When to Travel
October to April is generally the best time to visit both India, whilst December to April is the best time for Sri Lanka. However there are regional variations within both countries. North and Central India remain dry until the monsoon arrives in July, by which time the temperatures have reaches an uncomfortable 45°C+.
However as the monsoon is never very heavy in Rajasthan it is possible to travel here throughout the summer months, and the added advantage is the crowds are non existent and the hotel prices significantly lower. The hill stations are at their busiest during the summer months though the views of the mountains are often obscured by low cloud.
Ladakh however is ideal between June and September as the whole region is in the rain shadow. Winter in the Himalayas is cold and often the snow makes certain areas unreachable.
The South is constantly hot and more humid, with the monsoon arriving in June and then sweeps northwards. The South East is drier than the South West at this time, however the short rains of October and November sees their wettest months.
Sri Lanka has a tropical climate and is subject to two monsoons - the south west rains occur between May and the end of July, whilst the north and north east rains occur between October and January. However this does mean that August and the summer holidays are a great time to travel to Sri Lanka.
The Maldives is almost a year round destination, hot year round and best avoided between May and June which is their wet season. However tropical storms can and do occur year round as is the case in Sri Lanka and South India.
