Usually, yes: the trail to Annapurna Base Camp is walked in winter, and the days are often clear. But it’s cold, snow can close the last section for a while, and you need to plan around both.
How cold it gets
Average night-time lows on the route, from modelled ten-year averages (ERA5 via Open-Meteo, 2016–2025):
| Place | December | January | February |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghandruk (1,940 m) | 3 °C | 0 °C | 2 °C |
| Deurali (3,230 m) | −5 °C | −8 °C | −7 °C |
| Annapurna Base Camp (4,130 m) | −7 °C | −10 °C | −10 °C |
The average daytime high at base camp stays below freezing in midwinter: −2.3 °C in January and −1.5 °C in February. Teahouse rooms are unheated, so a sleeping bag rated to about −15 °C is sensible.
The avalanche section
Between Deurali and Machapuchare Base Camp, the trail runs beneath steep slopes. After heavy snow this section can be exposed to avalanches, and it’s sometimes closed until conditions improve. A good guide checks locally and won’t cross when it isn’t safe. That might mean waiting a day, or turning back.
December, January or February?
- December is the mildest of the three: cold but usually settled, and on our calendar a “possible” month for this trek.
- January is the coldest of the three, and it isn’t a recommended or possible month for this trek on our calendar.
- February starts to warm slightly. Like December, it’s a “possible” month on our calendar.
Altitude still matters
Winter doesn’t change the climb. Our itinerary sleeps at Deurali and then at Annapurna Base Camp, two nights that climb faster than the 500 m a day guideline. In winter, an extra night lower down gives you time to acclimatise and a buffer for snow. Ask us to add one, or check your own plan with the altitude check.
More on the month itself: Annapurna Base Camp in December, and Nepal trekking in January and February.
