Best Time to Trek in Nepal, Season by Season

People ask us for "the best month" as if the other eleven were closed. The truth we live by: every season is the best season somewhere in Nepal. Here is how the year really works on the trails.

Autumn (late September – November): the classic

The monsoon washes the sky clean and leaves weeks of stable, brilliantly clear weather. Visibility is at its year-round best, temperatures are comfortable, and every big route shines, Everest, the Annapurna Circuit, Manaslu. The trade-off is company: October is peak season, so book early and expect sociable teahouses. Festival bonus: Dashain and Tihar fall in this window, and Nepal is at its most joyful.

Spring (March – May): flowers and warmth

Our second classic window, and many guides' secret favourite. The rhododendron forests below 3,000 m explode into red and pink. The ridges of Poon Hill and Mardi Himal are astonishing, days are warm, and high passes reopen from April. Hazy afternoons are the only tax, and mornings stay sharp and clear.

Winter (December – February): quiet and crystal

Cold, yes, but the air is diamond-clear and the trails are wonderfully empty. Lower treks are superb: Poon Hill, Mardi Himal to Low Camp, Langtang, and even Everest Base Camp for well-equipped trekkers who like solitude. High passes (Thorong La, Larkya La) can close with snow, so we plan winter routes with flexible days and warm gear lists.

Monsoon (June – mid September): the insider season

Rain, leeches and clouds on the classic southern routes, but here is the secret: the Himalaya has a back door. Upper Mustang and Dolpo sit in the rain shadow and stay dry and gloriously trekkable all summer. It is also festival time in Mustang (Tiji, in spring's tail) and the valleys everywhere are their greenest. If summer is your only window, you still have real options.

Month by month, at speed