Trekking in Nepal

Trekking in Nepal – a complete guide for your successful trekking trip. 

Before you resume trekking in Nepal you need to know about geography, culture, people, history, nature, and trekking trails. So, which trek do you want to do? What trekking gear do you need to prepare? How difficult are the trekking trails that you are choosing? Is there well availability of food and accommodations? If you keep such a questionnaire in your mind that will be pretty much better to organize yourself a perfect trekking site for your lifetime experience.

There are varieties of trekking trails in Nepal, they are Everest Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Circuit Trek, Manaslu Circuit Trek, and Upper Mustang Trek, Upper Dolpo Trek, Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek, Langtang Valley Trek, etc.  These trekking routes are categorized as easy trek, moderate trek, and difficult trek as per the altitude and geographical phenomenon.

Undoubtedly, in your mind, a question may create why I'm trekking in Nepal. And the answer is there, for my physical fitness, for a peaceful mind, connection with Mother Nature, healing my mind with the holy Himalayan spirit and the main fact is to explore a heavenly world on the different planet on earth. In addition, you may also have the question of how do I choose the right trekking trail in Nepal? It is clear that first you check all the trekking sites in Nepal and choose a trail that might be fit for your physical because all, trekking routes give you the most thrilling enjoyment with the silver shine snowcapped mountains. Importantly people need to analyze how much adventure passion they have in their hearts might differ in the selection of trekking points.

Trekking in Nepal blog provides you a way of preparation for your upcoming trip in Nepal as the Himalayas are opened up with a new zenith of awareness mixed up by mental relaxation, physical challenge, and the spiritual elite inspired by the breathtaking scenery and extraordinary encountered by the human heart. Especially, different trekking paths offer a different range of difficulties, lengths, and days to summit. Indeed some trekking trips are taken just a day of hiking and others may take many days and high exploration through the altitude passes. It all depends on you which trekking routes you prefer for your adventure dream to fulfill.

Trekking can be shorter or longer, as easy or difficult as per your wish but there should be a strong will in you that makes your adventure passion worthy and successful. If you do well prepare and choose the right trekking place for your adventure journey makes your trip fruitful and memorable as there are two types of the trek in Nepal where you stay in small guest houses (tea houses) and fully organized camping treks. Thin Air Adventure is a government-authorized trekking company serving clients for a long time in Nepal. We are the trekking team of experienced and professional fellows who mostly focus on our guests' safety, pleasure, and worthy vacation.        

Trekking in Nepal covers all the trekking routes in Nepal, updates, recommendations, popular trekking trips, the beaten path, and more trekking sites.  Definitely, there are numbers of trekking and climbing routes of different lengths, easiness, moderate, and difficulty and thousands of trekkers and mountaineers are attracted by the beauty of snowcapped mountains. hikers do hike up to the base camp of mountains and climbers summit the top of the different mountains, such as the Everest Expedition, Manaslu Expedition, Annapurna Expedition, Cho Yu Expedition,  Ama Dablam Expedition, Makalu Expedition, Lhotse Expedition, and Kanchenjunga Expedition and Island Peak Expedition and Mera Peak Expeditions and many more.    

Best Time for Trekking in Nepal

Normally Nepal has four seasons: spring (March-May), summer (June - August), autumn (September – November), and winter (December – February). Particularly spring and autumn are the most prominent seasons for treks and tours in Nepal. The climate is pleasant, the weather is quite good and the temperature is convenient for hiking, as it is neither too hot nor too cold or wet. Travelers who want to behold the combinations of greenery and white snowcapped mountains clearly better choose to trek in autumn and if want to observe silver-capped mountains with rhododendron flowers recommended to choose the spring season.

Summer is the rainy season in Nepal so, is raining heavily and there might be landslides in the mountains and views will be totally close by the clouds and the trails will be wet as well as leeches are on the way so, it will not much enjoy your trip in the mountain trekking. Conversely, if anybody wants to do a trip to Nepal they have the best trekking destinations are the Upper Mustang Trek and Dolpo Trek, and Rara Lake tour as those places are known as the desert of Nepal and if you be there at this time your mind will be attracted by the greenery of terrace green fields of buckwheat and other mountain flowers.

On the other hand, winter is the cold season in Nepal. It is too cold in the mountains, and snow in the Himalayan regions, that is why it is inconvenient to do the hike in the winter, also many tea houses will be closed and only a few tea houses are opening so that it will not be comfortable for the accommodations and foods. 

Moreover, some people prefer to trek in winter because the trail will not be crowded. Clearly, for the peaceful lover, winter hiking is the best suitable trekking trip but none guaranteed your successful trip it is because there might be thick snow on the way and the trail may be closed.  

April and October are the peak time for trekking in Nepal, most of the trails get full of trekkers and even sometimes it is difficult to manage accommodations, hikers may need to use the dining room to sleep. But it is sure that in October you can see the clear combinations of White Mountains greenery of terrace rice fields and clear blue sky. April is another best time for trekking in Nepal as you can see the combination of majestic mountains view and beautiful rhododendron flowers. 

