Best places to visit in India in June

Where India is at its best in June

Each line below is the reason this place works in the monsoon, written for that place, not a generic blurb.

• Kheerganga Himachal Pradesh

  Hot-spring trek camp, a backpacker rite of passage

  Jun holds up; Jul-Aug bring leeches, slick rock sections and real flash-flood risk on the river.

  TrekMountainsOffbeatSnow

• Leh Ladakh

  Ladakh's backpacker capital and high-pass road-trip hub

  Peak season - both highways open, dry rain-shadow weather, hostels and cafes buzzing.

  MountainsBackpackerCulture

• Aharbal Falls Jammu and Kashmir

  The Veshaw crashes 25 m through a pine gorge, Kashmir's Niagara

  Jul-Sep rain keeps the fall fat and the walk up to Kungwattan meadow green; short showers, slick steps, local day-trippers.

  WaterfallsMountainsOffbeat

• Badrinath & Mana Uttarakhand

  Char Dham shrine at 3100 m with Mana village 3 km on

  July-August the Alaknanda valley slides; the highway above Joshimath closes for hours or days and the yatra thins right out.

  SpiritualMountainsHeritage

• Agumbe Karnataka

  Rainforest village known as South India's Cherrapunji

  This is the season - 700cm+ of rain, roaring falls, king cobras out, but leeches everywhere.

  OffbeatWaterfallsWildlife

• Athirappilly Falls Kerala

  An 80ft waterfall curtain at its thundering best in monsoon

  This is peak season here - the falls roar at full width; stick to viewing platforms, rocks are lethal

  WaterfallsTrek

• Chail Himachal Pradesh

  Deodar hill station with the world's highest cricket ground

  July-August is fog, drizzle and occasional slips on the Kandaghat road; atmospheric if you like reading indoors, thin otherwise.

  MountainsHeritage

• Alchi (Sham Valley) Ladakh

  11th-century Kashmiri murals in a low Indus orchard village

  Jun-Sep stays dry with apricots ripening in July; the Choskor murals are unlit, so come when light reaches the doors.

  HeritageSpiritualOffbeat

• Doodhpathri Jammu and Kashmir

  Milky Shaliganga meadows under pine, Kashmir's gentler Gulmarg

  Jul-Aug is green and warm rather than wet, but weekend picnic crowds and pony touts peak; Jun and Sep are the quiet wins.

  MountainsOffbeat

• Kedarnath Uttarakhand

  Himalayan Shiva shrine at 3583m, open just 6 months

  Technically open but this is landslide and flash-flood country. The 2013 disaster hit in this window

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• Churdhar (via Nohradhar) Himachal Pradesh

  Sirmaur's 3,647 m Shiva summit above a sea of foothills

  June holds dry; July-August is a slippery viewless slog on clay tracks, and September clears into a superb climbing window.

  TrekSpiritualMountains

• Aryan Valley (Dha & Garkon) Ladakh

  Flower-crowned Brokpa villages and apricot terraces on the Indus

  Jul-Aug barely sees rain in this rain-shadow gorge: apricots dry on rooftops, harvest in full swing, days around 25 C.

  OffbeatCultureMountains

• Manasbal Lake Jammu and Kashmir

  Lotus-choked lake under Nur Jahan's Jarokha Bagh terrace

  Jul-Aug is peak lotus, solid pink across the north shore; Jun and Sep are quieter but still worth the shikara hour.

  LakesOffbeatWildlife

• Sankri (Har Ki Dun) Uttarakhand

  Govind park trailhead for Har Ki Dun and Kedarkantha

  July-August the Tons valley road from Purola slips badly and the Har Ki Dun trail turns into leech-ridden mud all the way.

  TrekMountainsOffbeat

• Kaza (Spiti) Himachal Pradesh

  Spiti's cold-desert capital - monasteries and moonscapes

  Spiti's real peak - a rain-shadow desert, so this is HP's warmest, driest, greenest window.

  MountainsOffbeatDesertCulture

• Lamayuru Ladakh

  Moonland badlands under one of Ladakh's oldest gompas

  Jun-Sep is dry high desert, not monsoon - best light on the moonland, homestays open, Yuru Kabgyat in June or July.

  HeritageSpiritualMountains

• Naranag Jammu and Kashmir

  Ruined 8th-century Shiva temples at the Gangabal trailhead

  Jun-Sep is the trekking window: two days up to Gangabal under Harmukh, with guides and ponies hired in the village.

  TrekHeritageOffbeat

• Harsil Uttarakhand

  Deodar and apple village on the Bhagirathi below Gangotri

  July-August is the Bhagirathi valley's landslide season; the highway above Uttarkashi has stranded pilgrims for days on end.

