October is peak trekking season in Nepal. The monsoon has cleared, the air is washed clean, and the mountains are usually at their sharpest of the whole year.
The weather
Days are mostly dry and sunny, with cold, clear nights that get colder the higher you go. Our when to go page shows the modelled night-time lows at the highest stop of each trek, month by month.
Early October can still bring a few late-monsoon showers, especially lower down. By the middle of the month, settled weather is the norm.
Crowds
October’s good weather is no secret. Teahouses on the Everest and Annapurna Base Camp trails can fill up, and Lukla flights are in high demand.
- Book early, especially if you’re flying to Lukla.
- Consider Langtang or a less busy variant if you’d rather have quieter trails.
- Start each day early to reach the next village before the busiest part of the afternoon.
Festivals
October often coincides with Dashain, Nepal’s biggest festival, and sometimes Tihar follows in late October or November. Dates follow the lunar calendar and change every year. During Dashain, some offices close and buses are packed as people travel home, so plan transport in good time.
Which trek in October?
Every one of our treks is in season in October:
- Poon Hill for a short trek with a famous sunrise.
- Annapurna Base Camp for a first trek above 4,000 m.
- Everest Base Camp for the big one, booked well ahead.
- Annapurna Circuit for the best odds of crossing Thorong La.
- Langtang Valley for fewer crowds, close to Kathmandu.
