Ranthambore's seasons, in short
One tree explains it: Ranthambore is dry deciduous forest, dominated by the small, twisting dhok tree, and most of its seasons follow that tree.
After the monsoon: the dhok and the grasses are in full leaf, and the forest is dense and green.
Through the winter: it slowly dries.
- Forest type
- Dry deciduous, mostly dhok
- Lush months
- October and November
- Sweet spot
- February and March
- Best sightings
- April, May and June
- Core closed
- About July to September
- Usual reopening
- 1 October
- By March and April: many trees have dropped their leaves, the grass has burned gold, and you can see far into the forest.
- By May and June: water is scarce, and every animal in the park must come to the lakes and waterholes to drink.
- The trade-off: the forest gets less beautiful and more productive as the season goes on.
- October and November: lush and lovely, but tigers can hide in tall grass.
- December and January: cold, clear and still fairly green.
- February and March: the sweet spot, with good visibility and comfortable weather.
- April, May and June: hot and dusty, with the best sightings of the year.
- The monsoon closure: from about the start of July to the end of September the core zones close, when tracks turn to mud and animals breed and disperse.
- Outer zones in the rains: in recent years some have stayed open, weather permitting.
- Read deeper: our journal piece on the best time for tigers covers sightings, and our Ranthambore guide explains the park itself.
Ranthambore month by month
- January
- Coldest dawns, tigers basking
- February
- Comfortable, forest opening
- March
- Palash in flower, our first-visit pick
- April
- Gold forest, tigers at water
- May
- Hottest month, best sightings
- June
- Very hot, most camps closed
January, cold dawns and clear skies
Weather: the coldest month. Mornings in an open jeep are genuinely bitter, often in single figures Celsius and colder with the wind of a moving vehicle. Afternoons are sunny and mild.
Fog: it can hang over the forest at dawn, giving ghostly, beautiful light and sometimes slower starts.
- Crowds: the first week, around New Year, is one of the busiest of the year for lodges and permits. After that, it is quieter.
- Wildlife: tigers often bask in the sun on cold mornings, on rocks and open tracks, which can give lovely sightings. Migrant ducks and waders are on the lakes.
- Pack: a down jacket, gloves, a hat and a scarf, and let the lodge add blankets and hot water bottles to the jeep.
- More: see Rajasthan in January.
February, the sweet spot begins
Weather: warm days, cool mornings and clear light, comfortable for everyone from children to grandparents.
The forest: drying and starting to open up, so visibility improves week by week and sightings are often good.
- Late in the month: the first flame-of-the-forest trees burst into orange flower.
- Crowds: a popular month for international travellers, so lodges and permits need booking well ahead.
- Birds: winter birds are still on the lakes.
- Pack: layers, with a warm jacket for dawn that comes off by nine. See Rajasthan in February.
March, flame of the forest
Weather: many people's favourite month, with fresh mornings and warm afternoons, getting hot by the end of the month.
The palash: the palash, the flame of the forest, flowers in brilliant orange across the leafless hills.
- The forest opens: the dhok trees begin to drop their leaves, and water starts to shrink to the lakes and the larger pools.
- Crowds: Holi usually falls in March and brings domestic visitors.
- Sightings and light: often excellent, and the light is clean for photographs.
- Our pick: if you can only come once, this is the month we would suggest for a first visit. See Rajasthan in March.
April, the forest turns gold
Weather: hot, with afternoon temperatures climbing towards 40°C.
The forest: the leaves have mostly fallen, the grass is gold and the forest is wide open.
- Wildlife: waterholes become the centre of life, and tigers spend long hours lying in or beside water.
- Crowds: visitor numbers fall after Easter, and serious wildlife photographers begin to arrive.
- Drives: mornings are pleasant, afternoons hot until the last hour. Lodges with good shade, pools and air conditioning matter now.
- Pack and plan: spend the middle of the day indoors, and bring a hat, a wet scarf for your neck, sunscreen and electrolytes. See Rajasthan in April.
