Seasons in Nepal

A lot of trekkers visit Nepal in the “high season” (Oct–March).
Flights and lodges crowd up and prices rise. Remote settlements can run out of sleeping space in high season. You meet many other trekkers on the way.
The “off-season” (Summer) offers bad views and rain. It should not be considered as a good time for trekking.
If you trek in the “shoulder seasons” (Sept or late March) though you’ll avoid the crowds and still stand a good chance to enjoy pleasant weather and clear mountain views.

Sight: Depending on the weather the mountain sceneries can appear very different. In humid summer months clouds overcast the ranges, often peaks can only be see in the morning while the rest of the day clouds obstruct the views. In the fall and winter months skies are mostly clear. The enormous mountains stand out against a blue firmament and can be seen the whole day.

Vegetation: Through summer/fall, close to monsoon time, the vegetation gets lush and green due to the humidity and warmth. Rice fields stand in a bright green and flowers and trees bloom. The richness of nature is impressive. In winter and spring months the vegetation vanishes as it gets cold. Fields are harvested and flowers wither. The mountains show a different kind of beauty.

If you want to see different face of the Himalaya, make a 2nd trek at a different time of the year – you’ll be surprised!

Monsoon

Nepal is a small, landlocked country: 800 km long and only 200 km wide. From the flats of the Terai in the south to the high Himalayan ranges in the north the formation of the country rises in a series of east-west hill chains.

Widely understood as a few months of rain the term monsoon derives from the arabic word mausim, meaning season. The monsoon in the Bay of Bengal governs the weather pattern, creating a rainy season from mid-June to mid-September. During the monsoon it’s hot and it rains almost every day, mostly limited to the nights. During this period clouds hide the mountains and trails are muddy and infested with leaches.

Only very few people, ready to face constant humidity and bad views, trek in this special time of the year.

The southwest monsoon is the most important climatic determinant of agricultural production. It enables and supports life and plays a key role in the economic and cultural landscape of the region. Countless festivals are held in this period to celebrate the rainy season, wether planting or harvesting.
But the rains also bring a great hardship to the people: rivers burst their banks, bridges get swept away and floods and landslides threaten and kill people every year. Also the health risk increases due to stagnant