Best Time To Visit

NEPAL

Nepal is the land of extremes. Nepal’s climate varies with its geography and altitude and can range from tropical to arctic. Nepal has a typical monsoonal, two-season year. Autumn (September to November) and spring (March to May) brings the most favorable weather and are comparatively the best time to visit Nepal than in summer season which runs from (June to August) and winter season from ( December to February).

Autumn (September to November)

With the monsoon recently finished, the countryside is green and lush, trekkers can get pleasant Himalaya views and on top of that weather is clement. There are also some colorful festivals trekkers can enjoy like Dashain and Tihar unless on a tight schedule.

Spring (March to May)

This is the second best time to visit Nepal. The weather is warm and snows free so climbing the high passes are not as strenuous. Visibility is not as good but the wildflowers and national flower of Nepal, rhododendron is in full bloom on higher altitudes with enchanting color and beauty.

Summer/ Monsoon (June to August)

Thundering black clouds, rainfall, sweltering heat makes this season unpopular among trekkers. Most trekking routes are muddy and swarmed with leeches. Roads are occasionally obstructed by landslides and flights can be cancelled or delayed. Though the rainfall brings new shoots and greenery all around and can be a good time to visit places nearby Kathmandu, it also spread the danger of sickness. This is the most preferable season to trek in the dry lands and rain shadow areas like upper Mustang, around Annapurna, Upper Manag, Manaslu and Upper Dolpo etc. since these regions are less affected by the monsoon. It is also the high travel season to visit the neighboring country of Nepal, Tibet.

Winter (December to February)

Weather around this season is usually clear cool, stable with occasional snowfall in higher elevations. It seldom snows in Kathmandu but the mornings can be unpleasantly cold and damp and nights can be shivery cold, although sun may shine in the daytime. Visibility is good but it can be a real test of endurance for trekkers to trek in higher altitudes like Annapurna region due to snowfall. This is most preferable for trekking in warmer regions like plain fields of Terai region. Bird watching is considered favorable in royal chitwan national park during this season.

Nepal – Kathmandu:

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Min temp °C: 2 4 7 12 16 19 20 20 19 13 7 3
Max temp °C: 18 19 25 28 30 29 29 28 28 27 23 19
Rainfall mm: 15 41 23 58 122 246 373 345 155 38 8 3

 * The weather chart above shows the average daily min and max temperatures in Celsius and the average monthly precipitation, and should only be used as a guide.

Tibet

April to November is usually the best time to visit Tibet. Although sun rays are very strong, it’s not really blistering due to high altitude. It is not suggested to travel during winter (December to February/March) since it gets very cold and temperatures regularly drop below freezing. Tibet does not have particular monsoon season but May to September are the months with the highest rainfall which generally occurs in the evening.

Tibet – Lhasa

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Min temp °C: -10 -7 -2 1 5 9 9 9 7 1 -5 -9
Max temp °C: 7 9 12 16 19 24 23 22 21 17 13 9
Rainfall mm: 0 13 8 5 25 64 122 89 66 13 3 0

*The weather chart above shows the average daily min and max temperatures in Celsius and the average monthly precipitation, and should only be used as a guide.

Bhutan

The best time to visit Bhutan is around autumn from September to November. Bhutan boasts beautiful Himalayan vistas and pleasant temperatures during autumn. It is also season for some of the largest Bhutanese festivals, including the Thimphu tshechu ( dance festival).on a clear day, trekkers can get a fantastic view of 200 miles of Himalayas from the top of the Dochu la (10,000-foot pass). Spring (March to May) is another best time to visit Bhutan, especially for nature lovers as flowers and rhododendron covers the land vividly in full bloom and lucky ones may even spot the rare blue poppy, a three-foot tall species once thought only to be a myth. The Punakha and Paro festivals draw many travelers at this time of year. During winter it can be the best time to avoid crowd and bird watching (black necked cranes) but is not suggested to travel as the roads might get obstructed by snow. On summer/monsoon Bhutan is overpowered by rain, during these three months 500mm of rain falls in Thimphu and up to a meter falls in the eastern hills. Himalaya views are hidden in clouds and roads disappear with heavy downpours. It is not the very best time to visit Bhutan though it is still a great time to visit western Bhutan which offers lush green vegetation and fantastic paddy fields adding up to a picturesque views. But no matter when and where you go, there is likely to be rain periods in Bhutan, so one should make sure that an umbrella is usually never far from reach.

Bhutan – Paro

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Min temp °C: -17 -15 -10 -5 -1 3 5 4 2 -5 -12 -16
Max temp °C: 1 1 4 7 10 12 12 13 11 8 5 3
Rainfall mm: 4 8 16 21 24 40 75 72 34 14 4 1

*The weather chart above shows the average daily min and max temperatures in Celsius and the average monthly precipitation, and should only be used as a guide.

India

India has intense temperature and is very hot in summer (March to May) so winter (November to February) is considered the best time to visit India as the temperatures are considerably low and cool. Trekking season reaches its peak during august and September.

India-New Delhi

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Min temp °C: 8 11 16 21 26 28 27 27 25 19 13 8
Max temp °C: 20 24 30 37 40 38 35 34 34 33 28 23
Rainfall mm: 19 24 24 10 40 97 190 201 134 12 4 10

*The weather chart above shows the average daily min and max temperatures in Celsius and the average monthly precipitation, and should only be used as a guide.

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