Nepal, home to 8 of the 14 highest peaks of the world is a paradise for trekking. Trekking in Nepal provides an opportunity to gaze upon the highest mountains in the world and experience the unique culture of the Nepali people.
No need to be an athlete to start a trek in Nepal, the key of success will be mostly a good physical fitness, a good acclimatization and a certain sense of adventure.
Actually the country provides an infinite variety of experiences according your level of experience and ambition, so we can offer different kinds of adventures, from short and relatively easy to longer and more strenuous. In all case during the trek you will go through wonderful landscapes.
Among these possibilities offered by the country we have selected about 20 itineraries, some are now popular and are advised for a first experience of trekking in the Himalaya, some others are more isolated and one will experience a truly delightful bond with nature far away from the civilisation.
Some places have now well developed mountain lodge systems and visiting these areas doesn’t require a big logistic: we provide porters, guides, permits, transports by land or by air, accommodations in lodges.
On some other itineraries in more remote areas we will have to bring cooking and camping equipments.
If you have time it is also possible to combine a trekking with a visit in Chitwan or Bardia for a safari. Do not hesitate to contact us for such a kind of program.
>>SEASON: The best seasons for trekking are autumn, from mid September until end November, and spring from mid March to mid May.
-Autumn: weather is clear and dry with mild to warm days and cold nights. In the higher altitude the nights drop into freezing temperatures. At this season the views are magnificent.
-Winter: beginning December until mid March: This is the coldest time, day time temperatures will be cooler and nights very cold (below 0 degre), days are generally clear but occasional winter storms can bring snow as low as 2500m. At this season trekking in high altitude is more challenging but on the very popular trails (Everest or Annapurnas) yo will enjoy a tranquil atmosphere.
-Spring: from mid March until mid May: morning is clear but afternoon clouds build up bring occasional showers. Day is a mix up with warm and rain which displays wildflowers like rhododendrons, it is also the time for rice planting.
-Summer (monsoon): trekking is difficult at this time and uncomfortable as the weather is hot and it rains almost every day. The trails become muddy and mountains are obscured by clouds.
At this time it is possible to trek in the Trans-Himalaya region of Mustang. Because of its geographical situation this region receives significantly less precipitation than the more southerly areas.
>>GRADE:
- Easy (*): short time (about 1 week) , altitude max below 3500 m, you carry only your personal belongings for the day like camera, water bottle … (5/6kg), the rest (sleeping bags , clothes …) are carried by porters. You walk between 3 and 5 hours a day.
Ex: Kathmandu Valley, Helambu trekking, Ghorepani trek. - Moderate (**): altitude max between 4000 and 4500 m, you carry only your personal belongings for the day (5/6k), the rest is carried by porters. You walk between 4 and 6 hours a day.
Ex: Annapurnas Sanctuary, Langtang/Gosainkund trek, Jiri to Lukla. - Moderate / Strenuous(***): Altitude sometimes above 5000 m, you walk between 5 and 7 hours a day, you carry only your personal belongings for the day (5/6kg), a good physical fitness is required.
Ex: Annapurnas round, Gokyo and Everest BC, Mustang trek.
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Strenuous (****): few days above 5000m, you can walk sometimes more than 8 hours in remote areas, you can carry complementary equipment with your personal belongings, a strong physical fitness is required. Ex: Dolpo trek, Manaslu trek, Dhaulagiri round trek, Tilicho pass, Ganja la pass.
Nepal has now well-developed mountain lodge systems in the Solu Khumbu, Annapurna and Langtang areas. Each lodge is, for the most part, owned and managed by a single family. As long as you don't expect star quality facilities you should be pleasantly surprised and happy with both the food and accommodation along the trekking route. Accomodation is quite basic with small bedrooms, shared bathroom facilities often outside and meals are served in a communal dining hall. When it is possible we advise this kind of trek, it is also cheaper than a camping trek.
>>CAMPING TREKKING:
On this kind of trek you sleep and eat in tent. The trekking crew is formed with a guide (the local trek leader), Sherpa assistant, one cook and a kitchen crew, and porters. For the bathroom facilities we use toilet tent, kerosene is used for the meal (wood is rare) and we burn litter, we encourage our staff to take out all the litter we can not burn to minimize the impact on land and culture.
Meals and drinking water: the cook and his crew prepare a variety of local and western dishes; as good health is vital to an enjoyable and successful trek all food are well cooked and vegetables treated with by iodine. Boiled water is served for drinking and purified water for toilet. The leader is able to make a strict control on hygiene in the kitchen.
This kind of trekking is more expensive than a lodge/tea house trek because it requires a bigger logistic.
-During the day you bring with you one bottle of boiled and purified water.
-On the itinerary we bring with us a medical kit for the local staff , this medical kit can be used also for the customers but we advise you to bring your personnal medicine.
-On some itinerary we can also bring a pressure bag but it will increase the price of the trip, so we prefer to discuss with you about such an option according your experience and level.
-In case of evacuation helicopter will take off only if we can show to the rescue companie your personal insurance taken in your country ( accident, repatriation). So you have to bring with you an insurance certificate witch has to cover all the expenses in case of rescue.
-Daily day routine on a camping trek :
-You are woken up with a cup of tea at around 6.am followed by a small bowl of warm water for you to wash. Before breakfast, you should pack up your gear and put it in a porter`s kit bag and ensure that your tent is free of personnal belongings. Your duffel bag will be taken by your sherpa and tied up with other gears into a load, which heads off early with the porters and will be available at the end of the day at the next camp. We hit the trail by 7.30am and step for lunch around 12 o`clock for 1 and half hour. The afternoon will be shorter and we camp by 4-5 pm. These timings depend of the general conditions like weather, suitable camp sites and water supply. The evening meal is served around 7 pm inside the dining tent furnished with pressurized lantern, table and chairs. After dinner the guide will brief you on the next day`s trekking and you can retire in your tents. Every camp is provided with with a simple but hygienic toilet tent.
>>CURRENT EQUIPMENT FOR A TREKKING IN NEPAL
-one small rucksack (30/40 l) for your belongings you will carry during the day
-one sleeping bag (confort temperature around -10°C)
-one light mattress
-1 long pant + windproof trouser
-one tight
-1 fast drying t-shirt + another t-shirt + 1 long sleeved shirt
-polypropylene socks
-trekking shoes + tennis shoes
-wind proof jacket (type goretex) + polarwool jacket or fleece
-sweater type polartec
-wooly hat, scarf, gloves, sun hat
-sun glasses
-water bottle
-head torch with batteries and bulbs
-penknife with scissors
-pole(s)
-gaiter
-first aid kit (see fact about traveller)
-wash kit ( soap, tooth paste and tooth brush)
-book, phrase book, photos of home and family (for breaking the ice), camera
>>PORTER TREKKING POLICY
we appreciate the hard work our guides and porters perform, without them your trip would not be possible. Therefore we treat and obey the following Guide and Porter Policy to ensure the working conditions of our guides and porters are of a humane and fair standard. We continue to strive towards eliminating avoidable illness, injury and death. We ask that you follow our guidelines for ethical trekking and treat them as you would like to be treated yourself, after all they are only human.
- All our Guides and Porters receive Medical care when ill or injured.
- We provide basic accommodation for our guides and porters or tent with sleeping gear we also provided them food and warm drinks.
- We have insurance policies for each of our employees.
- We provide appropriate clothing for each season and altitude, ensuring protection from cold, rain and snow. This means windproof jackets, trousers, fleece jackets, long johns, suitable footwear, socks, hat, gloves and sunglasses.
- We never overload our porters, for us it’s not all about making money. We thrive on being able to employ local people; we respect and treat each and every one them as we would expect to be treated with the up most respect.