Mardi Himal Best Time: Month by Month, With Rainfall and Sun Figures

Last updated 4 October 2026. The rainfall, temperature and sunshine figures on this page are Pokhara averages from the World Meteorological Organization and Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, 1991 to 2020. I have no weather station on the Mardi ridge, so everything I say about the ridge itself comes from our guides' experience and not from a measured number. I mark which is which.

The short answer: the best time to trek Mardi Himal is November, with late October and the first half of December close behind, and the second half of March to mid April is the best spring window. November has almost no rain in the Pokhara record, 17.2 mm on 1.3 days, with about 7.4 hours of sun a day, and our guides find the ridge at its clearest then, though the nights at High Camp are cold. March to April trades some of that clarity for warmer days and rhododendron in the lower forest. June to early September is the monsoon, and I would not send you up the ridge then. The month-by-month table is below, followed by what each season is really like and what changes the answer for you.

We already have a full Mardi Himal trek guide for the route and the difficulty, and a page on what the trek costs. This page does one job: it helps you pick a month. If you have fixed dates already, skip to the month and I will tell you honestly what to expect.

When is the best time to trek Mardi Himal?

There are two good seasons and one you should think twice about. Autumn, from late October to the end of November, gives the most settled weather and the sharpest views of Machhapuchhre, the Fishtail. Spring, from the second half of March to about mid May, gives warmer days and flowers, but with more afternoon cloud as the weeks go on. Winter, December to February, is clear and cold, with snow possible on the upper ridge. The monsoon is the one to avoid.

Two things about the Mardi ridge make the season matter more than on some other treks. First, the whole point of the walk is the view: the ridge puts you level with Machhapuchhre and the Annapurna range, and in cloud you walk for hours inside a white wall. Second, the climb is fast. You sleep at 2,520 m on day 2 and at 3,580 m on day 3, so a cold, wet night at High Camp is harder to ignore than it would be on a slower trek. You can read the day-by-day figures in the Mardi High Camp guide.

What is the weather on the Mardi Himal trek, month by month?

This table is the Pokhara record. Pokhara is at 827 m, where the trek starts and ends, so the ridge is far colder, but the rain pattern is the same and it is the best published, sourced guide to which months are wet. Sunshine hours a day are the monthly total divided by the days in the month, rounded, which is my arithmetic. The last column is our guides' view of the ridge, not a measurement.

Month	Pokhara high / low (C)	Rain (mm)	Rain days (1 mm or more)	Sun hours a day	On the ridge, from our guides
January	19.9 / 7.1	21.6	2.4	6.6	Clear, very cold, snow possible high up, few trekkers
February	22.7 / 9.7	35.1	3.8	7.3	Clear and cold, snow can linger, quiet
March	27.1 / 13.1	63.7	6.4	7.4	Spring begins, rhododendron starts below Low Camp, clear mornings
April	30.0 / 16.1	141.7	10.5	7.3	Warm, flowers, more afternoon cloud, busier
May	30.4 / 18.7	354.7	18.3	5.4	Hot low down, cloud and storms build, views are a morning gamble
June	30.8 / 21.2	648.2	22.2	3.7	Monsoon: cloud, rain, leeches, slippery trail
July	30.4 / 22.4	941.0	25.6	3.4	Monsoon, wettest month, not recommended
August	30.5 / 22.3	839.4	24.3	3.1	Monsoon, views mostly lost, not recommended
September	29.9 / 21.1	635.0	19.4	4.4	Rains easing but the trail is still wet and leechy
October	27.9 / 17.2	159.2	8.0	6.1	Drying out, clearer each week, busy around Dashain
November	24.4 / 12.3	17.2	1.3	7.4	Best of the year for clear skies, cold nights at High Camp
December	21.0 / 8.3	11.5	1.0	7.1	Clear and cold, first snow possible on the upper ridge

Pokhara receives 3,868 mm of rain in a year, and the table shows where it falls. Wikipedia's page on the Annapurna Conservation Area, which the trek lies inside, says the heaviest rain comes in the monsoon between June and September and gives a range from 5,032 mm a year on the southern slopes at 2,950 m to 1,099 mm in the rain-shadow areas. Mardi is on the southern side. That is why the rain figures matter here far more than on a trek to Mustang or the north side of the range.

January and February

These are the quiet months. The days are dry and often brilliantly clear, the nights are cold, and you will share the ridge with very few people. Snow can lie on the upper ridge, and Wikipedia's Annapurna Conservation Area page says snow accumulates between 2,000 and 3,000 m, which is the band our route passes through between Forest Camp at 2,520 m and Low Camp at 2,970 m. Some lodges are shut or half-staffed. It is a trek for people who are comfortable in the cold and happy to turn round if the trail is icy. Our Poon Hill in December and January page describes the same conditions on the neighbouring trek.

March

Spring starts. From the second half of the month the forest between Forest Camp and Low Camp begins to flower, and the mornings are usually clear. Pokhara gets 63.7 mm of rain on 6.4 days, which is low. The afternoons are where it changes: our guides say cloud builds earlier in the day than it does in November, so you start early and treat the afternoon view as a bonus.

