READER STORY
Trekking in Nepal is affordable, accessible and safe. If you’re a keen hiker looking for a new adventure, book your ticket to Kathmandu! We asked two intrepid readers to share their experiences.
Louise Patterton (the expert) and Annéne Maré (the beginner) share stories about trekking solo in Nepal.
Which hikes have you done? The first three hikes I did spanned a 20-year period in my life, but since 2017 I’ve gone back every year. My first trek was the Annapurna Circuit in 1998 (260 km, 18 days); a decade later I trekked to Gokyo Ri, also known as Gokyo Peak, in Everest National Park (150 km, 10 days) and in 2017 I did the Lower Mustang region and sections of the Annapurna Circuit again (170 km, 10 days). In 2018, I went back to Gokyo Ri, but on a different route to my previous trek (200 km, 12 days); and this year I did the Langtang Trek and sections of the
Tamang Heritage Trek (200 km, 12 days). My day usually looks like this: Get up at 6 am, have some bread and tea, set off at 7 am, walk for 3 – 5 hours, reach a village, choose a teahouse and a room, and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Why Nepal? It’s affordable – you can get by on less than R400 per day – and the mountains are stunning. It’s a tiny country, but it’s home to eight of the world’s fourteen summits that are higher than 8 000 m. The cultural experience is equally special: You experience so many different
ethnicities, religions and building styles during a two-week trek. The trekking infrastructure is excellent – there’s usually a village every few kilometres where you can overnight in a teahouse, so there’s no need to carry a tent, mattress, stove or food.
I have also found Nepal to be a safe country. Best of all, you can get a visa upon arrival. Just make sure you have a few passport photos and the visa fee ready (US$50/R750 for 30 days). Oh, there are also yaks on the trail. How cool is that?
Your favourite hike? Trekking in Everest National Park guarantees non-stop mountain views, and the flight to Lukla is exciting.
The Annapurna Circuit offers more cultural interaction, and daily changes of scenery. Tamang and Langtang are quieter, and cheaper, while still presenting superb mountain vistas. One of my favourite places is the traditional village of Kagbeni (Lower Mustang), next to the Kali Gandaki River. Gatlang on the Tamang Heritage Trek is another quiet village with friendly people and panoramic views. In Khumjung in Everest National Park – a sunny Sherpa settlement – you can lie in your bed and stare at Ama Dablam (6 812 m) all day long.
Why solo? The big advantage is the freedom to choose how long I want to stay in one spot. If I arrive in a beautiful village with interesting side trips, I’ll stay a few extra days.
I spent three nights in Kagbeni, for example, and wandered to neighbouring villages to watch school kids playing soccer with Buddhist monks. In Khumjung, I was the only trekker in one of the teahouses, so I got to eat dinner with the owner in his kitchen. He told me how he’d summited Everest as a Sherpa, and how he works in a cheese factory in Switzerland during the trekking off season.
If you’re on your own and flexible, you can often get a room at a discounted rate, and people are more willing to share insider information about interesting places in the area.
How do you choose a hike? Choose any of the major hikes, then go back to do another one! Novice trekkers often ask: “Annapurna or Everest Base Camp?” Both are superb, and I’ll do them both again and again.
The Everest trek has no roads to disturb your walking; Annapurna does. On the other hand, Annapurna offers a greater variety of scenery and culture, with many traditional villages and monasteries.
The Langtang and Tamang treks are quieter than the two more popular treks above, and just as spectacular. It really doesn’t matter which trek you choose, unless you have a specific bucket-list goal like getting to Everest Base Camp or visiting Tilicho Lake (4 919 m above sea level) in the Annapurna region.
Pitfalls? The popular treks can get busy in high season – you might not easily find a bed if you arrive late to a village. This can be overcome if you start out earlier, or if you ask the previous lodge owner to phone the next village to book you a room.
Traveller’s diarrhoea is something to be aware of – it’s usually caused by drinking contaminated water. Water from village taps seems to be less contaminated than it was 20 years ago, but it’s still a good idea to use a purification system, or even just chlorine tablets. I always drink from mountain streams – it’s just something I enjoy and it’s probably a bad habit. Keep in mind that there could be a sheep carcass in the water source higher up. Pack your anti-diarrhoea medicine!
Acute mountain sickness, or AMS, is another risk. Previously known as altitude sickness, it can strike at elevations as low as 2 500 m. It’s vital that trekkers recognise the symptoms and know what to do if it happens. The best advice is to go slowly: Don’t ascend more than 500 m per day once you’re above 3 000 m, and build some rest days into your schedule so that you can acclimatize. I’ve seen many trekkers getting ill at 4 000 m because they climbed too high too fast. AMS is serious and often requires urgent medical assistance and sometimes even chopper evacuation. There’s no shame in turning back if you’re not feeling well; the symptoms will often disappear at lower altitude and you might be able to resume your trek when you feel better.
What can hikers expect at the teahouses? Accommodation is basic, but there’s no reason to complain. Getting a room is simple: You arrive in a village and choose a teahouse to stay at. Each usually has space for 20 – 40 hikers. You’re expected to eat at the teahouse you’re staying at – not at the teahouse your friends are at, for example. The rooms are cheap, and meals are their biggest source of income.
Most rooms have two beds, each with a pillow, sheet and blanket. There’s usually an electric light, a window with a curtain, and a door that can lock. If there are enough rooms available, you won’t be expected to share.
