Nepal · Nepal
January
Cold and clear — the Himalayas at their sharpest, but high passes closed and Kathmandu at its coolest.
Strong option
#8 of 12 months
There are better months for Nepal — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
18°C
Low
3°C
Rain
20mm
Sun
6.5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How January scores in Nepal
Weather
Above average
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Excellent
Events
Average
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in January
- ↑January delivers the clearest mountain views of the year: the monsoon has been over for months, winter precipitation is minimal (20mm across the full month), and the air quality is at its best — the Annapurna and Ganesh Himalaya massifs visible from Kathmandu's Nagarkot viewpoint are sharper and more defined in January than at any other time
- ↑Lodge and permit prices are at their annual low: the government-mandated TIMS trekking permit and the Annapurna and Sagarmatha national park fees don't change, but lodge rates on the popular trekking circuits drop 30–50% from the October–November peak; a tea house trek in January is genuinely affordable
- ↑Kathmandu and Pokhara are least crowded: the UNESCO temples of Pashupatinath, Bouddhanath, and Patan's Durbar Square are navigable without the group-tour density of October; Pokhara's lakeside restaurants and paragliding operations run with minimal queuing
What you sacrifice
- ↓High-altitude passes are closed or require crampons and ice axe experience in January: the Thorong La on the Annapurna Circuit (5,416m) and the high passes of the Kanchenjunga and Dolpo circuits are impassable after heavy snowfall; only experienced winter mountaineers should attempt these routes
- ↓Kathmandu valley temperatures drop to 3°C at night and rarely exceed 18°C by day — the city is not cold by European winter standards but the older buildings and many guesthouses lack central heating, making evenings genuinely uncomfortable without multiple layers and a good sleeping bag
- ↓January air quality in Kathmandu is poor: the combination of cold weather, coal and wood burning for heating, and vehicle emissions creates winter smog that can obscure mountain views in the early morning and late afternoon despite the season's reputation for clarity
How January compares to October (best month)
| Factor | January | October ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 5 | 10 |
| Value | 8 | 4 |
| Crowds | 8 | 3 |
January in other destinations
Lisbon (13.6°C)Barcelona (13.2°C)Tokyo (9.8°C)Bali (30.2°C)Santorini (13.4°C)Paris (7°C)New York (3.3°C)Marrakech (17.3°C)Amsterdam (5.6°C)Maldives (30.1°C)Rome (11.6°C)Bangkok (31.1°C)Istanbul (8.7°C)Vienna (3.2°C)Seoul (1.1°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (30.9°C)Kyoto (9.2°C)Phuket (31.5°C)Cape Town (26.1°C)Prague (2°C)Amalfi Coast (12°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (31°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (24°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (24.1°C)Florence (9.2°C)Queenstown (22°C)Madrid (9.4°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (4°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (6°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (18°C)Osaka (9°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (30°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (13°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (29°C)Havana (26°C)Split (10°C)Taipei (19°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (15°C)Ho Chi Minh City (33°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (4°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (28°C)Seychelles (30°C)Jordan (12°C)Azores (17°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (19.8°C)Cairo (19.1°C)Kenya (26.8°C)Jaipur (22.2°C)Las Vegas (13.9°C)San Francisco (13.2°C)Madeira (19.5°C)Vancouver (6.9°C)Muscat (26.4°C)Lima (26.2°C)Cinque Terre (11°C)Kotor (10°C)Tel Aviv (18°C)Santiago (30°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (5.8°C)Penang (31.5°C)Lombok (30.8°C)Cape Verde (26.2°C)Fez (13.8°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (18°C)Oslo (-1°C)Auckland (24°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Nepal, not across destinations. Methodology →