Season guide · Kerala · India
Kerala in the south-west monsoon
June–September: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Rahulrnath001, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Heavy rain, rough seas and some landslides on hill roads, but lush scenery, snake-boat races, Onam and low prices. Expect highs up to 30°C (86°F) and lows around 24°C (75°F), with about 81 rainy days across June–September.
Key facts
- Months
- June–September
- Temperatures
- 24°C (75°F) to 30°C (86°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 81
- Sea
- 27°C (81°F) to 28°C (82°F)
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in the south-west monsoon
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 29°C (84°F) | 24°C (75°F) | 24 | 12.8 h | 1/5 |
| July | 29°C (84°F) | 24°C (75°F) | 23 | 12.7 h | 1/5 |
| August | 29°C (84°F) | 24°C (75°F) | 19 | 12.5 h | 2/5 |
| September | 30°C (86°F) | 24°C (75°F) | 15 | 12.2 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 29°C (84°F) against a yearly 31°C (88°F), and 81 of the year's roughly 135 rainy days fall in these 4 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in the south-west monsoon
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- August: Nehru Trophy Boat Race — snake-boat race on Punnamada Lake, Alappuzha (usually August)
- August: Onam — Kerala's harvest festival with sadya feasts and flower carpets (August or September)
- September: Onam (August or September)
Good choices for the south-west monsoon
Experience · Kovalam
Ayurveda treatment
Kerala is the heartland of Ayurveda, India's traditional medicine, with oil massages such as abhyanga and shirodhara and longer residential treatment programmes.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours, or courses of 1–3 weeks
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Couples
- Rainy day
Palace · Mattancherry
Mattancherry Palace
Take your time in the bedchamber with the Ramayana murals; photography is not permitted inside.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Experience · Fort Kochi
Kathakali performance
Kathakali is Kerala's classical dance-drama, telling stories from the Hindu epics through elaborate green and red make-up, huge costumes, eye movements and hand gestures, accompanied by drums and singing.
- Time needed
- 2 hours including make-up
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- After dark
- Art
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Thiruvananthapuram
Napier Museum
Combine it with the Sree Chitra Art Gallery next door for paintings by Raja Ravi Varma.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Rainy day
- Art
- Architecture
- Kids
Museum · Ernakulam
Kerala Folklore Museum
A private museum in a building assembled from traditional wooden architecture, holding masks, costumes, carvings and musical instruments from Kerala's performing arts, including Theyyam and Kathakali, with a small theatre on the top floor.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Day trips in the south-west monsoon
- Cherai Beach (About 1 hour by car from Fort Kochi) — A long beach on Vypin Island north of Kochi, backed by backwaters on its other side, so you can see sea and lagoon within a few hundred metres.
- Thrissur (About 1.5–2 hours by train or car) — Kerala's cultural capital centres on the Vadakkunnathan Temple and its huge circular ground, the Thekkinkadu Maidan, where the Thrissur Pooram festival takes place.
What to pack
- Light, breathable clothes, a sun hat and high-factor sunscreen
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is the south-west monsoon a good time to visit Kerala?
It is a trade-off: Heavy rain, rough seas and some landslides on hill roads, but lush scenery, snake-boat races, Onam and low prices. The best months overall are November–February.
+What is the weather like in Kerala in the south-west monsoon?
Highs of up to 30°C (86°F) and lows around 24°C (75°F), with about 81 rainy days over the season.