Best places to visit in India in March

Where India is at its best in March

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

• Kasol Himachal Pradesh

  Parvati valley's trance-backpacker hub, gateway to treks

  Prime season - Mar-May bring warm days, full guesthouses and a steady flow of backpackers.

  BackpackerPartyMountainsTrek

• Rishikesh Uttarakhand

  Yoga capital and rafting hub on the Ganges

  March is pleasant, but April-May heat climbs fast and the ghats fill with day-trippers

  SpiritualBackpackerCulture

• Shergaon Arunachal Pradesh

  Sherdukpen pine-forest village at 2,000 m, the quiet turn-off on the Tawang road

  Mar-May is orchid and rhododendron time in the pines; days reach 20 C, the forest walks are dry and the Eco Camp fills on weekends with Guwahati families

  CultureOffbeatMountains

• Darjeeling West Bengal

  Queen of the Hills - tea, toy train, Kanchenjunga views

  Mar-Apr is peak: rhododendrons bloom and skies are clearest, but it's crowded, book ahead.

  MountainsHeritageCulture

• Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep) Andaman & Nicobar Islands

  Andaman's backpacker-diving hub with Radhanagar Beach

  Hot and sticky (32C+) by April-May, but seas stay calm and diving visibility can peak pre-monsoon.

  BeachIslandBackpacker

• Kolukkumalai Tamil Nadu

  Sunrise above a sea of clouds at the world's highest tea estate

  Apr-May mornings still deliver before haze builds; tour the 1930s orthodox tea factory through the warm middle hours

  MountainsOffbeat

• Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary (Jorhat) Assam

  India's only ape, in a rainforest patch cut by a railway line

  April-May is humid and full of insects, but the gibbons still call by 6 am, so go early and be out by mid-morning.

  WildlifeOffbeat

• Gangtok Sikkim

  Sikkim's capital and gateway: monasteries, MG Marg cafés

  Mar-Apr is peak (flower festival, clearest skies); by May haze builds ahead of the monsoon.

  MountainsCityCulture

• Agatti Island (Lakshadweep) Lakshadweep

  Coral lagoon island - Lakshadweep's permit-only gateway

  April is still workable with warm calm seas; by May pre-monsoon swell and humidity climb

  IslandBeachOffbeat

• Benreu (Mount Pauna) Nagaland

  Zeliang village at 1,900 m under Mount Pauna, a moss-forest climb with Barail views

  March is still clear and cool for the 2-3 h climb; by April the plains haze creeps up and afternoon storms begin, though the moss forest is greenest and orchids are out.

  MountainsTrekOffbeatCulture

• Barsana & Nandgaon Uttar Pradesh

  Braj hill villages where Lathmar Holi is fought with sticks

  Lathmar Holi falls in late Feb or March and is worth the chaos; after it Braj climbs past 45 °C and empties.

  CultureSpiritualOffbeat

• Kunkeshwar (Devgad) Maharashtra

  Black stone Shiva temple standing on the Devgad sand

  Late February to April is alphonso season and the Shivratri yatra; May turns sticky at 34 C with the sea like a bath, so keep to dawn and dusk.

  BeachSpiritualOffbeat

• Anandpur Sahib Punjab

  Birthplace of the Khalsa and the Nihang horsemen of Hola Mohalla

  March is the peak week for Hola Mohalla, then Apr-Jun bakes the Shivalik foothills at 42 C and empties out.

  SpiritualHeritageCulture

• Morni Hills Haryana

  Chandigarh's nearest hills, low-key and quiet

  A genuine escape from Chandigarh's plains heat, several degrees cooler up in the hills.

  MountainsOffbeatLakes

• Bhadra Tiger Reserve (Muthodi) Karnataka

  Teak and shola tiger reserve with a rest house at the gate

  Mar-Apr is the sighting season as the forest dries and everything walks to the Bhadra backwater; May hits 35 C with evening storms.

  WildlifeOffbeatTrek

• Jowai (Nartiang & Krangsuri) Meghalaya

  Jaintia monolith field, a Shakti Peetha and blue Krangsuri pools

  March-April is warm and green and Krangsuri holds its turquoise colour right up until the first heavy rains.

