General Information
Eight out of world's ten highest mountains lie in Nepal , and the foot hills of these mountains are the place to find  some of the best trekking trails in the world.There are hundreds of  treks   to choose, one better than other. Some take you to the lovely ethnic settlements  in th remote  villages, some take you to  the base camp of these very  mountains and some are just wilderness treks , but common in all these  is  the great mountain views.

For many, a Himalaya trek is a dream  since long ago, a story heard in childhood or in school days.The region is so beautiful that none of you will be disappointed if you choose the right trip and visit in right season.

Many of you may come to Nepal to  see the high mountains  but once you are here you will discover so much more. Nepal's rich cultural heritage, friendly ethnic people and rich flora and fauna will keep you in their spell.That is why so many trekkers can not resist visiting Nepal again and again.

The best treks

There are many treks famous for their own  reasons.Some are famous for great mountain views, some for the natural beauties along the route, some for remote and exotic Tibetan villages and some for  amazing wildflowers.So the best trek for you depends on what is your interest, which season yu want to visit and for how long.If you provide us with these facts, we will suggest the best possibility for you.

The Annapurna and Everest area are obviously  the most popular regions for trekking .However , there are many other regions with amazing treks.Also, there are many exotic and unexplored areas .See our home page for a detailed list of  trekking areas .

 The best  trekking season

The time without snow and without rainfall is the best time to visit mountain trail. That said October to  early December and
March to May are the best season. This again depends on  which  area you want to visit.For example there are some very good treks that are done on relatively low altitudes and they can be done even in January(as there will be no snow there).  Likewise wildflower treks and also Mustang trek and Dolpo treks in rain shadow zones  are best done during summer days of July and August.

Trekking styles(Tea house or Camping trek)

The popular  trekking routes of Everest, Annapurna and Langtang have lodges at frequent stops .We can have lunch or stay for night in these lodges.A trek in which we use these lodges for our food and accomodation is called tea house trekking.Originally, before trekking was introduced in Nepal, there were small tea shops in the place where we have lodges now,  serving tea and  snacks for the local villagers travelling from one place  to otheres , hence the name " tea house."

Unlike this , a fully supported trek in which we carry all our foods and equipments  is called camping trek or an organised trek.In such a trek our sherpa crew will make the tents for you and our cook will prepare  all the meals .

A typical trekking day

 We start the day around 6 a.m. with a cup of hot tea in your  tent . You are then provided with a bowl of warm water for washing. After breakfast we begin the  trek around 7.30 , the trek continues   at a leisurely pace stopping for views and taking photographs.You carry a small back pack containg your personal goods that you need during the day. The porters and Yaks will carry the rest.After a walk of about 3 hours we stop for lunch .It lasts for about 1.5 hours .After another session of walking for 3 to 4 hours we reach our camp , which is often a scenic spot.While the guests drink tea and biscuits  our sherpa crew will fix the tents  for you.You relax or walk around the camp. Around 6-7 PM you will have your dinner, talk over the day's events and look forward to another special day on the himalayan trail.

Equipments and clothing

The equipments and clothing list below is for a relatively longer trek involving a cold high altitude destination. If you are doing a short trek to a relatively low alritude you may not need all these. Besides You can hire or buy most of the items in KathmanduThis list here  is not the  final and authoritative checklist , rather it is just to remind you those essential items for your comfort and convenience.Your own personal preferences for clothings are also equally good.

Trekking Permit:
Everest, Annapurna, Langtang and Rara regions do not require a trekking ,,however you will need to pay  a National park / Conservation fee. However, these following special areas  do require a trekking permit:

1 Lower Dolpo and Kanchenjunga - Equivalent to US$ 10 per person per week for the first four weeks and US$ 20 per week thereafter.
2 Manaslu – US$ 90 per person per week for trekking during Sept- Nov and US$ 75 per week during December- August.
3 Humla- US$ 90 per person for the first seven days and US$ 15 per day thereafter.
4 Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpo - US$ 700 per person of the first ten days and US$ 70 per person per day thereafter.

Note:
An entrance fee is levied for visits to all National Parks and Conservation Areas. There is no charge for children under 10 years

Altitude sickness
Higher altitude have lesser oxygen in the air. If you ascend the mountains quickly your body is not adjusted to  that low level of oxygen which results with symptoms of loss of appetite, nausea , bad dreams , lack of sleep etc. In serious cases vomitting and other symptoms appear and results in immediate  death.There is no medicine to cure altitude sickness.

Generally altitude sickness attacks  from an altitude of 3000 m.If you do not ascend more than three hundred meter per day from this height onward , you are unlikely to have any problem. Once you have the symptoms , the best and only treatment to do is immediately descend down.You will be perfectly ok.Each and every cases of altitude sickness  is preventable, if you just inform your guide as soon as you experience  some symptoms.In many cases people simply do not care or just hide the symptoms  for the fear that their group member will find him/her unfit , or  for a mistaken wish to continue together.
People of every age groups are succeptible , while people having heart and breadthing problems need more precaution.

In all our treks we give first priority to safety. All our guides have good knowledge of altitude sickness and brief you well before the trek starts. They will frequently check if you have any symptoms and you can best help them informing in time.  In serious cases after descending down to required height  they will request for helicopter rescue and you will be evacuated to Kathmandu. In all the longer treks we have acclimatisation days , which are the days to relax and adjust the body to the new height.