Annapurna Circuit in March: Spring Snow, Flowers, and Quiet Trails

Last updated 2 October 2026. This page is about March 2027, not this month, but the circuit is in the news, so the road position as at 2 October is near the top. The temperature tables are published station averages, not forecasts, and I name the source of each. There is no weather station on Thorong La, so for the pass I give an estimate and say how I made it.

The short answer: March is the first month of the spring season on the Annapurna Circuit. It is quieter than April and October, the days are mild and the rhododendron forests begin to flower, but the nights in upper Manang are still below freezing and the pass can carry snow, especially in the first half of the month. It suits a trekker who is happy with cold mornings in return for empty trails. It does not suit someone who wants warm nights, or who has no flexibility to wait a day for the pass.

Is the Annapurna Circuit open right now?

No, not fully, and I would rather tell you than let you find out later. Heavy rain at the end of September cut the Marsyangdi valley road. As at 2 October 2026, this is what the published reports say:

• The Kathmandu Post (30 September) reported that the road bridge at Chame bazaar was submerged by the flood-swollen Marsyangdi and that the Chief District Officer said, "we cannot say when" it would reopen.
• The same paper on 1 October reported that the road links between Lamjung and Manang, and between Myagdi and Mustang, "remain cut off".
• Nepal Press (27 September) reported that a 200 m stretch of the Besisahar to Chame road was lost at Kharkhere Bhir.
• Nepal Press (30 September) reported 226 foreign tourists in upper Manang, 44 of them already returned, more than 150 turned back at Thorong La, and everyone safe.

No reopening has been reported. None of this tells us what the road will be in March 2027, five months away. We can't promise what state the road will be in by then, so we check again before we take any booking for this route. My Annapurna Circuit open, road versus trail page is where I keep the live position. Our own policy for every departure is the same: we confirm the road is open 48 hours before you leave, and if it is shut we find an alternative route and tell you before you travel.

What is the weather on the Annapurna Circuit in March?

Three published stations sit on the route: Chame (2,680 m, on the Marsyangdi side), the Manang Airport station (3,401 m, near Manang village) and Jomsom (2,741 m, past the pass on the Kali Gandaki side). Each cell is the average daily high, then the average daily low, in degrees Celsius, with monthly rain in millimetres.

Sources: Manang Airport and Jomsom, Nepal Department of Hydrology and Meteorology 1991 to 2020 normals. Chame, Agricultural Extension in South Asia and JICA, 1976 to 2005, an older record.

How it compares with the autumn season at the same stations: Manang's average night is 0.9 degrees in October and -4.4 in November, against -3.4 in March. Jomsom's October night is 5.5 degrees against 2.0 in March. So March nights at Manang sit between October and November, and Manang's average March daytime high, 11.2, is 3.4 degrees lower than its October high of 14.6. Rain falls less in March at Manang (21.6 mm) than in October (38.9 mm), but Chame, on the wetter south side, gets 73.0 mm in March, so expect a showery lower valley.

What about the pass itself?

No station records Thorong La (5,416 m), so I give an estimate. The standard atmosphere cools by about 6.5 degrees per 1,000 m (ICAO standard atmosphere). The pass is about 2,000 m above the Manang station. Applying that to Manang's March averages gives a daytime high of about -2 and a night low of about -16 degrees. That is a calculation, not a measurement, and wind makes it feel colder. It is a reason to wear everything you have on crossing day, not a forecast.

March to May and September to November are the safest months to cross Thorong La. It also records how bad the pass can be in any season: in October 2014, a storm that followed Cyclone Hudhud dropped about 1.8 m of snow in twelve hours and about forty people died around the pass, with some 300 rescued (the Annapurna Circuit page gives "over 43" killed). I mention it not to scare you but because snow on the pass is a mountain fact in every month. Early March is the most likely time in spring for old snow to still lie on the trail. By late March our guides usually find the main trail clear, but there is no guarantee, and it varies year to year.

When do the rhododendrons bloom?

Towards March the rhododendrons start flowering. The tree rhododendron (Rhododendron arboreum, called lali gurans) is Nepal's national flower and carries trusses of red, pink or white bells in early to mid spring. There is no published elevation-by-date guide, so here is what our guides see, labelled as experience: the first flowers appear in the lower forests in the second half of March, and April is the main bloom. If flowers are your priority, late March to mid April is the better window, and walking the lower trail from Bhulbhule on foot, rather than driving up, shows you more of them.

How busy is March?

