There is perhaps no travel enthusiast who hasn’t thought of visiting Nepal. This awesome mountainous country has wonderful natural as well as cultural places that you should look forward to visiting. But before you plan your visit, you have to know which is the best time to visit Nepal.
Nepal has various seasons. The weather of the places you are looking to visit changes with the seasons you will visit Nepal in. Nepal has predominantly for seasons- summer, winter, autumn, and spring.
All of these seasons have their own unique climatic conditions. You cannot enjoy all the parts of the country in all seasons.
So in this article, we have made a list of the various seasons and the climate you expect in these seasons. We have also listed the best places to visit in Nepal for that season.
Spring Season in Nepal
Spring season in Nepal falls in the months of March, April, and May. This season is one of the most popular ones for visiting in Nepal, especially in the trekking areas.
The climatic conditions in this season are mild. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold. This makes it easier for you if you are a trekking enthusiast.
Besides, the spring season is also a very good time for some sightseeing tours in Nepal.
The earlier days of March in Nepal is quite cold as the effect of the winters will not have completely subsided in the early days in March. But from the second week of March or so, the climate becomes very good for visiting Nepal.
The final days in the month of May can also be quite wet as the monsoon lurks around the corner.
Spring is the most popular time in Nepal for people who want to go to mountaineering expeditions in the various mountains in Nepal like Everest, Annapurna, and others.
Best trips in Nepal in Spring
Everest Base Camp Trek
Everest Base Camp takes you to the Base Camp of Mt. Everest, which is the tallest mountain in the world. Everest Base Camp trek is popular for the mesmerizing views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Cho Oyu, Mt. Ama Dablam, etc
Traveling here in spring is perfect as the weather is great for viewing the mountains. The slightest bit of drizzle in this season makes the rhododendron forests in Everest National Park a wonderful to visit.
You can also go to other places like Gokyo valley or High passes in the Everest region in Springtime.
Mardi Himal Trek
Mardi Himal trek lies quite close to the trekking route of Annapurna Base Camp.
You can also enjoy the beautiful valley of Pokhara during the tour trekking trip to Mardi Himal. During this trek, you can go to several Gurung villages. You will also go to High Camp, Low Camp, and Mardi Himal Base Camp.
He Annapurna Conservation area just lights up with the lush red rhododendron trees in the spring season. This makes trekking to Mardi Himal in the spring season delightful.
Other Notable Tours in Nepal in the Spring Season
Everest Base Camp and Mardi Himal are not the only treks you can go to in the spring season. There are plenty of other wonderful treks you can complete this season.
Annapurna Base Camp trek is equally delightful in the spring season. While you are out in the Annapurna region, you can also visit Khopra Hill trek. This trek is a wonderful trip to Khayer Lake.
You can also trek to Kanchenjunga Base Camp. This is considered to be the best off the beaten track trekking in Nepal. Ganesh Himal trek is another beautiful lesser-known trekking destination in Nepal that is extremely beautiful.
Tips for Visiting Nepal in Spring
During the high altitude treks, you will observe some great variation in temperatures between the low altitude regions and high altitude regions. This difference will be greater in the night time. So you need to bring layered clothing.
Two big festivals are celebrated in the spring season in Nepal. They are Holi (the festival of colors) and the Nepalese new year. Your trip will be all the better if you time your trip so that you don’t miss out on these festivals.
If you are a solitude-loving trekker, you should come for an off-the-beaten-track trekking destination. You can also visit these areas in the early or late spring to avoid the crowd.
Make sure that you are equipped with your cameras. The blooming of the rhododendron forests and gorgeous views of the mountains is something you wouldn’t want to miss out on capturing.
Summer Season in Nepal
Summer Season in Nepal falls in the months of June, July, and August. These months besides being the hottest are also the wettest.
The views of the mountains might be obstructed in the summer season. Similarly, the trekking trails might be slippery.
