Best places to visit in India in September

Where India is at its best in September

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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Shivanasamudra Falls Karnataka

  Twin Kaveri cataracts in full thunder after the rains

  Jul-Sep is the spectacle: Gaganachukki becomes a churning wall of whitewater and the viewing rails pack out on weekends.

  Waterfalls

• Ninai Falls (Dediapada) Gujarat

  Monsoon cascade in the teak forests behind the Statue of Unity

  Aug-Sep is full flow: a broad white curtain off the basalt lip with mist in the canopy; Jul depends on how early the rains land.

  WaterfallsOffbeat

• Igatpuri Maharashtra

  Vipassana meditation hub and monsoon trekking base

  Peak season for trekkers - Kalsubai and the ghats turn lush, though trails get slippery.

  MountainsSpiritualTrek

• Ananthagiri Hills (Vikarabad) Telangana

  Deccan forest ridge where the Musi river starts, 90 km out

  Jul-Sep is when this place earns the drive, the Musi headwaters running and the whole ridge properly dense.

  MountainsTrek

• 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

• Dassam Falls Jharkhand

  The Kanchi river's clean 44 m curtain drop near Taimara village

  Jul-Sep the 44 m curtain is thunderous and strictly no-swim water: drownings happen most years, stay behind the railings.

  WaterfallsOffbeat

• Kanthalloor Kerala

  Rain-shadow orchard village of apples, dolmens and sandalwood

  The rain shadow keeps Jun-Sep to drizzle while the rest of Kerala floods; apples ripen mid-monsoon and the valley glows green.

  OffbeatMountainsCulture

• Banswara (Mahi Backwaters) Rajasthan

  Hundred islands of the Mahi backwaters in tribal Vagad

  Jul-Sep the wettest district in Rajasthan turns properly green, and by August the island-dotted Mahi spread is at its widest.

  OffbeatLakes

• Kakolat Falls Bihar

  Forest waterfall with a cold bathing kund under Nawada's hills

  Jul-Aug it roars but monsoon spate shut the site for six weeks in 2025; September keeps the volume as the picnic crush eases.

  WaterfallsOffbeat

• Chitrakote Falls (Bastar) Chhattisgarh

  India's widest waterfall in the heart of tribal Bastar

  Chitrakote's real fame: Indravati floods the 300m ledge into a genuine roar; roads turn muddy though.

  WaterfallsOffbeatCulture

• Chorla Ghat Goa

  Cloud-forest edge of Goa above the Vazra Sakla waterfall

  Jul-Sep is the point: Vazra Sakla thunders across the valley, moss and mist everywhere; expect rain most hours and pack for it.

  MountainsWaterfallsOffbeat

• Mangar Bani Haryana

  Sacred Gujjar grove guarding NCR's last primary Aravalli forest

  June is a furnace, but July-Sept rain flips the dhau canopy deep green, the one window when these Aravallis genuinely look alive.

  OffbeatWildlife

• Mandu Madhya Pradesh

  Ruined Malwa plateau city famous for its monsoon mist

  Mandu's real season: mist over Roopmati's pavilion, tanks fill, roads can get slick though.

  HeritageOffbeatCulture

• Dzukou Valley Nagaland

  Rolling green trekking valley famous for summer lilies

  The famous Dzukou lilies bloom in June-July, but you'll fight mud, leeches and fog for it.

  TrekMountainsOffbeat

• Kodaikanal Tamil Nadu

  Misty Palani lake town loved by trekkers, backpackers

  Heavy rain and near-constant mist, Ghat road landslide risk, most viewpoints socked in - skip it

  MountainsLakesTrekBackpacker

• 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

• Katra (Vaishno Devi) Jammu and Kashmir

  Base town for the year-round Vaishno Devi pilgrimage climb

  Worst window - brutal heat plus monsoon rain that can trigger landslides and track closures.

  SpiritualTrekHeritage

• Markha Valley Ladakh

  Ladakh's classic homestay trek below Kang Yatse's white pyramid

  Jul-Sep is prime: rain-shadow dry trails, parachute-tent cafes up, and a homestay bed with dinner waiting in every hamlet.

  TrekOffbeatMountains

• 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

• Polo Forest (Vijaynagar) Gujarat

  Jain and Shiva ruins lost in Aravalli forest by the Harnav

  Jul-Aug is dramatic, but the river crossings towards the Sharneshwar temple flood and forest tracks turn to mud.

  OffbeatHeritageTrek

• Gaganbawda Maharashtra

  Kolhapur's rain-drenched ghat edge above the Konkan drop

  Jul-Sep is the show: the wettest corner of Kolhapur district, every cliff runs white and the Bhuibawada ghat drives through cloud.

