After 7 months of living in Nepal and two times trekking in Nepal’s winter off season, I am here to tell you that a trek in Nepal’s winter is not only doable, but sometimes BETTER! Here are all the amazing perks to trekking in the winter and the negatives to consider when making your final decision.
Trekking in Nepal is an epic adventure that brings unforgettable memories of mind-blowing scenery, cozy tea-houses, mountain puppies, and a major sense of accomplishment!
There are so many things to consider when planning your Nepal trek. Whether it is your first or 100th time venturing into the mountains, the planning process remains relatively the same. One of the first and most important things you’ll need to figure out, is when to go!
Nepal has four seasons:
- Spring and Fall, which are the peak trekking seasons and are considered to have optimal conditions.
- Summer, which is monsoon season. Picture tons of rain, humid conditions, and leeches… yuck!
- Winter, which brings colder temperatures and snowy conditions.
When deciding when to go, it is important to understand the time of year you are going and the implications this can have for your experience. What kind of conditions are you hoping to have when you are trekking? Do you prefer a season that will have smaller crowds? You should consider your personal preferences, availability, and any obstacles imposed by the season you want to trek in.
I asked myself all of these questions when planning my first trek in Nepal. The most optimal time for me to complete my trek was in the winter off season. But at the time, I had no idea if that was even possible.
Fast forward a few months and I learned that not only is it a possibility, but there can also be some huge perks to trekking in the winter. Ones that I never would have experienced if I had stuck to the peak seasons.
After doing all my research and embarking on not one, but two winter off season treks, I have come to gain a comprehensive idea of all the pros and cons that come with a trek in Nepal’s winter. If you are considering a trek at this time of year then you have come to the right place!
Pros and Cons of Trekking in Nepal’s Winter Off Season
The Pros: Why Trekking in Nepal’s Winter Can be AMAZING!
1. No Overcrowding on the Trails
Trekking in Nepal’s winter off season, you will see wayyyy less people on the trails. I think most people can agree that avoiding the crowds when exploring any place in nature is a huge perk.
One of the most popular shorter-length treks in Nepal, Ghorepani Poon Hill, provides a great example of the hordes of people that can be found trekking in the spring and fall months. During the peak season, Poon Hill sees an average of 400 people each day! For context, Poon Hill is a single destination look out point, where almost everyone who visits does so at sunrise. So that basically means 400 people gathering at the same spot, at the same time, every single morning. Crazy right?
I found that off season trekking provided the opportunity to connect deeper to nature and enjoy visiting the mountain villages and viewpoints on a more personal level.
Related Post | The Ultimate Guide to Trekking Ghorepani Poon Hill Independently
2. Clear Skies and Stunning Views
The winter season in Nepal is often known to produce beautiful views of the himalayan mountains, as the sky is bright and clear. A cloudy sky can fully erase the mountain views, so clear skies for the win!
When I lived in Nepal for 7 months, the best views I saw of the mountains from Kathmandu were in the months between December and February. In the winter, I’d see them roughly once a week, compared to the one single time I saw them in the fall.
3. Cheaper Off Season Prices and Bargains
Visiting Nepal in the off season can bring cheaper prices and more opportunities for deals. The costs of accommodation will be cheaper in some hotels and even in tea houses along your trek. You will also have an easier time bartering for a lower price for trekking gear and activities in the cities. If you are planning to trek with a tour company, some will even offer off-season trekking deals as well.
Who doesn’t love a good deal?
4. A Guaranteed Bed with No Need to Worry in Advance
With so many people trekking in peak seasons, some have a hard time finding a bed in their desired village stops. The more established treks will have many different teahouses offering accommodation, but even those will run out of space occasionally in the spring and fall.
Since you are not able to book accommodation in advance online, this is definitely an issue for people who are trekking independently, without a guide or tour company. Tour companies and guides have the ability to assure you will have a bed, but will come with a hefty price. Trekking tours are much more expensive, so the trade-off of extra money for peace of mind is not always worth it.
Tea houses will often allow people to sleep out on the cushioned benches in the common spaces in these cases. However, trekking in the off-season definitely eliminates this stress altogether.
5. Perfect Photographs of a Winter Wonderland
A sparkling white landscape. Snow-capped peaks. Photographing the Himalayan mountains in the winter results in INSANELY STUNNING pictures. Combined with less people and clearer skies, the photos you’ll be able to capture in the winter off season do not compare.
If you want to bring home epic photos that really showcase the unfiltered power and beauty of the mountains, the winter season will definitely help!
The Cons: Things to Consider When Deciding to Trek in Nepal’s Winter
1. Colder Temperatures
In general, while day time temperatures can be pretty warm, the night conditions will be quite cold. However, how manageable these colder night time temperatures are will heavily depend on the specific trek you are on.
Trekking to Ghorepani Poon Hill in January, I experienced lows of -5 degrees Celsius at night. With a proper -10 sleeping bag and a down jacket, this was very manageable. However, some higher altitude treks, such as Everest Base Camp, can experience nightly lows of -17 degrees Celsius.
