June – September · the cheapest months of the year

The season everyone tells you to avoid

The rain arrives in Kerala around the first of June and reaches Delhi by the end of it. Rooms halve in price, the Ghats turn the green they are famous for, and half the country becomes photogenic in a way it never is in January.

How the rain crosses the country

The south-west monsoon lands in Kerala first and takes about six weeks to reach the north-west. Follow it or outrun it — both are valid ways to plan a July trip.

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Where to actually go

Six places that are better in the rain than out of it. Tap one to see how heavy the rainfall gets and what it costs while everyone else is away.

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July rainfall

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Room, per night

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Saving on winter

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Watch for

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Rainfall through the year

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Travelling well in it

Monsoon travel fails on logistics, not on weather. Six habits that make the difference.

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Costs and checklist for the whole trip →

Fourteen frames of green season

Cloud sitting inside the valleys, rivers running full, and hills the colour they only reach in July.

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Open the full picture library →