The best time to visit Sarangkot, month by month

The mountains decide. Pokhara is one of the wettest cities in Nepal, with about 3,870 mm of rain a year, and nearly four-fifths of it falls from June to September. Outside the monsoon, haze is the thing to beat. The short answer: come from mid-October to February for the clearest views.

The monsoon has washed the air clean, rain falls on only a day or a few a month, and the sun shines six to seven hours a day. It is also Nepal's main trekking season, so book early for these weeks.

Early October can still bring monsoon showers. The monsoon's normal end is 2 October, but in most recent years it has withdrawn around 11–16 October (10 October in 2025), according to Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

Dry, mostly clear days, with rain on one to four days a month. Dawns on the ridge are cold, about 2–5 °C. Some mornings bring fog in the valley below the hill, while the peaks usually stand clear above it.

The days lengthen and rhododendrons flower in the hills, but haze builds. From March to May, smoke from forest fires can hide the mountains for days at a time, even when it does not rain: it lingered over Pokhara for weeks in 2024 and again in 2025. Check a live air-quality map before you plan around the view. May adds pre-monsoon thunderstorms.

Rain on 19–26 days a month, green hills and quiet trails. The views come in short gaps, often just after dawn following a night of rain. Expect leeches on forest paths and slower roads. The monsoon normally arrives around 13 June; in 2025 it came on 29 May.

• Every month: a headtorch for sunrise, water, and shoes with grip.

• November to February: a warm jacket, hat and gloves for dawn.

• March, April and October: a fleece or a light down jacket.

• May to September: a light layer, rain gear and something against leeches.

Sunrise and sunset times for every month are in our Sarangkot sunrise guide; from the lodge, the sunrise walk takes a few minutes.