Most recommended trekking sites in Nepal

There are more than hundreds of trekking trails in Nepal which are feet for most adventurous trekkers to novice trekkers. The most adventure trek in Nepal is the Great Himalayan Trek which leads from the east to west of Nepal. Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Base Camp Trek are the most popular trek among people in the world. Everything in this area gets systematic in comparison with other treks, infrastructures are well managed and can be done independently.

Everest Region Trekking

         Annapurna Region Trek

There are off the beaten path for trekking in Nepal that greatly present the adventure and mountain beauty with a more peaceful than a crowded trek, those great trekking trails are mentioned below which you can study for your reference help to plan your adventurous trek in Nepal.

FIT vs Guided Trekking

We highly recommend guided trekking in Nepal because people need to walk through the rocky trails through the thick forests and you may miss your track and lost in the jungle. There are many free trekkers lost in the trekking area because of unknown geography and unknown trails. So, mountains are the most beautiful fact in the world but there will be the risk too as if you are lost on the way there will not be anyone to rescue you and anything can happen. But some people are doing trek solo without any guide and porter, it all depends on you whether you want to take a risk or do the comfortable trek. If you want to do a solo trek independently, you must have a good knowledge of the trekking route that you have chosen. You must have well prepared to summit the trek and must know about the possible risk on the way, for example, the risk of altitude sickness, possible accidents on the way, and the probability of losing the way. As you can take the online sources for trekking itineraries but sometime it will be different than reality.

Furthermore, there are many trekking agencies in Nepal but you must choose the government-authorized company which is fully responsible for the safety and legally for everything. You can book your trip through your home with no risk, and I would like to recommend you to book you through Thin Air Adventure which is the best-recommended trekking company by the people, it has a long history in the sector of tourism in Nepal. Thin Air provides you reasonable prices with well-managed accommodations, well English-spoken trekking, tour guide, porters, and all the transportation starting your trip to your end. We focus on safety first, so that you just fix your date for your trip to Nepal we will arrange your good management for a successful trip in Nepal.

 

Possibility of Altitude Sickness and its prevention

Though it is interesting and exciting to do hiking in the mountain areas, we have to be aware of its level of risk. Indeed, it's significant that everybody can get sick not just the unfit or aged people, the fact is younger and well-fit hikers may get sick more often because of less caring in their hike or sometimes they tend to be food poison and water problem it is because everyone should focus on their caring by themselves. Acclimatization is needed in higher altitude places to adjust your body to the altitude of higher mountains.

Acute Mountain Sickness reflects in different stages of it. It is a mild form of sickness caused by reduced oxygen levels in higher places. Furthermore, people may affect at an altitude of 2500 meters from sea level and the main symptoms of AMS are dizziness, headache, difficulty in breathing, and tiredness.

The reason behind getting AMS;

  • Ascend faster in the mountains. It might be the cause of faster walking in the mountains without rest even not stay in the recommended venue.
  • Less rest and sleep
  • Not drinking enough water at the higher altitude which recommended to drink at least 1 – 5 liter of water.
  • Heart or Lungs related health problems.
  • People who are staying at sea level and those people who are trekking at a higher altitude might get easy altitude sickness.

There are two types of AMS, they are HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema), and HACE (high altitude cerebral edema), HAPE, fluid accumulation in the lungs needs serious treatment with the sufficient supplement of oxygen which may not always be available in the mountains. The best way, if get the symptoms of altitude sickness decent as soon as possible and you might get medicine from your guide because they have a First Aid Kit. Get down how much you can rather than push yourself up. HACE is a medical condition in which the brain swells with fluid because of the psychological effects of ascending up to the mountains generally appears ill in people who are affected by the AMS and involves lethargy, nausea, and disorientation among other symptoms.

Prevention for Acute Mountain Sickness

  • Eat enough food and drink sufficient water.
  • Walk slow balance energy in your body and acclimatized
  • Stay away from Dehydration, never let your body dry, and make sure that you are drinking water as your body needs.
  • Rest: Make enough rest on your way.  
  • If needed take Diamox but you need to continue Diamox once you started.       

Transportation in Nepal     

Local buses, tourist buses, private vehicles, and flights are available in Nepal. Local buses fair is cheaper and flying is the most expensive but faster way to get to the destination. From Kathmandu domestic airport you can fly to Lukla (gateway to Everest Base Camp Trek), local flights are not cheap as you need to pay 150 USD for a 30 minutes flight to Kathmandu Pokhara. Kathmandu to Lukla flight charge USD 190 only for a single 30 minutes flight.

Local buses and minibusses are better but it takes a long time to get to the targeted destination.  The main demerits to taking the local bus are to wait for a long time even for a 100 meters you may need to wait for an hour, they waited for the passengers until the buses get full and secondly they take much time to pick up and drop the passengers. Thirdly they make many stops even for the 30 minutes destinations for lunch and snacks. Other things they play loud music for 4 to 5 hours continually. Anyway, it will also be a unique experience to take a local bus for your trip.

