Best time to visit the Himalaya
Month by month: what's open, what the weather does, and which of our trips run.
The Indian Himalaya has three seasons that barely overlap — spring/autumn in Himachal, a dry monsoon summer in Ladakh and Spiti, and deep-snow winter in Kedarkantha and Manali. Pick your month and we'll show the trips that fit.
- Multi-day trips
- 40
- Scheduled departures
- 147
- Regions
- Himachal · Ladakh · Spiti · Uttarakhand
Months
Month by month
Trips in season counts multi-day treks, tours and expeditions; scheduled departures are open group batches for that month.
| Month | Headline | Trips in season | Scheduled departures |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2027 | Deep-winter snow: Kedarkantha, Winter Spiti and Manali at its whitest | 6 | — |
| February 2027 | Quiet snow month: fewer crowds, same white mountains | 6 | — |
| March 2027 | Holi long weekend, late snow in Kedarkantha, spring in Kullu | 11 | — |
| April 2027 | Rhododendron season: Chanderkhani, Malana, Tirthan and the first camps | 16 | — |
| May 2027 | Summer-holiday peak: Beas Kund, Bhrigu Lake, summer camps and Ladakh opening | 23 | — |
| June 2027 | Everything opens: Hampta Pass, Spiti, Manali–Leh, Zanskar | 34 | 20 |
| July 2027 | Monsoon strategy: go to the rain-shadow — Spiti, Ladakh, Zanskar, Lahaul | 24 | — |
| August 2027 | Independence Day long weekend: Ladakh, Spiti, Hampta and the 6,000 m peaks | 24 | — |
| September 2027 | The connoisseur's month: clear skies, golden valleys, half the crowds | 35 | — |
| October 2026 | Dussehra, Durga Puja & Gandhi Jayanti: festival-season trekking | 28 | — |
| November 2026 | Diwali getaways, autumn gold and the first Kedarkantha snow | 14 | 78 |
| December 2026 | Christmas–New Year in the snow: Manali, Kedarkantha, Winter Spiti | 9 | 49 |
The three seasons, in one table
| Region | Best months | Also possible | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manali, Kullu, Tirthan, Kasol (Himachal valleys) | Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov | Dec–Feb for snow tours | Jul–Aug heavy-rain weeks |
| Hampta Pass, Bhrigu, Beas Kund (Himachal treks) | Jun–Oct (Hampta: mid-Jun–early Oct) | May for Beas Kund / Bhrigu with snow | Nov–Apr (snowbound) |
| Spiti valley | Jun–Oct via Manali | Dec–Mar winter circuit via Shimla | Apr–May (Kunzum shut, Kinnaur road messy) |
| Leh, Nubra, Pangong (Ladakh) | Jun–Sep | May & Oct (cold, quiet) | Nov–Apr unless you want −15 °C |
| Zanskar, Parang La, Pin Parvati, 6,000 m peaks | Jul–Sep | Late Jun | Everything else |
| Kedarkantha (Uttarakhand) | Dec–Mar (snow) | Oct–Nov, Apr | May–Sep |
| Bir Billing paragliding | Oct–Nov, Mar–May | Dec–Feb | Jul–Sep (monsoon) |
Upcoming holidays & long weekends
Upcoming holidays & long weekends
- Long weekend (3 days, no leave)
Durga Puja (Ashtami) · Monday, 19 Oct 2026
Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Tripura; Puja week ~17–21 Oct
- Take 1 day's leave → 4-day weekend
Dussehra / Vijayadashami · Tuesday, 20 Oct 2026
- Falls on the weekend
Diwali · Sunday, 8 Nov 2026
Govardhan Puja 9 Nov, Bhai Dooj 10 Nov
- Take 1 day's leave → 4-day weekend
Guru Nanak Jayanti · Tuesday, 24 Nov 2026
- Long weekend (3 days, no leave)
Christmas · Friday, 25 Dec 2026
- Long weekend (3 days, no leave)
New Year's Day · Friday, 1 Jan 2027
- Take 1 day's leave → 4-day weekend
Makar Sankranti / Pongal · Thursday, 14 Jan 2027
South India, Gujarat, Punjab (Lohri 13 Jan)
- Take 1 day's leave → 4-day weekend
Republic Day · Tuesday, 26 Jan 2027
Movable festival dates follow the generally observed day; confirm against your company calendar.
Long weekends are when batches sell out — see long-weekend trips, Diwali trips and New Year & Christmas trips.