May, the hottest month and the best sightings
Weather: very hot, with days often above 40°C and sometimes much more. Hot winds blow dust across the forest in the afternoon.
Why naturalists love it: for many it is the best month of the year, because the remaining water draws every animal in the park into the open.
- Crowds: Indian school holidays begin, so there are domestic visitors, but far fewer international ones.
- Lodges: some tented camps close during May, so check before booking.
- Who should come: only those serious about wildlife and comfortable with heat.
- More: our guide to summer in Rajasthan has advice on the hot months. See Rajasthan in May.
June, waiting for the rains
Weather: still very hot and increasingly humid. Pre-monsoon storms sometimes roll in, bringing dramatic skies and a sudden drop in temperature.
Sightings: the core zones stay open until the monsoon closure, and sightings at water can be excellent in the first half of the month.
- Lodges: most tented camps are closed, so the choice is narrower.
- Early rains: tracks can become muddy and plans can change at short notice.
- Who should come: determined photographers rather than first-time visitors. See Rajasthan in June.
July, the monsoon closure
The rains arrive: usually in late June or early July, and the core zones close from about the start of the month.
The forest: it turns green almost overnight.
- Outer zones: in recent years some have opened in the rains, weather permitting, but sightings are harder in thick vegetation and plans can change at a day's notice.
- Still possible: the fort and the countryside can be visited, and the landscape is fresh and beautiful.
- Our advice: we rarely send first-time visitors now. In the monsoon, Udaipur and the lakes of Mewar are lovelier choices. See Rajasthan in July.
August, rain and the green forest
Weather: usually the wettest month, with heavy showers, cloudy days and bursts of sunshine.
The forest: core zones are closed. The forest is at its greenest, streams run and waterfalls appear on the ridges.
- Ganesh Chaturthi: it can fall in late August or September, when huge crowds of pilgrims walk up to the Trinetra Ganesh temple on the fort.
- Drives and the fort: outer-zone drives, if open, are a gamble. The fort climb is slippery and, at Ganesh Chaturthi, extremely busy.
- Our advice: not a month we would plan around Ranthambore. See Rajasthan in August.
September, the rains ease
Weather: rain becomes lighter and less frequent, and sunny spells lengthen.
The forest: dense, green and full of life, with the lakes high. The core zones stay closed until the end of the month.
- Ganesh Chaturthi: if it falls this month, it brings the great pilgrimage to the fort.
- Lodges: they begin preparing to reopen.
- Plan ahead: arrive in the first days of October to be among the first into the reopened forest. See Rajasthan in September.
October, the forest reopens
Reopening: the core zones reopen at the start of the month, usually on the first of October.
The forest: lush, with tall grass and full lakes, and as beautiful as Ranthambore ever gets.
- Weather: days can still be warm and humid early in the month, with cool mornings by the end.
- Sightings: tigers can be harder to see in thick vegetation, but the first drives have a special excitement as naturalists learn which tigers have moved and which cubs survived the rains.
- Crowds: Diwali can fall in late October or November and brings domestic holiday crowds.
- For photographers: a lovely month for green backdrops. See Rajasthan in October.
November, soft light and fresh forest
Weather: pleasant and dry, with cool mornings, warm afternoons and soft light.
The forest: still green but beginning to dry, so visibility improves through the month.
- Birds: migrants start arriving on the lakes.
- Crowds: Diwali, if it falls this month, is one of the busiest weeks of the year and permits sell out fast. Otherwise the month is comfortable and moderately busy.
- Pack: a warm layer for dawn drives. See Rajasthan in November.
December, fires and frosty mornings
Weather: cold mornings and evenings, sunny days. Dawn drives need serious warm clothing.
At the lodge: fireside evenings become the heart of the stay.
- Sightings: the forest is drying and sightings are often good, with tigers basking in the sun.
- Crowds: the Christmas and New Year fortnight is the peak of the year, with lodges and permits booked months ahead. Early December is quieter and lovely.
