Weather in Tibet

Due to Tibet’s high elevation, we are a little closer to the sun. Hence, the sun is harsher and has plenty of UV rays. This harsh sun makes it feel warmer than it is. I would suggest that you bring good sunscreen and sunglasses.

It is cold and dry in Tibet. Even though it is cold, the scorching sun makes you feel hot outside. Many clients say they can’t believe they are wearing a T-shirt in Tibet.
However, it will be chilly in the shade and indoors, so I would like you to bring a light coat.

Traveling in Tibet is not ideal for catching a cold due to high altitude sickness and extreme dryness.

Tibet is very dry. When you arrive in Lhasa, you will experience dryness in your nasal canal. Many travellers put vaseline on their nose area. Local Tibetans avoid dryness by wearing a surgical mask. It helps prevent moisture loss by breathing it back in.

There is a vast difference in temperature between day and night. Days are usually hotter, and nights are freezing. As mentioned before, it is recommended that you always have a thicker coat in your pack.

The longest season in Tibet is winter, which lasts five months from November to March. It is usually characterised by cold and extreme dryness.

The average temperature of Tibet during the winter season is between -5 °C and -11 °C (23-52°F). Yet, is it not colder than other cities in the northern hemisphere, such as Beijing and New York?

Though Tibet is known for its extreme cold in winter, most of the regions available for your visit will be in the lower valley, and it is manageable to visit in winter.

Travelling to Tibet in winter will give you access to all the sites, and there will be plenty of Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims from a remote plateau region.

During winter, many nomads from the harsh northern lands would travel to the valleys of Southern Tibet for pilgrimage. Due to this influx, it is an ideal season to visit and experience authentic Tibetan culture. It offers a great photography opportunity to take pictures as there are more welcoming to photo cameras.

You can visit Mount Everest Basecamp in winter, despite the widespread belief that it will be inaccessible. Visiting Everest is excellent for landscape photography in Tibet, as there will be fewer clouds to block your view.

Tibet is closed to International visitors from the second half of February to the end of March each year. This closure makes visiting Tibet for the Tibetan New Year Celebration impossible. Yet if you want to experience the Tibetan New Year, you can visit to celebrate Tibetan farmers with a new year, which falls a month before the actual Tibetan New Year. We can organise your visit to a local farming village to join their celebrations.

Spring in Tibet lasts from April to May. It also marks the beginning of Tibet’s tourism season, and on 1 April each year, the country opens its doors to international travelers. You can find Tibet Travel Regulations here.

The temperature of Tibet in the spring season usually stays between 5-19°C (41-66°F). This season is associated with early rain and snowfall, as it will bring clouds and moisture to the plateau.

Spring is a perfect time to visit Tibet if you want to avoid the vast number of domestic tourists at the sites. The latter part of the spring is ideal for trekking in Tibet as the warmer weather melts the snow and a high mountain pass opens.

It is a golden time to visit and experience Mount Kailash with fewer tourists. Spring is one of two periods ideal for trekking around the holy mountain. The Holy mountain will be open for travellers only around 20th April each year. Read here on best time to visit Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake

Spring is the best window period for a mountaineer to summit Mount Everest. When you visit Mount Everest, you will see the mountaineers’ basecamp from the tourist basecamp, and you will see the flashlight trail from the climber trying to summit the mountain from your tent guest in the early morning.

Spring is also well known for Apple and peach blossoms in Tibet. There is a famous peach blossom festival in the Nyingtri region of Tibet. Peach flowers are also found in Lhasa, especially in Pabongkha and from Shigatse to Lhasa.

Summer is the busiest season for the tourism industry in Tibet. There are plenty of domestic and international visitors during this season’s annual school and university holidays.

Getting the train and flight ticket to and from Lhasa is hard to get at the last minute this season. Therefore, it is recommended that you book your tour to Tibet with a responsible local Tibetan travel agency in Tibet like us for booking the tickets and tour services. Be cautious, as many fake online travel agencies claim to be one.

The temperature of these hottest months in Tibet will be around 12-24°C (54-75°F). It will be hot during the day and cold at night, and shady during the daytime. Therefore, it is recommended to bring a windproof coat and a thicker coat if you go to the higher mountainous region of Tibet.

From July until the end of August, Tibet experiences a rainy season. Although the rain doesn’t fall heavily, it showers mainly at night and during the afternoon. The rain will not affect your Tibet tour, but its clouds might block your view of landscapes like Mount Everest and Yamdrok Lake.

As a responsible travel agency, we will provide you with an umbrella in the car during your tour in Tibet during the rainy season.

It is the best time for trekking in Tibet, especially in late summer, when all the areas are covered with fresh grass after the shower. Our favourite trekking routes in Tibet are the Ganden to Samye trail and the Gangshung trail into the Himalayas near Everest.

Tibetans enjoy picnicking near the Kyichu River or  Norbulingka during the summer months. Shoton is a famous summer festival in Lhasa.

Autumn in Tibet began last September and ended in November. It is the second busiest season in Tibet Tourism. Yet as the season progresses towards the end, the number of travellers in Tibet will decrease.

It is the second-best time to hike around Mount Kailash, so most tour leaders organise this trek during the season. With fewer clouds in the sky, it is also an excellent time for landscape photography in Tibet.

For locals, autumn is known as the end of picnic time. A few famous autumn festivals are the Ongkhor festival and the Bathing festival.