Kumbhalgarh's seasons, in brief
Cooler than the plains: the fort is cooler than Udaipur and much cooler than Jodhpur all year, most obviously after dark.
- Winter
- December to February
- Spring
- March and early April
- Summer
- Late April to June
- Monsoon
- July to September
- After the rains
- October and November
- Altitude
- About 1,100 metres
- More rain than the desert: the Aravalli ridge is the first high ground the monsoon clouds meet.
- Five distinct seasons: each suits a different kind of traveller.
- The wider pattern: our weather and climate guide explains it across Rajasthan.
Winter, December to February
Weather: clear, bright days and cold nights. Dawn on the wall can be very chilly.
- Sunrise: mist often fills the valleys.
- Good for: the most comfortable time for long walks.
- Crowds: the busiest time, especially around Christmas and New Year.
Spring, March and early April
Weather: warm days and pleasant evenings, with trees beginning to flower.
- Festivals: Holi and the spring festivals.
- By mid-April: the heat is building.
Summer, late April to June
Weather: hot, dry and hazy, a little gentler on the hill than on the plains.
- Sightseeing: early and late only.
- Wildlife: the forest thins and animals gather near water, the best season for sightings.
Monsoon, July to September
Weather: rain, cloud and an extraordinary green.
- The fort: mist drifts through the gates, and the palace of clouds lives up to its name.
- Trade-offs: paths can be slippery and some forest tracks close, but the fort is at its most romantic.
After the rains, October and November
Weather: the hills still green, the air rinsed clean and the views long and sharp.
- Festivals: Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali.
- Our planners' pick: for many of them, the finest time of all.
Kumbhalgarh month by month
- Coldest
- January
- Our favourites
- February and November
- Hardest
- May
- Most dramatic
- August
- Busiest
- The last ten days of December
January
Weather: the coldest month, sunny by day, but cold enough at dawn on the ramparts for gloves and at the evening show for a proper jacket.
Mist: it often lies in the valleys at sunrise, and the wall seems to float above a white sea.
- Wildlife: migrant birds are in the forest.
- Festivals: Makar Sankranti, on 14 January, fills the village skies with kites.
- Crowds: they thin after the New Year rush.
- What's good: one of our favourite months for long walks on the wall.
February
Weather: warm days, cool nights, clear golden light. Our favourite month for many guests.
- What's good: ideal for the full forest walk down to Ranakpur.
- Festivals: Maha Shivratri, in February or March by the lunar calendar, keeps Shiva temples including Neelkanth Mahadev busy through the night.
- Across the border: in Jodhpur, the World Sacred Spirit Festival makes a fine reason to cross into Marwar.
March
Weather: spring arrives and days grow warm. By the month's end midday on the ramparts is hot, so we move walks earlier.
- The hills: flame-of-the-forest trees flower orange.
- Festivals: Holi, in most years, played with colour in the villages below the fort, then the sixteen-day festival of Gangaur.
- In Udaipur: the Mewar Festival marks the season with processions on the lake.
April
Weather: the heat builds steadily. Mornings and evenings are pleasant, middays are for the pool.
- Festivals: Mahavir Jayanti, in March or April, brings Jain pilgrims to Ranakpur and to the moustached Mahavira at Muchhal Mahavir near Ghanerao.
- Wildlife: the forest is dry and thin, and animals begin to gather near water.
- Crowds: few visitors, so the fort is quiet in the early mornings.
May
Weather: the hardest month, hot even on the hill, hazy with dust, with walls radiating heat by mid-morning.
- If you come: see the fort at sunrise and dusk only.
- Pratap's anniversary: his birth is usually dated to 9 May 1540, and it is celebrated across Mewar by the Hindu calendar, in May or June, with special warmth at Kumbhalgarh.
- Wildlife: the dry forest and waterholes give the best chance of sightings all year.
June
Weather: hot and heavy until the monsoon, usually towards the end of the month or in early July.
- The first storms: dust, wind, thunder and the smell of rain on dry earth, which every Rajasthani waits for all year.
- Crowds: visitor numbers are very low.
- Our plan: short, early visits only, unless guests specifically want to see the first rains.
July
Weather: the monsoon settles in, usually in bursts rather than all day.
The change: within a few weeks the brown hills turn green, streams run in every valley and clouds roll through Badal Mahal.
- Trade-offs: paths are slippery and some forest tracks close.
- Festivals: Teej, the women's festival of the monsoon, brings swings and green leheriya to the villages.
- Shravan: the holy month begins in July or August, drawing pilgrims to Shiva shrines across the hills, including the Parshuram Mahadev cave temple.
August
Weather: the heart of the monsoon, Kumbhalgarh at its most dramatic.
- The sight: mist can hide the wall for an hour, then lift to reveal it running green across the hills. Photographers love it.