Teahouses will often have wood burning furnaces to warm your feet at the end of the day. Most of them will also provide comforters in addition to your sleeping bags.
With all this being said, you should definitely check what the average temperatures will be for your trek based on the specific one you are doing.
Tip: You don’t need to worry about owning or bringing any of your own sleeping bags. They are super easy and cheap to rent or buy in Pokhara or Kathmandu.
2. Heavier Packing
With colder temperatures and snowier conditions comes heavier backpacks. Obviously as the expected temperatures get lower, you will need to pack warmer and heavier clothing. You will need fleece sweaters, base layers, down jackets, etc.
In addition to clothing, you’ll need extra equipment for the snowy conditions, such as crampons, sleeping bags and trekking poles.
Depending on the length of your trek, this can be quite heavy to carry! For a shorter length trek, such as the 3+ day Ghorepani Poon Hill trek, this problem isn’t as bad. However, once you start getting up into week long treks, you’ll have to consider this more.
There is an option to heavily alleviate this con though! You can hire a porter to carry your pack for you. Porters will usually carry bags up to 10 kg in weight. The trade off to keep in mind here is of course the extra added on cost. But paying a porter contributes to the local economy and sustaining someone’s livelihood.
3. Some Treks Become Inaccessible or Have More Risks to Consider
Depending on the trek you are wanting to do, trekking in the winter might not actually be an option.
Treks that reach high altitudes can become risky and for some, completely unaccessible. I’ll give 3 examples of treks here and how their altitude can impact their accessibility:
- Ghorepani Poon Hill | This trek is not only still fully accessible, but in my opinion becomes even better during the winter off season. The trek is at a low enough altitude and does not take you through any avalanche prone areas. As a result, it experiences all of the amazing benefits I mentioned above, with very mild versions of the cons. Therefore, Ghorepani Poon Hill is an excellent option if you are looking to trek in Nepal’s winter.
- Annapurna Base Camp | While still doable, there are some added risks to trekking to ABC in the winter. I did this trek in February 2020 and was quite surprised by how mild the conditions were for the most part. The temperatures during the day were t-shirt hot and at night it didn’t reach negative temperatures until the second last stop on our trek at higher elevations. However, as we reached the last stop before base camp, we happened to get a lot of snow. The risk for avalanche became too high and we ended up having to turn back. If we had left for our trek one day earlier though, we would have been totally fine. Therefore, this trek is definitely a possibility in the winter, but there is a risk that you won’t get to complete your entire journey.
- Annapurna Circuit Trek | While some more experienced trekkers may take this on in very optimal weather conditions, for the most part this trek becomes completely inaccessible during the winter season. This is because a lot of the mountain passes, where they reach high elevation, become impassible.
There are still a ton of other different treks that are accessible in the winter. If you have a specific trek in mind, I recommend researching it’s specific winter conditions to understand if it is right for you.
The Final Verdict: Should You Trek in Nepal’s Winter Off Season?
Overall, I would say that with the right route, a trek in Nepal’s winter can be EVEN BETTER than the peak seasons.
I would 100% recommend trekking Ghorepani Poon Hill in the winter. It has all of the amazing benefits of winter trekking, with only mild versions of the cons. However, for the longer or more risky treks, there are definitely more considerations to weigh in making your decision.
Weigh the pros and cons based on what is important to you in your own trekking adventure and make the best educated decision that you can. Whatever season you decide, theres one thing that’s a given: it’s going to be an EPIC adventure!
Insider Tips: How to Make Your Winter Trek a Success!
So you are leaning towards taking on your trek in Nepal’s winter, but how can you make it a success? Here are some insider tips on how to be prepared and get the absolute most out of your winter trek in Nepal:
- Pack the Right Equipment | You will need a winter sleeping bag, crampons (otherwise you’ll be crawling up the steep snowy hills like I did… oops!), and trekking poles.
- Give Yourself A Little Extra Time | Trekking in the snow is like walking through deep sand on the beach. It takes a little bit longer. Allow yourself an extra hour at least each day to account for the extra challenge.
- Consider Hiring a Guide | If you are trekking in areas that have avalanche risks in heavy snow then I highly recommend a guide. They will be able to communicate better with the locals to understand the conditions and are very experienced with handling potential emergency situations.
- Consider Hiring a Porter | Take a little weight off your shoulders and hire a porter to carry your heavier winter bags. These guys are superstars and make trekking with two 10kg bags look like a cake walk.
- Make Sure Your Travel Insurance Covers Your Trek | This goes for all seasons, but especially in the winter when risks of slipping and other injuries can be slightly higher. Most standard insurance does not cover trekking, so make sure you get any necessary add ons.
- Understand that Mountain Weather is Unpredictable | The mountains put off some pretty powerful vibes and trying to predict the weather is not always reliable. Just keep this in mind and go into the experience with appropriate expectations!
If you have any additional pros, cons or tips for trekking in Nepal’s winter off season, please feel free to comment below or get in touch! Happy trekking!
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