  OffbeatHeritageWaterfalls

• Tamdil Lake (Saitual) Mizoram

  Forest-rimmed lake at 780 m near Saitual, with a lakeside lodge and kayaks

  March is cool and clear enough for the forest trails; April and May turn hazy and humid, though at 780 m the lake stays cooler than Aizawl and the boats still run.

  LakesOffbeatWildlife

• Gulmarg Jammu and Kashmir

  India's top ski resort - Gondola to 3,979m, real powder

  March can still have late-season snow; by May meadows green up for golf and short hikes.

  SnowMountains

• Thattekad (Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary) Kerala

  Salim Ali's richest peninsular birding forest on the Periyar

  March still delivers with the leaf litter dry and birds pinned to water, but by May it is 37°C and walks have to end by nine.

  WildlifeOffbeat

• Mount Abu Rajasthan

  Rajasthan's only hill station, oasis from the heat

  Peak season for a reason. The one hill station where plains-dwellers escape 45C heat.

  MountainsLakesTrek

• Achanakmar Tiger Reserve (Maikal Hills) Chhattisgarh

  Hilly sal forest and Baiga hamlets on the road to Amarkantak

  March stays cool at dawn and April pulls gaur and sloth bear to the waterholes; by May the ridge bakes past 42C and dust hangs over the track.

  WildlifeMountainsOffbeat

• Velavadar (Blackbuck National Park) Gujarat

  Grassland savanna of blackbuck, wolves and harrier roosts

  Apr-May bakes at 43 °C on shadeless grassland; safaris run at dawn only, then the gates shut for the rains in June.

  WildlifeOffbeat

• Rumbak (Hemis National Park) Ladakh

  Snow leopard homestay village inside Hemis National Park

  March still holds cats close to the village; through April and May the thaw sets in, the herds move up and the valley empties.

  WildlifeTrekOffbeatMountains

• Amarkantak Madhya Pradesh

  Source of the Narmada on a 1,000 m Maikal plateau

  At 1,043 m Mar-May tops out near 35 C, far kinder than Bilaspur below, and Kapildhara still has some water in it.

  SpiritualMountainsOffbeat

• Willong Khullen Manipur

  Maram Naga ridge village ringed by 7 m menhirs no one counts the same way twice

  Mar-Apr is dry with peach and plum blossom in the village and haze from jhum burning; May brings the first storms and the road starts to soften

  HeritageOffbeatCultureMountains

• Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary (Belonia) Tripura

  Sal forest and grassland where Tripura's gaur herds graze at dawn

  Mar-Apr give the best sightings as water shrinks to a few pools, but it is 33 C by noon and storms roll in from late April; May is hot, humid and empty

  WildlifeOffbeat

• McLeod Ganj Himachal Pradesh

  Dalai Lama's home-in-exile - Tibetan culture hub

  Peak season - Mar-May bring warm days, packed meditation courses and full Dharamkot guesthouses.

  SpiritualCultureBackpackerMountains

• Haridwar Uttarakhand

  Har Ki Pauri, the ghat where the Ganga leaves the hills

  March is fine at 20-32C, but by May-June it is 42C on open stone and the evening aarti crush becomes genuinely unpleasant.

  SpiritualHeritageCity

• Ziro Valley Arunachal Pradesh

  Apatani tribal valley of paddy fields and music festival

  Lovely window: paddy fields turning green, pleasant days before the rains set in.

  CultureOffbeatBackpacker

• Sandakphu West Bengal

  West Bengal's highest point - sunrise over 4 of 5 top peaks

  Apr rhododendrons carpet the ridge red and pink; by May haze builds as monsoon approaches.

  TrekMountainsSnow

• Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep) Andaman & Nicobar Islands

  The quiet, bicycle-friendly Andaman island next door

  Warm and humid through April-May but ferries usually still run. Fewer crowds than Havelock.

