Trekking in Nepal

Popularly, there are two kinds of trekking offered by the various trekking agencies.

One type of trek has the participants staying overnight in the fine network of tea houses . The more expensive alternative is to hire staff for a camping based trek .The major trekking regions that appeal to most visitors to Nepal are in the Everest and Annapurna regions.

Tea House Trekking

The tea house based trekking expedition is the most comfortable and has far less impact on the delicate ecology of these regions. Less staff is needed to bring along tents , cooking and other gear so this is far more expensive then staying in the network of tea houses. Also of note is that one is the supporting the local economy if one stays at the tea houses . The alternative however is the camping style trek. As noted earlier it expensive to organize compared to the tea house based trek.

A Nepalese tea house is a combination of guest house, restaurant, and social hang out. Private rooms are available in most tea houses, except for when one reaches high altitudes where housing will be in more of a dormitory style sleeping quarters . The lodges are fairly basic. The rooms are spare with twin beds and very little additional furniture. Most bathrooms are shared and toilets are rustic. Some locales will have either squat type or the western version. Most of the tea houses have running water facilities . Many of them have hot water available for bathing. We discourage our groups for ecological reasons from using water heated by wood however as a lack of firewood in most villages is a big environmental concern in Nepal. There is normally no electric lighting in the rooms unless the village has hydroelectric power. The dining room usually has solar lighting. Some teahouses now also have electricity for charging small appliances - mobile phones and cameras - and there may be a small charge for this.

Major Tea house Trek Route in Nepal are 

• Annapurna Trekking
• Everest Trekkng
• Langtang Trekking

Camping Trekking

In camping trekking you spend your overnight inside of tents. Normally the site will be located nearby a small village or a yak khark (pasture land). If interested in a camping trek there will be a small group of hired support who are the trekking crew. It includes guide, cook, kitchen boys and required number of helpers based on one’s group size. At the camp site the kitchen group will cook all food according to some choices and will be in charge of serving you. We will arrange a cook who is experienced in Nepali, Continental and Indian cuisines. Normally we manage all crew members from Kathmandu. As for managing paying for the support of a number of trekking and cooking staff and arranging camping equipment and food it is to be noted that camping trekking is obviously much more expensive than choosing the ease associated with tea house trekking.

Major Camping Trek Route in Nepal

• Upper Mustang Trekking
• Kanchenjunga trekking
• Dolpa Trekking

Grades of difficulty

Grade: I - low altitude and easy walking.

Grade: II - mid-range altitude (3,000m-4000m) with some high altitude climbs. It requires good health and physical fitness.

Grade: III - takes you to high altitudes (4000m +) and over mountain passes. Requires a high level of physical fitness.

Grade: IV - is strenuous and requires experience and mountaineering skills. Excellent physical fitness required. Time will be spent at altitudes of over 5,000m.

Annarpuan Region (Trek): What is Annapurna and what to expect in that area? : Annapurna , in the western part of Nepal is as popular as the Everest region for tourists. This trip provides the spectacular panoramic view of the Annapurna Himalaya mountain range, the greenery jungle, (full of uphil l and down hill beautiful mountain,) beautiful little settlements in front of the mountains attracts every one. Machhapuchhre is one of the most famous mountains in the western part of the Himalayas . “Machhapuchhre” means fishtail and comes from two Nepali words Machha (Fish) +Puchhre (Tail). This is a holy mountain in this region. A beautiful lake, Phewatal is situated in Pokhara city and you may take a row boat and spend hours on the lake, you might even see the reflection of Fishtail in the lake Phewatal . Mainly the lower parts of the Annapurna region are settled by Brahamans, Chhetris, and Gurungs. From Kaligandaki Valley to Jomsom is settled mostly by Thakalis. The upper part of this region is settled by Tibetans who migrated from Tibet a long time ago. Kagbeni and Mustang is very beautiful area. Mustang is a kingdom that still has king and Queen living there. Mustang is situated close to the Tibetan border so this area looks exactly like. According to the viewpoint of religion, upper parts of this valley are Buddhist and the lower parts are mixture of Buddhists and Hindus. Except for the Mustang area, the other parts of this region are economy area for tourist comparing to Everest region.

Everest Region Trek (Little note): All over the world, everyone knows that Mt. Everest is the Top of the World. It lies in northern Nepal in the Himalayan district of Solukhumbu. Solukhumbu is known as the capital of the Sherpas. “Sagarmatha” is the Nepali name for Mt. Everest; the Sherpas and Tibetans call Mt. Everest Chomolungma, which means mother of the goddess. This is one of the most beautiful mountain regions in the world. This region gives the finest and most magnificent view of the mountains. From the religious viewpoint, Solukhumbu has a mixture of Buddhists and Hindus. Sherpas follow the Buddhist religion so normally every Sherpa village has a monastery. In Nepal, the Sherpas have beautiful settlements in front of mountains which are very beautiful and their culture and religions makes more beauty in their country side. At present the main entrance for Everest is Lukla where a small airport is available. It takes about 37 minutes to fly to Lukla from Kathmandu. This flight is very scenic and beautiful. To enter to the Everest region the National Park fee is $13 which is payable in local money (Rupees 1000). This price will be included in the trip price.