Gokyo Trek Best Time: Month by Month, With the Lakes, Passes and Flights

Last updated 4 October 2026. The weather figures on this page are published station averages, not forecasts, and I name the source of every table. There is no weather station at Gokyo, so I use the nearest ones, and where I describe Gokyo itself it comes from our guides' experience. Gokyo is at 4,790 m on our itinerary, so it is colder than every station below.

The short answer: the best time to trek to Gokyo is October and November for the clearest lake and mountain views, with the first half of November the pick if you can choose. March and April are the second-best window, warmer by day but with more afternoon cloud as the weeks go on. December to February is dry and very cold, and I only send experienced trekkers then, after a conversation. June to mid-September is monsoon, and I would not send you up the Gokyo valley in it.

We already have a Gokyo Lakes trek guide for the route and the difficulty, a page on what the trek costs and a general Everest weather month by month guide with the Lukla, Namche, Tengboche and Dingboche tables. This page does one job: it helps you choose a month for Gokyo specifically, which means the lakes, Gokyo Ri, the passes either side, and the flights that get you there.

When is the best time to trek to Gokyo?

There are two good seasons and one to think twice about. Autumn, from late September to the end of November, follows the monsoon, and Nepal's climate record says the rains diminish in September and generally end by mid-October, followed by cool, clear, dry weather until about December. Spring, from mid March to mid May, is warmer but hazier. Winter is dry and cold. The monsoon is the one to avoid.

Gokyo asks more of the weather than most treks because the whole point is the view. You walk for days to stand on Gokyo Ri at 5,357 m, where you can see four 8,000-metre peaks (Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu) and the glacier lakes below. In cloud, that is a cold walk to a white wall. There is a second reason the season matters. On our itineraries as written you sleep one night at Gokyo (4,790 m), so you get one dawn for the Gokyo Ri climb unless you add a night. A single cloudy morning is the real risk, not an average.

What is the weather in the Gokyo valley, month by month?

Here are the three nearest sources. Lukla (2,786 m) is where you land and its 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 Gokyo in height, but its table is modelled, not measured by an instrument, so treat it as a guide. Lukla and Namche are given at the weather stations' own heights, which differ by a few metres from the village heights on our itineraries. Gokyo is 380 m higher than Dingboche and 1,340 m higher than Namche, so every night is colder than the tables show. 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 DHM (Lukla), the FAO (Namche Bazaar) and a climate model (Dingboche). The Lukla, Namche and Dingboche rows use the same sources as our Everest weather guide, so you will see the same figures there.

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 0.5 mm in December. Second, November is almost dry at every station, with 6.2 mm at Lukla and a modelled 2 mm at Dingboche, which is why a clear November is the climate and not luck. Third, the cold comes fast after October. Dingboche's modelled average night goes from minus 5.3 in October to minus 11.0 in November and minus 13.4 in December, and Gokyo is higher again.

Which month is best for the lakes and the Gokyo Ri view?

Late October and November, then March and April. The Gokyo Lakes are 19 lakes between 4,710 and 4,950 m, fed by the Ngozumpa glacier, and Gokyo Ri is 5,357 m with the summit about a 90-minute climb from the village. Our own Gokyo village guide says post-monsoon is the clearest time and that spring brings afternoon cloud, so an early start matters even more. That is our guides' experience, not a measured visibility figure.

May, with 127.6 mm at Lukla, is the first sign of the build-up to the monsoon. The practical rule is the same in every season: the morning is the good part of the day, so be on the climb before dawn and leave the afternoon for the lakeshore.

I cannot promise a particular shade of lake colour on the day you arrive.

Do the Gokyo lakes freeze, and when?

What I can say comes from our own guides and from our village guide, which says the lakes partially freeze from December to February and that the trail can be icy above Machhermo. Treat that as our experience, not a measured ice record.

The temperatures make it plausible. At Dingboche, which is 380 m lower, the modelled average high is only 1.0 degrees in January and the average low is minus 15.3. But I cannot tell you that a lake will be frozen on your date. If a frozen-lake photograph is the reason for your trip, tell me and I will tell you what our guides are seeing that month, not what the average suggests.

What about snow on Renjo La and Cho La?

The Gokyo Valley trek and the Gokyo Ri package do not cross a pass. The passes matter if you choose our Everest Two Passes trek (Renjo La and Cho La), 15 days, or the 17-day Three Passes trek, both of which pass through Gokyo. Here is what is sourced.

