Best Time to Visit Nepal

Nepal can be visited all year round as a travel destination. Be it a cultural trip, religious trip or adventure trip, you can visit Nepal any time of the year and enjoy the best of it. Based on your interest and Holiday schedule, Beyul Travel and Treks can plan once in a lifetime experience for our valued guests. Nepal enjoys four seasons namely Autumn, Winter, Spring and Monsoon. The following information will guide you through the four main seasons of Nepal, its significance and highlights of each season.

Autumn (Sep, Oct, Nov)

This is the most popular trekking season in Nepal because the temperature is moderate with clear blue sky. You can enjoy bright sunlight with pleasant daytime temperature. You can even wear your summer clothes in this season. The night and early morning are usually cold in the mountains. At higher altitudes (>3500 metres), the temperature ranges from 20-25 degree Celsius at daytime to almost negative temperature at nights. The mornings in Autumn are usually clear with an amazing view of the sunrise above the Himalayas. In the afternoon you can see clouds build up which disappears at night revealing spectacular starry skies. For star enthusiasts and night photographers, this is the best time to capture the Milky way. 

If you are more interested in the culture of Nepal, during Oct/Nov, Nepal celebrates two of the biggest Hindu festivals (Dashain and Tihar – Festival of Lights), which can be a perfect way to immerse yourself into the local culture.

Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb)

During Winter, mostly for high altitude trekking area with Passes such as Larke Pass in Manaslu, Thorangla Pass in Annapurna Circuit, Chola/Renjola/ Khongmola pass in Everest region, Lauribina pass in Gosaikunda trek are heavily snowed and mostly closed. Hence, if you want to enjoy peaceful trek with less traffic you can do these amazing treks without doing the passes and returning back the same route your climbed. We highly recommend short and easy treks in the middle hills of Nepal that ranges below altitude of 3000 metres such as Ghorepani Poonhill trek, Panchase Trek, Ghandruk to Australian Camp trek. For wildlife enthusiasts, winter is the best time to enjoy jungle safari in the Jungles of Chitwan and Bardia national park located in the southern plains of Nepal. 

Spring (Mar, Apr, May)

Spring is a popular time for trekking in Nepal, as the temperature rises with more stable weather conditions and longer days. This is the best time to enjoy the Rhododendron flowers (National flower of Nepal) blossom in the popular trekking trails. There are more people in the trail during this season. Sometimes, in the afternoon, the sky is hazy due to the dust from the plains of India and forest fires from the hills and lowlands can be seen.

“Did you know that – Nepal’s forest occupies a total of 6.61 million Hectare which is 44.74% of the total area of the country?”

Spring time celebrates two major festivals i.e Holi- Festival of colours and Nepali New year in April. For wildlife enthusiast, the wildlife sightings will be greater at Chitwan and Bardia National Parks since the long grass are cut down or burnt this time of the year. 

Monsoon (Jun, Jul, Aug)

Trekking in monsoon is challenging and rewarding at the same time. We do not recommend monsoon treks for the first time trekkers. Challenges such as the rain, fog, slippery trail, landslides and leeches makes it difficult to hike along. The weather is highly unpredictable, thus if you are flying to some destination before you start a trek, you might have to delay the trip for a few days. The reward would be magnificent of the lush green forest, roaring rivers, waterfalls, occasional colourful sunrise and sunsets over spectacular Himalayan range. Monsoon is one of the best time for peace loving trekkers. Those who want to trek longer during monsoon can also go for Rain Shadow treks such as Upper Dolpo trek, Upper Mustang Trek, Limi Valley trek.

The consequences of global warming has been evident in the developing and mountainous countries like Nepal, which has high intensity rainfall during the rainy season. The rainfall pattern has also shifted in recent years. The monsoon used to start from June till September, however due to the climate change the hilly area of Nepal receives rainfall till mid-October. Hence, please plan your trek accordingly to make the best out of your trip to Nepal.