Everest Three Passes Trek Best Time: Month by Month, With Rainfall, Snow and Flights

Last updated 5 October 2026. The weather figures on this page are published station averages, not forecasts, and I name the source of every table. No weather station on the pass crossings publishes a record I can cite, so I use the three nearest ones and I say where I am relying on our guides' experience instead of a number. Our nights at Gokyo (4,790 m), Dzongla (4,830 m) and Lobuche (4,940 m) are higher than every station below, so they are colder than any table here.

The short answer: the best time for the Everest Three Passes trek is October and the first half of November, when the monsoon has gone and the sky is at its clearest. March and April are the second window. We run the trek all year, depending on the weather, but December to February is for fit trekkers who have walked at altitude and have talked it through with me first. June to early September is monsoon and I would not send you over three 5,000-metre passes in it. On our 17-day route the passes fall on day 6 (Renjo La), day 9 (Cho La) and day 13 (Kongma La), so you need a month that gives you three fair mornings, not one.

We already have pages for the neighbouring questions, so I will not repeat them. Our Three Passes in November and December page goes deep on the cold months, the EBC versus Three Passes page compares the two treks, the Three Passes itinerary guide walks the route, and the cost guide covers money. What is new here is all twelve months in one place, with the rainfall and temperature sources side by side, the pass-by-pass snow picture, the flight windows and an honest list of what I could not confirm. For the lower Everest valley, see Everest weather by month and best time for Base Camp.

When is the best time for the Everest Three Passes trek?

Autumn first, spring second. The Nepal Tourism Board says the best times to visit are spring and autumn, with rhododendrons in spring and the clearest skies after the monsoon in October and November. Wikipedia's Climate of Nepal passage (in its Geography of Nepal article) says the rains diminish in September and generally end by mid-October, then cool, clear, dry weather follows. Wikipedia's Dingboche page, on the Everest side of our route, also names March and April and October and November as the ideal months for visibility and temperature.

That matches what our guides see. October and the first half of November are the most settled weeks and the busiest. March and April are warmer by day, with afternoon cloud as the weeks go on. The second half of November and early December are quieter and colder. These are our guides' observations, not measured data, and I label them that way throughout.

The Nepal Tourism Board also says Nepal can be visited the whole year round, and that even in December and January there is bright sun and brilliant views. I agree with that for the right trekker. The Three Passes asks more than most routes, though. In the cold months it suits people who are fit, have walked at altitude before and accept short days and cold nights.

What is the weather month by month on the Three Passes route?

Here are the three nearest sources I can cite. Lukla (2,786 m) is where you land and its rain record is from Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, 1991 to 2020. Namche Bazaar (3,450 m) comes from the FAO's FAOCLIM database. Dingboche (4,410 m) is the closest to our high nights in height, but its table is modelled by climate-data.org, not measured by an instrument, so treat it as a guide. I have not worked out temperatures for the passes or the high villages and I will not invent them. Each temperature cell is the average daily high, then the average daily low, in degrees Celsius.

Month	Lukla rain (mm)	Namche high / low (C)	Namche rain (mm)	Dingboche high / low (C, modelled)	Dingboche rain (mm, modelled)
January	15.3	6.9 / -8.5	43	1.0 / -15.3	9
February	17.2	6.4 / -6.5	20	1.5 / -14.2	8
March	45.3	9.6 / -3.0	31	4.7 / -10.5	12
April	58.7	12.8 / 0.8	26	8.5 / -7.0	13
May	127.6	14.3 / 3.7	39	11.1 / -3.5	16
June	324.8	15.6 / 5.9	129	13.7 / 1.1	64
July	529.8	15.8 / 7.8	226	13.0 / 2.9	140
August	641.8	16.2 / 7.5	206	12.6 / 2.3	151
September	419.0	14.6 / 5.9	140	11.5 / 0.3	71
October	102.9	12.5 / 1.2	57	8.9 / -5.3	31
November	6.2	9.1 / -3.8	11	5.3 / -11.0	2
December	0.5	7.6 / -7.1	24	3.2 / -13.4	3

Sources: the Lukla, Namche Bazaar and Dingboche climate boxes on their Wikipedia pages, read 5 October 2026, which cite the DHM, the FAO and climate-data.org respectively. They are the same sources as our Everest weather guide, so the figures match.

Three things stand out. First, the monsoon is not subtle: Lukla gets 324.8 to 641.8 mm a month from June to September, against 6.2 mm in November and 0.5 mm in December. Second, October is not as dry as people assume. Lukla still has 102.9 mm and Namche 57 mm in October, against 11 mm at Namche in November, which is why the first half of November is my pick if you can choose. Third, the cold arrives fast and spring is colder than it feels. The modelled night at Dingboche is minus 5.3 in October, minus 11.0 in November and minus 15.3 in January, and March (minus 10.5) is about as cold as late November. Our nights are higher again.

What do I know about snow and ice on each pass?

Less than I would like, and I would rather say so. I could not find a published month-by-month snow record for Renjo La, Cho La or Kongma La. What I have is a Wikipedia page for Cho La and what our own pass guides say after years of crossing them.

Pass	Height	Day in our itinerary	What I can source
Renjo La	5,360 m	Day 6, Lungden (4,500 m) to Gokyo (4,790 m), 8 hours	Our Renjo La guide calls it the least technical and the quietest of the three, with occasional snow. No seasonal data found.
Cho La	5,420 m	Day 9, Thangnak (4,700 m) to Dzongla (4,830 m), 6 hours	Wikipedia: demanding, may need crampons on the slippery glacier, glacier edge unstable. Its line about snow for nine months a year is flagged "citation needed" there, so I treat it as unverified. Our Cho La guide: ice and compact snow on the glacier section, particularly in spring and late autumn.
Kongma La	5,535 m	Day 13, Lobuche (4,940 m) to Chhukung (4,730 m), 6 to 8 hours	Our Kongma La guide: icy sections, frozen ground and glacier debris, particularly in early spring and late autumn, with strong winds and sudden snowfall. No seasonal data found.

Two readings matter. First, snow on a pass is a matter of days, not months. A fall the week before you cross changes the day whatever the month says, and an average cannot tell you that. Second, the passes come in a row. You can have a fine Renjo La on day 6 and still wait for Cho La on day 9, so I choose a month with the best chance across all three, not the best for one.

Our policy is the one on our other pages. We run the Three Passes all year, depending on how the weather is, and the guide decides on the morning of each pass. If a pass is not safe we do not push on. I have not found a published pass-closure rate and I will not quote one.

Will the Lukla or Manthali flight run in my month?

I do not have a published month-by-month cancellation rate for Lukla and I will not make one up. Wikipedia's entry on Tenzing-Hillary Airport says the airport is nominally open all year, but visibility problems close it 50 per cent of the time in the monsoon, with 50 per cent of flights cancelled. Planes land under visual flight rules, and strong south-west winds regularly close the airport from mid to late morning. Outside the monsoon I could not confirm a rate.

Window	Where the fixed-wing flight leaves	What to plan for
About 15 March to 15 May	Manthali (Ramechhap)	Pick-up between midnight and 2 am, a drive of 4 to 5 hours, a flight of about 20 minutes. Rain builds at Lukla through May.
About 25 September to 30 November	Manthali (Ramechhap)	Same early start. Peak season, so keep spare days at the end.
December to February, June to August	Kathmandu	About 40 minutes in the air. Our package page lists these as Kathmandu months. In the monsoon, expect holds.
Late May, 1 to 24 September, 1 to 14 March	I could not confirm	Our package page does not say. Ask me and I will confirm your airport in writing.

Those Manthali windows are the ones we plan around and they can shift from year to year. Wikipedia's page on Ramechhap Airport says the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal decided in 2022 that Lukla flights would run from there again. Our Manthali airport guide explains the midnight pick-up, and our domestic flights guide has the fares and the delay plan. On Luxury the flights are a helicopter both ways. A helicopter does not remove weather, but it avoids the Manthali drive.

Which month suits which kind of trekker?

This table is my judgement from running Everest-region treks since 2016, using the figures above where I have them. It is not station data. The "what I can source" column says where the number comes from.

Month	What I can source, and what our guides see	Lukla flight	Would I send you?
January	Dingboche modelled night minus 15.3. Coldest month. Fewer lodges open.	Kathmandu	Fit, experienced trekkers only, after a conversation
February	Dingboche modelled night minus 14.2. Cold, with the days beginning to lengthen.	Kathmandu	As January
March	Dingboche modelled night minus 10.5. Pass guides: ice on Cho La and Kongma La in early spring.	Kathmandu, then Manthali from about 15 March (1 to 14 March not confirmed)	Yes, expect ice and a cold start
April	Named an ideal month for visibility at Dingboche (Wikipedia). Warmer days, afternoon cloud. Busy on the main trail.	Manthali	Yes
May	Lukla rain 127.6 mm, the build-up to the monsoon. Warmest walking.	Manthali until about 15 May (late May not confirmed)	Yes, with early starts each day
June, July, August	Lukla rain 324.8 to 641.8 mm. Half of Lukla flights cancelled in the monsoon (Wikipedia).	Kathmandu, holds likely	No
September	Lukla rain 419.0 mm. Rains diminish through the month.	Manthali from about 25 September (1 to 24 not confirmed)	Late September only, with spare days
October	Clearest skies after the monsoon (NTB). Still 102.9 mm at Lukla. Busiest and most settled.	Manthali	Yes, and keep a spare day at the end
November	Lukla 6.2 mm, Namche 11 mm. Colder nights. Quieter in the second half.	Manthali until about 30 November	Yes, my first choice, first half
December	Lukla 0.5 mm, Dingboche modelled night minus 13.4. Dry, very cold, short days.	Kathmandu	Experienced trekkers only, and I will talk it through first

Is the monsoon really a bad time for the Three Passes?

For this trek, yes. The Nepal Tourism Board says 80 per cent of Nepal's rain falls in the monsoon from June to September. Wikipedia says the monsoon washes out trails and that cloud cover cuts the safety margin for flying. The data above show it: 641.8 mm at Lukla in August, and half the flights cancelled. The views are the point of this route, and they sit behind cloud for days. A cloudy pass morning takes the view that you came for.

If your only leave is June to early September, I would suggest a different trek, and I am glad to talk through the options.

What is it like in winter, and do the lodges close?

Dry and very cold. Lukla has 0.5 mm of rain in December and 15 to 17 mm in January and February, so snow, when it comes, is the story. On lodges, the sources I can cite are for villages on or near our route. Wikipedia's Gorak Shep page, which is our day 11, says that from December to February the vast majority of accommodation is closed, the trails are snow-covered and the cold is very intense. Its Dingboche page says the same about winter accommodation there.

For Lungden, Thangnak, Dzongla and Lobuche I have no published list of which lodges are open on which date, so I could not confirm it. The owners decide close to the season. For the wider winter picture on the same trail, read our Everest Base Camp in December and Everest Base Camp in winter pages, and our Three Passes in November and December page for the pass days.

How busy is the route in each season?

I could not find a published count of trekkers on the passes by month, so I give no numbers. From our guides' experience, October and the first half of November are the busiest weeks. The second half of November and early December are quieter, and the winter months are quieter still. Our Renjo La guide calls it the quietest of the three passes. If an empty trail matters to you more than the best odds of clear skies, that is the trade I would talk through with you.

Does the month change the price, and what does it include?

