When to Trek in Nepal

When to Trek in Nepal
October and November are the most popular month to trek during. At this time it usually does not rain, the sky is clear, the scenery is green, and during the day the temperature is pleasant. The mountain scenery is fantastic at this time. In November it can get cold at night. During this time the most popular routes, especially Annapurna and Everest, will be packed. If doing a low-level trek in October it can be quite warm and all that may be needed is a T-shirt. It should be noted that bad weather can come at any time. Since it is the busy time you can expect long queues (lines) at the permit offices and that porter and guides will charge top dollar.

Spring, from late-February to mid-April is the next most popular time to trek, but it is not as crowded at autumn. Each month the weather will get steadily hotter and by April it can be very hot at lower elevations. The temperatures are good in March, but there may be snow above 3000m. It can be foggy and it usually gets hazier the hotter it gets, so the mountain views will often be blocked. In April you may not get mountain views until you go above 4000m. During this time there may be beautiful mountain flowers, especially the beautiful rhododendrons. Flowers bloom in April. Rhododendrons blooms between 2000m and 3000m in April/

During the winter, December and to mid-February, it does not usually rain or snow, but snow may be encountered at elevations above 2500m. Passes over 4000m can often be closed because they are blocked by snow. It is mainly dry in the winter. It can be really cold at night and for high-elevation treks such as to Everest, you need to have good gear for the cold. In the valley the weather can be quite pleasant, but the valley may have fog or haze, making it different to view the mountains. The Thorung La pass during the Annapurna Circuit will usually be blocked because of snow. Some settlements with teahouses may be closed in the winter, because it is too cold. During this time many of the teahouses will be empty and the trails will be fairly empty.

In the summer from mid-April to mid-June, it gets much hotter and in the valley it can get really hot, dusty and humid. It is also hazier than in the spring and sometimes it can rain, especially in June. You should be prepared for rain, especially in rainy areas such as Annapurna and eastern Nepal.
During the monsoon season from mid-June to late-September, it rains a lot, there are many leeches (jukha) and the mountains are usually covered by clouds. The trail is often muddy and slippery. The rain can knock away bridges and make it difficult to get over the rivers. Also the trails can get washed away. It does not rain as much in the mountains in the far western area of Nepal. It rains the most in July and August. It usually just rains a few hours a day. Sometimes it rains all day and sometimes it does not rain at all. Even so it is still possible to trek during the monsoon. One major advantage is that there are hardly any other trekkers on the trek and there are often discounts on accommodations. During this time there may be many beautiful flowers.

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides