Karaikudi is inland Tamil Nadu and gets hot — temperatures reach 40°C in April and May. The best time to visit is October to February, when the heat is manageable and the days are clear. The northeast monsoon brings some rain in November; it is rarely severe enough to disrupt travel.
The region has no dramatic festival calendar of its own, though Tamil Nadu's major festivals (Pongal in January, Deepavali in October or November) are celebrated locally. Pongal, the harvest festival, is particularly worth seeing in the villages around Karaikudi.