Dashain is the one time of year when almost everyone in Nepal has a week free at once, and it falls in the month with the clearest skies. It is no surprise that the days after the tika have become the country's own trekking season. If you live here, or are visiting for the festival and have a few days once it is over, this is the list.
We have ranked for the holiday specifically: how well each route copes with the rush, how easy it is to reach when transport is thin, and whether it needs a permit from an office that is closed. For the festival's effect on trekking in general, see trekking in Nepal during Dashain.
The Shortlist
| Trek | Days | Highest point | From | Crowds after the tika |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poon Hill | 3 – 4 | 3,210 m | Pokhara | Very high |
| Mardi Himal | 4 – 5 | 4,200 m viewpoint | Pokhara | Very high |
| Mohare Danda | 4 – 5 | 3,300 m | Pokhara | Low |
| Khopra Danda | 5 – 7 | 3,660 m | Pokhara | Low |
| Ama Yangri | 3 – 4 | 3,771 m | Kathmandu | Moderate |
| Helambu | 5 – 7 | About 3,650 m | Kathmandu | Low |
| Gosaikunda | 5 – 6 | 4,380 m | Kathmandu | High |
| Langtang Valley | 7 – 8 | 3,870 m; 4,773 m at Kyanjin Ri | Kathmandu | High |
| Tamang Heritage Trail | 6 – 7 | 3,165 m | Kathmandu | Low |
| Pikey Peak | 5 – 7 | 4,065 m | Kathmandu | Low |
| Everest View | 7 | 3,880 m | Kathmandu, by air | Moderate |
From Pokhara
Poon Hill
The classic: stone staircases through Magar villages, a night at Ghorepani and a dawn climb to a viewpoint with Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas in a single sweep. It is the most accessible mountain view in Nepal and, after the tika, the busiest. Go in the days from Phulpati to the tika if you can. Details in our Poon Hill guide.
Mardi Himal
A ridge that climbs straight toward Machhapuchhre, reaching the high viewpoint on the third day. It has become the favourite holiday trek for young Nepalis, and the lodges at High Camp are few. Reserve them, or walk it before the rush. See the Mardi Himal guide.
Mohare Danda and Khopra Danda
Two community-run ridge routes west of Poon Hill. Both give the same great wall of peaks, both have lodges whose income goes to village schools and health posts, and both stay quiet when Ghorepani is heaving. Mohare passes through villages that celebrate Dashain in full; it is our first recommendation for the holiday week. Guides: Mohare Danda and Khopra Danda.
From Kathmandu
Ama Yangri and Helambu
The closest real trekking to the capital. Ama Yangri is a three-day climb to a 3,771 m summit with a panorama from Langtang to the Everest group; Helambu is a gentler week through Hyolmo villages and monasteries. Both start within a few hours' drive, which matters when buses are scarce. See Ama Yangri and Helambu.
Langtang Valley
A week to Kyanjin Gompa beneath Langtang Lirung, with a glacier valley, yak pastures and Tamang villages. It is the most complete short trek near Kathmandu and correspondingly popular. The drive to Syabrubesi is the awkward part during the festival. See the Langtang guide.
Gosaikunda
Sacred lakes at 4,380 m, reached in two or three days from Dhunche. Dramatic, holy and the route on this list where most goes wrong — see the altitude section below, and our Gosaikunda guide.
Tamang Heritage Trail and Pikey Peak
Two for people who want villages and views without company. The Tamang Heritage Trail loops through traditional settlements near the Tibetan border; Pikey Peak, in the lower Solu, has one of the widest Everest panoramas there is and almost nobody on it. Guides: Tamang Heritage Trail and Pikey Peak.
More options at this range are in short treks near Kathmandu and short treks from Pokhara.
How to Choose
| If you want… | Choose |
|---|---|
| The biggest view for the least effort | Poon Hill |
| To get close to a mountain in four days | Mardi Himal |
| Dashain in the villages, and space on the trail | Mohare Danda |
| A glacier valley and a proper trekking week | Langtang Valley |
| Three days, starting from Kathmandu by road | Ama Yangri |
| Everest on the horizon without a flight | Pikey Peak |
| Everest close up, without the altitude of base camp | Everest View |
| A first trek with children or older relatives | Poon Hill via Ghandruk, taken slowly, or a village stay |
The three Annapurna favourites are compared head to head in Mardi Himal vs Poon Hill vs Annapurna Base Camp.
The Altitude Mistake Holiday Trekkers Make
Every Dashain, people are carried down from Gosaikunda, Mardi High Camp and Tilicho with altitude sickness, and most of them are fit, young and on a tight holiday. The cause is the same each time: too much height in too few days, because the leave runs out on Sunday.
- Gosaikunda rises from 2,030 m at Dhunche to 4,380 m. Doing it in two days is common and too fast. Take three, sleeping at Chandanbari and Laurebina.
- Mardi Himal can be raced to High Camp at 3,580 m in two days from the road. Three is kinder, and the viewpoint at 4,200 m is a morning walk, not a place to sleep.
- Above 3,000 m, gain no more than 500 m of sleeping altitude a day. A headache that does not clear with rest and water means stop; one that worsens means go down.
- Alcohol and altitude do not mix. Festival spirits travel up the trail in a lot of rucksacks.
The warning signs and what to do are in our altitude sickness guide. A short trek is not a low trek.
Booking and Transport for the Holiday Week
- Reserve lodges on Mardi Himal, Poon Hill, Langtang and Gosaikunda. An agency booking does this; walking in at 4 pm does not.
- Book the jeep with the trek. Shared transport to Syabrubesi, Dhunche and the Pokhara trailheads is thin on the tika day and overloaded for days after.
- Get permits before Phulpati. Conservation-area permits can be bought online; national park tickets are sold at the gate — see permits during Dashain.
- Carry cash. There are no working ATMs on any of these routes.
- Leave a spare day for the road home; return traffic into Kathmandu is at its worst in exactly these days — see getting around Nepal during Dashain.
What to carry is in the trekking packing list; October nights above 3,000 m are colder than the days suggest.