For your quick operation to the destination without a hassle, you can use the tourist buses. These buses provide you with a nice service but they are more expensive. It will take 6 to 7 hours from Pokhara to Kathmandu.  It is better to take a private vehicle as you will have comfortable travel and can stop as per your wish.

Many roads in the country are not better it is under development, and still, need to improve many more. In the rainy season, roads get muddy and difficult move here and there. Taxis are the most used means of transportation in cities. It will take USD 10 to get to the hotel from the airport but it depends on the number of passengers.

Accommodation in the trekking areas

In the Everest and Annapurna region treks have quite good facilities compared with other trekking trails. On the beaten path, you get fewer facilities and sometimes need to stay in a tent by the campsites. Most of the guest houses in the Annapurna Base Camp Trek and Everest region treks provide hot showers, electricity, and WI – FI and some guests provide western flush toilets, charging batteries are also available.

Food on the Treks

Different kinds of foods you can get in trekking sites depend on the area. In the Annapurna province trek and Everest region treks provide quite an impressive menu providing all types of foods. You can get Italian, Chinese, Korean and some western cuisine in the area of Namche Bazaar, Ghandruk, and Manang have German bakeries items.

If you choose the remote areas trekking trails you are not supposed to be expected well accommodations and food. Lifestyles of the beaten treks are still poor and the availability of the foods is very limited, in these are you may get Dalbhat Nepali traditional food, noodles, and rice dishes. For the vegetarian, you will get vegetables. Basically, you will not get meat items or fish items in remote areas. For breakfast people usually take eggs and bread with tea.

Locally available foods

Dal Bhat: Most Nepali people use Dalbhat for their lunch and dinner and the main ingredients of Dalbhat are mixed boiled rice, lentils, and curry.

Gurung Bread: It is like Chapati but deep fried in oil may not be much healthier but more appetite. You may get dry meats fried in the oil mixed up with some spicy items but it is quite expensive.

Chapati: This is the thin bread made of water and flour and is usually used for breakfast.

MOMOS: It is the local version of dumplings made with potatoes and Yak cheese, it tastes really the best.

Availability of safe drinking water in the trekking area

It is better to buy mineral water or safe drinking water on the trekking trip because if you drink water from the tap you may get diarrhea it is not because of dirty water but it may be hard than you are using in your place. Never drink unfiltered water direct from a tap or stream. While you are reaching up to the higher place you need to pay a higher price for water. In the mountain area, you will not get mineral water in the plastic bottles because of pollution, so you can get safe drinking water in those places so that it is easy to fulfill in your water bottle.

Hiking Gears in Nepal

Kathmandu is the main place to get hiking gear at a reasonable price where you can get cheaper and more expensive trekking gear as per your buying capacity. You can get rented and sell trekking gear in the Thamel area, even you can buy second-hand trekking gear used by the other trekkers or climbers. North Face, Mountain Hardwear, and some other branded shops sell original gears. It is better to buy hiking shoes and jackets in your places.

Apart from trekking, you can do some other activities in Nepal

Normally in the mindset of people, Nepal is only for trekking zones but if you think in that way it will be an injustice for Nepal because there are so many other places to visit. You can do sightseeing around the Kathmandu valley, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa and Swoyambhunath Stupa are still there to explore. You can set your destination for Kathmandu – Chitawan – Lumbini and Pokhara luxuries city tour.

Visa on arrival in Nepal

Basically, all nationality gets an arrival visa for entry to Nepal. During the peak season, there might be crowded airports so you can fill up the application online. It takes some time to fill up the form and needs to wait for a long wait in the queue as there are only 5 machines available. After you fulfill your visa form you need to go to the counter by print and pay the visa charge. You can get 3 types of visas are 15 days visa (USD 30) 30 days visa (USD 50) and a 90 days visa you have to pay (USD 125).

Note: Visas paid in USD.

Currency in Nepal

Nepalese rupee (NPR) is the authentic currency in Nepal and the exchange rate is up and down. For the exchange, you can use a money exchange center where you can exchange Euro, British Pound, HKD, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, and many other countries currencies.  ATM cards are also can be used and you can pay via card in the city areas.

Trekking Permits

It should be noted that if you are doing a trek independently or with a guide for most trekking trails inside the national park you need to permit to enter that area and for many treks you need TIMS (Trekkers Information Card). For the Everest Base Camp Trek, you need to take a permit to enter the Pasang Lhamu rural municipality in Lukla. For and Annapurna region trek you need to have ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Project Permit) and for the Upper Mustang, Dolpo, and Manaslu regions need a special trekking permit which is expensive.

In conclusion trekking in Nepal is the world-famous trekking and adventure destination for all trekkers from the world, once you experienced you can't wait for your next visit to the heavenly places of Nepal situated in the lap of the Holy Mountains of Nepal.

 

 

 

  

    

 

 

      

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