Trekking in Nepal in December 2026: Which Treks Still Work and Which Do Not

The short answer: December is a good month for the lower treks and a poor one for anything that crosses a high pass. Poon Hill, Mardi Himal and the Everest Base Camp trail are the treks I would put first, in that order of ease, and the Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan tours are fine. Annapurna Base Camp works if you take the cold seriously. Gokyo is for experienced, well-equipped trekkers. The Annapurna Circuit and Manaslu depend on passes above 5,100 m, and I do not recommend them in December. The Three Passes also cross high passes. We run that trek all year round, depending on how the weather conditions are, but December is a hard month for it, so it is for experienced trekkers only. Langtang's road, shut by the August flood, is open again to Dhunche and Syabrubesi as of 15 October 2026, though no hotels are running in Syabrubesi at the moment. None of this is a forecast of the winter weather. It is the position as of today, and the road position in particular can change before December.

For the month before this one, read Trekking in Nepal in November 2026. For the Everest trail alone, see Everest Base Camp in December, and for the wider winter Everest Base Camp in winter.

Which treks work in December 2026?

The last column is my advice, not a measurement. The route reports are the newest dated ones, and where there is nothing newer the line says "last reported". Prices are the live package prices for one traveller (Budget, Standard, Luxury), as of 2 October 2026.

Trek	Highest point on the itinerary	Route report (dated)	December advice
Poon Hill, 6 days US$499 / 960 / 1,930	Poon Hill 3,210 m. Highest night Ghorepani 2,860 m.	Reported open as at 29 September. Pokhara to Baglung road lost about 150 m at Sahasradhara on 27 September; repair began 29 September (Kathmandu Post 28 Sep, ekantipur). Last reported 29 September.	Works. The lowest and mildest of the Annapurna treks. Best first winter trek.
Mardi Himal, 7 days US$454 / 849 / 1,111	Highest night 3,580 m (our itinerary).	Same road as Poon Hill. Reported open as at 29 September.	Works, with cold nights on the ridge. Steep days.
Everest Base Camp, 12 days US$1,399 / 2,785 / 4,999	Base Camp 5,364 m, Kala Patthar 5,545 m.	Trail open, unaffected as at 29 September. Lukla and four other airports closed for poor visibility on 25 September (Kathmandu Post, 25 Sep). No newer flight notice found. No 2026 damage report for the Jiri or Salleri roads, checked 2 October.	Works for prepared trekkers. Cold nights, short days, spare day for flights. Early December is the better half. See the December guide.
Annapurna Base Camp, 9 days US$1,250 / 1,725 / 3,465	4,130 m (our itinerary).	Same road position as Poon Hill. Reported open as at 29 September.	Works if you are ready for a cold night at 4,130 m. Not a first-winter choice.
Gokyo Lakes, 10 days US$1,285 / 2,965 / 5,015	Gokyo 4,790 m, Gokyo Ri 5,357 m (our itinerary).	Same Everest region position as Base Camp.	For experienced trekkers with winter kit only. Higher and colder than Namche, and I have no published lodge list for December. Ask me.
Annapurna Circuit, 12 days US$995 / 1,575 / 2,690 (2 to 4 travellers; solo US$1,450 / 2,075 / 4,350)	Thorong La 5,416 m.	Chame flooded on 27 September; the Lamjung to Manang road was still cut off on 1 October; heavy snow on Thorong La turned back more than 150 tourists (Kathmandu Post 30 Sep, Nepal Press 30 Sep, Kathmandu Post 1 Oct). Update, 14 October 2026: the Besisahar–Chame road is repaired and open to vehicles again.	I do not recommend it in December. The pass sees snowfall from December to February, and it can close at any time.
Manaslu Circuit, 12 days US$799 / 1,599 / 2,099 (1 to 4 travellers)	Larkya La 5,160 m.	Passable with disruption as at 28 September: temporary wooden bridge at Namrung, landslide above Samagaun on 26 September. Last reported 28 September.	I do not recommend it in December. A high pass, a damaged trail and no newer report.
Three Passes, 17 days US$1,855 / 3,540 / 5,645	Kongma La 5,535 m, Cho La 5,420 m, Renjo La 5,360 m.	Same Everest region position as Base Camp.	We run it all year, depending on the weather, and decide each departure on pass conditions. December means three passes above 5,300 m in the coldest months, so it suits experienced trekkers only. See our November and December guide and the cost guide for what happens if a pass is closed.
Langtang, 8 days US$490 / 650 / 1,000	Not applicable.	As of 15 October 2026 the road to Dhunche and Syabrubesi is open again. No hotels are running in Syabrubesi, so day 1 is a walk on from the road head to the first open lodge. The road was closed from the 26 August flood and was not open to Syabrubesi on 1 October (Onlinekhabar, 1 Oct).	Unknown. I will not promise it. Ask me closer to December.
Upper Mustang, Rara, Dolpo, Kanchenjunga, Makalu	Various.	Mustang and Jomsom: Beni to Jomsom to Korala road damaged at 46 points (Nepal Press, 28 Sep); Myagdi to Mustang link still cut off on 1 Oct (Kathmandu Post). Update, 14 October 2026: the Beni–Jomsom road is repaired and open to vehicles again. Kanchenjunga and Makalu reported open as at 29 September. Dolpo and the far west: no closure reports as at 29 September, but named among districts at risk of road subsidence.	Remote and cold. I have no December data for these, so ask me for your dates and I will tell you honestly.

