What's on in Gorkha, Nepal through the year

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Season

  Spring trekking season

  1 Mar – 31 May · usuallyTrail season

  The second window for the Manaslu approach from Gorkha and Arughat, warmer than autumn and with the rhododendron forests in flower on the middle slopes. Haze builds through May and afternoon cloud hides the peaks more often than in October. Source ↗

Busy — Baisakh Purnima fair, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Baisakh Purnima fair

  20 Apr – 20 May · usuallyReligious feastCrowded

  A fair is held at the Gorakhnath cave below the palace on the Baisakh full moon, drawing hill villages that otherwise never come into town. The stone stairs up to the durbar are the bottleneck. Source ↗

Still on: Spring trekking season (1 Mar – 31 May (usually))

Busy — Baisakh Purnima fair, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Spring trekking season (1 Mar – 31 May (usually)), Baisakh Purnima fair (20 Apr – 20 May (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Hazard

  Monsoon landslides on the Manaslu road

  10 Jun – 15 Sep · usuallyLandslide season

  Monsoon rain loosens the slopes above the Budhi Gandaki gorge, and slides cut both the dirt road beyond Arughat and the trail sections carved into the cliffs. Expect delays, detours and the occasional closure until the rains ease. Source ↗

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Monsoon landslides on the Manaslu road (10 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Monsoon landslides on the Manaslu road (10 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Festival

  Dashain at Gorkha Kalika

  11–25 OctNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  The shrine above the old palace is one of the country's principal Dashain sites and the queue up the ridge runs for hours on the eighth and ninth nights. Shops shut for a fortnight and buses out of the valley are full. Source ↗

• Season

  Manaslu trekking season

  25 Sep – 30 Nov · usuallyTrail seasonBook early

  The district is the way in to the Manaslu circuit and the jeeps north fill once the monsoon breaks. Larke pass is crossable from about the end of September until the first serious snow, and permits are checked in the town.

Still on: Monsoon landslides on the Manaslu road (10 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Dashain at Gorkha Kalika

• Holiday

  Tihar

  15 Oct – 15 Nov · usuallyDiwaliClosures

  The five-day festival of lights comes soon after Dashain: houses are lit with oil lamps and strings of lights, crows, dogs and cows are honoured with garlands, and groups go door to door singing deusi and bhailo at night. The last days are a public holiday and many businesses close. Source ↗

Still on: Dashain at Gorkha Kalika (11–25 Oct), Manaslu trekking season (25 Sep – 30 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Tihar

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Manaslu trekking season (25 Sep – 30 Nov (usually)), Tihar (15 Oct – 15 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in December.