Best Time To Visit Kathmandu > Weather, Temperature & Season

What is the best time to visit Kathmandu?

October to April is the best time to visit Kathmandu. October and November are the pick: the monsoon has just washed the dust out of the air and November is the driest month of the year.

March to May is warm and green but hazy, and the valley rim views are the weakest of the dry months. December to February is cold with frosty mornings, clear afternoons and the lowest prices.

June to September is the monsoon. July and August alone take about half the year's rain, and flights to the hills get cancelled at short notice.

One thing to know: Kathmandu is a polluted valley, so the Himalaya are often hidden behind haze even in a clear month. Early morning, or the day after rain, is when you actually see them.

Monthly Weather in Kathmandu

Month	High/Low (°C)	Rain
January	17°/ 5°	7 days
February	19°/ 7°	6 days
March	23°/ 9°	10 days
April	24°/ 12°	17 days
May	29°/ 17°	10 days
June	28°/ 19°	27 days
July	25°/ 19°	31 days
August	27°/ 19°	31 days
September	25°/ 18°	27 days
October	25°/ 14°	10 days
November	24°/ 11°	2 days
December	19°/ 6°	2 days

Kathmandu Travel Packages

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6 Nights / 7 Days

6 Night 7 Days Nepal View Tours

Kathmandu(2N) → Nagarkot(1N) → Chitwan National Park(1N) → ...

₹21,500/person

5 Nights / 6 Days

5N/6D Luxury Nepal Tour: Kathmandu Pokhara Nagarkot

Kathmandu(2N) → Pokhara(2N) → Nagarkot(1N)

₹24,500/person

2 Nights / 3 Days

Kathmandu 2 Nights 3 Days Tour package

Kathmandu(2N)

₹17,000/person

3 Nights / 4 Days

4-Day Nepal Heritage, Religious, and Cultural Tour including 3 Star hotel

Kathmandu(3N)

₹11,900/person

4 Nights / 5 Days

5-Day Nepal Heritage, Nature, and Cultural Tour including Air Travel with 3 Star+ Hotel

Kathmandu(2N) → Pokhara(2N)

₹21,900/person

4 Nights / 5 Days

5-Day Nepal Heritage, Nature, and Cultural Tour including Air Travel with 5 Star hotel

Kathmandu(2N) → Pokhara(2N)

₹29,900/person

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More about Best Time to Travel to Kathmandu

Peak Season in Kathmandu: October and November

October and November are the best two months. Days run to about 19°C to 24°C, nights are cool, and November is the driest month of the year in the valley.

This is also the busiest and most expensive stretch, and it holds Dashain and Tihar, when much of the city closes. Book two to three months out.

Spring in Kathmandu: March to May

March to May is the second season. Warm days near 25°C, rhododendrons in bloom on the valley rim, and the odd pre-monsoon thunderstorm in the afternoon.

The catch is haze. Dust and farm smoke build steadily through spring, so the mountain views from Nagarkot and Dhulikhel are the poorest of the dry season.

Winter in Kathmandu: December to February

December to February is cold and cheap. January is the coldest month, averaging about 11°C with mornings near 3°C and frost in the valley. Snow in the city itself is very rare.

Afternoons are often bright and the air is at its clearest of the year once the morning fog lifts. Rooms and flights are at their lowest prices, and Losar falls in February.

Monsoon in Kathmandu: June to September

June to September is the monsoon, the wettest and quietest stretch. July and August between them account for most of the year’s rain.

Rain mostly falls at night and in the early morning, so sightseeing in the city still works. What does not work is a mountain flight or a trek start, both of which get cancelled without warning.

Festivals and Events in Kathmandu

September: Indra Jatra, eight days of masked dances and chariot processions at Kathmandu Durbar Square. This is the valley's own festival and the best reason to be here in a wet month.

October: Dashain, two weeks, much of the city shut.
October or November: Tihar, Nepal's Diwali, best seen around Thamel.
December: Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival.
February: Losar, the Tibetan New Year.

Trips from Kathmandu and When to Take Them

For mountain views, go up to Nagarkot or Dhulikhel and stay overnight. Both are an hour or two out and both are clearest between October and December, at dawn.

Chitwan for rhino and tiger is December to March, once the grass is cut. Pokhara is six hours by road or half an hour by air, and its own season matches Kathmandu's. Neither belongs in a Kathmandu day trip; both need two nights.