When is the best time to go to: Nepal

Nepal is a landlocked country in the Himalayas, more precisely in the southern Himalayan area between Tibet and India. Some of the highest mountains in the world are located in Nepal, with Mount Everest being recognized as the highest point on earth.

This special location makes Nepal a popular destination for trekking holidaymakers, and most visitors are more or less likely to come to the country for this purpose.

As small as Nepal is, the topography and, in principle, the climatic zones are just as varied. From the highest point of Mount Everest it goes down into the lowlands towards North India. Accordingly, there are climatically different regions: above the mostly snow-covered and partly ice-covered regions of the Himalayan Mountains to the low lying tropical-like forests.

The same applies to Nepal: the altitude also determines the climate. In the rainy season it is mild and warm in large parts of Nepal, quite sunny. At high altitudes it always stays cool, and at the top it is also cold. Seen across the whole country, there is a determining factor in the monsoons or the monsoon seasons. The rainy season is from late June to September. During this time it is also comparatively warm, in some places quite hot. In the rainy season, depending on the amount of precipitation, regional floods can sometimes occur

Precipitation in Nepal tends to decrease from east to west. The conditions in the east are similar to those of Darjeeling, those in the west to those of Shimla. Typical for the valley or the lower Himalayan regions of Nepal is the climate of Kathmandu.

With all the descriptions one can say: the climatic conditions for Nepal are surprisingly stable. However, as everywhere, this no longer offers any guarantee. winters can be very poor in snow, but snowfall is always possible and can quickly turn out to be very productive. Basically, the height rule also applies here: the higher, the more likely it is to snow. In the very high altitudes you can expect perma snow.

The country at a glance

• As the best months for trekking the period from September to March is normally mentioned.
• even September is not fixed - you can exect very good weather as well as you must live with mediocre visibility and longer periods of rain.
• October is usually a little better, but rainfalls must also be expected in this month. Conditions are often somewhat unstable, especially up to the middle of October. Most recently one had to experience a very early and strong onset of winter due to a tail of a cyclone in India. Many trekkers were trapped in the area of Annapurna, which was otherwise easily accessible at the time. These are the imponderables, but mostly mid-October and November are stable seasons. November is usually quite cool and snowfall is always possible, at least in the higher elevations.
• In December it gets even colder and the tendency to snowfall increases. However, December and even January can be good times for trekking tours. But one should rather choose the lower elevations of the country as a destination during this phase.
• February can also be cool and very snowy at higher altitudes. Therefore, February is also more suitable for tours in lower altitudes. Experience shows that January and February are relatively dry months.
• Classic trekking months are March and April, and most of the trekking routes are open from these months onwards. Depending on the course of winter, you have to expect closed snow cover in the months, at least at higher altitudes.
• From March onwards, the probability of rain increases, but from April onwards, the warmth can be a problem at lower altitudes. In April it is often very oppressive and humid near the Therai. In direct comparison, May is already relatively rainy and from June to September you are in the classic rainy season.

Basically, the best travel time for Nepal (especially for trekking) could be seen as the phase from September / October to March / April. The driest months across the country are on average November, December, January, February, April and May. June, July and August are much rainier. September and October are roughly between the two extremes and can therefore be interesting months to travel; March and April are usually very popular months to travel. The ascent of Mount Everest via the southern ascent (i.e. from Nepal) is normally possible for tourists in the phase from the beginning of April to the beginning of June.