NEPAL
When
to Go
It's hard to generalize about the climate of a country ranging
in elevation from near sea level to Mount Everest. About the only
thing that can be said is that all but a few parts of Nepal are
governed by the same monsoonal pattern, with temperatures varying
according to elevation.
Five seasons prevail in Nepal, but these are based on more than
just weather: whenever you choose to go, you'll have to weigh
other factors, both positive (mountain visibility, festivals,
wildlife) and negative (crowds, disease).
Probably half of all tourists visit Nepal in the autumn (October
to November), and for good reasons. The weather is clear and dry,
and temperatures aren't too cold in the high country nor too hot
in the Tarai. With the air washed clean by the monsoon rains,
the mountains are at their most visible, making this the most
popular time for trekking. Two major festivals also fall during
this season. The downside, however, is that the tourist quarters
are heaving and hustley, prices are higher and it may be hard
to find a decent room, you'll wait ages for food and for trekking
permits, and people are short on ready smiles and chat.
Winter (December and January) weather is for the most part clear
and stable. It isn't especially cold at lower elevations - it
never snows in Kathmandu, and afternoon temperatures are balmy
- but the "mists of Indra" can make mornings dank and
chilly (especially in unheated budget lodgings). Most travellers
head down into India, leaving the tourist areas fairly quiet -
too quiet, sometimes, as many restaurants pare down their menus
for the season, and most trekking lodges close. This is an excellent
time to visit the Tarai, where temperatures are relatively mild.
Spring (February to mid-April) brings warmer temperatures, longer
days, weddings and more festivals. The rhododendrons are in bloom
in the hills towards the end of this period, and in the Tarai
the thatch has been cut, so despite the increasing heat this is
the best time for viewing wildlife. All of which creates another
tourist crush, albeit not quite as bad as in the autumn. The one
factor that keeps people away is a disappointing haze that obscures
the mountains from lower elevations, though it's usually possible
to trek above it.
The pre-monsoon (mid-April to early June) is stifling at lower
elevations, and dusty wind squalls are common. People get a little
edgy with the heat; this is the time for popular unrest, but also
for the Kathmandu Valley's great rainmaking festival. Trek high,
where the temperatures are more tolerable.
Nepalis welcome the monsoon (June to September), which breaks
the enervating monotony of the previous months, and makes the
fields come alive with rushing water and green shoots. The rains
rinse and renew the land. This can be a fascinating time to visit,
when Nepal is at its most Nepali, but there are many drawbacks:
mountain views are rare, leeches come out in force along the mid-elevation
trekking routes, roads become impassable, flights get cancelled,
and disease runs rampant as the rising water table brings the
entire contents of city sewers to the surface.
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