Best time to visit Rishikesh — month by month
How this guide is built
The only weather source we have for Rishikesh is Wikipedia's climate paragraph: an average maximum of about 40 °C, an average minimum of about 7 °C, the wettest month July at 444 mm and the driest November at about 10 mm. It gives no monthly table, so this guide describes the seasons and does not invent a temperature for each month.
Month by month
- October to February. The cool, dry months, and the easiest for walking the bank and the bridges. November is the driest month. The
average minimum, about 7 °C, is the winter night.
- March. The International Yoga Festival is held in the first week, according to Wikipedia. Temperatures rise towards the late-spring heat.
- April to June. Hot, with an average maximum of about 40 °C; the ghats and the walk to the Beatles Ashram are
best done early or at dusk.
- July to September. The monsoon. July is the wettest month, with 444 mm, so the river is high and the roads slow, and the hills are green.
What to plan around
Bridge access has changed in recent years: Wikipedia reports the Lakshman Jhula as pedestrian-only since 2020 and the Ram Jhula as closed by 2025, so check on the day. The evening aarti at Parmarth Niketan follows dusk, which changes through the year.
For where to go, see things to do in Rishikesh, the one-day plan and the two-day plan.
Plans that include this
All Rishikesh itineraries →
Questions people ask
What is the best time to visit Rishikesh?
October to March, when it is dry and the average minimum falls to about 7 °C. November is the driest month in Wikipedia's figures, with about 10 mm of rain. The late spring is hot, with an average maximum of about 40 °C, and July is the wettest month, with 444 mm.
When is the International Yoga Festival?
Wikipedia says it is held annually in the first week of March and has been since 1999. It is the reason for the town's nickname of the Yoga Capital of the World. Dates can shift, and we have no verified programme, so check before you plan a trip around it.
Is Rishikesh worth visiting in the monsoon?
It can be, but plan for rain, high river levels and slower roads, and check that the bridges and the road are open. July brings 444 mm on average. The hills turn green, and the river is high and brown, so rafting and ghat visits depend on the day.