HimLocal
Sign in
HimLocal
Skiers climbing a snow slope at Narkanda below a line of fir trees
1 / 3
Photo: Skmishraindia · CC0
Article

Where to go in December from Delhi — snow, festivals and the easy valleys

Where to go in December in North India: snow at Gulmarg, Auli and Sissu, the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, mild Rishikesh and Corbett, and what shuts.

Checked on

December splits the Himalayas in two. The high places turn into snow country, with roads that can shut for a day or a season. The low valleys stay clear, dry and easy. Choose by what you want from the trip, and check the road each morning.

For snow

  • Gulmarg in Kashmir is the surest snow and the ski season's start. Read up on the gondola before you go.
  • Auli, above Joshimath, is a ski slope in the snow months. Wikipedia says its ropeway runs from November to March, but we cannot confirm its current status.
  • Sissu, through the Atal Tunnel from Manali, has snow for most of the winter. Heavy snow can shut the road to the tunnel, so ask Manali police that morning.
  • Narkanda above Shimla gets snow in some years, never on a promise.
  • Mussoorie gets a few spells from December to February, though fewer than it once did.
  • Shimla itself gets little snow in December. Its snow comes in January and February; see snowfall in Shimla.

For all of Himachal at once, read where to see snow in Himachal. For the whole country, sure places and maybes, read where to see snow in December and January.

Photos: Paul Hamilton (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Snehrashmi (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

For a festival

  • The Hornbill Festival at Kisama near Kohima runs from 1 to 10 December. Nagaland needs an Inner Line Permit for Indian visitors from other states, and rooms go early.
  • Chillai Kalan, the forty days of hardest cold in Kashmir, begins on 21 December. It is less a festival than a season to plan around; see the best time to visit Srinagar.

For mild days

What is shut

  • Rohtang Pass closes by snow from about mid-November, and the road to Leh beyond Darcha shuts with it.
  • The Char Dham shrines close in November and reopen in late spring.
  • The Valley of Flowers opens only from June to October.
  • Chandratal is cut off until the road reopens in summer.

For short trips, see weekend getaways from Delhi. For the snow in one state, read where to see snow in Himachal, and for the far north, Gulmarg in winter.

Planning a trip?

Places to visit

All destinations →
A small weathered stone shrine with pillars and a stepped entrance set into a rock wall at the Mamleshwar Temple
Mamleshwar Temple, Pahalgam — the old stone shrine on the Lidder
Pahalgam
A yak with a red saddle on the road to Kufri
Kufri
Shimla
The Kullu valley from Naggar Castle's balcony
Jana Falls
Manali
The Parvati through pines on the Chalal side of the river
Chalal
Kasol
The stepped brown walls of Leh Palace on its rocky ridge under a blue sky with bare mountains behind
Leh Palace — the nine-storey royal palace above the old town
Leh
The Lakshmi Narayan group of temples with their stone towers and wooden porches
Lakshmi Narayan Temples, Chamba
Chamba
The tall wooden Khanqah-e-Moula with its carved balconies and a spired pagoda roof against the sky
Khanqah-e-Moula — the wooden shrine of Shah-e-Hamadan on the Jhelum
Srinagar
A lane between monastery buildings in the Bir Tibetan Colony
Bir Tibetan Colony
Bir
All stories →
Two blue steam locomotives of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway standing side by side on a hillside track
How to reach Sikkim and Darjeeling from Delhi — New Jalpaiguri, Bagdogra and the hill road to Gangtok
Delhi to Gangtok and Darjeeling: the railhead at New Jalpaiguri, Bagdogra airport, hill road times in km, the toy train, Pakyong airport and the permit rules.
Nako village and its small green lake on a bare mountain slope in Kinnaur
Do you need a permit for Spiti or Kinnaur? What Indians and foreign visitors must carry
Spiti and Kinnaur permits: Indian citizens have not needed an Inner Line Permit since 1992; foreigners need a Protected Area Permit. The official rules.
A steel tray holding a dark round flatbread, fried potato pieces, two chutneys, a slice of lime and a cup of pink drink
Food of Uttarakhand — what to eat in Kumaon and Garhwal, from bal mithai and singori to kafuli, chainsoo and aloo ke gutke
What to eat in Uttarakhand: bal mithai and singori from Almora and Tehri, kafuli, chainsoo, bhatt ki churkani, aloo ke gutke and the millet and pulse dishes.
Steamed stuffed siddu buns on a plate with small bowls of ghee and chutney
Himachali food guide — siddu, dham, babru, chha gosht, Chamba chukh and the trout
The dishes of Himachal and where they come from: dham feasts, siddu buns, babru, sepu badi, chha gosht, Chamba chukh and the Kullu trout, from open sources.
Turquoise Tsomgo Lake lying in a valley of brown, snow-streaked mountains with a road along its far shore
Sikkim permits — the Protected Area Permit for Tsomgo, Nathu La and North Sikkim, and the RAP for foreigners
Sikkim permits from the official Sikkim Tourism site: which places need a Protected Area Permit, the documents for Indians, and the free RAP for foreigners.
Apple blossom against the sky in a Manali orchard
Manali in March and April — blossom below, snow above, and nobody here
Manali in spring: days around 17 °C in March and 21 °C in April, orchards in flower, the high meadows white, the pass shut, the tunnel open. The quiet season.

Destinations to explore

All destinations →
The long red-brick Forest Research Institute with white columns and two domed towers across a wide lawn
Dehradun
3 itineraries · 5 places
A grassy mountain meadow among rocky outcrops and forest at Chopta, with snow peaks hazy in the distance
Chopta
3 itineraries · 4 places
Visitors walking across the snowy Kongdoori bowl beneath a ridge on a bright winter day
Gulmarg
3 itineraries · 5 places
Tabo village in the Spiti valley seen from above, with the monastery buildings on the right and bare mountains behind
Tabo
3 itineraries · 4 places
The wooden houses of Kalpa village with snow peaks of the Kinnaur Kailash range behind
Kalpa
3 itineraries · 3 places
Rows of boats with red cushioned seats moored on Nainital Lake, with forested hills across the water
Nainital
4 itineraries · 5 places

Today on HimLocal

Been here?Help the next traveller — our team checks every contribution.

Questions people ask

Where can I see snow in December near Delhi?

The surest places are high: Gulmarg in Kashmir, Auli above Joshimath, and Sissu beyond the Atal Tunnel from Manali. Narkanda above Shimla and Mussoorie's ridge get snow in some years, but nobody can promise it for a given week. Shimla town itself gets little snow in December by its IMD record.

Which places are closed in December in the Himalayas?

Rohtang Pass is shut by snow from about mid-November, and so is the Manali to Leh road beyond Darcha. The four Char Dham shrines in Uttarakhand close for the winter in November, the Valley of Flowers opens only from June to October, and the road to Chandratal stays shut until summer.

Where should I go in December if I do not want the cold?

Rishikesh and Haridwar on the Ganga are mild by day and dry in December, and the evening aarti runs every day. Jim Corbett's main season is open from mid-November. In the Northeast, Meghalaya is in its dry season, with clear views, though many waterfalls run thin.

Is December a good time for the Northeast?

Yes, for festivals and clear air. The Hornbill Festival in Nagaland runs from 1 to 10 December, and Sikkim and Meghalaya are dry, with good views of the mountains. Nights are cold everywhere, and snow can shut the road to Tsomgo Lake, so ask before you go up.