Nepal Treks

Trekking in the beautiful high mountains of the Himalayas is for many people the main reason for coming to Nepal.

Trekking in Nepal means walking on trails. The walking trails have existed for thousands of years, and have been used for trade and communication. Even now the only way to reach many villages is on food. Trekking does not mean climbing a mountain. Many of the trails used have been used by mountaineering expeditions for reaching a base camp of a mountain, but most are trails used every day by Nepali just to get around.

A trek can be short, one day, two days or three days, or can be a longer one of a week or a month. Treks can be combines and one could trek for months. Most treks last at least a week in Nepal and often they can be three weeks. You may want to go out on a day trip to see if you really want to take a longer trek. Some of the longer treks can be rather tough, so if you are having a health problem, you may want to reconsider your decision to make a long trek.
Until the 1950s when the Tribhuvan Highway to Kathmandu was constructed there were no motorable roads in Nepal. The road to Pokhara wasn’t constructed until the 1970s. Trekking first became popular in Nepal in the 1960s.

The two main areas to trek are the Annapurna and Everest areas. The Helambu region, north of Pokhara and the Langtang region, north of Kathmandu are also popular area to trek. There are several other areas for trekking in eastern and western Nepal. Several area that treks could not be performed in the past are now open for trekking such as Mustang, the Kanchejunga base camp, Manaslu, upper Dolpo and Humla.

The following chapter gives an idea of different trekking routes, but for more detail you want to get a trekking book and detailed maps of the areas.

Most treks follow a well established route, often with lodge and restaurants along the way. No major trek goes above 5500m, which is the elevation that most climb expeditions begin. Often treks can be quite strenuous, sometimes uncomfortable and there is an element of risk.
As defined by the Nepali government the trekking region is any area more than a day’s walk from a main road. To go to any of these areas you need a trekking permit.

Trekking is the Himalaya can be hard at times, so you should be prepared for some strenuous walk, especially if you are going to go to some high elevations. You should give yourself a few days for off-days. It is usually best to begin early in the morning, when the weather is the clearest.
It is best to not trek alone, in case your get hurt or starting suffering from attitude sickness.

What You Will See
Nepal has some of the spectacular and most intense scenery in the world. Eight of the ten highest mountains in the world are found in Nepal. While trekking you will see some of the most beautiful mountains to seen. You can see the mountains from many places in Nepal from a distance, but almost nothing can beat the experience of standing at the base of an 8000m mountain, close enough that you feel like you can reach out and touch it.

Beside the mountains there are also many other interesting things to see. There are beautiful valleys, attractive villages, interesting temples and houses, flowers and trees. Treks can go from subtropical forests, past deep ravines, over fast moving rivers, deep canyons, mountain meadows and then one reaches the desolate rocky areas going over a high mountain pass. Depending on the season the terrace changes. In the spring and autumn there can be a great selection of wild flowers and green scenery.

Actual Treks
The six most popular treks are the Jomsom trek, Annapurna Circuit, Annapurna Sanctuary Trek, Everest Base Camp Trek, Helambu and Langtang. If you have limited time or budget you will most likely trek in the Annapurna region north of Pokhara or Helambu-Langtang region north of Kathmandu. If you have more time you can do a longer Annapurna trek or trek to Everest base camp.

You could also take a trek in the more remote area in western or eastern Nepal.

People
One of the highlights of trekking in Nepal is the chance to meet the interesting and friendly mountain people. During a trek one will meet people from many different ethnic groups. During a trek in Nepal there will be a constant flow of people along the trail, unlike the near-deserted trekking routes in other parts of the world.

Words of Advice
It is best that trekkers follow take into consideration the local customs and culture.
It is important for women to dress conservatively. Women for the most part should not wear shorts or low cut shirts. Men are expected to always wear a shirt in public.