  OffbeatMountainsWaterfalls

• Bogatha Falls Telangana

  Broad tiered curtain falls deep in Godavari tribal country

  Jul-Aug the falls turn into a brown thunderhead, bathing is off, and Godavari backwater can cut the Eturnagaram road.

  WaterfallsOffbeat

• 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

  SpiritualTrekMountains

• Hundru Falls Jharkhand

  Subarnarekha drops 98 m of basalt, 740 steps below the road

  Jul-Sep it is at full roar and genuinely dangerous - people drown here most years, so stay off the wet rock.

  WaterfallsTrekOffbeat

• 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

• Menal (Falls & Temples) Rajasthan

  Monsoon waterfall plunging into a gorge by 11th century temples

  Jul-Sep is the show: the Menali river leaps off the plateau in full spate with spray drifting over the shikharas; wet rock, so mind the rim.

  WaterfallsHeritageOffbeat

• Narkanda & Thanedar Himachal Pradesh

  Apple country ridge with Hatu Peak and a one-slope ski hill

  July-August is when NH-5 slides between Shimla and Rampur; the orchards are green and the view is cloud, all day long.

  MountainsSnowOffbeat

• Kokernag & Verinag Jammu and Kashmir

  Verinag's Mughal spring tank and Kokernag's trout gardens

  Jun-Aug is Kashmir's warm stretch near 30 C by noon with weekend picnic crowds; Sep cools down and empties out again.

  OffbeatHeritageCulture

• 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

• Gokak Falls Karnataka

  Horseshoe cataract with a century-old hanging bridge at its crest

  Jul-Sep is the event: a curtain nearly 170 m wide in full roar; the hanging bridge often shuts at peak flow, so you watch from the banks

  WaterfallsHeritageOffbeat

• Tarnetar Gujarat

  Trinetreshwar temple and Saurashtra's monsoon marriage fair

  This is the whole point: for three days in Bhadarvi, late Aug or early Sep, the fields fill with embroidered umbrellas.

  CultureOffbeatSpiritual

• Kaas Plateau Maharashtra

  Plateau carpeted in wildflowers for three weeks a year

  Greenery builds through the rains, exploding into wildflowers by September - entry is permit-limited.

  OffbeatTrek

• Kuntala Falls Telangana

  Telangana's tallest fall, 45 m of the Kadam off a ledge

  Jul-Sep is peak flow and the roar is the whole point, but the lower deck shuts when the river is in spate.

  WaterfallsOffbeat

Also in peak season in September

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

• Aryan Valley (Dha & Garkon) Ladakh
• Bhaderwah Jammu and Kashmir
• Bharmour (Manimahesh) Himachal Pradesh
• Chandratal Himachal Pradesh
• Chitkul Himachal Pradesh
• Dhankar Himachal Pradesh
• Drass Ladakh
• Gurez Valley (Dawar) Jammu and Kashmir
• Hanle Ladakh
• Harsil Uttarakhand
• Jog Falls Karnataka
• Kalpa Himachal Pradesh
• Kargil Ladakh
• Lamayuru Ladakh
• Lolab Valley (Sogam) Jammu and Kashmir
• Manasbal Lake Jammu and Kashmir
• Martand Sun Temple (Mattan) Jammu and Kashmir
• Miyar Valley (Urgos) Himachal Pradesh
• Nako Himachal Pradesh
• Naranag Jammu and Kashmir
• Nubra Valley Ladakh
• Pahalgam Jammu and Kashmir
• Pangi Valley (Killar) Himachal Pradesh
• Pangong Tso Ladakh
• Pin Valley (Mudh) Himachal Pradesh
• Rakcham Himachal Pradesh
• Sahastrakund Falls Maharashtra
• Sangla Himachal Pradesh
• Sarahan (Bhimakali) Himachal Pradesh
• Sonamarg Jammu and Kashmir
• Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir
• Suru Valley (Panikhar) Ladakh
• Tabo Himachal Pradesh
• Tso Kar Ladakh
• Tso Moriri Ladakh
• Turtuk Ladakh
• Warwan Valley (Inshan) Jammu and Kashmir
• Wilson Hills (Dharampur) Gujarat
• Yellapur (Sathodi & Magod Falls) Karnataka
• Yusmarg Jammu and Kashmir

Shoulder season in September

Fewer people, cheaper beds, and a real chance the weather does not cooperate. 214 places sit in shoulder season this month.