Quieter than April and October, which are the two popular seasons (October to November is the most popular time, with April to May second). I have no published trekker counts to quote. In our experience many trekkers wait for April, so March means better lodge availability and a quieter trail, especially in the first two weeks, which are also the coldest. Numbers start building in the last week as April nears.

What does the route look like, and how do we handle altitude?

This is the stop list from our 12-day itinerary. Altitudes are from our live package record.

After Muktinath we drive to Pokhara on day 11 and on to Kathmandu on day 12. The Himalayan Rescue Association's advice is that above 3,000 m your sleeping altitude should rise by no more than 300 to 400 m a day, and the association also advises five nights between arriving in Manang and crossing. Our schedule is built around that and the Manang rest day. We provide an oximeter. If you want the full picture, read my altitude sickness guide and my Thorong La pass guide. For the villages, see Chame, Pisang and Ledar, and for where to sleep see best teahouses on the Annapurna Circuit.

Are the lodges open in March?

There is no verified list of which lodges are open on which March date, because lodge owners decide when to open for the season, so I won't guess. From our guides' experience, the larger villages (Chame, Pisang, Manang, Muktinath) are working in March, while smaller places high up, especially around Thorong Phedi and High Camp, can be slower to open in the first half of the month. This is the question to put to any operator for your exact week, and you can ask me.

What should I pack for March?

The kit is the same as for November, with lighter clothes for the warm lower valley. Pack a down jacket, thermal base layers, insulated gloves, a warm hat or balaclava for the pass, sunglasses and a high-factor sunscreen (WHO notes ultraviolet radiation is higher at altitude), and microspikes for early March snow. We provide a sleeping bag and a down jacket free on every tier, Budget included, and the sleeping bag is rated to -15 degrees, so ask us before you decide to buy a warmer one. A duffel bag is included on the Standard and Luxury tiers. Bring travel insurance from your own country that covers trekking to 6,000 m and helicopter evacuation; see my insurance guide.

March or October for the Annapurna Circuit?

Both are excellent. Choose October if you want warmer nights and the most dependable season. Choose March for quieter trails and spring colour, and accept colder mornings and a pass that may need a waiting day. If you are considering November instead, read Annapurna Circuit in November, and for the other seasons see October, spring and winter.

Who should not go in March?

Skip March if cold nights at Manang worry you, if you cannot add a spare day to your schedule, or if you are a first-time high-altitude trekker who would feel safer in the reliable weeks of October. Skip it too if you would be upset to be turned back on crossing day. Every year the pass can say no, and a good guide will say no when it should.

What does it cost, and how do I book?

The 12-day Annapurna Circuit is from US$720 on Budget, US$999 on Standard and US$1,499 on Luxury for one person, with a lower price per person for larger groups. Budget has no porter and meals are not included. Standard has one porter for every two trekkers and all meals; a solo Standard trekker has no porter and the guide carries a share. Luxury has a dedicated porter per trekker and all meals. Kathmandu hotels are not included in any trek tier. Permits are arranged for you: the Annapurna Conservation Area fee is NPR 3,000, TIMS is NPR 2,000, and I arrange TIMS for every trekker; the Nepal Tourism Board requires an agency-issued TIMS card and a licensed guide on this route (read my TIMS card guide). A 10 per cent deposit holds your dates and you pay the balance in Kathmandu. The deposit is non-refundable, but you can reschedule for free, with at least 72 hours' notice, to any date within one year.

We have no fixed March 2027 departure listed yet, so contact me for dates. Every date is a private departure at the same price. Tell me your window on WhatsApp, +977 9810351300, or email [email protected], and I will tell you what the road and the pass look like when you ask.

Sources: Agricultural Extension in South Asia and JICA (Chame climate, 1976 to 2005), Nepal Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (Manang Airport and Jomsom, 1991 to 2020), ICAO standard atmosphere (lapse rate), Himalayan Rescue Association (altitude advice), Nepal Tourism Board TIMS page (rules and fee), World Health Organization (UV). Road status: Kathmandu Post 30 September and 1 October 2026; Nepal Press 27 and 30 September 2026. Pass temperatures are our own estimate and are marked as such.

About The Everest Holiday

We are a family company in Kathmandu, three generations of Himalayan guides, registered in 2016 and a member of the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal, number 1586. When you book with us you deal with the family, not a call centre.

Every booking helps fund our Nagarjun Learning Center. We fully run the centre at Saldum, where 70 children learn with a teacher I pay for personally.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday and third-generation Himalayan guide. TAAN Member #1586.