Best time to visit Badrinath — the temple season, month by month
The season at Badrinath is set by the temple, not the calendar. The Badrinath Temple opens for about six months, from late April to early November, and the dates are announced each year. Outside those months the town is under snow and almost empty.
A note on the numbers below: Wikipedia's weather table for Badrinath comes from a modelling website, not an IMD station, so we quote only the broad pattern.
Late April to June
The opening weeks. The modelled table gives daytime highs of about 18.6 °C in May and 20.4 °C in June, so it is cool even at midday and cold after dark. The walk to Vasudhara Falls opens from mid-May by Wikipedia's account.
July and August
The monsoon. These are the wettest months, at about 325 and 312 mm in the modelled table, and the road up the valley can be cut for a while by cloudbursts and landslides. If you travel now, keep spare days and check the road each morning.
September and October
After the rains, until the temple closes. Days are shorter and colder: the table gives about 13.7 °C in October, with nights near 3 °C.
November to April
The temple is closed and the town is under snow; January nights are about −4.9 °C in the table. In these months the worship moves down the valley, to Pandukeshwar by one Wikipedia article and to the Narsingh temple in Joshimath by another.
Plans for the season
The one-day plan and the two-day plan work in any open month; the Vasudhara walk is best from mid-May to October. Read how to reach Badrinath before you plan the journey, and things to do in Badrinath for the full list.
Places around Badrinath
The Badrinath guide →
Nearby destinations
All destinations →
Questions people ask
What is the best month to visit Badrinath?
May and June, before the monsoon, and September and October, after it. The temple is open only from late April to early November. July and August are the wettest months, when cloudbursts and landslides can close the road for a while, so leave spare days if you travel then.
Is Badrinath open in winter?
No. The temple closes in early November and opens again in late April, and the town lies under snow. During the closed months the worship moves down the valley: Wikipedia's Pandukeshwar article names its Yogabadri temple, and its Joshimath article the Narsingh temple in Joshimath.
How cold is Badrinath?
Cool even in summer. A modelled weather table on Wikipedia gives daytime highs of about 18.6 °C in May and 20.4 °C in June, October days of about 13.7 °C and nights near 3 °C, and January nights of about −4.9 °C. It is not an IMD station, so take these as a broad guide.