  BeachIsland

• Manapad Tamil Nadu

  Black rock cape, a church of 1581 and a lagoon built for kiting

  March is the last good month; by Apr-May the black rock cape radiates 37 C and the wind drops between the two monsoons.

  BeachOffbeatHeritage

• Kaziranga National Park Assam

  One-horned rhino capital: jeep and elephant safaris

  May is the tail end before closure. Hot, grass tall, park shuts by month's end.

  Wildlife

• Namchi Sikkim

  South Sikkim pilgrim town with a 108-ft Shiva and Char Dham

  March-April is warm, flowering and clear; by late May the pre-monsoon build-up greys out the ridge most afternoons.

  SpiritualMountainsHeritage

• Bangaram Island Lakshadweep

  Uninhabited coral islet with a glowing night lagoon

  April is hot, still and doable; by May the pre-monsoon swell builds and the Agatti boat transfer starts getting cancelled.

  IslandBeachOffbeat

• Khonoma Nagaland

  Angami stone village that banned hunting and kept its terraces

  March-April is warm with rhododendron on the tragopan sanctuary ridge before the pre-monsoon cloud closes in.

  OffbeatCultureTrek

Also in peak season in March

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

• Abbott Mount (Lohaghat) Uttarakhand
• Ajodhya Hills (Purulia) West Bengal
• Anini (Dibang Valley) Arunachal Pradesh
• Bageshwar Uttarakhand
• Baratang Island (Limestone Caves) Andaman & Nicobar Islands
• Barot Himachal Pradesh
• Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary (Hilley) Sikkim
• Bir Himachal Pradesh
• BR Hills (Biligiri Ranganatha) Karnataka
• Buxa Tiger Reserve (Jayanti) West Bengal
• Chail Himachal Pradesh
• Chamba Himachal Pradesh
• Chaukori Uttarakhand
• Dampa Tiger Reserve (Teirei) Mizoram
• Damro (Yamne valley) Arunachal Pradesh
• Dehing Patkai National Park (Jeypore) Assam
• Devprayag Uttarakhand
• Dirang Arunachal Pradesh
• Dudhwa National Park Uttar Pradesh
• Dwarahat (Dunagiri) Uttarakhand
• Dzongu (Lepcha Reserve) Sikkim
• Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Lama Camp & Bompu) Arunachal Pradesh
• Fatehgarh Sahib (Sirhind) Punjab
• Gorumara National Park (Lataguri) West Bengal
• Hastinapur Uttar Pradesh
• Jageshwar Uttarakhand
• Jaldapara National Park (Madarihat) West Bengal
• Jibhi Himachal Pradesh
• Jim Corbett (Ramnagar) Uttarakhand
• Kadmat Island Lakshadweep
• Kalakkad-Mundanthurai (Mundanthurai) Tamil Nadu
• Kalesar National Park Haryana
• Kalimpong West Bengal
• Kalpeni (Koomel Bay) Lakshadweep
• Kapurthala Punjab
• Karsog Valley Himachal Pradesh
• Kartik Swami (Kanakchauri) Uttarakhand
• Kasauli Himachal Pradesh
• Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh
• Katra (Vaishno Devi) Jammu and Kashmir
• Kausani Uttarakhand
• Kavaratti Lakshadweep
• Khirsu Uttarakhand
• Kibber (Spiti) Himachal Pradesh
• Kokkare Bellur Karnataka
• Lava & Rishop (Neora Valley) West Bengal
• Little Andaman (Hut Bay) Andaman & Nicobar Islands
• Long Island Andaman & Nicobar Islands
• Longwa (Mon district) Nagaland
• Malana Himachal Pradesh
• Manas National Park Assam
• Mandi Himachal Pradesh
• Mannavanur Tamil Nadu
• Masinagudi (Mudumalai) Tamil Nadu
• Mawphlang Sacred Forest Meghalaya
• Mayabunder (Karmatang Beach) Andaman & Nicobar Islands
• Meghamalai (High Wavy Mountains) Tamil Nadu
• Minicoy (Maliku) Lakshadweep
• Mirik West Bengal
• Mokokchung Nagaland
• Nag Tibba Uttarakhand
• Naggar Himachal Pradesh
• Nagzira (Pitezari Gate) Maharashtra
• Nameri National Park Assam
• Nongkhyllem Sanctuary (Lailad) Meghalaya
• Orang National Park (Silbori) Assam
• Palampur & Andretta Himachal Pradesh
• Patal Bhuvaneshwar Uttarakhand
• Pelling Sikkim
• Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) Maharashtra
• Pfutsero (Glory Peak) Nagaland
• Phawngpui (Blue Mountain) Mizoram
• Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (Chuka) Uttar Pradesh
• Pinjore (Yadavindra Gardens) Haryana
• Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (Mayong) Assam
• Port Blair Andaman & Nicobar Islands
• Pragpur & Garli Himachal Pradesh
• Rangat (Amkunj & Dhani Nallah) Andaman & Nicobar Islands
• Ranikhet Uttarakhand
• Ranthambore Rajasthan
• Ravangla Sikkim
• Rewalsar (Tso Pema) Himachal Pradesh
• Sattal Uttarakhand
• Shakumbhari Devi (Behat) Uttar Pradesh
• Silent Valley National Park (Mukkali) Kerala
• Sirumalai Tamil Nadu
• Sujanpur Tira Himachal Pradesh
• Sultanpur Lodhi Punjab
• Tadoba Maharashtra
• Thanamir (Mount Saramati) Nagaland
• Tirthan Valley (Gushaini) Himachal Pradesh
• Tosh Himachal Pradesh
• Tuting (Pemako) Arunachal Pradesh
• Velas (Turtle Village) Maharashtra
• Wakro (Parshuram Kund & Glao Lake) Arunachal Pradesh
• Walong (Dong & Kibithoo) Arunachal Pradesh
• Yercaud Tamil Nadu
• Zemithang (Gorsam Chorten) Arunachal Pradesh
• Zuluk Sikkim