Where I say "I do not recommend", that is my judgement as the person who would have to run the trek, not a ban. Ask me for your dates if you disagree and I will tell you what it would take.

How cold is December in Nepal's trekking towns?

Average daily high and low in degrees Celsius, with December precipitation in millimetres. Sources: Nepal Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) for Lukla, Manang and Jomsom; WMO 1991 to 2020 normals for Kathmandu and Pokhara; FAO for Namche Bazaar; a computer model (not measured) for Dingboche.

Place and altitude	December high / low	December precipitation
Kathmandu, 1,400 m	20.2 / 4.2	7.8 mm
Pokhara, 822 m	21.0 / 8.3	11.5 mm
Jomsom, 2,743 m	12.3 / -1.2	5.1 mm
Lukla, 2,786 m	11.1 / -0.5	0.5 mm
Manang, 3,519 m	9.1 / -7.5	3.8 mm
Namche Bazaar, 3,450 m	7.6 / -7.1	24 mm
Dingboche, 4,410 m (modelled)	3.2 / -13.4	3 mm

Two things stand out. Pokhara and Kathmandu are mild enough for a normal day out in a jumper, so the tours and the lower Annapurna treks are comfortable. And the cold comes quickly with height: Namche at about 3,450 m has an average December night of -7, and Dingboche is about six degrees colder again. I have no station data above Dingboche. My own estimate for Everest Base Camp, with the arithmetic shown, is in the December guide. All of these are long-run averages, so a single night can be colder.

For all twelve months at the Everest stations, see the month-by-month weather guide.

How short are the days in December?

Short. Published times give Kathmandu a sunrise of 6:35 and a sunset of 17:09 on 1 December 2026 (10 hours 34 minutes), and 6:48 to 17:14 on 21 December, the shortest day (10 hours 26 minutes). Near Lukla, 21 December runs 6:43 to 17:09. In a valley the sun drops behind the ridges earlier than those times. Plan on early starts and arriving at the lodge by mid-afternoon.

What is the road and flight position for December?

I cannot see December from here, so here is how I handle it, and it is the same policy we apply to every season.

• We confirm the road 48 hours before departure. If a road you were due to use has not opened, we find an alternative route or a way round it, and we tell you before you travel, not at the roadside.
• Lukla flights. Autumn flights run from Ramechhap (Manthali) in a window that, per our domestic flights guide, runs to about 30 November and starts again about 15 March. In between, flights go from Kathmandu. Helicopters fly all year. Delays are normal, so leave a spare day. If an airline cancels, extra nights and any helicopter are paid by the guest, as our flights guide explains.
• Annapurna south. Our routes start from Pokhara and the road to Nayapul is the part to watch. The Sahasradhara repair was under way on 29 September and no reopening has been reported, so this is last reported 29 September.
• Annapurna Circuit and Mustang. The roads were cut off on 1 October. As of 14 October 2026 the Besisahar–Chame road and the Beni–Jomsom road are repaired and open to vehicles again.

What do we provide for a December trek?

• A down jacket and sleeping bag on every tier, free to use. Our bag is rated to -15 degrees, per our best time to trek guide. On the high treks I would add a liner of your own.
• A pulse oximeter on every trek, so your guide can check your oxygen saturation as you climb. It is a guide, not a diagnosis, and your guide's judgement comes first.
• TIMS card arranged for every trekker. Permit fees are on the package pages and in our permits guide.
• A licensed guide on every booking, and a porter according to tier: none on Budget, one for every two trekkers on Standard (a solo Standard trekker has no porter, and the guide carries up to 10 kg of the bag), and your own on Luxury. Luxury also includes a round-trip helicopter to Lukla on the Everest treks.

Kathmandu hotels are not included in any trek tier, so we quote them separately. Insurance is your own responsibility and must be bought at home, not in Nepal; see my insurance guide.