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Where is the country of Nepal located? Nepal is a country in Asia, bordering China (Tibet) and India. Most of Nepalis very mountainous and belongs to the Himalayan mountain range. Within the borders of Nepal you will find eight of the ten highest mountains in the world, of which Mount Everest is the highest mountain on earth, with a height of no less than 8848 meters. Due to the presence of Mount Everest and the Himalayas, many people mistakenly think that Nepal is a cold country with a lot of snow. However, the low temperatures and white mountain tops are only due to the extremely high altitudes, so that the final temperatures on mountain tops are much lower than if you were to reduce the measured temperatures to sea level. In Nepal above 4400 meters you have to deal with a high mountain climate, between 3600 and 4400 meters a subarctic climate, between 2400 and 3600 the cold zone,

Five seasons

Nepal has no fewer than five seasons: summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring. During the winter months, the Himalayas block the supply of cold air, making it quite warm in the winter months south of the Himalayas. In the Himalayas, the winter season at medium and high altitudes means cold to extreme cold and snowfall. Above four kilometers, the combination of drifting snow and wind can create very dangerous blizzards, especially on the northern side of the mountains. In the mountains there is summer in the period from June to August (with temperatures above 4400 meters still not or barely above freezing), in the subtropical southern part of Nepal there is then a southwest monsoon,

Precipitation

In the south of Nepal, where you will find the subtropical lowlands, there is quite a lot of precipitation due to the wet monsoon period: an average of eighteen hundred to locally around three thousand millimeters. The west of the country is the driest, with around a thousand millimeters. In the Himalayas – and especially on the southern rim – there are large differences in amounts of precipitation. Rising rains on the windward side of mountains can cause fairly large amounts of precipitation within a relatively short period of time, with local disturbances sometimes caused by landslides or water flowing downwards with enormous force. In the mountains, most of the precipitation falls in the form of snow; above four kilometers, almost all precipitation is in the form of snow and hail.

Winter sun

The relatively mild temperatures in winter and the downright pleasant temperatures before the monsoon starts make the lowlands of Nepal a reasonably good winter sun destination. In March and April, when the weather in Europe is still quite unpredictable, southern Nepal has predominantly spring-like to summer weather, with temperatures between 22 and 30 degrees Celsius with a low chance of precipitation and lots of sunshine.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Best time to visit Nepal

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Nepal? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal is a favorite holiday among people who love nature, hiking or spirituality. Day-long hiking tours, spiritual tours and back-back vacations are doing very well in Nepal. This country, located centrally in Asia, is unique. Nepal is the homeland of the spiritual leader Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, on whose teaching Buddhism is based. It’s no surprise that a trip to Nepal is very popular among people who feel a connection with Buddhism. The sacred temples are the figurative highlights of Nepal. The literal highlights are the mountains you see in the northern strip of Nepal. Here, the Himalayas stretch across the entire northern side of the country, where it forms a natural border with China and Tibet. The mountains of Nepal are a huge attraction for hikers. Quite a few people travel to Nepal for a walking holiday. The mountainous landscape is a nice challenge for those who want to make hikes of several days. Climatically you can divide Nepal into three parts: the southern strip consists of lowlands with a subtropical climate. Above that, a strip spreads across the center with mountainous and hilly landscapes. There is a mix of temperate climates here. The north of Nepal is occupied by the high mountains of the Himalayas. Here you will find no less than 8 of the 14 mountains in the world that are higher at 8000 meters, including the highest mountain in the world: Mount Everest. In the high mountains there is a high mountain climate. If you stay in the lower areas of Nepal, it is best to travel between November and March. This is the best time to travel to the southern part of Nepal. In this way you avoid the summer heat and the many millimeters of rain that fall from the can during the summer monsoon period.

Central Nepal

In the central part of Nepal, where the capital Kathmandu is located, temperature is less of an issue than in the south, where it can reach 35 degrees and warmer in the summer. In the central area the maximums are around 30 degrees Celsius in the summer and around 15 to 20 degrees Celsius in the winter. Here it is only the rain that you have to take into account. The monsoon period here brings a lot of rain locally from May to September. The best travel time for the central part of Nepal, at altitudes between 800 and 2000 meters, is from November to April, with serious frost in winter at higher altitudes.

The high mountains in the Himalayas

The northern part of Nepal, where the highest mountains are located, can experience serious cold on the highest peaks. For Mount Everest, for example, you should think of minus thirty degrees or cooler in the winter and minus fifteen to minus twenty degrees in the summer. Because of the temperatures, you should avoid the high mountains in winter. It is best to go there in late spring or early spring.