear water and good diving.
• Kerala's coast: Kovalam and Varkala.
• Gokarna and the Karnataka coast for quieter beaches.

Deserts and forts

• Rajasthan: comfortable days for Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur. Desert nights are cold.
• Kutch: the White Rann under a full moon during the Rann Utsav.

Snow

• Gulmarg: skiing and snow from about December to March.
• Manali and Solang Valley: snow in December to February, depending on the year.
• Auli: skiing in Uttarakhand when snow conditions allow.

Wildlife

• Kaziranga opens around November.
• Tiger reserves such as Ranthambore and Kanha are open, with crisp mornings.
• Bharatpur and Chilika host migratory birds.

Heritage and spiritual trips

• Varanasi: misty mornings on the ghats.
• Hampi and the Tamil Nadu temple towns: cool enough to explore comfortably.
• Bodh Gaya: peak pilgrim season.

Festivals

• Hornbill Festival in Nagaland (early December).
• Christmas and New Year in Goa and Kerala.
• Pongal and the kite festival in January.

Tips

• North India's mornings can be foggy, delaying flights and trains.
• Christmas and New Year are expensive; book early.

Planning a winter trip

• Two weeks off? Combine Rajasthan with Varanasi, or Kerala with the Andamans.
• A long weekend? Goa, Pondicherry or a South Indian hill station.
• Snow with children? Plan buffer days for weather and road closures in Kashmir and Himachal.

See Festival and seasonal trips and Hill-station holidays.