Kathmandu Valley · – · –
Kathmandu Valley in January
Cold, clear mornings and warm sunny middays. Frost is possible on the rim at Nagarkot, so rooms with heating matter. The month of Magh begins mid-January, and Newar families eat chaku, sesame laddu and sweet potato for Maghe Sankranti. Panauti's riverside ghats fill for Makar Sankranti, and in the twelfth year the town hosts its large Makar mela. Valley haze builds through the afternoons, so do mountain viewpoints early.
Local tip for January
Pack a down jacket for sunrise at Nagarkot, where dawn sits close to freezing.
Where to go in January
Kathmandu Valley1,401 mBhaktapur
Khwopa, the city of potters, drums and the five-roofed Nyatapola
Kathmandu Valley1,442 mPanauti
A Newar river town where three rivers meet, one of them unseen
Kathmandu Valley2,175 mNagarkot
The valley's eastern rim, for Himalayan sunrise and pine ridge walks
Trips at their best in January
Elsewhere in Nepal in January
Questions
Is January a good time to visit Kathmandu Valley?
Cold, clear mornings and warm sunny middays. Frost is possible on the rim at Nagarkot, so rooms with heating matter. The month of Magh begins mid-January, and Newar families eat chaku, sesame laddu and sweet potato for Maghe Sankranti. Panauti's riverside ghats fill for Makar Sankranti, and in the twelfth year the town hosts its large Makar mela. Valley haze builds through the afternoons, so do mountain viewpoints early.
What is the weather like in Kathmandu Valley in January?
Kathmandu 2–19 °C, dry, cold mornings, hazy afternoons. Conditions change fast with altitude, so check the forecast for each stop a week before you travel.
Where should we go in Kathmandu Valley in January?
We suggest Bhaktapur, Panauti, Nagarkot. Pack a down jacket for sunrise at Nagarkot, where dawn sits close to freezing.