Best Time to Trek in Nepal

Which month is best for trekking in Nepal?

October is the best single month for trekking in Nepal.The monsoon withdraws in the last week of September, the air it leaves behind is the clearest of the year, and daytime temperatures at mid-altitude sit at 5–18 °C. November is a close second: colder at night, quieter once the festivals are over, and the visibility holds right through.

If your trip has to be in spring, take April. March is lovely lower down, because the rhododendrons between 2,000 m and 3,500 m are at their peak, but the snow line is still low and the days are short. April gives you most of the same flowers with a warmer, longer day and a cleaner high camp.

One warning about October that the brochures leave out: Nepal's two biggest festivals sit inside it. In 2026 Dashain runs from 11 to 25 October and Tihar follows from 6 to 11 November. I book those weeks earlier than any other window in the year, and I explain why in the section below.

Autumn (October – November): Best Overall Season

October and November are the two clearest months of the Nepali year. Post-monsoon air is washed clean and the Himalayas come out in full profile: Dhaulagiri, Machhapuchhre, Annapurna and Manaslu visible for hundreds of kilometres. Temperatures are comfortable at 5–18 °C across most routes and the trails are dry and firm. This is peak season, so teahouses on the Annapurna Circuit and EBC fill up quickly. Book accommodation well in advance, or trek with me and I will handle the logistics.

• Visibility: Excellent. Snowcapped peaks every day.
• Temperatures: 5–18 °C at mid-altitude, below 0 °C above 4,000 m at night.
• Crowds: High on ABC, EBC, and Poon Hill. Low on Mardi Himal and Khopra.
• Best routes: All major treks. Ideal for Manaslu Circuit and Upper Mustang.

Spring (March – May): Rhododendrons and Warm Days

March to May is Nepal's second season, with mid-altitude days at 10–20 °C. Rhododendron forests between 1,800 m and 3,500 m go red, pink and white, and they are at their best on the Ghorepani Poon Hill circuit and on Mardi Himal. The Everest and Annapurna expedition seasons run at the same time, so the upper routes see heavy traffic from April onward.

• Visibility: Good in March–April. Afternoon haze increases in May.
• Rhododendrons: Peak bloom March–April at 2,000–3,500 m.
• Crowds: Moderate. Less busy than autumn on most routes.
• Note: Pre-monsoon clouds build in the afternoon from late April.

Winter (December – February): Cold but Crowd-Free

December to February is good trekking below about 3,500 m, and it is the quietest time of year on the trail. Poon Hill, Ghorepani and the Royal Trek around Pokhara are ideal in winter: teahouses are nearly empty, lodge owners are unhurried, and the snow-dusted peaks look postcard-perfect. Above 3,000 m expect snow on the trail and lows of −10 to −20 °C at night. High passes like Thorong La may close after heavy snowfall.

• Suitable routes: Poon Hill, Khopra Ridge, Kapuche Glacier Lake.
• Avoid: High passes, Manaslu, Thorong La without winter experience.
• Advantage: Zero crowds, cheap teahouse deals, brilliant clear mornings.

Monsoon (June – September): Rain-Shadow Routes Only

From June to September only the rain-shadow routes work: Upper Mustang, Dolpo and Mohare Danda. Everywhere else gets heavy rain, leeches and landslide risk. The rain-shadow regions sit north of the Himalayan divide, in the lee of the Annapurna massif, and receive very little rainfall. Upper Mustang (permit required) and Mohare Danda are outstanding in monsoon: wildflower meadows, green valleys and almost no other trekkers.

• Rain-shadow options: Upper Mustang, Mohare Danda, Dolpo.
• Avoid: Annapurna Base Camp, EBC, Mardi Himal - leeches and washed trails.
• Benefit: Green Nepal, dramatic skies, quiet lodges and off-season rates.

When should you avoid Nepal?

Avoid July and August on any route south of the Himalayan divide. Those are the wettest weeks of the monsoon. The Annapurna Base Camp trail above Chhomrong turns into a leech run, the Mardi Himal ridge sits inside cloud from dawn to dark, and landslides close the roads to Nayapul and Besisahar with no warning. You pay full price and walk for a week looking at grey.

The second window to avoid is less obvious and rarely gets mentioned, because it lands in the best weather of the year: the Dashain and Tihar fortnight. In 2026 Dashain runs from 11 to 25 October and Tihar from 6 to 11 November. Kathmandu empties, the whole country travels at once, and domestic flights and long-distance buses sell out weeks ahead. Lodges on Poon Hill and the ABC trail run short-staffed because families go home for Tika. The trail itself is still excellent. Everything around the trail is the most difficult it gets all year.

I will not pretend these windows are unbookable, because I book them. But if your dates are locked to July, or to Dashain week, I would rather move you north into Upper Mustang or Dolpo than sell you a wet week in the Annapurna Sanctuary.

Month-by-Month Summary Table

Two months are unambiguously the best, October and November, and three are effectively off the table on the main routes, June to August. Here are all twelve, with the trail conditions, the crowd level and my verdict on each.

Best Season by Trek Route

All twelve routes below have October inside their best window. Upper Mustang is the only one that also peaks in monsoon, June to September, because it sits behind the divide and stays dry.

Best time to trek Annapurna specifically

October and November are the best months on Annapurna, with March and April a close second. That is true of the whole massif, but the two routes I guide most inside it behave differently within those windows, and the difference is worth knowing before you book.

Annapurna Base Camp tops out at 4,130 m and the last two days sit inside a steep-sided sanctuary, so it holds snow and avalanche risk later into the spring than the ridge routes do. Late October into November is the safest stretch of the year on it. In spring I would rather take you in late April or May, once the sanctuary has settled, than in the first week of March.

Mardi Himal climbs higher, to 4,500 m at Upper Viewpoint, but it is a ridge rather than a bowl, so it drains and clears faster. March works on Mardi in a way it does not always work at ABC, and the rhododendron forest below Low Camp is at its best in the last two weeks of that month.

Both routes are off my list between June and August. The ABC trail carries leeches from Chhomrong upward and the Mardi ridge stays inside cloud, so you climb for two days and see nothing. If those are your only dates, the Annapurna answer is Upper Mustang, on the dry side of the same massif.

Which Trek Should You Pick for Your Travel Window?

These are the six routes I guide most often, each against the months it actually works. Your dates matter as much as your fitness:

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