- Festivals: Janmashtami, the birth of Krishna, in August or September, is celebrated with great devotion at Nathdwara, about two hours away.
- More: our Janmashtami at Nathdwara page.
September
Weather: the rains ease and the land is at its greenest.
- The landscape: full lakes and tanks, a dense forest and extraordinary light between storms.
- Crowds: a lovely, quiet month, with low prices and few visitors.
- Late in the month: the air begins to clear and the days grow a little cooler.
October
Weather: one of the best months, with green hills, clean air and views from the wall far into Marwar.
November
Weather: perfect, with warm days, cool nights and clear skies.
- Festivals: Diwali, in October or November, lights the villages and resorts with lamps.
- Crowds: Indian families travel over the holiday, so book early for that week.
- What's good: the rest of the month is calm and golden, excellent for the wall walk and forest mornings.
December
Weather: cold mornings and sunny days.
- Festival: the Kumbhalgarh Festival, usually three days in early December, with classical and folk dancers at the fort and craft stalls by day. Rajasthan Tourism sets the dates each year.
- Crowds: the last ten days are the busiest of the year at the hill resorts.
- Across Rajasthan: our Christmas and New Year page.
Is the monsoon a good time to come?
More generous here: in most of Rajasthan the monsoon is a few uncertain storms. In the Aravallis it is fuller.
The change: hills that were bare brown rock in June are green by August.
Water everywhere: streams in every fold of the land and small waterfalls on the slopes.
- Best window
- Mid-July to September
- Bring
- Good shoes, a rain jacket
- Closed
- Some sanctuary tracks
- The show
- May be cancelled on stormy nights
- The forest: dense and loud with frogs and birds.
- Badal Mahal makes sense: mist drifts through its open pavilions.
- Slippery paths: on the wall and inside the fort, so good shoes are essential.
- Wildlife: harder to see in the thick cover.
- Rain: it can wash out a planned walk.
- Roads: usually fine, but we drive them more slowly.
- Storm delays: very heavy storms can occasionally hold up a journey by an hour or two, so we keep monsoon itineraries flexible.
- August in particular: extraordinary, though you will need good shoes and some patience with the weather.
- Who should come: lovers of weather, photography, green landscapes and quiet. For guaranteed sunshine and long walks, choose winter.
- The journey: our monsoon in Mewar combines Kumbhalgarh with Udaipur's lakes at their fullest, and our piece on the monsoon in Udaipur has more.
Wildlife and birds through the year
The sanctuary: about 610 square kilometres of forest around the fort.
Dry months: from March to June the forest thins and water is scarce, so animals gather at the remaining waterholes and streams.
Open undergrowth: in these months it makes animals easier to see.
- March to June
- Best sightings, near water
- October to February
- Best birding, comfortable weather
- Monsoon
- Most beautiful, least productive
- Leopards
- Add Jawai
- Best chance: of a leopard, a sloth bear or the elusive Indian wolf, though nothing is guaranteed.
- Early starts: the heat means safaris begin very early and finish by mid-morning.
- October to February: a greener forest and far more comfortable weather.
- Easy sightings: nilgai, chinkara and langurs, with the four-horned antelope sometimes at the forest edge.
- Birding at its best: winter migrants join grey junglefowl, peafowl and raptors over the ridges.
- In the monsoon: the forest is at its most beautiful and least productive for wildlife, and some tracks close.
- Leopards a priority: add a couple of nights at Jawai, where they are seen far more often.
- How we plan the mornings: our wildlife safaris and birding pages.
Light, mist and photography
The wall looping over the hills: come in winter, from November to February.
Why winter: clear air, low golden light for longer and early mornings that often bring valley mist.
- Classic wall shot
- November to February
- Hours
- After sunrise, before sunset
- Lit fort
- Still nights of December and January
- Drama
- The monsoon
- The hours: the hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset, on the ramparts.
- The lit fort: any clear night works, but cold, still December and January nights give the sharpest pictures.
- The monsoon: clouds, mist and green hills make every view different, and the fort can vanish and reappear in minutes.
- Spring and summer: haze softens the views and flattens the colours, though dawn can still be lovely.
- Across Rajasthan: our photography tips and photography journey.
The festival calendar at a glance
Makar Sankranti, 14 January: kites over the villages and sesame sweets in every house.
Maha Shivratri, February or March: night-long worship at Neelkanth Mahadev and the Shiva shrines of the hills.
Holi, usually March: colour in the villages, best watched from a safe distance in good clothes.
- Gangaur, March or April: sixteen days of worship of Gauri by the women of Mewar and Marwar.
- Mahavir Jayanti, March or April: Jain pilgrims at Ranakpur and Muchhal Mahavir.
- Maharana Pratap Jayanti, May or June: the hero's birth anniversary, celebrated across Mewar.
- Teej and Shravan, July and August: swings, green leheriya and pilgrims at the Shiva shrines.
