Is September a good time for the Annapurna Base Camp trek?

The second half is very good and the first half is still monsoon. If you can time it, walk from about 15 September onward for clear air, a green valley and far fewer people than October.

When do the leeches stop on the Annapurna Base Camp trek?

Roughly a week after the last sustained rain, which usually means the third or fourth week of September. Anyone walking in the first fortnight should still expect them below Deurali.

Is September or October better for Annapurna Base Camp?

October is more reliable and much busier. Late September gives you nearly the same conditions with a fraction of the crowd and a greener valley, at the cost of a slightly higher chance of rain.

How cold is base camp in September?

Mild by Sanctuary standards. Nights run 0 to -4°C, warming to 7 to 12°C during the day, with the coldest nights arriving in the last week as the post-monsoon pattern sets in.

Annapurna Base Camp Trek in September: Weather & Crowds

September temperatures, valley to high camp

Waypoint	Elevation	Day	Night
Chhomrong	2,117m	20 to 24°C	12 to 16°C
Deurali	3,200m	12 to 17°C	5 to 9°C
Machhapuchhre Base Camp	3,700m	9 to 14°C	1 to 5°C
Annapurna Base Camp	4,130m	7 to 12°C	-4 to 0°C

The monsoon retreats through September, generally clearing the Annapurna range in the third week. Rain days halve compared with August and the character of the weather changes as well: showers instead of systems, and long clear spells between them. The air quality improvement is the thing people notice most. Two months of rain have scrubbed the dust out of the atmosphere, and the first clear September morning at base camp is startling after a wet walk in.

On the trail

Trail conditions in September

Early September walks like August. Wet stone, mud, leeches below Deurali. From roughly the 15th the trail dries out quickly and the leeches disappear within about a week of the last sustained rain.

The valley is at its greenest of the year in September, which is easy to undersell. Terraces below Chhomrong are in full rice, the forest is dense, and the Modi Khola still runs high. The contrast against a clean white Annapurna wall is the specific pleasure of a late September trek.

Trail repairs from the monsoon are usually complete or underway by mid-month, though a rerouted section or two below Chhomrong is still common early in September.

Crowds & teahouses

Who else is up there

The trail refills through the month. The first two weeks stay quiet; from around the 20th the autumn season begins in earnest and the Sanctuary lodges start filling. Houses that closed for monsoon reopen through the first half of September, so by the end of the month the full route is operating normally.

Getting in & out

Flights, roads and logistics

Roads normalise as the rain eases, with the occasional landslide delay possible in the first ten days. Pokhara fills up from mid-September onward as the season starts, so hotels want booking ahead by the end of the month.

Some mountains
don't wait

Permits close. Weather windows narrow. The best Everest region teahouse beds fill by October, and spring season opens again in March. Our Kathmandu team is already booking for autumn. If you have been planning a trek, this is the window.

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Annapurna Base Camp Trek in September

September temperatures, valley to high camp

Trail conditions in September

Who else is up there

Flights, roads and logistics

What changes this month

September questions