When to walk in Nepal, region by region

Ask when to trek in Nepal and you will be told October. It is not wrong — post-monsoon October is spectacular — but it is also when every lodge is full and the trail out of Namche moves at the pace of the slowest group on it.

The four seasons, briefly

Autumn, from late September to November, is the peak: stable weather, clear air washed clean by the monsoon, and cold arriving through November. Spring, March to May, is warmer and hazier with rhododendron in flower and the climbing season in full swing.

Winter, December to February, is clear, empty and genuinely cold, with the high passes closed. The monsoon, June to early September, shuts most of the country down — except for the two regions in the rain shadow.

Region by region

The two monsoon exceptions

Mustang and Dolpo sit north of the main Himalayan range, in the rain shadow. While the rest of Nepal is under cloud from June to September, both are dry, walkable and almost empty. If your only free month is July, this is the answer rather than a consolation.

In July people ask me if the trip is still on. In Mustang, July is the trip.

Pasang Lama, Mustang guide

The case for December

Below 4,000 m, December in Nepal is superb: the clearest air of the year, empty lodges and prices that reflect it. It is cold at night and the high passes are shut, but Langtang, Poon Hill and the whole Kathmandu Valley are at their best and you will have them largely to yourself.