During high season, hikers may need to share a room or sleep on a mattress in the dining area. Some rooms have a private bathroom, but most share communal facilities. Bathrooms vary: I’ve had piping hot showers and I’ve also had cold showers, with the option of purchasing a big bucket of hot water for about Rs150 (R20). Your loo might be a long drop or a Westernstyle toilet. Don’t put your toilet paper into the bowl, rather use the bin provided. Most toilets have a water-filled bucket next to the toilet. This, combined with a deft left hand, makes for a very refreshing ablution experience. I kid you not: Water trumps t-paper!
Meals are enjoyed in a communal dining area. Prices are similar between teahouses in the same village, but they rise as you trek higher. Pasta that costs about Rs350 (R50) at a lower elevation might cost Rs650 (R85) higher up. There’s usually lots to choose from: soups, burgers, pasta, stir-fry, fried rice, even yak steak…
The local meal is known as dal bhat (rice, lentils, vegetables and a poppadom) and you should try it at least once. It’s what gives the porters their boundless energy, and you can usually eat as much as you like; refills are often given before your plate is finished!
Some places have Wi-Fi (included in the room rate, or extra) and almost all have either an electric outlet in each bedroom, or a communal charging point in the dining room. Daily room and food rates depend on how much you eat: I budget US$30 (R450) per day in Everest National Park and US$20 (R300) per day when I’m doing a less “touristy” trek, such as Tamang.
Are the routes signposted? What about safety? Paths are well marked and easy to walk on. This is not wilderness hiking. Many of the trails are used by seven-year-olds running to school, or by grandmas in flip-flops collecting wood. You can get good maps in Kathmandu. The hardest part was carrying my heavy pack up steep sections, or when negotiating the thousands of stone steps (up and down) that you’ll find wherever you go. On popular routes you’re never really alone: porters, yaks, pony herders, local people and other trekkers usually pass you from both sides.
The biggest safety issue is the possibility of AMS, as mentioned previously. This illness still kills uninformed trekkers every year.
Hiking permits? You need two permits: A Trekkers’ Information Management Systems (TIMS) card, and the permit for the region you’re in. The TIMS card costs about US$20 (R300); area permits are US$20 – US$30 (R300 – R450).
Permits can be obtained at the Tourism Board office within walking distance of the Thamel tourist area in Kathmandu, or via one of the travel agencies in Thamel. Permits require passport photos, so it’s a good idea to arrive in Kathmandu with at least eight such photos. You can get a permit while you’re trekking, but you’ll likely be charged double.
How do you get around? Buses go everywhere, except where there are no roads! You can also catch a ride in a jeep, or in a shared taxi. Bus fare is cheap: about Rs700 (less than R100) for a full-day journey. You won’t get very far in a day: Roads are bad and traffic is slow; it can take up to seven hours to travel less than 300 km. Your hotel in Kathmandu can organise your travel tickets, or go to any travel agent in the capital – there are hundreds of little travel shops in the tourist area of Thamel.
If the trailhead of your chosen trek is far from a road, you might need to catch a domestic flight, or even a helicopter if money is not an issue. You need to fly from Kathmandu to Lukla to do the Everest Base
Camp Trek, for example, as there are no roads to Lukla.
If you have more time than money, or for some reason you don’t want to fly, you could always take a bus as far as the road goes and walk the rest of the distance to the trailhead. This would take several extra days if you wanted to get to Lukla. (Tenzing-Hillary Airport there is known as the world’s most dangerous airport – I often sit at the fence and watch the planes coming and going. The runway is only 530 m long, with a sheer drop on one side and a mountain wall on the other…)
On two occasions I’ve also ridden pillion on the back of a motorbike to get to the next village. The Annapurna Circuit now has a negotiable dirt road linking many villages, and when a young man stopped his Royal Enfield next to me and said, “Hop on, Madam”, I couldn’t help but accept the 10 km ride to the village. It was fun, and I gave him some petrol money so he could fill his tank.
On another occasion, I asked a lodge owner if he could organise transport to the next village as I simply couldn’t stomach the five-hour uphill slog on that particular day. He fetched his own bike and off we went!
The best time to hike in Nepal? Any time except summer (June to September). It’s too wet – think landslides, leeches, poor visibility… The most popular trekking months are October and November: great weather, clear skies, and the nights are not too chilly.
Another popular month is April – it’s warmer than October but with a greater chance of rain. Still, it’s my favourite month. If I had the time, I would hike from February to April.
I have also done a Nepal trek in December, and although the nights were very cold (frozen water; ice on the trail early in the morning), the days were awesome. Even though you’re in the Himalayas, no month is too cold for trekking, provided you have a good sleeping bag and warm jacket.
Useful websites? Search tripadvisor.com for “Kathmandu” or “Nepal” and have a look at the forums. There’s a lot of excellent feedback there from experienced trekkers and expats living in the capital.
Your next Nepalese adventure? I’m going again in December 2020. I haven’t decided on a trek yet, but chances are I’ll head to Mount Everest National Park again. I’ll only decide on the actual route and the villages I want to visit when I’m there, or even on the fly. That’s the big advantage of the solo experience: You can change your mind on a whim.
People are welcome to contact me via Facebook. Happy trekking! Namaste!