Nepal’s climate is divided into four major seasons, summer, winter, autumn and spring. You can visit Nepal in any season in a year. The best time to visit Nepal depends on why you are coming to Nepal and what you will do in Nepal. For instance, trekking should be avoided in the winter season while visiting Chitwan National Park in autumn is strongly suggested by guides and travel agencies. So, you should visit Nepal according to things you are planning to do in Nepal.
Seasons of Nepal
There are four seasons in Nepal. Each season lasts about three months. The seasons are:
Autumn: Autumn is the favorite tourist season. It lasts from September to late November. Autumn comes after the monsoon season bringing dry season and clear skies. Autumn is the perfect season for mountaineering and trekking. The temperature is mild, and visibility is clear in the mountains. Autumn season is the best time to visit Nepal for trekking and mountaineering and also the best time to visit Nepal to go wildlife safari and bird watching in the national parks of Nepal.
Winter: Winter in Nepal starts from December and ends in early February. The winter air is dry and cold. The skies in winter are clear giving a crystal clear view of peaks above 8,000 meters. There are few visitors in trekking trail in winter, so if you want an undisturbed meeting with some of the tallest mountains in the world, make yourself home in Nepal in winter.
Spring: Spring is another favored season by tourist to visit Nepal. Spring season falls in between February to April. In spring, the temperature gradually rises, and Rhododendron flowers bloom in the hills of hilly regions. Spring is a good season to go high altitude trekking as the climate is dry but not too hot for a trek. The nights are a bit chilly. Spring is the best time to visit Nepal for sightseeing heritage, monuments, flower blooms and cultures and traditions
Summer & Monsoon: Summer is the hottest season of all. Summer starts from May to June. May is the hottest month in all over Nepal. Late June and July bring monsoon rain from the East. The sky is cloudy in monsoon and is always raining, but results in green hills and flower blooms. Avoid trekking in the monsoon as the trails are muddy and filled with leeches. The climate is hot and humid, and it tends to rain once every day. So don’t forget to bring your umbrella if you come to Nepal in summer and monsoon season.
Nepal Trekking Season
Trekking is the main attraction for tourists in Nepal. Trekking experience is largely dependent on which season you choose to trek in the mountains of Nepal.
Autumn Trek: Autumn is a dry season that follows the summer monsoon months in Nepal. Tourists choose autumn to trek in high altitudes to reach the base of snow-capped peaks. Monsoon clears all the dust and haze from the sky and gives a crystal clear view of the majestic mountains. Tourists who come to Nepal solely to catch a clear glimpse of the Himalayas choose to trek in autumn season. However, autumn turns the leaves in the hills brown. Tourists trekking in autumn won’t enjoy the greenery and flower blooms in the hills that are present in the spring season. So if you are a mountain lover before greenery and flower blooms, choose the autumn season to trek.
Spring Trek: Spring is also a relatively dry season following the winter season. Spring is the season of birth after winter has disrupted plants and animals life. The beauty of spring is the greenery in the hills and the mesmerizing flower blooms. If you wish to see the national flower of Nepal, the Rhododendron bloom in several colors across many hills in your trekking trails, then spring is the trekking season for you.
Winter Trek: Here comes the surprise package with its distinctive advantages. Firstly, it seldom rains in winter which in turn the skies will be apparent and mountains are filled with blankets of snow. Regardless of the chilly nights, the sunny winter days are warm and perfect for trekking. If you are looking to trek at a time with few visitors, then winter is the season for you. Many tourists avert from trekking in winter because of the cold weather and snowfalls, but travelling in small groups with few visitors on the trail is an ideal in the winter season. Travelling in high altitude passes in winter is too extreme because of the cold but trek to base camps and viewing towers gives a clear and snowy sight of the mountains.
Now you can decide for yourself which season you want to trek in Nepal and choose which season is the best time to visit Nepal.
Best Time To Visit Nepal For Sightseeing
Tourists who are likely to visit Nepal for sightseeing cities, monuments, heritage, monasteries and culture and traditions must think in advance the season they want to visit Nepal. The visiting season for Nepal differs from the activities you want to do in Nepal. As trekking is ideal in the autumn season, sightseeing in autumn season is a bad choice as views from afar is disturbed by haze. There are many considerations to make when choosing a season for sightseeing in Nepal. We can help you decide to choose the season to visit Nepal for sightseeing.