Shoulder season in March

Fewer people, cheaper beds, and a real chance the weather does not cooperate. 518 places sit in shoulder season this month.

• Abhaneri (Chand Baori) Rajasthan
• Agartala & Unakoti Tripura
• Agasthyakoodam (Athirumala) Kerala
• Agra Uttar Pradesh
• Aharbal Falls Jammu and Kashmir
• Ahmedabad Gujarat
• Ahobilam Andhra Pradesh
• Aizawl Mizoram
• Ajanta-Ellora Maharashtra
• Ajmer Rajasthan
• Alampur (Jogulamba) Telangana
• Alibaug Maharashtra
• Alleppey (Alappuzha) Backwaters Kerala
• Almora Uttarakhand
• Alwar Rajasthan
• Amboli Maharashtra
• Amritsar Punjab
• Anjuna-Vagator Goa
• Araku Valley Andhra Pradesh
• Arambol & Mandrem Goa
• Aranmula Kerala
• Aryan Valley (Dha & Garkon) Ladakh
• Asan Conservation Reserve (Dakpathar) Uttarakhand
• Atapaka (Kolleru Lake) Andhra Pradesh
• Auli Uttarakhand
• Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh
• Bagh Caves (Bagh village) Madhya Pradesh
• Baghmara (Balpakram gateway) Meghalaya
• Bakhira Lake (Khalilabad) Uttar Pradesh
• Bakkhali & Henry Island West Bengal
• Balotra & Tilwara Rajasthan
• Bandhavgarh National Park Madhya Pradesh
• Bandipur National Park Karnataka
• Bani (Sarthal Devi) Jammu and Kashmir
• Barabar Caves Bihar
• Barmer Rajasthan
• Barnawapara Sanctuary Chhattisgarh
• Barsur Chhattisgarh
• Baruva (Sompeta) Andhra Pradesh
• Basar Arunachal Pradesh
• Basohli Jammu and Kashmir
• Bateshwar & Chambal Safari (Bah) Uttar Pradesh
• Bathinda Punjab
• Bawangaja (Barwani) Madhya Pradesh
• Bekal Kerala
• Belghar (Kandhamal) Odisha
• Belpahari (Kankrajhore) West Bengal
• Belum Caves Andhra Pradesh
• Belur-Halebidu Karnataka
• Betla National Park Jharkhand
• Betul (Cabo de Rama coast) Goa
• Beypore Kerala
• Bhaderwah Jammu and Kashmir
• Bhadrachalam Telangana
• Bhainsrorgarh Rajasthan
• Bhairabkunda Assam
• Bhairavakona Andhra Pradesh
• Bhangarh & Ajabgarh Rajasthan
• Bharatpur (Keoladeo National Park) Rajasthan
• Bheemili (Bheemunipatnam) Andhra Pradesh
• Bhigwan (Kumbhargaon) Maharashtra
• Bhimashankar Maharashtra
• Bhimbetka (with Bhojpur) Madhya Pradesh
• Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary Haryana
• Bhitargaon Uttar Pradesh
• Bhitarkanika National Park Odisha
• Bhongir Fort (Bhuvanagiri) Telangana
• Bhopal & Sanchi Madhya Pradesh
• Bhoramdeo (Kawardha) Chhattisgarh
• Bhubaneswar Odisha
• Bhuj Gujarat
• Bidar Karnataka
• Bikaner Rajasthan
• Binsar Uttarakhand
• Bishnupur (Terracotta Temples) West Bengal
• Bithoor Uttar Pradesh
• Bodh Gaya Bihar
• Bundi Rajasthan
• Burhanpur Madhya Pradesh
• Chabimura Tripura