In cities like Pokhara, the temperature during the summer can be as high as 34 degrees C. Similarly, around 347 mm of rainfall is observed in this season in Pokhara,
Although not all places in Nepal receive as much rainfall is Pokhara, it is worth noting that rainfall is quite high in the summer season.
Best Trips in Nepal in the Summer Season
Upper Mustang Trek
Upper Mustang remains extremely dry even in the summer season. This is due to the lofty hills that surround this unique valley in the northern side. This blocks the monsoon clouds that generally hit other parts of Nepal.
The most popular place in the Upper Mustang trek is the ancient kingdom of Lo Manthang. The history of this kingdom dates back to 1380 A.D. Some beautiful hills and mountains surround this kingdom that makes Mustang even more appealing.
Nepal Yoga Tour
Nepal, besides being a beautiful country, is also a harmonious and peaceful one. You can enjoy the peace and calm in this country on a Yoga Tour.
The best thing about this tour is that you will get the chance to practice yoga in the Himalayan yoga academy, situated in the lap of the natural beauty of the glorious Himalayas.
You will also get a chance to serve at Nepal Sewa Semaj. This is a non- governmental organization that focuses on helping women, disabled, orphans, and children who have been victims of domestic violence.
You will also get to go on a sightseeing tour of Kathmandu in a private vehicle on this tour. So you won’t have to worry about the heat or the rainfall in the summer season in this tour.
Note that Sublime Trails has organized this tour exclusively for females.
Other Notable Tours in Nepal in the Summer Season
Rara lake trek is another of the dry regions in Nepal. This means that even in the summer season, you won’t have to worry if the trails are too wet to trek in.
The summer season also makes for a wonderful Luxury Tour in Nepal. This tour includes visiting some of the most popular places in Nepal like Everest Base Camp, Chitwan National Park, and Pokhara. You will travel to these places.
So you won’t have to worry about the rain. This is a leisure tour that can be taken by anyone at any time in the summer season.
Tips for Visiting Nepal in Summer
There might be some delays in your trekking expeditions in this month due to inclement weather. So it is always better if you have a few spare days.
You can also be a part of various festivals in Nepal in the summers like Gaijatra and Indra Jatra. So you can check out the dates of these festivals and plan your trip accordingly.
You should also not forget to bring raincoats, umbrellas and other forms of clothing/ equipment that will help you ward off the rain.
The summer season also sees quite a few mosquitoes and leeches. You need to bring mosquito repellents, Carry a small pouch of salt to rub in the areas of skin where leeches get you.
Autumn Season in Nepal
Judging by the number of people who visit Nepal, the Autumn season is the best time to visit Nepal. This is because the autumn season has a wonderful climate, great festivals, as well as the very good views of the mountains.
The autumn season in Nepal falls in the month of September, October, and November. In many ways, the temperature of the various places in Nepal is similar to the spring season.
Both of these seasons are characterized by moderate sunshine, low chances of precipitation, and pretty good views of the mountains. The wind speed in the autumn season is also quite low.
Best Trips in Nepal in the Autumn Season
Annapurna Circuit trek
The autumn season is the best time to complete the Annapurna Circuit trek. You will catch some splendid views of mountains in the Annapurna range, and the Dhaulagiri range during the Annapurna Circuit trek in the autumn season.
During the Annapurna Circuit, you will also go to the holy site of Muktinath. Muktinath is surrounded by some beautiful mountains making a wonderful autumn trek here. Jomsom is another place in the Annapurna Circuit that is equally beautiful in terms of the mountain views.
Langtang Gosaikunda Trek
Langtang valley lies to the north of Kathmandu valley. It is an off-the-beaten-track trek in Nepal. This trek is bound to be the most gorgeous if you trek there in the autumn season. The trail takes us through many descents and through subalpine forest, gorgeous Himalayan views, and glaciers.
During this trek, you will have the most wonderful views of the mountains of the Langtang range. Further, you will also go to the holy lake of Gosaikunda. You will also visit other lakes like Saraswati Kund and Ganesh Kunda.