- Book well ahead: see Rajasthan in December and our page on Christmas and New Year in Rajasthan.
The monsoon closure, explained
Why it closes: monsoon rain turns the forest tracks to deep mud, and vehicles damage them.
The animals: they breed and disperse in the rains.
The staff: forest staff need the time for maintenance and protection. Rest from tourism is part of how the park stays healthy.
- Core zones
- Closed about July to September
- Usual reopening
- 1 October
- Outer zones
- Some open, weather permitting
- Tented camps
- Most close for summer and monsoon
- Monsoon instead
- Bundi, Udaipur, the lakes
- Outer zones in the rains: some have stayed open in recent years, giving drives through a beautiful green forest, but sightings are much harder.
- Short notice: plans can change at a day's notice if the rain is heavy.
- Who we suggest them for: guests already in the area who are happy to treat them as a bonus.
- Monsoon and tigers: if you can only travel now and want tigers, we would usually suggest another time, or another kind of trip altogether.
- Rajasthan in the rains: wonderful for lakes, palaces and the green hills of Bundi and Udaipur.
- The lodges: most tented camps close for the summer and monsoon, and several hotel-style lodges use the quiet months for renovation.
What you see in each season
October to January
The forest: thick cover, full lakes and abundant water spread across the forest.
- Tigers: they can be anywhere, which makes them harder to find, but cold mornings bring them out to bask on tracks and rocks.
- Birds: migrant ducks, geese and waders arrive on the lakes from November.
- At the water: sambar wade in to graze water plants, and crocodiles bask on sunny banks.
February and March
The forest: it opens as leaves fall, and the palash flowers orange.
- Water: it begins to concentrate, and sightings improve steadily.
- Weather: kind to people as well as animals.
- Birds: winter birds linger into March, and resident species begin breeding.
April to June
The forest: open and gold, with scarce water.
Tigers: they spend long hours lying in or beside waterholes and lakes.
- The famous photographs: many of Ranthambore's best-known shots, of tigers in water against ruins, are taken in these months.
- Others at the water: sloth bears, leopards and other animals also come to drink.
- The price: the heat.
Three mornings in the same jeep
A January morning
As the sun comes up, the fog lifts off Padam Talao in slow curls, and a tigress is lying on a rock above the track, soaking up the first warmth of the day. Your fingers are too cold to work the camera properly, and you don't care.
- Setting out: you leave the lodge in the dark wrapped in a blanket, a hot water bottle on your lap, breath steaming.
- In the valleys: fog lies low, and the headlights catch nothing but white.
- At the gate: drivers stamp their feet and drink tea from tiny glasses.
A March morning
The air: cool but kind, and you shed your jacket by eight.
The hills: bare and grey-brown, splashed with the orange of palash flowers.
- The view: you can see deep into the forest now, between thin trunks and across dry grass.
- The call: a sambar's alarm rings out from a ravine, and your naturalist turns the engine off and waits.
- The reward: twenty minutes later a tiger walks out onto the track ahead, unhurried, and crosses to the water.
A May morning
Setting out: it is already warm when you leave.
The forest: gold and grey, the leaves gone, with dust hanging in the low sun. Every track seems to lead to water.
- At the pool: near the old ruins, a tiger lies half submerged, only its head and shoulders above the surface.
- The standoff: it watches a herd of spotted deer that dare not come to drink.
- By ten: the heat is fierce, and you are glad to head back to the shade and the pool.
Light and photography
Soft and green: October and November give green backdrops and soft light.
Mist and atmosphere: December and January dawns.
- Green backdrops
- October and November
- Mist
- December and January dawns
- Clear light
- Late February and March
- Tigers at water
- April and May
- Lens
- 100 to 400mm zoom
- Clear and open: late February and March, with open forest and the palash in flower.
- The classic shots: tigers at water in April and May, when the light is harsh at midday but beautiful in the first and last hours.
