Kathmandu, the valley towns and day hikes to about 2,500 m · October to April, with notes for the monsoon

Packing list for Nepal and Himalayan day hikes

What to bring for Kathmandu, the valley towns and day hikes to about 2,500 m at Nagarkot and Shivapuri: a mask for the dust, layers for 37°F (3°C) dawns and 72°F (22°C) afternoons, shoes that come off at every temple, and a flashlight for the lanes when the power goes.

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Checked October 10, 2026.

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What the weather is like

Kathmandu sits at 1,400 m. October and November are the clear months: 68 to 75°F (20 to 24°C) by day, 52 to 59°F (11 to 15°C) at night, and little rain. December to February drop to 37 to 43°F (3 to 6°C) at dawn in the city and around 32 to 36°F (0 to 2°C) at Nagarkot, with 61 to 64°F (16 to 18°C) by midday; mornings are foggy and the air quality is at its worst. March and April warm to 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) under haze. The monsoon runs June to September with 500 to 780 mm a month in June, July and August, leeches on the Shivapuri trails and the mountains hidden most days.

Leave at home

A heavy expedition down jacketThamel rents one for a few hundred rupees a day; a fleece is all the valley needs
JeansSlow to dry, cold when damp, and the dust shows by lunchtime
A hair dryer or anything over 1,000 WGuesthouse wiring and inverters trip on anything over about 1,000 W, and a hair dryer will not run on a power cut.

Buy when you land

A local SIM (Ncell or Nepal Telecom)Sold at the airport and in Thamel with a passport copy and a photo; a month of data costs a few dollars
Purification tablets and a steel bottleEvery Thamel pharmacy and trekking shop stocks them, cheaper than at home
A knitted wool hat and glovesStalls around Thamel and Boudha sell yak and sheep wool ones for a few hundred rupees; you will want them at dawn on the ridge

Worth knowing

Check the air quality each morning before you choose the day. Clear days are for Nagarkot and the ridge; hazy days are for Patan's museum and the courtyards of Bhaktapur.
Pack for cold rooms as much as cold air. Guesthouses give you blankets, not heating; thermal pajamas or a sleeping bag liner make November to February comfortable.
Rent rather than buy. Thamel rents down jackets, poles and sleeping bags by the day for less than a lunch at home, and sells copies of every brand.

Trips to pack this for

In the app

Never leave the charger in the hotel again.

Waystop keeps a list for each bag and each person. On the morning you change hotels it walks you through a quick pack-up check, and Chat can suggest items to add when you ask what to bring.

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Packing list for Nepal and Himalayan day hikes

Clothes
- A fleece or light down jacket (Kathmandu dawns are 37 to 43°F (3 to 6°C) from December to February and most guesthouses have no heating)
- Sun hat and a long-sleeved shirt (At 1,400 m the sun burns at 59°F (15°C); the Nagarkot ridge has no shade)
- Pants or a skirt below the knee, shoulders covered (Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath and the monasteries at Boudha expect it, and so do villages on the hikes)
- Slip-on shoes and clean socks (Shoes come off at temple interiors, monasteries and every home you are invited into)
- Trail shoes with grip, not heavy boots (Shivapuri and Nagarkot are dirt paths and stone steps; boots only matter if you continue above 3,000 m)
- A buff or scarf (Ring Road dust and the jeep track up to Shivapuri; it doubles as a hat at dawn)

Air, water and health
- Three or four N95 or KN95 masks (Winter air in the valley often sits in the unhealthy range from brick kilns, traffic and fog; wear one in taxis and on the Ring Road)
- Eye drops and lip balm (The air is dry and dusty from October to April)
- A refillable bottle (Tap water is not drinkable, and a bottle you refill from a filtered source beats buying a dozen plastic ones.)
- Rehydration salts and a stomach kit (Most visitors get one bad day; loperamide and salts turn it into half a day)
- Headache tablets, and a doctor's advice on altitude if you go higher (Nagarkot at 2,175 m and Shivapuri at 2,732 m are below the altitude that troubles most people, but anyone continuing to a trek should know the symptoms and climb slowly)

Power and tech
- A 10,000 mAh power bank (Cuts are shorter than they were, but they still happen, and hotel inverters run the lights, not the outlets)
- A universal adapter (Nepal uses type C, D and M outlets at 230 V, often all three in one room)
- A headlamp (Unlit lanes in Thamel and Bhaktapur, power cuts, and the 5 a.m. walk to the Nagarkot viewpoint)
- Offline maps and your itinerary downloaded (Data is cheap but drops on the hills; Waystop's trip opens offline)

Money and documents
- Clean US dollars for the visa on arrival (Tribhuvan airport takes the fee in dollars; around $30 for 15 days and $50 for 30. Fill the online arrival form before you fly to skip a line)
- Rupees in small bills (Taxis, temple entry, tea houses and the Shivapuri park gate are cash; ATMs are everywhere in Kathmandu and nowhere on the ridge)
- Two passport photos and a photocopy (The SIM shop, the visa counter and some hotels ask for them)
- Travel insurance papers that cover hiking at altitude (Day hikes are fine, but if you go on to a trek the only way down in a hurry is a helicopter.)

From https://waystop.app/packing/nepal-and-the-himalaya

Packing list for Nepal and Himalayan day hikes

What the weather is like

Worth knowing

Trips to pack this for

3 days in Kathmandu

Never leave the charger in the hotel again.