Other Notable Tours in Nepal in the Autumn Season
The best time to trek to Manaslu is the autumn season. This off-the-beaten-track destination was open to foreign trekkers only in 1992. So this trekking region has preserved some of its authentic culture and the rich natural beauty of the villages along the way.
You can also go for the Ghorepani Poon Hill trekking in the autumn season. This is the busiest of all short trekking destinations in Nepal in the autumn season.
Apart from the treks, you can also go for rafting in Nepal in the autumn. The months of September, October, and November are best for rafting in Nepal.
Besides, autumn is also a very good season for being involved in adventure sports like cycling, paragliding, and bungee jumping in Nepal.
Tips for Visiting Nepal in Autumn
The early days in September can be quite wet as the monsoon has not completely subsided. So make sure that you prepare for the rain accordingly.
You might want to visit off-the-beaten-track in autumn in case you seek for solitude while trekking.
Very big festivals are celebrated in autumn like Dashain and Tihar. So time your trips accordingly.
There might be a few damaged trails in the early autumn from the monsoon of the previous months. If you come in mid to late autumn, the trails will be in perfect shape.
Winter Season in Nepal
Winter is the coldest of all seasons in Nepal. This season is characterized by low temperatures, harsh cold wind, and low precipitation.
Winter falls in the months of December, January, and August. If you go for high altitude treks in Nepal in the winter season, make sure that you are extremely well geared. You might also experience a lot of snowfall.
As an upside, you can secure a few discounts in the prices of accommodation in the winter.
Best Trips in Nepal in the Winter Season
Nagarkot Chisapani Trek
Nagarkot Chisapani Trek is a low altitude trek. The highest point along the trek is less than 2500 meters. So you won’t have to deal with frigidly low temperatures.
You can see various Himalayan ranges from Nagarkot including Everest range, Manaslu range, Annapurna range, Ganesh Himal range amongst other. 8 out of the 13 Himalayan ranges are visible from Nagarkot.
The trek also takes you to the various UNESCO World Heritage Sites as well as the oldest temple in Nepal- Changu Narayan. So this trek is perfect for you in the winter.
Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour
You can still enjoy the beauty of the Everest Base Camp in the cold winters in this helicopter tour. The helicopter is merely half a day long.
The helicopter takes you to Everest Base Camp in the safety and comfort of a helicopter. As the views of Mt. Everest are the best in the winter season, the Everest Base Camp Helicopter is the easiest way to get the views of the Everest quite easily.
Other Notable Tours in Nepal in the Winter Season
You can come for a sightseeing tour in Kathmandu in the winter. During the daytime in the winter season, the sun shines wonderfully in Kathmandu. This makes the day tour to Kathmandu a perfect one in the winters.
You will get to go to the various UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Sightseeing tour.
You can also travel to low altitude regions in the winter season like Chitwan National Park or Bardia National Park. You can also go for other short treks in the winter season like Dhampus Sarangkot trek.
Tips for Visiting Nepal in Winter
Make sure that you pay a lot of attention to your clothing while trekking in Nepal in the winter season. Bring a down jacket without fail.
Many street festivals are celebrated in Kathmandu and Pokhara around the Christmas/ New Year time in the winter. Make sure you don’t miss out on them.
You can catch some splendid views of mountains from Nagarkot or Poon Hill in the less crowded time in the winters. Don’t miss out!!
If you are embarking on a high altitude trek, take a guide. They will know which trails might be closed down due to heavy snowfall or otherwise.
Conclusion
Purely in terms of the numbers, autumn is the best time to visit Nepal. This season is closely followed by the spring season. However, there is more to know than just the numbers. All of the different seasons have their own specialties. Make sure you know the attractions of the seasons beforehand so that you can plan your trip accordingly. After all, Nepal is a beautiful country to travel regardless of the seasons.
