Trekking in Nepal in May

May is the last good month before the monsoon, and it feels like a different season from April. Days are warmer, the air is hazier, afternoon cloud builds over the big mountains, and the high passes are at their most reliable. The crowds thin after the April rush, and a handful of routes, from Gokyo and the Three Passes to Upper Mustang and Dolpo, are at their best now.

The trade is visibility. Spring haze and afternoon cloud mean the sharpest views are in the first hours of the day, so you plan every viewpoint for sunrise. The other thing to keep in mind is the calendar at the end of the month: Nepal's weather service gives 13 June as the normal onset of the monsoon, but in 2025 it arrived on 29 May, about two weeks early. A late-May trek should have a margin for early rain, particularly on the Trishuli and Marsyangdi roads.

What May is like

The Everest and Annapurna regional pages describe May the same way: warmer and hazier than April, with afternoon cloud building, and a good window before the monsoon. The Manaslu page adds that the pass is usually clear in May, and the Upper Mustang page says it is warm and that the Tiji festival usually falls around now.

Practical consequences:

• Warm valleys, cold nights above 4,000 m. Lower villages can be hot and humid by afternoon, while nights near Gorak Shep or Thorong Phedi are still below freezing. Layers still matter.
• Hazy distance, clear mornings. Start early for views, and use the afternoon for rest.
• Less crowding. After the mid-April peak, lodges are easier to book, and by late May many trekkers have left.
• Past the flower peak. Our regional pages name April as the rhododendron peak, so May is after it.
• Afternoon showers begin. Thunderstorms can roll in late in the day, so aim to arrive at the next lodge by early afternoon.

Routes that shine in May

Gokyo and the Three Passes

The Everest page calls May "good for Gokyo and the passes before the monsoon". The Gokyo Lakes trek leaves the Base Camp trail at Namche and climbs through Dole (4,040 m) and Machhermo (4,470 m) to Gokyo at 4,790 m, with Gokyo Ri at 5,357 m on a rest day. Snow on the passes has mostly settled by May, which helps the Everest Three Passes loop over Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La. It is still a hard 18-day plan, and conditions on each pass change, so your guide should check with recent trekkers. Our guide to Everest Base Camp versus Gokyo compares the two valleys.

Manaslu Circuit

The Manaslu page says the pass is usually clear in May, which makes this one of the more dependable months for the Manaslu Circuit, crossing Larkya La (5,106 m) on day 11. Allow for the early-monsoon risk on the road from Kathmandu to Machha Khola, about 8 to 9 hours by jeep through Arughat and Soti Khola, which landslides disrupt in the wet season. The restricted-area permit for December to August is USD 75 for the first week plus USD 10 per extra day, which is USD 125 for the 12 days our route plan assumes (as of October 2026).

Upper Mustang and the Tiji festival

Upper Mustang sits in the rain shadow and is warm and dry in May. The Upper Mustang trek flies Pokhara to Jomsom, walks to Kagbeni (2,810 m) and on to Lo Manthang at 3,840 m. Tiji is a multi-day Buddhist festival held in Lo Manthang in spring, with masked dances by the monks of Chode monastery in the palace square. Dates follow the Tibetan lunar calendar and usually fall in May, so ask your agency to confirm them. Book early, because rooms in Lo Manthang run out. The permit is USD 50 per day, so USD 500 for the 10 days our plan counts (as of October 2026).

Upper Dolpo and Rara

The Dolpo region lists May to June and September to October as its best seasons. The Upper Dolpo circuit takes 22 days, crosses Kang La at about 5,360 m, and is the kind of route where May and June give the best chance of open high passes. Rara Lake's region page lists April to May and September to November. The Rara Lake route stays between 2,370 m and 3,000 m on the trail, so it is warm in May and pairs well with the pre-monsoon flights, which are weather dependent. For both, read the Dolpo permits guide and the guide to reaching Rara.

Langtang and the Annapurna routes

Langtang in May has afternoon cloud, per our month table, so the Langtang Valley trek is still good but plan to finish your viewpoint walks by mid-morning. The Annapurna region has a good window, and the Annapurna Circuit is more comfortable in May than in March because the pass has less snow.

A sample May week on the Base Camp side

To see how the month shapes a day, take the Gokyo plan. On day 4 you leave Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) for Dole (4,040 m), a five to six hour walk. In May, start by seven so that you reach Dole before the afternoon cloud and wind arrive; the lower part of the climb can be warm and dusty, and the upper part cool. On day 5 the short walk to Machhermo (4,470 m) is planned as an acclimatisation day, which is exactly when many people feel tempted to push on because the weather is good. Take the short day. On day 7, the Gokyo Ri climb to 5,357 m is a sunrise walk: the haze that builds later in the morning is the main reason to be up and out before the light turns flat. Back at the lodge by midday, you rest, drink and let the afternoon cloud do what it will.

The monsoon margin

Nepal's weather service reports a normal monsoon onset of 13 June and a normal withdrawal of 2 October. Years differ. The early onset in 2025 shows why May should not be treated as guaranteed dry. Three precautions help:

1. Finish roads early. Do the drives to Machha Khola, Syabrubesi or Besisahar at the start of the trek, not the end, so a late-May rain does not strand you on the way home.
2. Keep a spare day. Flights to Lukla and Jomsom are weather dependent. See the Lukla flight guide for delays and the Ramechhap option.
3. Carry a light waterproof shell. Afternoon storms are normal at lower altitude.

The best way to avoid the worst of the early rains is to choose a route that sits in a rain shadow or to go in the first half of the month.

Health and heat

May's warmer weather brings its own cautions. Sun at altitude is intense, so carry sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses. Dehydration is easy to miss on warm climbs. Altitude rules do not relax: above 3,000 m the Wilderness Medical Society guidance, as cited by the CDC, is a sleeping-altitude gain of no more than 500 m per night and an extra acclimatisation night for every 1,000 m. Our acclimatisation schedule shows how that maps to real itineraries.

Costs in May

Permits do not change with the season for park entries. As of October 2026 the Sagarmatha park permit and the Khumbu trek card are NPR 3,000 each, and the Langtang National Park permit is NPR 3,000. The restricted-area permits for Manaslu and Tsum are cheaper from December to August than in autumn. We do not track lodge prices by month, so ask for current rates. Flights to Lukla are priced per person at about USD 190 to 240 each way for foreigners, according to our dated cost data, and fares rose on 1 March 2026.

Choosing May over April or October

If views and flowers matter most, choose April or October. If you want space, warmer weather and a high pass with settled snow, May is a strong choice.