Christmas and New Year Treks from Pokhara 2026/27: 3 to 5 Days

Updated 20 Oct 2026. Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday, from a family of three generations of family guides.

Plenty of people land in Nepal over the Christmas break with only three to five days to spare. Pokhara is the best place to use them. The hills above the lake give you real mountain views without a long drive, a flight or a high night, and you are back in a hotel with hot water at the end. This page is about those short treks, in the last week of December and the first days of January. For the wider December picture, including the big treks that do not work in winter, read Trekking in Nepal in December 2026. I will not repeat it here.

Which short trek from Pokhara suits Christmas and New Year?

If you only have two days, the Australian Camp trek or the Ghandruk village tour are gentler. Our guide to Ghandruk in two days has the detail.

What is the weather like in Pokhara and on the trail?

Pokhara is mild in winter, and that is part of the appeal. The published monthly averages for Pokhara at 827 m (1991 to 2020 normals, as set out in our guides) are a daytime high of 21.0 degrees and a night low of 8.3 degrees in December, and 19.9 and 7.1 in January. December has about 11.5 mm of rain on one day, and January about 21.6 mm on two or three days. There are around 7 hours of sun a day.

The trail is colder than the town. Snow builds up between 2,000 and 3,000 m in the Annapurna Conservation Area, and a study of the winter of 1999 to 2000 found that ground above 3,000 m stayed snow-covered until the end of March. That was one winter, 25 years ago, so I do not treat it as a rule. It is the reason I say snow is possible on the upper trail, not certain. Days are short, about 10 hours 30 minutes of daylight in December, so the Poon Hill climb starts in the dark with a head torch. Nights at Ghorepani are cold, and the dining room is the warm room. We lend every guest a down jacket and a sleeping bag rated to minus 15 degrees, at no charge.

What is open, and what about the roads?

Do not assume every lodge is open. On Mardi Himal some lodges close or run a reduced menu from December to February. On the Poon Hill route we call the lodges at Ulleri, Ghorepani and Tadapani before we confirm your dates, and we tell you the answer before you pay your balance.

Roads matter too. The Pokhara to Baglung road lost about 150 m at Sahasradhara on 27 September 2026, and repair work began on 29 September. We have no newer report, so I will not tell you it is open. We confirm the road to the trailhead 48 hours before you go. If it is shut, we find you another route or starting point and tell you before you travel. Panchase starts with a boat across Phewa Lake, so it is the least exposed to road problems.

What does each trek look like?

Panchase, 3 days. Day 1 is a boat across Phewa Lake and a walk up to Bumdi. Day 2 follows the ridge to Panchase Bhanjyang. Day 3 is a short climb for sunrise over Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu, then a walk down to the road and a vehicle to Pokhara. Read the Panchase trek guide.

Poon Hill, 4 days. Day 1 is a drive to Nayapul and a walk to Ulleri. Day 2 climbs to Ghorepani. Day 3 is the sunrise at Poon Hill, then a walk on to Tadapani. Day 4 goes down to Ghandruk and drives back to Pokhara. There is one sunrise on the plan, and if cloud covers it there is no second chance. Your guide tells you before you set out whether it is worth the cold start. Our Poon Hill in December and January guide has the cold, the daylight and who should stay home. If you are bringing children, look at the Poon Hill family trek with kids, which is the same route and price.

Mardi Himal, 5 days. Day 1 drives to Kande and walks to Forest Camp at 2,520 m. Day 2 climbs to High Camp at 3,580 m. Day 3 goes up to Mardi Himal Base Camp at 4,500 m and back to High Camp. Day 4 descends to Siding, and day 5 drives to Pokhara. The base camp climb is the day that depends most on the weather. On a snowy morning the right call is sometimes the lower viewpoint, which already gives you the Fishtail panorama. I will not promise you base camp. See Mardi Himal best time, month by month.

Why I would not send you to Annapurna Base Camp at Christmas

The 5-day Annapurna Base Camp trek is a good trek in November. From mid-December to February I call it hard. The model figures in our ABC winter guide put night lows near minus 9 degrees at 4,130 m in December and near minus 14 in January, with snow above Deurali and an avalanche-prone stretch. I would not sell it as anyone's first winter trek. If you have real winter experience and want it anyway, message me and we will talk through the risks and the spare days you would need.

What does it cost?

Prices are USD per person, from our booking system on 20 Oct 2026. There is no separate winter or Christmas price list, and I am not offering a winter discount. The price is the same whether you trek privately or with a group, and it falls as the group grows. Pokhara hotel nights before and after the trek are not included, and we can book them.

What the tiers mean: on Budget you carry your own bag, share rooms and buy your own meals. Standard adds all meals, private rooms and one porter for every two trekkers, so a solo Standard trekker has no porter and the guide carries up to 10 kg of your kit. Luxury gives you your own porter, private deluxe ensuite rooms, fruit, nuts and unlimited soft drinks. Every tier includes a licensed guide, the Annapurna Conservation Area permit (NPR 3,000) and the TIMS card (NPR 2,000), which we buy for you.

How do I book, and what if plans change?

We do not list fixed Christmas departures. We run any of these treks privately on your dates, even for one person, and group size is 1 to 20. A 10 per cent deposit holds your dates and the balance is paid in Kathmandu. We take US dollars or euros only, in cash or by card, and not Nepali rupees. Card payment of the balance carries 3.5 per cent, and cash in Kathmandu carries none. You can reschedule free with at least 72 hours notice, to any date within one year. The deposit itself is not refunded if you cancel. Buy your travel insurance at home, and check that it covers trekking to the height of your trek, including helicopter rescue.

Questions people ask

Can I trek on Christmas Day? Yes. The lodges are open on the main routes, the trail is quiet and the days are short. Tell us your dates and we confirm the lodges before you pay your balance.

Will there be snow? Possibly, near Poon Hill and on the Mardi Himal ridge. Panchase and the lower villages are unlikely to hold much. Pokhara itself is mild.

Which is the warmest short trek from Pokhara? Panchase, with a highest night of about 2,070 m.

Is it cheaper in winter? No. There is no separate winter price list and no winter discount. You pay the package price for your group size.

Do I need a guide? A licensed guide walks with you on every trek we run, and the price includes one.

Can I fit in a trek if I arrive on 23 December? Probably. The treks above all start from Pokhara, so allow a night in Pokhara first. Message me with your arrival date.

What if the morning is cloudy at Poon Hill? Then you walk on without the view. No view can be promised, and I would rather tell you now.

Ready to plan it? Message me on WhatsApp at +977 9810351300 with your dates and how many of you are coming, and I will confirm the lodges and the price. For the city side of your Nepal trip, see Kathmandu and Pokhara in 4 days.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday. TAAN Member #1586. WhatsApp +977 9810351300.