Daylight hours and sunrise times for trekkers

Daylight shapes a Nepal trek more than most people expect, because nearly every route has at least one day that needs most of the light. By our calculation Kathmandu has about 10 hours 24 minutes of daylight in mid-December, 12 hours 22 minutes in mid-September and 13 hours 53 minutes in mid-June, with sunrise between about 05:07 in June and 06:55 in January, in Nepal time (UTC+5:45). The difference between a December day and a June day is about three and a half hours, which is the same as a half-day pass crossing.

This guide gives a month-by-month table, explains why the numbers are a planning tool rather than a promise, and shows what they mean for pass days, dawn climbs and the time you leave the lodge. The sunrise and sunset times are our own calculations from the latitude and longitude of Kathmandu, Namche Bazaar and Pokhara, using an approximate solar position formula of the kind NOAA publishes, for a flat horizon, and they match almanac pages such as Time and Date to within a couple of minutes. The route durations come from our route pages, checked on 19 October 2026.

Sunrise and sunset by month

Mid-month values for a flat horizon, in Nepal time. Namche sunrise and sunset come about five minutes earlier than Kathmandu, and Pokhara about seven minutes later, because of longitude:

The shortest day is around 21 December, when Kathmandu has about 10 hours 23 minutes between 06:50 and 17:13, and the longest is around 21 June, with about 13 hours 54 minutes. The earliest sunset falls in early December rather than on the solstice, as the sunrise keeps getting later into January, which is why the table shows December sunset at 17:11 and January's at 17:29.

Why the numbers are optimistic in the mountains

A flat-horizon time assumes you can see the sun on the horizon. In the Himalaya you rarely can. A valley such as the Khumbu or Langtang has ridges on both sides, so the sun clears the eastern ridge well after the table's sunrise and drops behind the western one well before sunset. How much later and earlier depends on the valley, the side of it you are on and the date, and we cannot give a reliable correction. The practical effects are:

• Mornings stay cold longer. The lodge may be in shadow for an hour or more after sunrise, which matters when nights are below freezing.
• The usable walking window is shorter than the table says, particularly in winter.
• Peaks catch the first and last light. A viewpoint at altitude sees the sunrise at the table's time, or earlier, while the villages below do not.

Cloud matters too. Our region pages describe clear mornings and afternoon cloud and wind building through spring, which is a reason to do the demanding part of the day first.

What daylight means for the long days

Our route plans give the walking time for each day, and the longest are the pass days and the dawn climbs. Compare them with the daylight in the month you plan to go:

The margins are plan hours against a flat-horizon day, so real margins are smaller, and they do not include lunch, photographs or slow walkers. On the pass days the answer is to leave before dawn with a headlamp, as our route pages say for the crossings: the Annapurna plan says to cross Thorong La early in the morning, and the Manaslu plan calls Larkya La a very early start. Do not set off at 07:00 and hope.

The same arithmetic suggests why spring and early autumn give more slack: in April Kathmandu has about 12 hours 48 minutes, in May 13 hours 30 minutes, and a nine-hour pass day leaves four hours or more for breaks. In the monsoon the numbers are generous but cloud steals the light, as our monsoon guide explains.

Dawn climbs

Several famous viewpoints are reached before sunrise. Our route pages build them into the plan:

• Poon Hill (3,210 m) on day 3 of the Poon Hill route: the Ghorepani page says to set your alarm before dawn if you plan to climb it, because the sunrise is the reason to be there. On a flat horizon Ghorepani's sunrise is close to Pokhara's, between about 06:10 and 07:00 from October to March, so you climb in the dark.
• Kala Patthar (5,545 m) at dawn on the Everest Base Camp route, after a night at Gorak Shep.
• Gokyo Ri (5,357 m) at dawn on the Gokyo Lakes route.
• Kyanjin Ri (4,773 m) on the rest day at Kyanjin Gompa.

Carry a headlamp with spare batteries, keep the batteries warm inside your jacket because cold drains them, and dress for the temperature at the top, which is lower than at the lodge. Our packing list covers the kit.

Altitude and the clock

Short days tempt people to climb too fast to make a goal before dark, and that is the wrong trade. The CDC Yellow Book advises, once above 3,000 m, moving sleeping altitude by no more than 500 m a day and adding an extra acclimatisation day for each additional 1,000 m gained, and our acclimatisation schedule shows how that fits the standard plans. If the day is too short for the stage, shorten the stage, not the rest day.

How to plan your day

1. Work backwards from sunset. Take the plan's walking hours, add one to two hours for breaks, and subtract from the usable end of the day to find your departure time. Arrive before dark, because trails, bridges and cliffs are more dangerous after sunset.
2. Leave early on the hard days. On a pass day or a cloudy-afternoon day, depart before sunrise.
3. Eat and pack the night before. Dawn starts go smoother when the bag is ready.
4. Use the short days well. In winter, schedule shorter stages and treat the extra evening as rest; our winter trekking guide explains.
5. Keep a margin. If weather or an ill partner slows you, you need hours in hand.

Permits, costs and the guide rule

Daylight does not change permits or prices. As of October 2026 the Annapurna Conservation Area permit is NPR 3,000 for foreigners, with online payment adding a 2.9% gateway charge and a permit issued at a check post costing double. Shorter days do mean fewer kilometres per day in winter and so sometimes an extra night, at the lodging prices in our daily budget guide.

The guide rule does not change with the season. A licensed guide is required in restricted areas, with individual applications possible since 22 March 2026 but a guide still required. For national parks and conservation areas the Nepal Tourism Board announced the rule in April 2023; we found no separate Department of Immigration or park-authority notice, and 2026 operator reports say checkpoints enforce it in Annapurna and Langtang but not in Khumbu (checked 19 October 2026). A guide is also the person who decides when to start on a pass day. See the guide rule explainer.

With partners

Daylight planning is easier in a group if you agree the start times the night before and who sets the pace. For routes with pass days, see the Annapurna Circuit partner page and the Everest Base Camp partner page, and browse the Annapurna, Everest and Manaslu regions. For when to go, see the best time to trek in Nepal. All our seasonal guides are in the seasons and weather hub.