April

This is the warm, flowery month, and the one I would choose if you dislike the cold more than you dislike a little cloud. Rain days in Pokhara rise to 10.5 and rainfall to 141.7 mm, so the weather is starting to turn, but the ridge mornings are still good. It is also one of the busier months. For what the spring flowers look like on a neighbouring route, see our Annapurna Base Camp in spring page.

May

May is where the numbers change sharply: 354.7 mm of rain on 18.3 days in Pokhara, and sunshine drops to 5.4 hours a day. The lower trail is hot and humid, the afternoons bring cloud and sometimes storms, and the views become a gamble on the early morning. It can still be a good trek if you accept that, and our note on trekking in May explains the trade-off in general terms. Early May is better than late May.

June, July and August

The monsoon. Pokhara sees 648.2 mm in June, 941.0 mm in July and 839.4 mm in August, on 22 to 26 days a month. The forest sections are wet and slippery, leeches are active in the lower forest, and the ridge is usually in cloud. I do not recommend the Mardi ridge in these months. If the monsoon is the only time you can travel, our guide to monsoon trekking lists the routes that make more sense.

September

September still counts as monsoon in practice. Wikipedia's page on the climate of Nepal says the rains diminish in September and generally end by mid-October, and the Pokhara average for September is still 635.0 mm on 19.4 days. The trail stays wet and leeches stay active in the forest. This year the late-September rains also damaged roads further west, which I cover in our travel update.

October

October is the turning month. Rainfall falls to 159.2 mm on 8 days, and sunshine rises to 6.1 hours a day. The first week can still bring showers, and from then on each week is clearer than the last. It is also the month of Dashain, covered below. Our October 2026 guide has what is open and running.

November

The Pokhara record makes the case plainly: 17.2 mm of rain on 1.3 days, and 7.4 hours of sun a day, level with March at the top of the year. On the ridge it is the month of the sharpest mountain views. The price is cold: nights at High Camp are properly cold, so bring a warm sleeping bag liner, a down jacket, gloves and a hat. Tihar falls in early November, covered below. Our November 2026 guide covers conditions.

December

December is even drier on paper than November, with 11.5 mm of rain on 1.0 day, and the air is clear. It is colder, the crowds thin out, and from now on snow on the upper ridge is a real possibility. Some lodges begin to close as the season winds down. For what the winter months look like on a bigger Annapurna trek, see our Annapurna Base Camp in November and December page.

Is October or November better for Mardi Himal?

November, in most years. The Pokhara figures show it clearly: October has 159.2 mm of rain on 8 days and 6.1 hours of sun, November has 17.2 mm on 1.3 days and 7.4 hours. Weather in the hills is never a promise, so I would not tell you November is certain and October is a risk. But the odds of a wet, cloudy day are clearly better in November.

The case for October is warmth. The nights at High Camp are less cold, the days are pleasant, and the lower forest is green from the rains. If you can travel only in October, I would aim for the second half, after the rains have gone, and book a spare day in Pokhara in case a cloudy morning needs waiting out. If you can choose, November.

Is spring or autumn better for Mardi Himal?

It depends on what you want to look at. Autumn gives the clearest mountains and the driest trail. Spring gives flowers in the forest and warmer nights, and a little less certainty about views after about mid April. On a short trek like this one, a single clear sunrise from High Camp matters more than anything else, and our guides see that most often in autumn. For that reason I lean towards November.

If you are still choosing between treks as well as months, our comparisons of Poon Hill and Mardi Himal and Annapurna Base Camp and Mardi Himal both include a season section. Our own introduction to the Mardi Himal trail tells the story of the ridge walk in a more personal way.

Can you trek Mardi Himal in the monsoon?

You can, in the sense that nothing stops you, but I do not recommend it and we are unlikely to suggest it. The monsoon months in the table all have more than 600 mm of rain in Pokhara, on 19 to 26 days a month, and sunshine falls to between 3.1 and 4.4 hours a day. The forest trail is steep and muddy, leeches are active in the lower forest, and the views that make the trek worthwhile are often hidden.

Our guides' advice for anyone going in wet weather is plain: wear boots with good grip and gaiters, carry a rain shell and a spare dry set for the evenings, check your socks and boots for leeches at every stop, and accept that the ridge may be in cloud the whole time. A leech bite is not dangerous in itself, but it bleeds more than you expect, because leech saliva stops blood clotting. If you only have the monsoon, I would rather talk you into a different region than sell you a Mardi week with no view. Landslides are a separate risk in this season, which is why we check the roads before every departure.

Can you trek Mardi Himal in winter?

Yes, with honest limits. December to February is dry and often very clear, and you will have the ridge nearly to yourself. The nights are cold, the upper ridge can hold snow or ice, and some lodges close or run on a reduced menu. You need real cold-weather gear and a guide who will turn you round without argument if the trail above High Camp is icy.