- How to book: several drives in a private Gypsy, with a naturalist who understands light and patience as well as tracking.
- Kit: a 100 to 400mm zoom covers most situations, and a beanbag on the jeep's side rail is steadier than a tripod.
- Dust: it is constant from March, so bring a cover for your camera.
- More: our photography tips and our photographer's Rajasthan journey.
Crowds, permits and booking
The busy weeks: Diwali, Christmas and New Year, Easter, and long weekends and school holidays in India.
What that means: lodges and safari permits sell out months ahead, and popular zones can feel crowded at sightings.
- Busiest weeks
- Diwali, Christmas, New Year, Easter
- Also busy
- Indian long weekends and school holidays
- Quieter
- Early December, late January, February
- Permits
- Forest department, tied to passports
- The calmer weeks: Ranthambore is calmer than its reputation outside them, especially in early December, late January, February and the hot months.
- How permits work: they are issued by the Rajasthan forest department, tied to each guest's passport details, and assigned to a zone.
- Zone closures: in recent seasons the department has introduced closures for some zones on certain days. The rules change, so we check them each time we book.
- Lodge seasons: our guide to luxury hotels in Ranthambore explains which lodges keep which seasons.
What to pack, season by season
All season: muted colours, greens, browns and khaki, a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, a scarf for dust and binoculars for everyone.
October and November: light layers and a fleece for dawn, with insect repellent early in the season.
- December and January: a down jacket, thermal layers, gloves, a warm hat and a scarf. Dawn drives are bitterly cold.
- February and March: layers you can peel off as the morning warms, and a light jacket for dawn.
- April to June: loose, breathable clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, a wet scarf or cooling towel, electrolyte sachets and a refillable bottle.
- Bags and cameras: a soft bag rather than a hard case for the jeep, and a cover for your camera against dust.
- Leave behind: strong perfume and bright colours. Our full packing guide has more.
Looking after yourself in the heat and the cold
Winter dawns: the cold in an open jeep catches almost everyone out. Dress as if for a winter walk in northern Europe, and peel off layers as the sun rises.
Ears and hands: cover them. Wind chill in a moving vehicle is the hardest part of a December or January drive.
- Hot months: drink before you feel thirsty, carry electrolytes and wear a hat.
- Afternoon drives: wet a scarf and wear it around your neck.
- Rest at midday: from April to June, plan the fort, villages and Dastkar for early morning or late afternoon, not noon.
- Dust: constant from March onwards. A scarf over the nose and mouth, sunglasses and a camera cover all help.
- Older travellers and young children: they feel extremes most, so we choose February, March, October or November for them and keep drives shorter.
- More: our guide to health and safety in Rajasthan.
The right month for the right traveller
First-time visitors
- When: February or March, for comfortable weather, good sightings and every lodge open.
- How long: three nights and four to six drives.
Serious photographers
- When: April and May, for open forest and tigers at water, accepting the heat.
- How: book extra drives and a private Gypsy, and choose a lodge with good air conditioning.
Families with children
When: October to March, avoiding the coldest weeks of late December and January for young children.
- How: short drives in a private Gypsy and plenty of pool time.
- More: our guide to travelling with children.
Birders
- When: November to February, when migrants join the resident birds on the lakes and at Surwal.
- Where else: our list of things to do in Ranthambore has the best birding outside the park.
Travellers combining tigers with festivals
Late October or November: combine Ranthambore with Diwali in Jaipur or the Pushkar Camel Fair.
- March: combine it with Holi.
- Book early: these are busy weeks.
Fitting Ranthambore into a longer journey
October to June: Ranthambore fits naturally between Jaipur and Agra, or between Jaipur and Bundi.
Our journeys: it sits on our Golden Triangle with Ranthambore and Palaces and Tigers routes.
- In the hot months: we pair it with cooler mornings elsewhere and plenty of rest.
- Every region's season: read our guide to the best time to visit Rajasthan.
- A plan on the ground: see our Ranthambore itinerary.