- Navratri and Dussehra, late September or October: music, dancing and processions at village shrines.
- Diwali, October or November: lamps on every rooftop and the busiest holiday week of the autumn.
- Kumbhalgarh Festival, usually early December: dance and music at the fort, with dates set each year.
- Exact dates: we always confirm them before you travel. Our festivals of Rajasthan page lists the rest of the state.
Crowds, holidays and booking
Day-trippers: most visitors come on day trips from Udaipur, so the fort is busiest between late morning and mid-afternoon.
Holidays: Indian school and public holidays fill the hill resorts and the fort.
- Busiest hours
- Late morning to mid-afternoon
- Quietest hours
- Dawn and dusk
- Busy weeks
- Diwali, Christmas and New Year, long weekends
- Quiet seasons
- Monsoon and summer
- The festival: it draws visitors in early December, though the crowds are cheerful rather than overwhelming.
- Lower rates: in the monsoon and summer, the fort is quiet and resorts often offer them.
- Book months ahead: for the best rooms near the fort in December, February and Diwali week.
- Christmas and New Year: lovely weather, but the busiest time at the hill resorts, with Indian families on holiday.
- Choosing a hotel: our guide to luxury hotels near Kumbhalgarh.
- The whole state: our Rajasthan best time to visit guide.
Roads, daylight and the shape of a day
The road from Udaipur: it climbs through the hills on the last stretch, narrow and twisting in places.
Winter and spring: easy, if slow.
- The monsoon: we drive more carefully, allow extra time for rain and the occasional fallen branch, and avoid driving after dark where we can.
- Summer: the road is clear, but the car must be cool and the water bottles full.
- Short winter days: in December and January the sun sets early, so start the walk up to Badal Mahal by mid-afternoon for the late light from the top.
- Long June evenings: the show starts later, and the sunrise walk begins very early.
- Our planning: we shape each day around these hours, so you are on the wall in the best light whatever the month.
- How we drive: our getting around guide explains.
What to pack, season by season
Every season: walking shoes with good grip. The paths are steep and the old stone polished smooth.
November to February: a warm jacket, a scarf and gloves for dawn on the wall and the evening show.
- March to June: light cotton that covers shoulders and knees, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen.
- The monsoon: a light rain jacket, quick-drying clothes, insect repellent and a waterproof bag for your camera.
- Any time: binoculars for the forest and the views.
- Water: a refillable bottle. There is little shade on the ramparts, even in winter.
- Temples: modest clothing and easy-to-remove shoes for the working temples inside the fort.
- The full list: our packing guide.
The right season for the right traveller
Families
Good weather holidays: Diwali and Christmas, though the resorts are busy, so book early.
- Calmer: October half-term and February.
- Avoid: May and June with young children, when the heat makes the climbs hard.
- More: our travelling with children guide.
Walkers
When: November to February, without question.
- Why: the forest walk to Ranakpur and the longer wall stretches are comfortable only when the days are cool.
- How: start at first light and finish by early afternoon.
Couples
February: for the light and the warm afternoons.
- August: for the mist and the romance of the palace of clouds.
- Either way: an evening at the fort for the lit walls, and a quiet dinner afterwards.
Older travellers
- When: October, November, February and early March, when the climb to Badal Mahal is comfortable and evenings are cool but not cold.
- Avoid: the monsoon, if slippery steps are a worry.
Wildlife lovers
- When: March to early June, for the best chance near water, with very early starts.
- Combine: with Jawai, where leopards are seen far more often in any season.
Fitting the season into a wider journey
In winter: from November to February all of Rajasthan is in season.
The winter route: Kumbhalgarh fits perfectly between Udaipur and Jodhpur, then on into the desert towards Jaisalmer.
- Why it works: the desert cities are most comfortable in exactly the months when the wall walk is best.
- In the monsoon: the desert can be hot and humid while Mewar's hills and lakes come alive.
- Monsoon trips: we build them around Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur and the hill station of Mount Abu.
- Spring and early summer: the same hill-and-lake country is the most bearable part of the state.
- The calendar: our month guides for July, October and February show how a whole journey changes.
Our favourite months, if we had to choose
A first visit: late October, November or February, when the weather is kind, the views clear, the forest still green or newly fresh and the fort calm at the right hours.
Romance or photography: August or early September, accepting that you will sometimes get wet.
- First visit
- Late October, November or February
- Romance or photography
- August or early September
- Wildlife
- March or April
- The festival
- Early December
- Wildlife: March or April, with very early starts.
- The festival: early December, booking well ahead.
- Whatever the month: give Kumbhalgarh at least one night, for the lit fort after dark and the wall at sunrise.
- Planning the days: our Kumbhalgarh itinerary and things to do at Kumbhalgarh guides.
- A longer route: our Mewar and Marwar journey puts the fort into one.
