When to travel Tibet

The weather patterns of Tibet are very similar to those of China, but with greater extremes in temperatures due to the higher altitudes present in the country. Tibetan winters run from November to March and can be very cold. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of -2 degrees Celcius. However, despite the cold temperatures there is very little in the way of snow. May to September are the summer months in Tibet. These months see warm and sunny days with cool nights, with the exception of the areas of high elevation where it remains cool even during the day. The remaining months make up Spring and Autumn when the weather is extremely unpredictable. Trekkers are told to expect four seasons of weather in one day when they pack their bags. Sunny warm weather can prevail one minute and be swiftly followed by snowfall just hours later. However, snow is relatively rare, which is surprising to say that Tibet’s nickname is ‘The Land of Snows’.

Besides the weather, the other main factor to consider when deciding when to visit Tibet is the Chinese holidays. Tourism booms in Tibet during the Chinese week long holidays that fall around 1 May and 1 October.