Bargaining should not be done too aggressively during trekking. The mountain people are basically simple hard working people. Competition is tough and often the prices charged are very reasonable. Food is much more expensive in the mountains because it has to be brought in by foot. One should not get angry while bargaining. It should be a pleasant good-humored experience. To the seller Rs 5 may be the different between making a profit or not, while too many foreigners this is just 8 US cents

It is a good idea not to give to children begging along the trail. It is not good for the children self-esteem. Accept in the rare case the parents of the children do not know they are begging and would be very displeased with them (and you), if they knew they were doing it. Also, if you give to children, every trekker behind you may be subject to the begging of children.

Trekking Conditions
Often trails can be steep and it is hard work to go up them. You should be prepared for some hard, strenuous walking. Treks are often well-maintained as many locals use them. On many treks the trail is easy to follow.

During many treks there are a great amount of altitude gain and loss, which can make it much more difficult going than normal. Most treks are between 1000m and 3000m, but during the Annapurna Circuit and Everest treks, passes of over 5000m are crossed. During a high-altitude trek it is important to allow adequate time for acclimatization.

A normal day’s walk is from five to seven hours, during which there are several ascents and descents, and most of the time one of them is being done. Most trekkers get up early before 6 am, and then start walking between 6 and 7 am. The schedule then continue with stopping at 10 am for lunch, start walking again at noon and then walk until 3 or 4 pm. A second meal is then taken in the evening and then go to sleep early.

It is usually clearer in the early morning and you usually can get good mountain views in the morning. It gets cloudier in the afternoon.
It is a good idea to allow a few days as rest days, weather problems or to go on an interesting side trip. You may get lost now and then on the trail, but not usually for long.

General Information
You should register with your embassy in Kathmandu before going on a trek. If you have a problem while trekking it will help to speed up your rescue. Also some payment has to be made for a helicopter rescue; they can contact your parent to insure payment, as a helicopter will not come for a rescue until they are sure of payment. The Kathmandu Environment Educational Project or Himalayan Rescue Association can forward details to your embassy for you.

Some health insurance policies do not cover trekking, and sometimes you are required to pay an extra amount to cover “high-risk sport.”
The best sources of current trekking information are the Trekkers’ Information Centre (run by Kathmandu Environment Education Project – KEEP) (259-275, 259-567; email: tours@keep.wlink.com.np), Jyatha Road in Thamel (open daily except Saturday and holidays 10 am to 5 pm), and the Trekkers Information Centre (Himalayan Rescue Association) (262-746; email: hra@aidpost.mos.com.np), opposite Shree Guest House, Jyatha Road in Thamel (open Sunday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm). Both have comment books that contain tips from past trekkers that give information on trekking routes, trail condition, equipment and people opinion of trekking agencies that they used. Both have a small library. They both have notice boards, which are useful for finding trekking partners and finding used equipment. KEEP refills mineral water for Rs 10 per litre. KEEP sells trekking books, iodine and other items for trekking. KEEP may also have an office in the Lakeside area in Pokhara. HRA provides information on health places, weather conditions and altitude sickness. Himalayan Explorers Club (259-275), in the same building as the Himalayan Rescue Association on Jyatha Road in Thamel, has trekking information.

There are several good notice boards in the Thamel area with information on yoga courses, trekking partners, apartments, cultural events and language courses. There are good boards at the Kathmandu Guest House, Fire & Ice Restaurant, and Pumpernickel bakery.

There are regular slide shows in the Kathmandu Guest House, often on independent trekking. The slide show by Chris Beall, who is a writer and trek leader, is an introduction on trekking in Nepal. At the end you can ask questions about the latest trekking conditions. The cost is Rs 500 which includes a snack. You should look for posters or ask at the Kathmandu Guest House when slide shows are being done.

Changing Money
It can be difficult to change money during a trek except for during the Annapurna and Khumbu areas. You should bring enough money in Nepali rupees for the entire trek. It may be difficult to change Rs 500 or Rs 1000 rupee notes. If you have to change money outside a bank or legal money changer, you should expect to be offer much less than the bank rate by a black market money changer.

