Nepal
Pokhara in January
🧥 WinterPleasant and mostly dry. Watch for hazy air.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings · N95 mask for hazy days
Why January scores 8.5What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort9.3
- ✓Comfortable temperatures (20°C highs / 7°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 2.3°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~22 mm rain)
- Air quality5.6
- !Elevated (PM2.5 ~35 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline7.0
- ·Increased caution
| Jan | Nov | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.5 Excellent | 9.2 Excellent |
| Season | 🧥 Winter | 🍂 Autumn |
| High / low | 20° / 7° | 24° / 12° |
| Rain | 22 mm | 17 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 2° | dew pt 11° |
| PM2.5 | 35 µg/m³ | 17 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Pokhara weather-station normals. Rainfall: Pokhara weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsJanuary 2027
No long holidaysNo long public-holiday weekends this month. School holidays aren't counted, so check those if you want to avoid family crowds.
Other public holidays: Prithvi Jayanti (11 Jan) · Maghe Sankranti (15 Jan) · Martyr's Day (29 Jan)
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore PokharaEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyNepal's lakeside city at the foot of the Annapurna range, a base for trekking, paragliding and views of Machhapuchhre across Phewa Lake.
Pokhara Street FestivalDate variesUsually the last days of December into 1 January
A street festival with food stalls, music and performances along the main Lakeside road.
Why go: Lakeside is very busy and hotels fill up around New Year.
Where: Lakeside
Coming up later
Nepali New YearDate variesUsually 13 or 14 April (Baisakh 1 in the Nepali calendar)
The start of the Bikram Sambat year, marked with family gatherings and public celebrations.
Why go: A public holiday; Lakeside often holds street events.
Where: Nationwide
DashainDate variesLunar calendar — usually late September or October, date moves each year
Nepal's biggest Hindu festival, a 15-day family celebration with kite-flying, bamboo swings and animal sacrifices at temples.
Why go: Many offices and shops close and buses are crowded as people travel home.
Where: Nationwide
TiharDate variesLunar calendar — usually October or November, about three weeks after Dashain
The five-day festival of lights honours crows, dogs, cows and siblings, with oil lamps and garlands.
Why go: Homes and Lakeside are lit up at night; groups of children and adults sing door to door.
Where: Nationwide
Phewa Lake
A large lake with rowing boats for hire and the small Tal Barahi temple on an island.
💡 Mornings are usually calmest and clearest for mountain reflections.
Sarangkot
A hilltop viewpoint for sunrise over the Annapurnas and Machhapuchhre, and the main launch site for paragliding.
💡 Clouds and haze often hide the mountains in the June to September monsoon; October and November are clearest.
World Peace Pagoda
A white Buddhist stupa on a ridge above the lake's southern shore, reached by hiking trail or by boat plus walk.
Davis Falls and Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave
A waterfall that drops into an underground channel, opposite a Hindu cave shrine where the water emerges.
💡 The falls are most powerful during and just after the monsoon.
International Mountain Museum
A museum on the Himalayas, mountaineering history and mountain cultures.
Annapurna treks
Pokhara is the starting point for treks such as Poon Hill, Annapurna Base Camp and the Annapurna Circuit.
💡 Main seasons are October to November and March to April.
Dal bhat
Rice with lentil soup, vegetable curry and pickles, usually with free refills; the staple meal of Nepal.
💡 Local eateries throughout the city
Momo
Steamed or fried dumplings filled with meat or vegetables, served with tomato-sesame chutney.
💡 Street stalls and cafes in Lakeside
Thakali set
A dal bhat-style set meal from the Thakali people of the Kali Gandaki valley, often with buckwheat dishes and ghee.
💡 Thakali kitchens in Pokhara
Sel roti
A sweet, ring-shaped fried rice bread made especially at festival time.
💡 Tea shops and during Dashain and Tihar
Tibetan carpets and crafts
Hand-knotted carpets and Tibetan handicrafts made by refugee communities near Pokhara.
💡 Tibetan settlements such as Tashi Palkhel and Lakeside shops
Pashmina shawls
Fine wool shawls and scarves; quality and authenticity vary widely.
💡 Specialist shops in Lakeside
Singing bowls
Metal bowls that ring when struck or rubbed, used in Himalayan Buddhist practice.
💡 Lakeside craft shops
Airport transfer Kiwitaxi
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