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What is the best time to visit Nepal?
October to April is the best time to visit Nepal. The monsoon closes the trekking trails and hides the mountains from June to September, and everything outside it works.
October and November are the peak, and the single best window of the year. The monsoon has washed the dust out of the air, so this is when the Himalaya are clearest.
March to May is the second season, warmer and with the rhododendrons in bloom, but hazier. The mountains are often behind dust and farm smoke, which most travellers do not expect.
December to February is cold and very clear. High passes close, but Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and the foothill treks are all good, at the lowest prices of the year.
Trekking: October to November, then March to May
Mountain views: October to November
Chitwan and the Terai: October to March
Rain-shadow Mustang and Dolpo: June to September
More about Best Time to Travel to Nepal
Peak Season in Nepal: October and November
October and November are the best two months of the year. The monsoon has just cleared the air, so visibility is at its annual best and the trails are dry.
Kathmandu runs about 8°C to 13°C with six or seven hours of sun a day. Book three to four months out: this is also the most expensive and most crowded stretch, and the good lodges on the Everest and Annapurna routes fill early.
Spring in Nepal: March to May
March to May is the second season, and it is warmer but hazier. Rhododendrons are in bloom along the hill trails and the days are long, which is why the climbing expeditions use it.
The catch is visibility. Pre-monsoon dust and farm smoke build through spring, so the mountain views are the weakest of the dry months. If the Himalaya are the reason for the trip, go in autumn instead.
Winter in Nepal: December to February
December to February is cold, clear and cheap. Kathmandu sits near 11°C with frosty mornings, and the high passes are shut by snow, so the long circuits are out.
Everything below about 4,000 metres still works: Poon Hill above Pokhara, the Kathmandu valley rim, and Chitwan, where the grass has been cut and rhino sightings are at their easiest. Losar, the Tibetan New Year, falls in February.
Monsoon in Nepal: June to September
June to September is the monsoon, and it is the one stretch to avoid for trekking. Trails turn to mud, leeches are common, landslides close roads and mountain flights get cancelled at short notice.
Kathmandu takes most of its annual rain in July and August alone. Pokhara takes about two and a half times Kathmandu's rainfall over the year, almost all of it now.
Where to Trek During the Monsoon
Mustang and Dolpo are in the rain shadow, so they are dry through the monsoon. The Himalaya block the rain before it reaches them, which makes June to September their season rather than their off-season.
Upper Mustang, Upper Dolpo, Nar Phu and the Limi valley are all high desert. This is the answer if your dates are fixed in the Indian monsoon and you still want to trek.
Festivals and Events in Nepal
Autumn: Dashain in October and Tihar, Nepal's Diwali, a fortnight later. The country effectively stops for both, so expect closed shops and full buses.
September: Indra Jatra, eight days of masked dances at Kathmandu Durbar Square, the valley's own festival.
October or November: Mani Rimdu at Tengboche monastery in the Everest region.
Late December: Tamu Losar, the Gurung New Year, biggest around Pokhara.
February: Losar, the Tibetan New Year.
Best Time to Visit Nepal by Interest
- Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Circuit: October to November, then April to May
- Clearest mountain views: October and November
- Rhododendrons in bloom: March and April
- Chitwan and Bardia safari: December to March
- Trekking during the Indian monsoon: Upper Mustang and Dolpo, June to September
- Lowest prices and fewest people: June to September, or December to February
