Blog-Traveling Nepal in Winter. When I was in Turkey this April, my colleague from Poland said I should not be feeling cold because I came from the nation of Mt.Everest! So you reason that Nepal, the nation of ice-covered tallest peaks of the world, should be freezing during winter. But not so, since winter is not that severe in much of this geographically diverse nation. Neither so long as well, since it lasts roughly for three months from December to February.
Take, for example, the average temperature of Kathmandu, the capital city in winter. With the statistics putting the lowest average at 2-degree centigrade, the mercury drops below freezing only on a few rare days. That too happens mainly during the nights and early morning before the sun shines, with the daytime mercury rising to more than 10 degrees even on the chilliest of days. On top of that, Nepal is a very sunny nation.
So you can fortify yourself against any winter in Nepal with a down jacket, gloves, socks, and a thermal cap for Kathmandu and the entire hill and Terai plains. This will do even for the foothills of the Himalayas, given that you avoid high passes that may sometimes fall on your way. The best region to stick to, however, is the hilly region, hemmed in the south by the Terai plains and the north by the high Himalayan Mountains.
In theory, the plains of Terai, including the national parks of Chitwan and Bardia, should be ideal places to visit. But the plains are sometimes covered by thick fog for days and winter can become severe over there. In the high mountains and Himalayas, naturally, winter is cold. This brings us to hills, hemmed between the mountains in the north and plains in the south, where the sun shines brightly during the daytime, and staying and getting around is comfortable enough when clad in warm clothes.
If you are planning to visit Nepal in winter and cannot decide which package to choose, we offer you some options. If you try the Trishuli Gorkha Mid-hill trek or even Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek, you will just be moving in the mid-hill region. You can even prepare yourself for an Everest trip, given that the weather conditions allow your flight to Lukla. In that case, Everest Luxury Trek and Everest Panorama Trek are the best bets. So only a few trekking routes become impassable. The others get colder, and a little more difficult, and that is all! But Traveling Nepal in winter gives you different experience and explore different parts of Nepal besides the mountains.
