We've guided guests through all the seasons. Here's what we know.
Spring surprises many guests. They come for the mountains and leave talking about the rhododendron forests, crimson and pink against the snow line. The days are warm, the air is clear, and the trails and villages feel livelier than in autumn.
The monsoon closes most of Nepal's trekking routes, but it is the season for the rain-shadow regions behind the Himalaya, where little of the rain reaches. Mustang and Dolpo stay dry. These are the restricted, permit-only regions that we specialize in, with old walled cities, Tibetan Buddhist monasteries that are centuries old, and bare high-desert landscapes.
In autumn the monsoon clears, the sky turns a deep blue, and every major trail opens with the clearest views of the year. This is the season we recommend to most first-time guests and the one we love most ourselves.
Winter is a quiet season in Nepal. The high passes close, but everything below 3,500 meters stays open and far less busy. The Kathmandu Valley has few tourists, Pokhara's lake reflects the Annapurna range on still, cold mornings, and Chitwan's jungle trails are at their best. On clear winter mornings the mountain views are as sharp as on any autumn day, with far fewer people on the trail.
Sep to Nov
October has the clearest skies of the year in Nepal. These are the trips we recommend when visibility is at its best.
Two treks in 21 days: the Annapurna foothills through Ghandruk and Ulleri, then the Khumbu to Namche Bazaar and Thyangboche Monastery at 3,860m.
From $4,725
Walk the Royal Trek in the hills above Pokhara for Annapurna views, then spend two days in Kathmandu and go on safari in Chitwan. The trail stays below 2,000m.
From $2,675
Trek through primary forest and Limbu villages in eastern Nepal to Pangpema (5,120m), below Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak.
From $5,375
Fly to Juphal and walk past Phoksundo Lake, the deepest in Nepal, and over passes above 5,000m to Shey Gompa in restricted Upper Dolpo.
From $7,475
Mar to May
For about two weeks in April, the rhododendrons are in bloom and the mountain views are still clear. These are the trips we plan around that window.
Raft the Kali Gandaki through the world's deepest gorge: five days of Class III and IV rapids and beach camps on a 10-day trip that ends in Pokhara.
From $3,150
Walk from Lukla to Thyangboche Monastery for Everest views, look for rhinos in Chitwan, then finish in Pokhara and Nagarkot.
From $3,675
Fly to Jumla and walk through the old Malla kingdom of Sinja to Rara, Nepal's largest lake, at 2,990m in the far northwest of the country.
From $4,975
Cross central Nepal along the ridges below Ganesh Himal and Manaslu, over the Shing La at 4,200m, and through Tamang villages to Gorkha.
From $4,775
Dec to Feb
Lower altitudes and far fewer crowds. These trips are for guests who want Nepal's culture and history in a quieter season.
Visit Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar, the four places of the Buddha's life, with Varanasi and Delhi, on a 14-day pilgrimage in India and Nepal.
From $3,675
Fifteen days across Nepal: Kathmandu Valley temples, a Chitwan safari, the Buddha's birthplace at Lumbini, Tansen, Pokhara, and Everest views from Nagarkot.
From $3,775
Jun to Sep
While the monsoon closes most of Nepal, it is the season for the most remote, restricted regions we travel in. Special permits are required, and we arrange them.
Walk up the Kali Gandaki into restricted Upper Mustang, to the walled city of Lo Manthang at 3,780m and the cave monastery of Luri Gompa.
From $5,475
Fly to Juphal and walk past Phoksundo Lake, the deepest in Nepal, and over passes above 5,000m to Shey Gompa in restricted Upper Dolpo.
From $7,475
Walk the three-day kora around Mt. Kailash over the Drolma La at 5,630m and visit Lake Mansarovar, with Kathmandu and Pokhara. A 17-day Nepal and Tibet tour.
From $5,475
We take you to Nepal ourselves, with forty years of mountain knowledge, family connections across every province, and a standard of care no booking platform can match.
Our guides were born in these mountains. They know which passes flood in spring, which teahouses are worth stopping at, and when to turn back, much of it learned from their own families.
We time every trip around the weather window, trail conditions and light of its season. We have been watching Nepal's seasons for decades, and your itinerary is built on that.
Our family has relationships in villages that haven't appeared in any guidebook. When you travel with us, doors open that don't open for other visitors, and our guests will tell you so.
We have guided guests at 8,000 meters and guests who had never hiked a day in their lives. Our acclimatization protocols, emergency procedures and medical preparedness are built for both, and for everyone in between.