I will not promise you Base Camp in January. The Base Camp climb is the day that depends most on the weather, and on a snowy morning the right decision is sometimes the Lower Viewpoint just below it, which already gives you the Fishtail panorama. Winter suits fit, experienced walkers who value quiet over comfort. If that is you, ask me and I will check what our guides have seen on the ridge in the last week before you commit. See also what we say about the Mardi Himal Base Camp climb itself.

What about Dashain and Tihar?

Both fall in the best weather window, and neither closes the trail. Dashain 2026 runs from 11 to 25 October, and the government holiday is the week from Saturday 17 to Friday 23 October, with the main day, Vijaya Dashami with the tika, on Wednesday 21 October. Kathmandu empties, buses fill, and the week either side of tika is a bad week to improvise your transport. Tihar 2026 runs from Saturday 7 November to Wednesday 11 November, with Laxmi Puja, the night of lights, on the evening of Sunday 8 November, and the government holiday from 8 to 12 November. The trail is barely touched, but Kathmandu changes.

The practical advice is to book early and be flexible on the day you leave Kathmandu. Our pages on Dashain 2026 and Tihar 2026 have the full dates and what closes. I could not find official 2027 festival dates, so for 2027 I will not guess.

Does the price change by month?

Not on our page. The Mardi Himal Base Camp trek, 7 days, is US$454 per person on Budget, US$849 on Standard and US$1,111 on Luxury for one to four people, and I could not find a peak-season supplement on the package row. Both permits are in the price: the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit is NPR 3,000 and the TIMS card is NPR 2,000, according to the Nepal Tourism Board fee list. The cost page goes through the full breakdown. What does change by month is how early you should book: autumn and spring are the busier seasons, and in a busy week the best lodges at High Camp fill, which is one reason to book a guided trek with rooms held in advance.

How do you check conditions before you go?

Ask us. For every departure I check the current trail position with our guides before you pay, and I tell you plainly if something has changed. As of 29 September 2026, the southern Annapurna trails including the Mardi Himal route were reported open and walking a normal season, while the late-September rain damaged roads further west. The Mardi route does not touch Nayapul, Birethanti or the Kimrong Khola, which is the stretch covered in our note on the Kimrong Khola landslide.

For the days around your trek, Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology publishes forecasts on its website, and I would look at the Pokhara forecast the week before you fly. Remember that Pokhara is at 827 m and the ridge is much colder. Allow a spare day in Pokhara at the end of the trip if your flight home is fixed, because a cloudy morning is easier to wait out than a missed flight. If you would rather skip the long drive, the domestic flights guide covers Kathmandu to Pokhara by air, and the Kathmandu to Pokhara journey guide compares the options.

Which month is right for you?

If you want	Choose	The trade-off
The clearest mountain views	November	Cold nights at High Camp; Tihar early in the month
Warmth and rhododendron	Late March to mid April	More afternoon cloud, busier trail
The quietest trail	January or February	Cold, possible snow and ice, some lodges closed
Dry trail and warm days	Second half of October	Dashain crowds and transport; the first week of the month can still be showery
Mild nights and less cold-weather gear	April	Rain days start to rise
A first big trek, fit but nervous	November or late March	Book early

Who should look elsewhere? If you can only travel between June and early September, the Mardi ridge is a poor use of a week, and I would suggest a rain-shadow route instead. If you have a heart or lung condition you have not cleared with a doctor, or you struggle with long steep descents, season will not fix that. For help with the height, our guides to altitude sickness and to acclimatisation are worth reading before you decide, and the packing list covers what to bring for each season.

Tell me your dates and group size on WhatsApp, +977 9810351300, or email [email protected]. I will tell you honestly what the ridge is likely to be like in your week, check the current trail position, and quote you for your tier. The page to start from is the Mardi Himal Base Camp trek, 7 days.

Notes and sources

Pokhara climate, 1991 to 2020 (temperature, rainfall, rain days, sunshine, annual total of 3,868 mm): World Meteorological Organization and Nepal Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, via Wikipedia, Pokhara, read 4 October 2026. Rainfall range on the southern slopes, the June to September monsoon and the 2,000 to 3,000 m snow band: Wikipedia, Annapurna Conservation Area, read 4 October 2026. Monsoon easing in September and ending by mid-October: Wikipedia, Climate of Nepal, read 4 October 2026. Trail opening in 2012 and lodge altitude: Wikipedia, Mardi Himal. Itinerary, altitudes, group prices and permits included: our live package row for the 7-day Mardi trek, read 4 October 2026. Permit fees: Nepal Tourism Board fee list. Dashain and Tihar dates: our Dashain 2026 and Tihar 2026 pages. Trail status of 29 September 2026: our travel update. Statements about the ridge in each month, leeches and cloud timing are our guides' general experience and are not measured data. Sunshine hours a day are my arithmetic from the published monthly totals. The remark that a leech bite bleeds because leech saliva stops blood clotting: Wikipedia, Leech (hirudin). I could not find a published source for ridge temperatures, so I have not given any.

About The Everest Holiday

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Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday. TAAN Member #1586.