The price does not change with the month. Our Everest Three Passes trek, 17 days is US$1,649 Budget, US$2,659 Standard and US$4,719 Luxury for one person, and less per person for larger groups. Budget has no porters, shared rooms and meals not included, with fixed-wing flights. Standard has one porter for every two trekkers, private rooms, all meals and fixed-wing flights. Luxury has a dedicated porter for each trekker, private deluxe ensuite rooms, all meals with extras and a helicopter both ways to Lukla. Kathmandu hotels are not included in any trek tier. Our cost guide has the breakdown.

The permits are the TIMS card at NPR 2,000, the Khumbu local fee at NPR 3,000 and the Sagarmatha National Park fee at NPR 3,000, NPR 8,000 in all, and our packages include them. The Nepal Tourism Board's TIMS page lists the Three Passes Trek among the routes it covers. A licensed guide and agency-issued TIMS card are required on most trekking routes under the Nepal Tourism Board rule from 31 March 2023; the Everest (Khumbu) region does not enforce it locally, but we always trek with a licensed guide. Permits need at least 48 hours in government working days, so tell us early.

A 10 per cent deposit holds your dates and the balance is paid in Kathmandu, in US dollars or euros, in cash or by card. Card payment carries a 3.5 per cent charge, and we do not take Nepali rupees from foreign clients. The deposit is non-refundable and we do not refund when the client cancels, but you can reschedule free, with at least 72 hours' notice, to any date within one year. If we cannot run the trip, we refund what was paid less taxes, bank and card charges and any money already spent on permits or flights. Buy your insurance at home, and make sure it covers helicopter rescue and evacuation up to 6,000 m, because the passes reach 5,535 m.

How do I protect my trip against a weather hold?

Three habits, none of them clever. First, keep a spare day in Kathmandu at the end, and never book the international flight on the day of the Lukla return. Leave 24 hours, and 48 if you can. Second, let the guide decide each pass. Altitude is the other thing the weather cannot fix, and our guides to acclimatisation and altitude sickness are worth reading before you choose your month. Third, tell me your dates early. The itinerary has a rest day at Namche on day 3 and another at Gokyo on day 7, and extra nights for a hold can be quoted for your tier.

If you are choosing between routes, the Gokyo best-time page covers the lakes without the second and third pass, and our Nepal-wide best-time guide covers the other regions.

Who should not choose the Three Passes in a given month?

If you can only travel from June to mid-September, I would not send you, because the views and the flights are the weak points. If it is your first high-altitude trek, I would choose late October or early November, not January. If cold is a medical issue for you, speak to your doctor before any winter date. If you cannot spare a buffer day at the end, no month is safe, because a weather hold becomes a missed connection. And if you need to be sure of crossing all three passes, nobody can promise that in any month, including me.

Tell me your dates and group size on WhatsApp, +977 9810351300, or email [email protected]. I will tell you honestly what I expect that week and quote you for your tier. The page to start from is the Everest Three Passes trek, 17 days.

Notes and sources

Climate tables: Lukla (Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, 1991 to 2020), Namche Bazaar (FAO FAOCLIM) and Dingboche (climate-data.org, modelled), from their Wikipedia pages, read 5 October 2026. Seasons: Nepal Tourism Board climate page (ntb.gov.np/en/plan-your-trip/about-nepal/climate) and Wikipedia's Geography of Nepal. Airport and flight facts: Wikipedia's Tenzing-Hillary Airport and Ramechhap Airport pages. Cho La: Wikipedia. Gorak Shep and Dingboche winter accommodation: their Wikipedia pages. TIMS and park fees: Nepal Tourism Board. Itinerary, altitudes, packages and prices: our package row 9, read 5 October 2026. Statements about each month on the passes, crowds and lodges are our guides' general experience, not measured data. I could not find a published source for pass snow depth, pass closures, pass temperatures or crowd counts, so I have given none.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday, from a family of three generations of family guides. TAAN Member #1586.