Festivals in March

• Aizawl, Mizoram: Early Mar: Chapchar Kut spring festival
• Anandpur Sahib, Punjab: Mar: Hola Mohalla (around Holi, dates shift)
• Balotra & Tilwara, Rajasthan: Mar/Apr: Mallinath cattle fair at Tilwara, two weeks in Chaitra
• Barmer, Rajasthan: Mar/Apr: Mallinath cattle fair at Tilwara
• Bawangaja (Barwani), Madhya Pradesh: Mar/Apr: Mahavir Jayanti fills the dharamshalas
• Bhadrachalam, Telangana: Mar/Apr: Sri Rama Navami Kalyanam
• Deshnoke (Karni Mata Temple), Rajasthan: Mar/Apr: Karni Mata fair at Chaitra Navratri, repeated Sep/Oct
• Guhagar, Maharashtra: Mar: Shimga palkhis move between the Konkan villages
• Jawhar, Maharashtra: Mar: Warli Holi with tarpa drums in the hamlets
• Karauli, Rajasthan: Mar/Apr: Kaila Devi lakhi mela
• Madhavpur Ghed, Gujarat: Mar/Apr: Madhavpur fair, Krishna and Rukmini's wedding
• Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra: Mar-Apr: Strawberry Festival
• Mayapur (Nabadwip), West Bengal: Mar: Gaura Purnima, Chaitanya's birth anniversary
• Melukote, Karnataka: Mar/Apr: Vairamudi Brahmotsava
• Muziris Heritage (Kodungallur), Kerala: Mar/Apr: Kodungallur Bharani
• Ramtek, Maharashtra: Mar/Apr: Ram Navami fair climbs the temple hill
• Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: Mar: International Yoga Festival
• Shakumbhari Devi (Behat), Uttar Pradesh: Mar/Apr: Chaitra Navratri fair, again in Sep/Oct
• Shirdi, Maharashtra: Mar/Apr: Ram Navami urs at the Sai Baba samadhi mandir
• Sujanpur Tira, Himachal Pradesh: Mar: Holi fair, three days on the chaugan, the biggest in Himachal
• Udaipur, Rajasthan: Mar: Mewar Festival (Gangaur)
• Vrindavan-Mathura, Uttar Pradesh: Mar: Holi, incl. Barsana's Lathmar Holi

Best states to visit in March

Himachal Pradesh (19)Uttarakhand (16)Arunachal Pradesh (10)West Bengal (9)Andaman & Nicobar Islands (8)Tamil Nadu (8)Sikkim (7)Assam (7)

Common questions