DETAILED Female Packing List For India! What To Pack For India!

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‘What to pack for a trip to India as a woman?’ This is by far one of the biggest questions and worries females to India are going to face and ask before going to the colourful, crazy country of India!

I have spent over 1 year in India over the last 2 years on multiple solo trips and running my group tours for women in India, so I’ve had a lot of experience as to what to pack for India as a woman!

Female India Packing List

South India will be warmer than North India in the winter months of December and January, Delhi and further North actually get cold in these months but are still enjoyable to visit with the right clothing.

Outside these months, you can still visit but you’ll find that the heat and humidity will be much higher, especially as you go further South.

When it comes to what to wear in India as a female, my main advice is to ensure these trousers for India are light, airy and baggy. Firstly, to keep you as cool as possible, India isn’t always hot but generally, in many places like Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan it is hot and / or humid for a lot of the year.

Secondly, baggy trousers are much more modest. Skintight trousers will attract a lot more male attention to you as a foreign woman in India and I personally only wear skintight gym pants in certain parts of the country like Rishikesh, Dharamshala and Goa where a lot of foreigners visit and where yoga in India is popular.

Thirdly when visiting religious monuments you will need to have your knees covered and if you only have long pants for India or 3/4 length ones then you’ll never need to worry that you are not appropriately dressed.

Baggy trousers are pretty easy to find in the markets and shops in India so if you can’t find suitable ones at home you can go shopping in India. Many travellers will also wear the iconic South East Asia Elephant pants which make up the perfect outfit in India due to the light material and how baggy they are.

I really like H&M for their baggy and 3/4 length trousers and they are such a good price. Have a look at some options here!

Although there is nothing wrong with wearing tank tops in India so if you’re thinking what to pack for India in Summer, you can always take a shawl in your bag for when you need to cover your shoulders, I find that in hot places although having a tank top on is a bit cooler, with a shawl on top, it becomes hotter than just a t-shirt which is why on my second trip to India when deciding what to pack for India as a female, I opted to carry way more t-shirts this time.

Modesty-wise again, I notice that I feel much more comfortable in a t-shirt in India as the best tops to wear in India with short capped sleeves and a baggy fit so I know my shoulders are covered and probably, most importantly, that all of my chest is covered too and the t-shirts are not too tight over my boobs.

I find that it’s possible to wear a nice dress with leggings and / or a t-shirt underneath which looks nice but is modest too and perfect for female travel to India.

Bright, modest dresses are perfect for wearing to the Taj Mahal!

I really like H&M for their long and modest dresses to wear in India. Click here to have a look at options!

Night buses and night trains, which are are the best way to travel around India can get particularly cold in the middle of the night with the air con on, and so can some cafes.

A long sleeved top like this is a good idea!

If you decide to head North into the mountains or even to Varanasi in the late Autumn / Winter months the mornings will be pretty chilly before it heats up for the day and in some cases, these Northern places will remain cold all day in Winter, sometimes with snow!

I’ve worn it multiple times and always thanked myself for packing it, it’s light, doesn’t take up much room and is warm when I need it. So add this to your India packing list!

I have a packable rain jacket like this, to be fair I’ve barely used my rain jacket in India but I hold onto it because of the other places I’ll visit in Asia and it’s very small and lightweight, so unless you know it will be wet when you visit India, you could risk going without this.

Gym Clothes

If you think you’ll do yoga in India, do a lot of hiking in India or just want to work out in your room (something I’m trying to do but tend to fail at) then pack some activewear because you can wear gym pants, a sports bra and gym top to a yoga class in India in most places so pack this as you please but I’d say 1-2 outfits max is enough because I would not recommend wearing tight sportswear in India unless you are hiking or going to a yoga class. This is not an outfit to wear in the cities of India as a female.

If you can’t find appropriate ones at home, wait until you get to India and go shopping in the best markets in India. These are also great if you go somewhere colder as they then act as a scarf!

I find black underwear the best when travelling long term as often things can get stained and dyed in the wash so you’re safe with black!

