Planning a Nepal trip comes down to five decisions: when to come, how long to stay, which region, what paperwork you need, and what it will cost. Get those right and the rest follows. This page answers each in order and links to the detailed guide behind it.
1. When to come
October–November is peak season: clearest air, most stable weather, warm days and cold nights at altitude. It is also the busiest and priciest window.
March–May is the strong alternative. Rhododendron forests bloom through the mid-hills, nights are milder, and haze builds gradually toward the pre-monsoon.
June–September is monsoon across most of the country — but not all of it. Dolpa, Humla and Mustang sit in the Himalayan rain shadow and stay largely dry. If you can only travel in summer, those regions are the answer rather than a compromise.
December–February closes the high passes but is the best season for Terai wildlife. Bardiya and Shuklaphanta are at their most rewarding when the north is snowbound. Full detail in the seasons guide.
2. How long you need
| Trip length | What fits | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | One region, one focus | Bardiya safari, or Rara return | Enough for one place done properly |
| 10–12 days | One trek, or two regions | Rara trek, or Bardiya + Khaptad | The sweet spot for most first visits |
| 2 weeks | A serious trek with buffer | Api Base Camp, or Dolpa | Includes spare days for mountain flights |
| 3 weeks | Remote trek plus recovery | Humla Limi Valley, or Upper Dolpa | The minimum for restricted-area routes |
| 30 days | Multi-region, unhurried | Terai + mid-hills + trans-Himalaya | Travel the way the terrain actually wants |
The most common planning mistake is packing too much in. Nepal's distances are short on a map and long in practice — a 100 km road transfer can take eight hours. See why fewer stops make a richer trip.
3. Which region
If you want the famous mountains and established teahouse infrastructure, that is Everest and Annapurna. If you want the same Himalaya with a fraction of the people, that is the west. We wrote the honest version of that comparison in West Nepal vs Everest and Annapurna, including where the west is genuinely worse.
Start from the trekking pillar if you are walking, the wildlife pillar if you want tigers, the wellness pillar if you want retreats, or the destinations hub if you are still browsing.
4. Visas and permits
Visa. Most nationalities get a tourist visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport or at land borders, in 15, 30 or 90 day durations, paid in cash. A few nationalities must apply in advance. Verify your own status with a Nepali embassy rather than assuming — the lists change.
Trekking permits. Three tiers. Most routes need a TIMS card plus a park or conservation area entry fee. Restricted areas — Upper Dolpa, Humla, parts of Mugu — need a restricted-area permit charged per person per week, and legally require a registered agency, a licensed guide and a minimum group size. That last rule is why solo trekking is not an option in those zones. Details in restricted area permits.
Staying longer to work remotely? See Nepal's digital nomad visa.
5. What it costs
We deliberately do not publish fixed prices on this page. Permit fees, park entry and flight costs are revised periodically, and the real number depends on group size, season, route and whether the trek is teahouse or fully supported camping. A stale price is worse than none.
What is stable is the shape of the budget. On a mid-hills teahouse trek, your costs are guide, lodging, food and a park fee — modest. On a restricted-area camping trek, the permit alone often exceeds everything else combined, and you are also paying for a full crew, pack animals and flown-in supplies. That is the single biggest cost difference in Nepal trekking, and it is why Dolpa costs several times what Rara does. Season-by-season breakdown in the cost guide.
Before you book
Three things people underestimate. Mountain flights cancel. Build two spare days at each end and never book a same-day international connection after one. Altitude is the real risk on western routes, where evacuation is far away — read the altitude guide before you commit to a high pass. Dashain shuts the country for roughly two weeks in September or October; check the festival calendar against your dates.