Kerala · India
May
Thrissur Pooram is the world's greatest elephant festival — worth planning an entire trip around.
Best match
#2 of 12 months
May is one of the best times to visit Kerala.
Climate
High
33°C
Low
27°C
Rain
248mm
Sun
5.8hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How May scores in Kerala
Weather
Average
Value
Outstanding
Crowds
Excellent
Events
Outstanding
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in May
- ↑The Thrissur Pooram (typically late April to mid-May) is one of the most extraordinary spectacles on Earth: 30 caparisoned elephants face off in two processions at Vadakkunnathan Temple, accompanied by percussion orchestras (melam) of over 100 musicians, elaborate parasol displays, and fireworks that begin at 3am and continue until dawn. No other festival in India — or possibly the world — produces this combination of scale and spectacle.
- ↑Outside Thrissur, Kerala's off-season means lowest prices across the board. Houseboat operators drop rates by 50–60%, Ayurveda retreats offer multi-week package discounts, and hotel inventory is plentiful. This is the month to experience luxury properties at budget prices.
- ↑Kathakali dance performances — Kerala's 500-year-old classical dance-drama tradition — run most evenings in Kochi at Kerala Kathakali Centre near Fort Kochi for ₹400–600; in high season they sell out, but May offers walk-up availability.
What you sacrifice
- ↓May is hot, humid, and increasingly wet as the southwest monsoon approaches Kerala's coast — Thiruvananthapuram typically receives the monsoon's first assault around June 1, meaning late May can deliver heavy preliminary rains. Outdoor beach time is essentially over.
- ↓The Thrissur Pooram aside, this is not an ideal sightseeing month. Munnar roads can become slippery as early rains begin, and the backwaters lose some of their scenic clarity under pre-monsoon cloud cover.
How May compares to December (best month)
| Factor | May | December ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 4 | 9 |
| Value | 9 | 4 |
| Crowds | 8 | 3 |
May in other destinations
Lisbon (20.7°C)Barcelona (20.8°C)Tokyo (23.8°C)Bali (31.2°C)Santorini (19.8°C)Paris (18.1°C)New York (20.4°C)Marrakech (26.4°C)Amsterdam (16.4°C)Maldives (31.5°C)Rome (21.7°C)Bangkok (32.6°C)Istanbul (20.7°C)Vienna (19.7°C)Seoul (21.4°C)Dubrovnik (20.9°C)Rio de Janeiro (26.2°C)Kyoto (25.2°C)Phuket (32.6°C)Cape Town (18.9°C)Prague (21°C)Amalfi Coast (23°C)Mexico City (27°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (28°C)London (18°C)Sydney (19°C)Iceland (10°C)Tulum (32°C)Dubai (38°C)Singapore (33°C)Hoi An (33°C)Chiang Mai (33°C)Miami (30.6°C)Florence (23.1°C)Queenstown (11°C)Madrid (21.7°C)Porto (21°C)Edinburgh (15°C)Copenhagen (16°C)Budapest (22°C)Kraków (20°C)Tbilisi (23°C)Palawan (32°C)Hanoi (31°C)Osaka (25°C)Goa (33°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (19°C)Mykonos (23°C)Zanzibar (28°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (27°C)Cancun (32°C)Krabi (33°C)Athens (25°C)Seville (27°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (34°C)Havana (30°C)Split (22°C)Taipei (30°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (24°C)Ho Chi Minh City (34°C)Hawaii (29°C)Cappadocia (22°C)Dominican Republic (31°C)Jamaica (31°C)Tanzania (23°C)Seychelles (28°C)Nepal (28°C)Jordan (28°C)Azores (21°C)Bora Bora (28°C)Los Angeles (22.8°C)Cairo (34.8°C)Kenya (26.1°C)Jaipur (40.2°C)Las Vegas (33.8°C)San Francisco (17.5°C)Madeira (23°C)Vancouver (17.8°C)Muscat (40.1°C)Lima (20.5°C)Cinque Terre (21°C)Kotor (22°C)Tel Aviv (27°C)Santiago (17°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (17.8°C)Penang (33.2°C)Lombok (31.5°C)Cape Verde (27.8°C)Fez (27.8°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (28°C)Oslo (17°C)Auckland (17°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Kerala, not across destinations. Methodology →