Best Time to Visit Nepal: Know Everything about Four Seasons in Nepal

You can visit Nepal at any time of the year. Your best time to visit Nepal depends on the activities you wish to involve into. Nepal, the land of Himalayas present you a wide range of travel options with its excellent natural beauty.

It is an ideal place for all the adventure and nature lovers. Thus, you can enjoy the beauty of Nepal throughout the year.

However, Nepal has a wide range of climate diversity. Nepal’s climate varies according to its topography and altitude.

Nepal offers you a variety of climate in its tiny territory. From sweltering heat of Terai plains to freezing cold of the Himalayas. And the pleasant temperature weather of hilly areas.

Nepal’s climate can be roughly divided into four seasons: Winter ( December to February), Spring ( March to May), Summer/Monsoon (June to August), and Autumn (October to November).

Different activities are better at a different time of the year. So, it clearly depends on the purpose of your visit and the seasons you travel in.

Weather and Seasonal Highlights

Spring (March to May)

Spring features the striking colors of blooming Rhododendron in the valleys and hills. This season marks the second best season for trekking in Nepal. The joyful temperature and the beautiful nature make trekking in the hills a joyful experience.

In this season, the average temperature is around 22°C with slight rainfalls during the late spring, although night can still get chilly.

Spring in lower altitudes means relatively high humidity. At this time, the wild animals and birds come out to relish the blissful spring. This is also the best time to view wildlife in Terai regions.

The spring seasons offer stable weather. So, this is a great time to cross high passes like Larkya La (on the Manaslu Circuit Trek) and Thorung La (Annapurna Circuit Trek).

You can also trek to the high viewpoints of Nepal such as Kala Patthar and Gokyo Ri in the Everest Region.

Summer/Monsoon (June to August)

The heats gradually build up throughout the month of June to August.

The temperature ranges from 9°C to 12°C in the Himalayan region to 28°C in the Terai region. And in the Hilly region, the average temperature ranges from 23°C to 27°C.

Trekking in higher altitudes might not be the good options during these seasons. Due to rain showers, it brings frequent landslides and muddy trails. You cannot enjoy the clear view of the mountains due to cloudy skies.

You should also choose this month for trekking with proper preparations and determination.

However, the region like Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpo are still good for trekking during this time. These regions do not receive the monsoon rain.

Autumn (October to November)

The average Autumn temperature for Kathmandu is 15 to 22°C and at a higher elevation, it is around 2°C to 10°C.

Autumn is slightly less busy than spring with regards to trekking trails in the Himalayas. Because the temperature, climate, and weather all are favorable during this season.

Autumn is the season of festivals in Nepal. This season coincides with the two of Nepal’s biggest festivals- Dashain and Tihar. The Mani Rimdu festival is the main celebration in the Everest region during Autumn.

During the Autumn, you can trek to Everest Region, Annapurna Region, Upper Mustang and Langtang region. Not only you can enjoy the clear view of Himalayas but, you will also get to experience a lot of cultural activities and rejoice in festive seasons.

So, if you are hoping to visit Nepal during the festive time, you can join the celebration and enjoy thoroughly. You can have a pleasant time in Nepal at this time exploring Nepali festivals and cultural values.

Winter (December to February)

The winter season in Nepal brings clear skies and dry weather.

The average temperature at the Himalayan areas ranges from -1 to -4°C and in Terai areas from 16°C to 23°C. While the hilly areas stay considerably warmer ranging between 9°C to 16°C.

Trekking to high mountains is very difficult during these seasons. There is a significant risk of avalanches due to heavy snowfalls.

Many of the high passes like Thorung La remain closed during this season.

But, short treks in Nepal are great choices for the winter season. It is the best time of the year to trek in the lower area of the Everest region and the shorter treks near Pokhara. You can also trek to Langtang region, where the temperature is tolerable in Winter.

The lowlands, like Chitwan and Bardia National Parks, have moderate temperatures and are gorgeous in winter.

Thus, Terai may be the great destinations to visit rather than in extreme winters of Himalayas and Hills.

Best Time for Cultural Tours (suitable for all season)

Nepal has a different culture, traditions, religions, festivals, temples, and monasteries. The religious and cultural tours are the best way to explore diversities in Nepal.

Holy pilgrimage, historical monuments, and UNESCO sites reflect the richness of Nepali culture.

If you are planning to visit places inside Kathmandu, you can visit any time of the year.

Kathmandu’s weather and temperature vary according to the seasons. It has moderate temperature all year-round with neither harsh winters nor intolerable hot summers.

Most of the art, literature, food, music, and festivals in the country are religion-oriented and Kathmandu is no exception.

Kathmandu represents renounced culture, art, and architecture. The religious sites offer you invaluable insights into the rich cultural heritage.

This city is a thriving hub for tourists. Kathmandu is particularly famous for its religious monuments. Various temples, monasteries, and stupas adorn the city’s landscape.

Cultural tours are among the list of top things to do in the city.

The Pashupatinath temple and the Swayambhu stupa are the most famous ones. And the eye-catching design of Kathmandu Durbar Square represents the unique art and architecture.

The cultural and historical tour also takes you to places of monumental importance such as Patan and Bhaktapur.

Kathmandu is also home to various modern museums and art galleries such as:

The National Museum
The National Art Gallery
The Natural History Museum
The Kaiser library
The Taragaon Museum
The Nepal Art Council Gallery and many more.

Your tour is incomplete without a visit to one of the world’s most important spiritual sites and home to the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Lumbini.

Nepalese celebrate different events. The Newar celebrate- Bisket Jatra in April, Indra Jatra in September inside the valley. The Terai people observe Chhat in November. The major celebrations of the Upper Mustang- Tiji festival in May.

