when to go to india

[matt12023]

HI
Im planning to go overland to india from britain. Probably turkey-iran-pakistan-india.
i can go any time from june 2003 as long as im back by september 2004.
My Q is when is best time to go to india.Ive heard it is autumn but spring would be better for me.does anyone now what the weather is like there at that time of year.
i need to get a rough start date pinned so that i can arrange visa's and all that.any advice is greatly appreciated.
cheers matt

[davidlomax]

ermmmm.......

probably in a few years time after Pakistan and India stop fighting over Kashmir and feeling towards westerners improves slightly would be a good time!!!

That's a seriously dangerous route plan you have there, I hope I'm not teaching you to suck eggs or anything, but have a quick look at the home office web site and check their recommendations for travelling in that area at the moment.

Best Of Luck

Dave

[Billy Bunter]

Hi matt

The route you are looking should be fine, i went through that way a few months ago, i also know of alot of other people who have done it recently and if you search on this site you will find many people doing it currently. IMO, i would say it is relatively safe but as always, as with anywhere in the UK even, you need to take care and be aware. The current situation concerning Kashmere is that India annd Pakistan are actuually starting to talk again and are restoring diplomatic relations, which is good news for all concerned aand lets hope they get somewhere with it this time.

Hope your trip goes well.

Will

[Simon Kennedy]

There's plenty of people who have done it lately. I would however, avoid the Afgan border areas and be careful on the southern Pakistan stretch from the Iranian border. Take the usual precautions and follow your instincts...you know the drill.

I assume your question was largely weather related, as this is the main decider.
The overarching determiner is the rainy season in India. If you do set off direct for India in the spring you are making life hard for yourself. Most of India (although not all) is unpleasant in the build up to the rain (late March and April) and then hard work in the rain (from May until late September). Secondly, most of the country is very very hot during the Summer. This is a combination to avoid, I reckon. Being there presents enough challenges.
There are some cooler spots: many of the ex-pats who live in India head to the northern mountains in these months while the rest of the country fries. If you can survive the heat from Istanbul east you could shoot up to Leh on the Menali road and hang out for a while while the summer passes. It's an option.
You could, if totally set on a June departure, take a very circuitous route perhaps--not such a bad idea in itself. How about looping north and seeing some of Russia, then droping down into Turkey September-time, for example?
Most European overlanders set off in the lateish summer. Turkey and Iran are less fierce in the autumn, you can do the KKH just before the snows, and then hit India in the best season, from November to February. Goa for Christmas is a favourite target. I would recommend this.

If you have until September 2004, and sufficient funds, you should think about pressing on to SE Asia, where you will meet rain, but it's much easier to handle. It's very cheap to live, comparable to India.

Then ship home. There are some good value flights to London available in Bangkok.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Oh, one last thing, Indian visas start running out the moment they're issued, so buy it along the way, Islamabad, Pakistan is the usual choice. You will, however, need to sort your Iranian one out throuhg Magic Carpet as soon as.

[This message has been edited by Simon Kennedy (edited 29 May 2003).]

[radek_cervinka]

I went this trip 2 years ago by bike. I started from europe in Julay, August and part of september we spend in Turkey and after 2 weeks in Iran and 1 months in Pakistan we come to Amritsar in beggining of november. For trip to south of india is best time, but for north of India is summer of course better.
Radek

[Simon Kennedy]

I think you'll find that summer in northern India (except in the mountains)is very wet indeed. The monsoon retreats from the north west during October. Have a look at the following for a full explanation:
http://www.indianchild.com/climate_india.htm

[This message has been edited by Simon Kennedy (edited 09 June 2003).]

[stormsearcher]

july -sep best to be in ladakh/leh/ no rain
sep-oct start riding down/ northern india is good till bout november/dec/then it gets cold. do rajastan/ travel down to goa by december/ and do the southern part of india till march. then get the hell out before summer sets in.

[matt12023]

cheers for all the info.
how long does it take on average for magic carpet to sort iranian visa's. i think it is too late for a september departure this year.
looks like ill have to aim to do northern india early next yr.
cheers again
matt

[Kiwi Pete]

Hi Matt,

I don't have experience of using Magic Carpet (though apparently it takes two weeks).

Check out this link for more info on Iranian visa: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000349.html

I myself have just collected Iranian visa from their consulate in London. I guess you're in Manchester so it may not be practical for you to do this but all I did was take the necessary forms/photos/ cash (£36 for Kiwi's) and passport into the consulate, they told me to come back in 3 weeks and collect it (picked it up last Wednesday).

Have a great trip mate,

Pete