  MountainsOffbeatSnow

• Parashar Lake Himachal Pradesh

  Floating-island lake with a pagoda temple, camping spot

  Jun is fine; Jul-Aug turn the approach road muddy and landslide-prone, with fog hiding the views.

  LakesTrekMountainsOffbeat

• Nubra Valley Ladakh

  Cold-desert valley of sand dunes and quiet monasteries

  Prime time - Hunder's dunes, camel rides and Diskit monastery open up, easy loop with Turtuk.

  DesertMountainsOffbeat

• Pahalgam Jammu and Kashmir

  Pine-forested valley base for Amarnath Yatra and easy treks

  June is lovely, but Jul-Aug bring Amarnath Yatra convoys and traffic curbs; September calms again.

  MountainsTrekSpiritual

• Sangla Himachal Pradesh

  Baspa valley base camp with the old Kamru Fort

  Jun is fine; Jul-Aug bring serious rockfall risk on the Karcham-Wangtu stretch, avoid driving in.

  MountainsOffbeatHeritageTrek

• Pangong Tso Ladakh

  The '3 Idiots' lake - a 134km turquoise line into Tibet

  Peak season for the famous turquoise water, though Jul-Aug can mean queues of cars at the viewpoint.

  LakesMountainsOffbeat

• Patnitop Jammu and Kashmir

  Deodar ridge on the Jammu-Srinagar highway under Nathatop snow

  June is clear and green, but Jul-Aug is Ramban landslide season on NH44 with six-hour halts; Sep drains off slowly.

  MountainsSnowTrek

• Shangarh (Sainj Valley) Himachal Pradesh

  Sacred meadow village at the quiet gate of the Great Himalayan NP

  July-August bring landslide-prone Sainj roads, leeches and a sodden meadow; June and late September are the workable edges.

  OffbeatMountainsTrek

• Turtuk Ladakh

  Balti village near the LoC, opened to tourists only in 2010

  Best time - apricot trees fruiting in July-August, full village life visible, easy add-on from Hunder.

  OffbeatCultureHeritage

• Sonamarg Jammu and Kashmir

  Meadow of Gold below Zoji La, base for the Great Lakes trek

  Prime season - the Kashmir Great Lakes Trek runs Jul-Sep and the road onward to Ladakh is fully open.

  MountainsTrekSnow

• Tabo Himachal Pradesh

  Thousand-year-old mud monastery with intact Indo-Tibetan murals

  Tabo sits in rain shadow and stays dry, but July-August landslides in the Kinnaur gorge below can add a full day to the drive.

  HeritageSpiritualOffbeat

• Drass Ladakh

  One of India's coldest towns, under the Kargil war ridges

  Jun-Sep is dry and 20 C by day, Tiger Hill and Tololing visible from the highway, the memorial busiest around 26 July.

  OffbeatMountainsHeritage

• Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir

  Houseboats on Dal Lake, Mughal gardens, J&K's summer capital

  June stays lovely; Jul-Aug bring Amarnath Yatra convoys, checkpoints and higher prices, easing by Sep.

  LakesHeritageCulture

• Bharmour (Manimahesh) Himachal Pradesh

  Gaddi shepherd capital with 84 temples under Manimahesh Kailash

  July is landslide month on the Chamba road, and the Aug-Sep Manimahesh yatra puts lakhs of pilgrims on a one-lane hill road.

  SpiritualTrekOffbeat

• Hanle Ladakh

  India's first Dark Sky Reserve, home to a major observatory

  Practical peak - road open, homestays running, still-dark clear nights since Ladakh barely gets rain.

  OffbeatDesertWildlife

• Yusmarg Jammu and Kashmir

  Pine-rimmed shepherd meadow and the walk to Nilnag lake

  Jun and Sep are the quiet good months; Jul-Aug is warm rather than wet but fills with Srinagar day-trippers and pony touts.

  MountainsOffbeatTrek

• Chitkul Himachal Pradesh

  Last inhabited village toward the Indo-Tibet border

  Jun holds up; Jul-Aug bring rockfall-prone stretches on the Karcham-Sangla road, a real risk.

  MountainsOffbeatTrekSnow

• Kargil Ladakh

  Highway garrison town, gateway to Suru Valley

  Normal transit season - highway fully open, a natural base for the Kargil War Memorial at Drass.

  HeritageCultureOffbeat

• Bhaderwah Jammu and Kashmir

  Chenab-valley bowl of lavender fields and Nag temples

  June turns the lavender fields purple; Jul-Aug rain loosens the Batote-Doda road, then Sep clears for the maize harvest.

