What's on in Auli, India through the year

Peak crowds — Christmas to New Year rush, Winter break in India

• Season

  Ski season

  5 Jan – 10 Mar · usually

  The most serious lift-served skiing in India and a short, snow-dependent season that often starts late. Hire kit and instruction are basic and the artificial lake exists because the snow cannot be relied on. Source ↗

Still on: Christmas to New Year rush (22 Dec – 2 Jan (usually))

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ski season (5 Jan – 10 Mar (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Ski season (5 Jan – 10 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Badrinath opens for the season, Summer vacation (Kerala / far south) in India

• Opening

  Badrinath opens for the season

  25 Apr – 15 May · usuallySummer season opensCrowdedBook early

  The temple's opening date is fixed on Basant Panchami and the whole valley reorganises around it. Pilgrim traffic takes over the road up, Joshimath sells out, and shops that shut in November open again the same week. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Badrinath opens for the season, Summer vacation (north & east) in India

• Season

  Bugyal walking season

  10 May – 30 Jun · usuallyTrail season

  Gorson and the meadows above it come clear of snow and turn to open pasture with the Nanda Devi wall behind them. The walk up from the top of the slope is short enough to do before breakfast.

Still on: Badrinath opens for the season (25 Apr – 15 May (usually))

Busy — Summer vacation (north & east) in India, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Bugyal walking season (10 May – 30 Jun (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Closure

  Landslides on the road in

  1 Jul – 15 Sep · usuallyRisk

  The highway up from Rishikesh is the only way in and it loses sections most weeks in these months. Traffic is held at Chamoli for hours at a time and the pilgrim route above Joshimath is suspended outright after the worst of it. Source ↗

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Landslides on the road in (1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Autumn walking window

  25 Sep – 10 Nov · usuallyTrail season

  The rain stops, the air over the Chamoli valley clears and the meadows are walkable again until the first snow shuts them. Fewer people than spring, because the pilgrim season is winding down rather than starting.

Still on: Landslides on the road in (1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Autumn break (Dussehra / Diwali) in India, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Autumn walking window (25 Sep – 10 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Closure

  Badrinath closes for winter

  1–20 Nov · usually

  The temple shuts around Bhai Dooj and the valley empties behind it. Joshimath keeps a few hotels running for the ski crowd; nearly everything else waits for spring. Source ↗

Still on: Autumn walking window (25 Sep – 10 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Christmas to New Year rush, Winter break in India

• Holiday

  Christmas to New Year rush

  22 Dec – 2 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  The week from Christmas to New Year is India's busiest holiday stretch: schools and many offices break, domestic travellers pour into hill stations, heritage towns and resorts, and hotels charge peak rates, often with a New Year's Eve dinner surcharge. Book early. Source ↗