• Abhaneri (Chand Baori) Rajasthan
• Agra Uttar Pradesh
• Aharbal Falls Jammu and Kashmir
• Ahobilam Andhra Pradesh
• Ajanta-Ellora Maharashtra
• Ajmer Rajasthan
• Alleppey (Alappuzha) Backwaters Kerala
• Alwar Rajasthan
• Amarkantak Madhya Pradesh
• Amboli Maharashtra
• Amritsar Punjab
• Anandpur Sahib Punjab
• Araku Valley Andhra Pradesh
• Aranmula Kerala
• Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh
• Badami-Aihole-Pattadakal Karnataka
• Bandipur National Park Karnataka
• Barmer Rajasthan
• Barot Himachal Pradesh
• Basohli Jammu and Kashmir
• Belum Caves Andhra Pradesh
• Belur-Halebidu Karnataka
• Bhainsrorgarh Rajasthan
• Bhandardara Maharashtra
• Bhangarh & Ajabgarh Rajasthan
• Bharatpur (Keoladeo National Park) Rajasthan
• Bheemili (Bheemunipatnam) Andhra Pradesh
• Bhimashankar Maharashtra
• Bhimbetka (with Bhojpur) Madhya Pradesh
• Bhopal & Sanchi Madhya Pradesh
• Bhoramdeo (Kawardha) Chhattisgarh
• Bidar Karnataka
• Bir Himachal Pradesh
• Bishnupur (Terracotta Temples) West Bengal
• BR Hills (Biligiri Ranganatha) Karnataka
• Bundi Rajasthan
• Burhanpur Madhya Pradesh
• Chabimura Tripura
• Chail Himachal Pradesh
• Chamba Himachal Pradesh
• Champaner-Pavagadh Gujarat
• Chanderi Madhya Pradesh
• Chandigarh Chandigarh
• Chandor & Loutolim Goa
• Chettinad (Karaikudi) Tamil Nadu
• Chikhaldara Maharashtra
• Chitradurga Karnataka
• Chittorgarh Rajasthan
• Coonoor Tamil Nadu
• Courtallam (Kutralam) Tamil Nadu
• Dalhousie Himachal Pradesh
• Delhi Delhi
• Deogarh (Lalitpur) Uttar Pradesh
• Deoghar (Baidyanath Dham) Jharkhand
• Divar Island Goa
• Dudhni Lake Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
• Duduma Falls (Machkund) Odisha
• Dumboor Lake (Narikel Kunja) Tripura
• Dungarpur Rajasthan
• Fatehpur Sikri Uttar Pradesh
• Fort Kochi Kerala
• Gandhi Sagar (Chambal) Madhya Pradesh
• Gandikota Andhra Pradesh
• Gangrel Dam (Ravishankar Sagar) Chhattisgarh
• Gangtok Sikkim
• Ganpatipule Maharashtra
• Garadia Mahadev (Chambal Gorge) Rajasthan
• Gaur (Malda) West Bengal
• Gavi Kerala
• Gulmarg Jammu and Kashmir
• Gwalior Madhya Pradesh
• Hampi Karnataka
• Hanuwantiya Tapu Madhya Pradesh
• Harishchandragad Maharashtra
• Honnemaradu Karnataka
• Horsley Hills Andhra Pradesh
• Hyderabad Telangana
• Idar (Idariyo Gadh) Gujarat
• Jabalpur & Bhedaghat (Marble Rocks) Madhya Pradesh
• Jagdalpur (Bastar) Chhattisgarh

Festivals in September

• Abhaneri (Chand Baori), Rajasthan: Late Sep: Abhaneri Festival at Chand Baori (dates shift yearly)
• Champaner-Pavagadh, Gujarat: Sep/Oct: Navratri fair at the Kalika Mata temple
• Kaas Plateau, Maharashtra: Sep: Kaas flower bloom (peak 2-3 weeks, weather-dependent)
• Kodachadri (Kollur base), Karnataka: Sep/Oct: Mookambika Navaratri at Kollur
• Leh, Ladakh: Sep: Ladakh Festival
• Manapad, Tamil Nadu: Sep: Feast of the Holy Cross
• Nainital, Uttarakhand: Sep: Nanda Devi Mela
• Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh: Sep: Solung (Adi agrarian festival)
• Sringeri, Karnataka: Sep/Oct: Sharada Sharannavaratri at the matha
• Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh: Sep-Oct: Brahmotsavam, nine days of processions and Garuda Seva
• Tuljapur, Maharashtra: Sep/Oct: Navratri fair at the Tulja Bhavani temple
• Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh: Late Sep: Ziro Music Festival (dates shift yearly)

Best states to visit in September

Himachal Pradesh (16)Ladakh (14)Jammu and Kashmir (14)Karnataka (5)Maharashtra (4)Gujarat (4)Telangana (3)Uttarakhand (3)

Common questions