Best Time for Trekking in Tibet

Trek in Tibet

Trek Tibet means walking on the highest plateau of our planet. With the average altitude of over 4, 000 meters, and the unique plateau climate (which is mostly under impact of the continental climate and partially get influenced by the monsoon climate), altitude sickness and changeable weather are the two main safety factors that you should be aware of and prepare for. Safety is always our priority when arranging and customizing a trip for our guests, and we hope we both agree on that. Based on safety travel, then let's get outdoors and delve into the beautiful nature of Tibet. Trek is all about exploration, adventure and a close contact with the soothing land we're standing on.

 
Trekking from Yampachen to Tsurpu Monastery

Tibet is just endowed with the blessed stunning landscapes, from towering snowy mountains, to numerous glimmering lakes. This immense land is shaped with various terrains that can be both challenging for expert trekkers and also provide some easy trails for first-timers. You'll get a selection of choices from a circuit trek around Lhasa to take an overlook into this bright colored historic city, or set out on a pilgrimage kora at Mount Kailash just as a local Tibetan. If seeking adventure and challenge is what you desire, an epic trek in Gama Valley at the Mount Everest region can quench your ambition. For the forest lovers, a hike into the evergreen mountains in the Southeastern Tibet in Nyingchi area can give you the bonding with nature.

Whichever kind of landscape you're expecting, Tibet has something for you. With the desire to walk on this amazing land, now is the time for research, bucket list making, stocking up gears and booking a trekking tour with a legitimate tour operator like us.

Best Season for Trekking in Tibet

Although Tibet is called the Land of Snow, it actually doesn't snow that frequently except for the period from October to May. And the regions with most and heavier snowfalls in Tibet are Ngari (the West Tibet) and Nagqu(the North Tibet), which are also the driest and coldest regions of Tibet.

Rainy season of Tibet is from late May to September, with July and August jointly contributing about 80% of the annual precipitation.

Wind season starts from November and ends in May.

 
Yaks carrying luggage during the trekking

The duration of winter in Tibet is longer than typical, which is between November and March. The daily temperature of Lhasa in winter is normally 5 to 10 degrees Celsius higher than that in Beijing. We can say it is quite warm during the day. However, there are dramatic temperature differences between day and night, which means the overnight cold can be well freezing.

Trek journeys involved of mountain trails at the high elevation can encounter cold year-round. Most mountains are above 4,000 meters high. On the trek, sudden snow, rainfall, and heavy wind can happen any time, as the weather becomes harder to predict in the mountain area. Therefore, coldness is not a seasonal hazard for trekking in mountain area but should be taken into account all the time in Tibet.

In conclusion, spring and autumn are the two best seasons to expect rain-free, less windy weather which are ideal for trekking. Summer is also good because of the warmth, plus rains of Tibet in summer often happen in the nighttime, which leaves smaller impact on the trekking or walking activities. When it comes to winter trek in Tibet, we only recommend our guests to take short-distance trek at easy level and trek in the areas close to cities or towns.

Proper clothing and gear and the keenness to the weather change are all essential, please read on to get more tips based on weather.

 
Camp outside

Trekking Tips and Packing Essentials

1. Check the weather forecast before you set out on the trek.
2. Be flexible: always have a plan B if your prioritized trekking route or date is not weather-based safe to go.
3. Have your waterproof gear handy, inclusive of waterproof jackets/pants, gaiters, shoes, backpack or waterproof covers for backpack, raincoat, etc. And make sure they come in lightweight and small size. Travel light with only essentials can save you from excess stress.
4. Tackle hypothermia: Trekking at high elevation areas in Tibet means extra care for avoiding hypothermia. As sudden snow or rain is not unusual, which results in immediate temperature dropping. And other situations such as accidentally slipping into water or stepping into a puddle that deeper than your boots can also lead to body temperature decrease.
5. Warmer packets for hand or feet can come in handy.
6. Thermo bottle: This can get you warm from inside by stocking warm beverages.
7. Other trekking related gear: hiking pole, headlight, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen; cooking utensils and sleeping bag if you plan a multi-day trek rather than a short-distance trek.
8. First-aid kit, medicines.
9. Light, high-calorie food: dried nuts (as long as you don't get allergic to), bars, chocolate.
10. The Right Way to Dress During the Trek:
    1. Dress in layers so that you can take off one or two when it is warm at the high noon and put back on when you stop moving for a rest.
    2. Choose quick-dry products: underwear, T-shirts, socks or fleece liners;
    3. No cotton in cold weather. They get worse if you get wet because it takes longer time for wet cotton clothing to dry up. Choose wool or synthetic fabrics which can maintain your body heat and take away the perspiration quickly.
    4. Trousers with detachable pantlegs and wading shoes can be useful if your trails involve streams or bogs.

Tibet Trekking Tours you may be interested in:

9 Days Tsurphu-Yangpachen Trekking Tour
10 Days Ganden to Samye Trekking Tour
11 Days Everest Base Camp Trekking Tour
15 Days Kailash Pilgrimage Tour