  MountainsOffbeatTrek

Also in peak season in June

11 more, all of them in their best window this month.

• Dhankar Himachal Pradesh
• Gurez Valley (Dawar) Jammu and Kashmir
• Janjehli (Shikari Devi) Himachal Pradesh
• Kalpa Himachal Pradesh
• Lolab Valley (Sogam) Jammu and Kashmir
• Nako Himachal Pradesh
• Pin Valley (Mudh) Himachal Pradesh
• Rakcham Himachal Pradesh
• Suru Valley (Panikhar) Ladakh
• Tso Kar Ladakh
• Tso Moriri Ladakh

Shoulder season in June

Fewer people, cheaper beds, and a real chance the weather does not cooperate. 86 places sit in shoulder season this month.

• Abbott Mount (Lohaghat) Uttarakhand
• Ajanta-Ellora Maharashtra
• Amboli Maharashtra
• Badami-Aihole-Pattadakal Karnataka
• Bandhavgarh National Park Madhya Pradesh
• Bandipur National Park Karnataka
• Barot Himachal Pradesh
• Belur-Halebidu Karnataka
• Bhandardara Maharashtra
• Bhimashankar Maharashtra
• Bir Himachal Pradesh
• Bogatha Falls Telangana
• BR Hills (Biligiri Ranganatha) Karnataka
• Chandratal Himachal Pradesh
• Chorla Ghat Goa
• Courtallam (Kutralam) Tamil Nadu
• Dalhousie Himachal Pradesh
• Dudhni Lake Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
• Gaganbawda Maharashtra
• Gokak Falls Karnataka
• Gulmarg Jammu and Kashmir
• Hampi Karnataka
• Hogenakkal Falls Tamil Nadu
• Hyderabad Telangana
• Igatpuri Maharashtra
• Jageshwar Uttarakhand
• Jibhi Himachal Pradesh
• Jim Corbett (Ramnagar) Uttarakhand
• Jog Falls Karnataka
• Kaas Plateau Maharashtra
• Kabini Karnataka
• Kanatal Uttarakhand
• Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh
• Kanthalloor Kerala
• Karsog Valley Himachal Pradesh
• Kasauli Himachal Pradesh
• Kasol Himachal Pradesh
• Khajjiar Himachal Pradesh
• Kokernag & Verinag Jammu and Kashmir
• Kukru (Khamla Plateau) Madhya Pradesh
• Kullu Himachal Pradesh
• Lansdowne Uttarakhand
• Lonavala Maharashtra
• Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) Tamil Nadu
• Maheshwar Madhya Pradesh
• Mainpat Chhattisgarh
• Malana Himachal Pradesh
• Manali Himachal Pradesh
• Manapad Tamil Nadu
• Markha Valley Ladakh
• Martand Sun Temple (Mattan) Jammu and Kashmir
• McLeod Ganj Himachal Pradesh
• Miyar Valley (Urgos) Himachal Pradesh
• Morni Hills Haryana
• Mount Abu Rajasthan
• Munsiyari Uttarakhand
• Mysuru Karnataka
• Naggar Himachal Pradesh
• Nandi Hills Karnataka
• Narkanda & Thanedar Himachal Pradesh
• North Sikkim (Lachen-Lachung) Sikkim
• Omkareshwar Madhya Pradesh
• Palampur & Andretta Himachal Pradesh
• Pangi Valley (Killar) Himachal Pradesh
• Panhala Maharashtra
• Pondicherry (incl. Auroville) Puducherry
• Raigad Fort Maharashtra
• Ramanagara (Ramadevarabetta) Karnataka
• Rameswaram Tamil Nadu
• Ranikhet Uttarakhand
• Ranthambore Rajasthan
• Saputara Gujarat
• Sarahan (Bhimakali) Himachal Pradesh
• Sattal Uttarakhand
• Shimla Himachal Pradesh
• Shivanasamudra Falls Karnataka
• Tadoba Maharashtra
• Tharangambadi (Tranquebar) Tamil Nadu
• Tirthan Valley (Gushaini) Himachal Pradesh
• Tirupati Andhra Pradesh

Festivals in June

• Lamayuru, Ladakh: Jun/Jul: Yuru Kabgyat masked dances (5th Tibetan month)
• Puri, Odisha: Jun-Jul: Rath Yatra
• Raigad Fort, Maharashtra: Jun: Shiv Rajyabhishek Din, coronation day on 6 June

Best states to visit in June

Himachal Pradesh (16)Ladakh (13)Jammu and Kashmir (12)Uttarakhand (4)Karnataka (1)Kerala (1)

Common questions