Elevation and Weather: What to Expect in Nepal
First-time visitors to Nepal often expect cold, high-altitude environments. Those environments certainly exist along the northern border, but much of Nepal is either low and warm, or quite mild and temperate. It’s a mind-blowing fact, but the southern edge of Nepal is at near sea level. The world’s highest point, Mount Everest, sits just a few hundred miles away at 29,029 feet!
Elevations Along Our Routes
Kathmandu - 4,200 feet
Low point - 1300 feet
Highest point on any of our foothill and Lower Mustang routes - 12,600 feet (only for trips into the Mustang Valley)
Highest point on our Upper Mustang routes - 13,000 feet for two to three nights
Average altitude of most of our itineraries - 3,000 - 7,000 feet
Kathmandu is the point of entry for all visitors flying into Nepal and sits a thousand feet lower than Denver, Colorado at just 4,200 feet. The majority of our excursions seldom venture above 9,000 feet, although our forays into the Mustang Valley briefly reach 12,000 feet for a few hours. The average altitude of most routes hovers around 3,000 to 5,000 feet with periodic climbs to 6,000. Because we ascend slowly, it’s rare for even sea level dwellers to notice they’re above 4,000 feet.
Climate and Weather
The Mid-Hill forests and rivers are absolutely beautiful. This is the part of Nepal few people expect, but all enjoy most. Nepal has one of the most bio-diverse forests in the world, and that is the result of strong seasonal weather cycles. For this reason we only travel in spring and fall.
Why No Summer Trips?
In a word — monsoons. The heavy rains that engulf all of South Asia begin like clockwork in June and only relent in September. It takes a while for roads to recover, which is why we typically wait until October to begin our fall season.
Spring or Fall, Which is Best?
Either season offers exceptional weather. The fall months often offer the best views of Himalayan peaks with fresh white snow and deep blue skies.
Spring’s big attraction include stunning blooms of rhododendrons, lush fields of green, and warm temps, but nothing too hot. Spring or fall, both are perfect times to travel Nepal.
Springtime temp extremes (Fahrenheit): Lows 40-degrees, Highs 90-degrees (May in the lowlands)
Autumn months temp extremes (Fahrenheit): Lows 35-degrees, Highs 80-degrees (early October)