Thus, you can join these celebrations and experience the cultural delights.

So, if you wish to witness different cultural practices of the valley, you can visit any time of the year. The whole year is the best time to visit Nepal if you are up for cultural tours.

Best Time for Trekking in Nepal

The best time for trekking in Nepal is spring and autumn. However, trekking in Nepal is possible at any time of the year. It depends on where and how high you would like to go.

Autumn is one of the best seasons to trek in Nepal. The biggest reason why many trekkers find autumn to be the best season to trek is due to the awesome weather conditions. Because of the clear skies and moderate temperature, your trek will be delightful.

Spring season in Nepal is also considered as the best season to do the trekking and mountain climbing.

This season offers different varieties of wild flora, blossoming of the rhododendrons above 3000m. It is mildly warm at lower elevations and quite a moderate temperature at a higher elevation of over 4000m.

During this season, it provides spectacular and excellent mountain views.

Best Autumn and Spring Treks in Nepal are

But if you are planning for Summer, trekking could be difficult due to the worst road situation. As summer is the monsoon season in Nepal.

However, due to geographical diversity, some trekking routes of Nepal lies in the rain shadow region. You can choose any of those trails in the rainshadow area to trek during the monsoon months.

The Manang, Upper Mustang, and Dolpo region of Nepal lie in the rain shadow area. These regions do not receive any rainfall. So, summer is the best time to go trekking in these regions.

Best Summer Season Treks in Nepal are

The Winter season is also characterized by snowfall in the high altitudes. Due to heavy snowfall, some parts of the trekking trails are usually closed in the winter season. So, winter is the best time to visit Nepal in the lower elevations.

Best Winter Season Treks in Nepal are

Nagarkot Chisapani Trek
Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek

Best Time for Jungle Wildlife Tours

Jungle wildlife tours is an opportunity to get close to wildlife in its natural habitat.

The certain area of Terai has well-conserved jungles which are natural habitats of various wildlife.

Some of the best jungle safari tours destinations include Chitwan National Park, Bardia National Park, Koshi Tapu Wildlife Reserves, etc

Chitwan National Park

Jungle safari in Chitwan National Park is one of the adventurous wildlife tour in Nepal. You can enjoy the elephant ride into the dense forests. In Chitwan National Park, you can see one-horned rhino, the Royal Bengal tiger, the gharial crocodile, and many others.

Not only this, you can also enjoy playing with an elephant in the Rapti river ( it is also called elephant bathing). You can also visit the elephant breeding center and enjoy the best view of the sunset from Rapti river bank.

You can visit this place from February to May. But, thousands of tourists visit the place all year-round.

Bardia National Park

It is famous for elephants and jungle drive tour. You can encounter the Royal Bengal Tiger and this is the only place for tiger safari in Nepal. You can visit this place from Mid September until Mid December and the start of February until the end of May.

The Koshi Tappu Reserve

It covers the vast area of the Koshi River delta. Travelers can explore the area of Koshi Tappu by riding on the elephant back.

One of the major attractions of this tour is to observe the exotic bird as well as rare wild buffaloes. You can visit this place all year-round except July to September.

Or, you can also explore the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve and Shuklapanta Wildlife Reserve. Spring, Autumn, and winter are the best season for this wildlife Reserve tour in Nepal. In this tour, you can travel to lush forests, lakes, and wetlands.

Best Time for Paragliding in Nepal

Paragliding in Nepal gives an opportunity for an aerial view of the Himalayas. The main area for paragliding is the Pokhara valley, commanding views of 3 of the world’s 8000m peaks.

Gliding is a weather dependent sports and the flying season in Nepal commences from November through February. But you can experience it from September to early June.

New paragliding spots are in the valley these days. Phulchoki paragliding is among those. If you do not have enough time to visit Pokhara, you can feel the gliding experience in Kathmandu as well.

October and November are the best time to visit Nepal if you are planning to partake in adventurous paragliding.

Best Time for Rafting in Nepal

Nepal has the most scenic and diverse white-water experiences on the planet. Rafting in Nepal is one of the most popular adventures and it is a paradise for river runners.

You can enjoy deep river gorges to wide river basins. Some of the famous rivers are the Sun Koshi, Bhote Koshi, Trishuli. The rapid grades range from 1 to 6 and diverse terrain meets exotic flora and aquatic life.

September and October is the best time for white water rafting in Nepal. But, if you are a beginner then you can visit from July to August when water levels are lower.

Bhotekoshi rafting is among the adventurous and short white water rafting in Nepal. It is the steepest river to raft. If you are an adventure lover then it’s the best rafting trip to you.

Besides this, you can enjoy various adventurous sports like canyoning, bungee jumping, mountain biking, and so on. For this, you can visit Nepal at any time of the year.

Best Time to Hike Around the Valley

You can also go for short and easy hikes around the valley. We have different hike routes around the valley for a shorter time.

You need not worry if you are unable to go on mountain treks. Instead, you can enjoy in treks around the valley.

The hillocks surrounding Kathmandu are perfect for short and easy hikes. The different hike routes are Champadevi, Chandragiri, Nagarjuna- Jamacho, Shivapuri, Changunarayan, Nagarkot, Ranikot, Dhulikhel.

Since the temperature around the valley is similar, you can visit these places any time of the year. But, you have to be careful of leeches and earthworms during rainy seasons.

Final Words,

The best time to visit Nepal is a matter of opinion. Each of Nepal’s climatic seasons offers something different. It is up to you to decide which one is the best for you depending on the aim of the visit.

To make the most out of your trip you should plan your journey around the time of year best suited to your activity.

For further questions and queries please feel free to contact us.