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A snow-covered meadow with a few walkers, tall pines and forested slopes under a blue sky
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Photo: Koshur · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Where to see snow in India in December and January — the sure places and the maybes

Where to see snow in India in December and January: the sure places, from Gulmarg to Sissu, Auli and Tawang, the maybes like Shimla, and the roads that shut.

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Snow in India is a matter of height and luck. The high places hold snow all winter. The hill towns most people know, at about 2,000 m, get a few spells a season, often in January, and the snow melts in days. Plan for the first kind and treat the second as a bonus.

The sure places

These are high enough to hold snow for most of December and January.

  • Gulmarg, Kashmir, 2,650 m. Heavy snow covers the meadows from December to March, and the ski season runs on Apharwat. Fly to Srinagar and drive up. Read about the gondola before you go.
  • Sissu, Lahaul, 3,120 m. An hour from Manali through the Atal Tunnel, with snow for most of the winter. Solang, at 2,560 m on the way, often has it too.
  • Auli, Uttarakhand, about 2,800 m above Joshimath. A ski slope in the snow months. We cannot confirm the ropeway's current status, so ask before you plan around it.
  • Chopta, Uttarakhand, 2,709 m. Snow covers the high ground from about December to March. The walk to Tungnath becomes a snow trek, and the temple itself is shut for winter. See winter treks in Uttarakhand.
  • Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, 2,669 m. The road from Assam climbs over Sela Pass at 4,170 m, which gets heavy snow. The Sela tunnel now keeps the road open in most weather.

Photos: Slyronit (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Navdeep Gusain (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Mike Prince from Bangalore, India (CC BY 2.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

The maybes

These get snow in some weeks, not on a date you can book.

  • Shimla, 2,205 m. Little snow in December. Its snow comes mostly in January and February.
  • Kufri, 2,720 m, and Narkanda, 2,708 m, above Shimla. Higher and colder than the town, with snow in many winters.
  • Manali town, 2,050 m. Snow comes and goes from late December. The surer snow is up the valley at Solang and Sissu.
  • Mussoorie, 2,000 m, and Dhanaulti, 2,286 m. A few spells of snow from December to February.
  • Dalhousie, 1,970 m. Snow in some winters, mostly in January.
  • Pahalgam, Kashmir, 2,200 m. Cold winters with heavy snow, and nights below zero.
  • Gangtok, Sikkim. Snow in the town is rare. The snow is higher, at Tsomgo Lake, which freezes in winter, and at Yumthang, 3,564 m, in North Sikkim. Both roads can shut after snow.

For Himachal place by place, read where to see snow in Himachal.

Sonamarg: newly open in winter

Sonamarg, at 2,730 m on the road from Srinagar to Ladakh, used to be cut off by snow every winter. The Z-Morh tunnel, opened on 13 January 2025, is meant to keep the road from Srinagar open all year. It is new, and heavy snow can still close the road for a day, so ask the traffic police in Srinagar before you set out.

The roads, and the one rule

Every snow road shuts sometimes. A fresh fall can close it for hours or days, and the jam comes before the closure. On 23 and 24 December 2024, snow stopped more than 1,000 vehicles between Solang and the Atal Tunnel, and police moved about 700 tourists to safe places.

So:

  • Ask the police that morning whether the road is open, and turn back when they say so.
  • Start early and come down before dark, when melted snow freezes into ice.
  • Take a local taxi for the snow day, ideally a four-wheel drive with chains.
  • Keep a spare day. A trip with no slack is the one that gets stuck.

December or January?

December is the easier month: roads are clearer, there are festivals, and the high places already have snow. January is the colder month, and the hill towns are more likely to see snow. If snow is the whole point, and the dates can move, go in January.

Where to go in December more broadly, including the warm places and the festivals, is in where to go in December from Delhi. For the New Year week in Manali, read New Year in Manali.

Planning a trip?

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Today on HimLocal

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Questions people ask

Where is snow guaranteed in India in December?

Nowhere is guaranteed, but some places come close. Gulmarg in Kashmir has heavy snow from December to March. Sissu beyond the Atal Tunnel from Manali has snow for most of the winter, and so do Auli above Joshimath and the high ground at Chopta. Lower towns get snow only in some weeks.

Does Shimla get snow in December?

Rarely, and not on a date you can book. Shimla sits at 2,205 m, and its snow mostly comes in January and February. For snow near Shimla in December, Kufri and Narkanda are higher and colder, but neither is certain. Our snowfall in Shimla page has the weeks that bring it.

Which is better for snow, December or January?

For most hill towns, January. Shimla, Mussoorie and Dalhousie get their snow mostly from late December into February. The high places, like Gulmarg, Sissu and Auli, usually have snow through both months. December is better for easier roads and festivals, and January for the deepest cold and snow.

Which snow places can I reach from Delhi?

Shimla, Kufri and Narkanda are a day's drive. Mussoorie and Dhanaulti are closer still. Manali, with Solang and Sissu beyond it, is an overnight bus. Auli and Chopta take two days by road. Gulmarg is a flight to Srinagar and a short drive. Tawang is a long trip from Guwahati.