Unless you are going to Goa or the beaches in Kerala it’s unlikely you’ll need shorts or more than one piece of swimwear elsewhere in India so to help you pack light for India, leave these at home!

I never wear flip flops to walk around outside in India whereas I always do in South East Asia. In India, you need sandals with a thick sturdy base, a good grip and straps so they don’t fall off or cause you to trip as you rush across the road. Birkenstock Sandals are a good idea. I personally live in Keen Sandals like this which have survived over 1 year of full-time travel and full-time use.

I also recommend packing good travel sandals on an India packing list for males as well as on an India packing list for females.

If hiking isn’t on your radar I’d still recommend packing a pair of trainers, but leave your fancy white converse at home! A packing tip for you is that black trainers are the best colour trainers to take backpacking as they go with every outfit and don’t show the dirt!

I personally pack shampoo, conditioner and soap bars rather than bottles as a way to pack sustainably for India because the bars reduce my waste, they last much longer and are much smaller to carry. I carry all 3 bars in a lunchbox like this which keeps them together.

I use this hanging toiletry bag which is so helpful and my top backpacking essential as in most bathrooms you don’t have much space to put toiletries, it’s also really good quality. In here I pack facewash, toothpaste, toothbrush, eye contact solution, face and body moisturiser.

I do carry a small bottle of suncream but apart from when I’m on the beach I don’t wear it much in India, it often feels like the sun doesn’t get through the polluted city skies! But that’s just my personal preference.

Mosquitos can be bad in some parts of India and during certain times of the year so strong mosquito spray like this is good but you can just get it in the shops in India if you need it.

I pack a very small bag of makeup when I’m backpacking. The 3 make up items I use the most are foundation, eyebrow pencil and blusher.

Personally, after I got a bad stomach in India which lasted a long time, I decided to stop using it to be on the totally safe side, but if you want to reduce your plastic use, a filtered water bottle like Lifestraw is good. Here’s my full review on the bottle.

All hotels in India will give you a towel, some hostels will too but I always take a quick-dry, foldable towel with me as part of my ultralight backpacking gear, so add this to your India packing list for backpacking.

Additionally, because I got rather ill with Delhi Belly during my first visit to India I now take probiotic tablets daily. I started taking them before I got to India and still take them in India and I think they are travel essentials for India. 

They are great because they do not need to be refrigerated (like most probiotics do) and are really good for general gut health which is important for staying healthy in India.

You don’t really need to think about food to pack for India as the food in India is so good, but if I’m visiting a country from home I always like to take some cereal bars to snack on whilst I get used to where to buy food in a new country and what to eat!

So what electronics to bring to India? Well, pack all the technology for India you usually would for another trip. Don’t leave anything because you’re worried it might be stolen. Drones can also be used in many places in India if you’re into photography or videography and want to get another look at the country!

For your technology, an important India packing tip to know is that plugs in India do not always fit the usual Asia plug type, although many will in hotels and will also accept the two-pin European plugs. This is the type of plug adapter you need in India.

I use the Osprey Farpoint 70L Backpack and have done for over a year and I’m happy with it (it says it’s a mens backpack but it’s fine for me!). I particularly love the attached day pack which I use as my general day pack all the time so I recommend this as the best travel backpack for India.

If you want to take a smaller backpack to India, Osprey does a Women’s 40L Backpack which will be great as you can take it on the plane as hand luggage only too which is another recommended backpacks for women India.

I also love this 45L Pacsafe Carry On Backpack which has extra security but is also just a great size and design for backpacking India with!

I use this waterproof cover over my backpack in India which fits the Osprey backpack perfectly and I actually use it more so that the bag doesn’t get too dirty or ruined in transit.

One of the all round top packing tips to help keep your clothes to pack for India tidy and keep all of your backpacking gear together, is to use packing cubes like this.

I also carry a canvas bag and a bum bag in case I need to take a smaller bag out for the day or evening, these really don’t take much space and come in handy when I need them.

And that’s your packing guide for India and travelling to India checklist.

I hope this list helps you understand what to pack for a trip to India and what to take to India.