Independent Trekking
You can either make your independent arrangement or organize things through a travel agency. The main trekking routes have accommodations and places to eat along the entire route.

Budget travelers usually arrange everything themselves, carrying their own pack and stay in teahouses. The cost to do this should be least than $10 a day, and can be as little at $5 per day. A porter costs around $5 per day and a guide 7$ to $10 per day.

The advantage of doing it yourself means you can go at your own pace, stop for a while at a place, stop where you like, take a side trip and you can choose who you go with. On the other side you have to spend more time arranging everything and you have to use a route that have teahouses and lodges on them. You have to get your own trekking permit, bus tickets, buy supplies, rent equipment, and maybe find a porter or guide.
Usually independent trekking is less comfortable then a good organized tour. Lodges usually are crowded and lack privacy, and usually the food is nothing to brag about. On the other hand teahouses usually have a good social scene and are a good place to meet people.

On the Annapurna or Everest treks a guide or porter is not necessary is one is decently fit. On the other hand a porter can really make a trek more comfortable. If you are with two or three people a porter can carry a portion of each person’s gear and make it much easier on each person. A good guide or porter can make one life much easier and more enjoyable, but a bad one can be nothing but a hassle.

Finding a Trekking Partner
In some area it is a good idea not to trek alone. If you want to find a trekking partner, you can check the notice boards in Kathmandu or Pokhara. In Kathmandu, you can check the board at the Kathmandu Guest House or at the KEEP Information Centre.
You could also hire a porter to be a trekking partner with you.

Books and Maps
There are some good maps of the trekking routes. Schneider makes the best maps of the trekking route including Annapurna, Everest, Langtang and Helambu areas. They are not cheap as each one is Rs 700. A good map of Annapurna is the ACAP map Mandal are locally made maps that cover Round Annapurna, Khumbu, and Helambu & Langtang for Rs 100 to Rs 200. Himalyan Map House and Nepal series also makes good maps.

For out of the way area you can get the HMG/FINNIDA maps which were produced by the Nepal government and a Finnish aid agency.
There are weaknesses to all the maps. On different maps the names of villages may be different or depending whom you ask they may use a different name for a village. The trails often change because of avalanches or because trails may wash away.
Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya by Stan Armington’s and Trekking in Nepal: A Traveler’s Guide by Stephen Bezruchka are good trekking guides for all of Nepal. If you want to get some real detail you should get the

Trekking Precautions
In some areas it is not a good idea to walk alone. There are been some cases of thief and muggings in secluded areas. It is a good idea not to leave your door open in a lodge and not to let people to see his valuables.

The embassies highly recommended that everyone registers with them before going trekking. They have forms where you fill in your trekking route, family contacts, insurance details and name. This can real have if you need an emergency evacuation. This form can be filled in at your embassies and at the KEEP or HRA information centers.

Whenever crossing a high elevation pass, you should not underestimate the chance of the weather changing immediately for the worst. At any time of the year it can suddenly start snowing. While crossing a high pass you should go with at least four people. In this way if a couple people get injured or have altitude sickness the other people can help the injured ones. You should carry some emergency rations, a compass and a map. Also you should have gear to deal with a sudden rain or snow.

Trekking with Children
You may want to travel with a bit more comfort while traveling with children. You may want to take a taxi or a plane ride instead a long bus ride. It would be a good ideal to arrange a trek through a travel agency to hire porters so nothing will go wrong. If you have two children, say one is 3 and the 7, you will need a porter to carry one of the children and a few porters to carry your bags. It will be difficult to take care of children while carrying a bag. Porter will be around $5 per day or $15 between them.

You will usually have to walk at a slower rate than normal, so your children can keep up. In this way you will work less distance daily and have more energy to take care of the children. Also you most likely will not want to take too long of a trek, so the children do not get bored.

Environmentally it is best to use iodine in the water, but often child will not drink it and will only drink bottled or boiled water.

If you know of information that is not listed here, or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at:

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides