When to go: month by month.
Short version: October–March for clear skies, late May for the lily, November for the Sangai Festival. Festival dates follow lunar calendars — treat them as seasons until verified on the events page.
January
Cold and dry. Valley mornings foggy; hill nights near freezing.
- Clear-sky trekking
- WWII sites in cool comfort
Gaan-Ngai (Zeliangrong — dates vary)
February
Dry, crisp, warming. Among the most comfortable months.
- Loktak at its calmest
- Hill village walks
Lui-Ngai-Ni (Naga seed-sowing — usually mid-Feb)
March
Pleasantly warm; the valley colours up.
- Orchids begin at Khonghampat
Yaoshang — Manipur's Holi, five days at the Lamta full moon (Feb–Mar)
April
Warm; pre-monsoon showers begin. Hills still fresh.
- Khongjom Day commemorations (23 April)
Cheiraoba — Meitei new year (usually April)
May
Hot valley, mild hills; showers build toward monsoon.
- Shirui lily bloom begins on Shirui Kashong late May
Shirui Lily Festival (Ukhrul — dates vary)
June
Monsoon arrives. Everything turns green; hill roads slow down.
- Shirui lily peak early June
- Waterfalls come alive
Kang — Manipur's Rath Yatra (Jun–Jul, dates vary)
July
Full monsoon. Expect landslide delays on NH-2 and NH-37.
- Dzükou Valley blooms
- Loktak brimming
August
Monsoon continues; lush but travel-slow.
- Green-season photography
- Patriots' Day (13 August)
September
Rain tapers; skies begin to clear.
- Post-rain waterfalls at full force
Heikru Hidongba — boat race in Imphal (Sep, dates vary)
October
Post-monsoon clarity. Trekking season opens.
- Dzükou still green
- Loktak panoramas at their sharpest
Mera Houchongba — hill–valley unity festival (Oct, dates vary)
November
Dry, sunny days; cold hill nights. The headline month.
- Peak season for everything
Sangai Festival (late Nov — dates announced yearly) · Kut (1 Nov) · Ningol Chakouba (Nov, dates vary)
December
Cold, dry, clear. Hills can drop below freezing at night.
- Christmas in the hill districts
- Tamenglong oranges in season
Tamenglong Orange Festival (dates vary) · Christmas (25 Dec)
Plan around it: live weather by district · places by season