Place	Height	Snow and season
Gokyo	4,790 m	Some sources give the village as 4,750 m; we use 4,790 m, the height on our itineraries.
Gokyo Ri	5,357 m	Ask us about snow for your dates.
Renjo La	5,360 m	Occasional snow, according to our Renjo La guide.
Cho La	5,420 m	Published: "covered in snow for 9 months of the year", may need crampons on the glacier, and the glacier edge is unstable.

That line is a statement about how long snow lies there, not a promise about your week. Our Cho La guide describes ice and compact snow on the glacier section, particularly in spring and late autumn, with crampons needed on the Gokyo side. Our Renjo La guide calls it the quietest of the three passes, with occasional snow.

Our policy is the same as 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 cannot give you a pass-closure rate. The all-year policy is not extended to anything else on this page, so for the Gokyo Valley and the Gokyo Ri package the answer to "is it open in January" is the same: tell me your dates and I will say what I know.

Will the Lukla or Manthali flight run in my month?

Although the airport is nominally open all year, visibility problems close it 50 per cent of the time during the monsoon, with the cancellation of 50 per cent of flights. A sudden loss of visibility closes the airport at once, because planes land under visual flight rules, and the airport regularly closes from mid to late morning because of strong south-west winds.

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 building at Lukla through May.
About 16 May to 24 September	Kathmandu in June to August; ask us which airport your date will use in late May and 1 to 24 September	About 40 minutes in the air from Kathmandu. Monsoon: expect holds.
About 25 September to 30 November	Manthali (Ramechhap)	Peak season. Keep spare days at the end.
December to about mid March	Kathmandu	Little rain. Keep a spare day at the end. For 1 to 14 March, ask us which airport your date will use.

The Manthali windows are the ones we plan around, and they can shift from year to year. Outside those windows flights normally leave from Kathmandu, in December to February and June to August. Our Manthali airport guide explains the midnight pick-up and the drive, and our domestic flights guide has the fares and the delay plan.

On our Gokyo packages Budget and Standard fly fixed-wing and Luxury uses a helicopter both ways, which flies from Kathmandu to Lukla. A helicopter does not remove weather, but it avoids the Manthali drive. If you are on a lower tier and want a helicopter seat out after a hold, our flights guide gives the shared-seat guide prices of about USD 640 per person from Kathmandu to Lukla and about USD 710 from Lukla to Kathmandu. Gokyo itself is not on our published helicopter list, so any plan that does not start at Kathmandu or Lukla is on request. The rule I give every client is never to book the international flight on the day of the Lukla return. Leave 24 hours, and 48 if you can.

Which month suits which kind of trekker?

This table is our own judgement from running Everest-region treks since 2016, not station data. The weather columns above are the numbers.

Month	On the Gokyo side, from our guides	Lukla flight	Would I send you?
January	Coldest month, clear. Fewer lodges open. Very quiet.	Kathmandu	Only experienced trekkers who accept the cold, after a conversation
February	As January, with the days beginning to lengthen.	Kathmandu	As January
March	Cold early, warming later. Passes likely snowy.	Kathmandu, then Manthali from about 15 March	Yes, with a warm sleeping bag
April	Warmer days, strong morning views, afternoon cloud. Busy on the main trail.	Manthali	Yes
May	Warmest walking, afternoon cloud likely, rain building.	Manthali until about 15 May	Yes, start early each day
June, July, August	Monsoon. Cloud, rain, views mostly lost.	Kathmandu, with holds likely	No
September	Rains easing, trail still wet.	Kathmandu, then Manthali from about 25 September	Late September only, with spare days
October	Among the most reliable and busiest months.	Manthali	Yes, and keep a spare day at the end
November	Driest and clearest, colder nights. Quieter later in the month.	Manthali until about 30 November	Yes, my first choice
December	Dry, very cold, short days. Early December is gentler.	Kathmandu	Experienced trekkers only, and I will talk it through first

Is the monsoon really a bad time for Gokyo?

For trekking, yes. Nepal's climate record says the rains diminish in September and generally end by mid-October. The data above show why the months before that are a poor choice: Lukla rain is 324.8 mm in June and 641.8 mm in August, and half of the flights can be cancelled. The big views sit behind cloud for days, the trail is slippery, and with one night at Gokyo on our itineraries, a cloudy dawn is not a small loss.