Summer Sightseeing: Summer season is not a good season for sightseeing in Nepal, particularly in the Terai region. The summer season brings floods in the Terai region and halts daily operations like transportation and flights. Sightseeing in Kathmandu is ideal just after the monsoon season after the rain has washed the dust from the cultural buildings. If you want to sight-see cultural buildings of Durbar Squares in Kathmandu, summer might be a very good season for you.
Spring Sightseeing: Spring season is the best season to go sightseeing in Nepal. The sights in spring in the hills of Nepal are spectacular. The blooming of Rhododendron in the hills attracts many sightseers from all over the world. Spring flower bloom also attracts the 844 species of birds in Nepal. So, spring season becomes a hub for bird lovers and watchers as the best time to visit Nepal.
So depending on the type of sightseeing, you can choose your season to visit Nepal. Winter and autumn are also good to sightsee in higher altitudes in Nepal. Now you can decide which season is the best time to visit Nepal for sightseeing.
Best time to visit Nepal for Adventure activities
If you are an adventure lover and looking to try bungee, paragliding, white-water rafting, mountain climbing and other adventure activities in Nepal, you should be familiar with the season to visit for adventure in Nepal.
Spring Season: Spring marks the start of white-water rafting season. Paragliding and micro flights also take off but can sometimes be cancelled because of haze or rain. Bungee and zip line run throughout the season.
Autumn Season: Autumn is the peak season for adventure activities in Nepal. The autumn season is clear and dry with a clear sky throughout the months. The season is the best for all adventure activities like rafting, paragliding and bungee. Also, keep in mind that this is a peak season and you won’t be alone doing these activities. The adventure spots can be crowded with tourists. Arguably, autumn has to be the best time to visit Nepal to take part in adventure activities.
Summer Season: Summer is not a good season for adventure activities. The monsoon rain increases the water level thus rafting is limited in summer. Paragliding and micro flights are often cancelled because of recurring rain. Summer season is perfect for travelling in the rain shadow area of Nepal. Mountain bike riding and rock climbing are best for the summer season in the rain shadow area like Mustang and Langtang.
The best time to visit Nepal for Adventure activities varies as per your adventure act. There isn’t a perfect for every activity. Thus, autumn seems to be an excellent choice to cover up all the adventure activities in one season.
Best time to visit Nepal to see Jungles and Forests
Nepal is rich in flora and fauna from the Himalayan region to the Terai region. Tourists are attracted to the vast richness of forests in the southern Terai of Nepal. So what is the best time to visit Nepal to see the jungles and forests in their best condition?
Summer Season: Summer is the worst season to go jungle safari in the jungles of Chitwan and Bardia. The Southern Terai in summer sees constant rainfall. The forests will surely be greener because of the rain, but the animals will also be sheltering from the rain in their bills and dens. The humidity also kills any visibility chance of spotting the Bengal Tigers and Bengal Floricans. Thus, summer is not the best time to visit Nepal for Jungle safaris.
Autumn Season: Autumn is the best season to spot all the endangered animals and plants in the jungles of Nepal. The climate is dry, and there is less humidity in the air. The visibility is clear, and there is a greater chance of spotting the elusive Bengal Tiger. Other animals like elephants, rhinoceros and birds can be enjoyed to the fullest in the autumn season. Autumn is the best choice tourists choose for jungle safari and animal watching in Nepal.
Winter and Spring season: Winter season is also good for jungle safaris but not as good as autumn season. The jungles in winter are cold, and animals hibernate underground or in their homes. Spring is also suitable for safaris, but downpours can cause difficulty in safaris.
Except for summer season, all other season is rather good for jungle safari and forest travel, but autumn is undoubtedly the best time to visit Nepal for animal watching and jungle safari.
You can also contact us “Nepal Sanctuary Trek” on our website and leave a message in our contact page with queries and any information that you seek regarding the best time to visit Nepal. For other trekking and travel pages, you can see our blog here.
https://www.nepalsanctuarytreks.com/package/gokyo-trek/