If you can only travel from June to early September, I would suggest a different region and 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 gets 0.5 mm of rain in December and 15 to 17 mm in January and February, so snow, when it comes, is the story, not rain. Dingboche's modelled average nights run from minus 13.4 in December to minus 15.3 in January, and Gokyo is nearly 400 m higher than Dingboche. Our guides report water bottles freezing in rooms higher up.

On lodges, the published information is for the other side of the valley: at Gorak Shep, from December to February the vast majority of accommodation is closed, the trails are snow-covered and the cold is very intense. In the Gokyo valley the owners decide week by week which lodges open, so there is no fixed list. Our village guide says fewer lodges stay open in winter.

My rule for Gokyo in December is experienced trekkers only, and I stand by it. If you have done one high-altitude trek before and you have a sleeping bag rated for the cold, early December can be a quiet, clear time. For the wider winter picture, read our Everest Base Camp in December and Everest Base Camp in winter pages, which cover the same cold on the same trail.

How busy is Gokyo in each season?

Less busy than the Base Camp trail, in every season. The numbers are thin. On an average 7,000 tourists a year visit the Gokyo Lakes, with no year given, so I do not compare it with any other count. Our own pages describe the Gokyo side as quieter than the main Everest trail even in peak season, and that is our guides' observation, not a count. The busiest months on the main trail are October and April, and the first half of November is still full. If you want an empty trail, the second half of November and early December are the quieter choices, and the winter months are quieter still.

What does the trek cost, and does the month change the price?

The price does not change with the month. Our Gokyo Valley Lakes trek, 10 days is US$2,085 Budget, US$2,965 Standard and US$5,015 Luxury for one person, and from US$1,225, US$2,485 and US$4,132 each for two to four, with less per person for larger groups. The Everest Base Camp with Gokyo Ri trek, 15 days is US$1,699, US$3,240 and US$5,299. Budget has no porter and shared rooms, with meals not included. Standard has one porter for every two trekkers, private rooms and all meals. Luxury has a dedicated porter for each trekker, private deluxe rooms, all meals with extras, and a return helicopter to Lukla. Kathmandu hotels are not included in any trek tier. Our Gokyo cost guide has the full breakdown.

The permits are three: 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, which is NPR 8,000 in all and is included in our tiers. The Nepal Tourism Board's TIMS page lists the Gokyo trek, the Cho La pass trek and the Gokyo Renjo La pass trek among the routes where a guide and TIMS card are required. 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 rule covers the Everest (Khumbu) region too, and 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. Plans change? You can reschedule free, with at least 72 hours' notice, to any date within one year. If you cancel instead, the deposit and anything else you have paid are not refunded. 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 trekking and helicopter evacuation up to 5,500 m. That is the highest point of the route (Gokyo Ri, 5,357 m) rounded up to the next 500 m.

How do I protect my trip against a weather hold?

Three habits, none of them clever. First, keep a spare day at the end, in Kathmandu, before any international flight. Second, if the view is the point, ask us about an extra night at Gokyo, because our itineraries as written give you one dawn there. I will quote the extra day for your tier. Third, let the guide decide. We always trek with a licensed guide, and altitude is the other thing the weather cannot fix. For that, our guides to altitude sickness and acclimatisation are worth reading before you choose your month.

On the Gokyo route you sleep at Dole (4,110 m), Machhermo (4,470 m) and Gokyo (4,790 m), and our guides to Dole and Machhermo cover those nights. If you are choosing between Gokyo and Base Camp, our Everest Base Camp versus Gokyo page compares them, and the 15-day combination shows what doing both looks like.

Who should not choose Gokyo in a given month?

If you can only travel from June to mid-September, I would not send you to Gokyo, because the views and the flights are the weak points in those months. If it is your first high-altitude trek, I would choose late October or November, not January. If you have a condition where cold is a medical issue, 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 a frozen lake or a particular colour for a photograph, I cannot promise either, so ask me what our guides are seeing before you book.

Tell me your dates and group size on WhatsApp, +977 9810351300, or email [email protected]. I will tell you honestly what the Gokyo valley is likely to be like that week, and quote you for your tier. The page to start from is the Gokyo Valley Lakes trek, 10 days.

Sources: Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (Lukla, 1991 to 2020), FAO FAOCLIM (Namche Bazaar) and a climate model (Dingboche); Nepal Tourism Board (TIMS and park fees). Statements about the Gokyo side in each month, lake freezing, lodges and crowds are our guides' general experience and not measured data.

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