Nature Travel Nepal: Himalaya Trekking

In general, participants need to be at least 18 years old and need to have a basic level of English skills to understand the guide. Besides that it is very important for you to be in good physical shape without any physical ailments that would be a threat to you during the daily 4 to 6 hour-hikes that can be really demanding especially due to the high altitude. Therefore you will need a medical confirmation about your good health from your doctor. Moreover, you need to have health insurance, standard vaccinations (especially tetanus) and an evacuation cover in case of emergency (helicopter transport from remote areas). Besides that you only need to have fun doing outdoor activities and be motivated to do a lot of hiking in a stunning mountain setting.

The price includes your placement in the trip and your preparation for the journey. We will support you with your travel arrangements and help you with your choice of travel health insurance and your flight. Before departure you will receive detailed information material. After you arrived at the airport in Kathmandu, you will be picked up and brought to a guesthouse in the city where you will spend the night. Your stay in the guesthouse offers WiFi and provides you with breakfast. For the next day our project partner has planned a sightseeing tour in Kathmandu and also entry fees are included in the program cost. Moreover, the transfer to the starting point of your trekking tour as well as your accommodation and your daily meals during the tour will be included in the fees. Furthermore, costs for trekking permits and the entry in national parks will be included. During the course you will be guided by English speaking experienced guides and accompanied by a professional conservationist sharing information about conservation issues and Nepal’s nature during the trek. Along with the guides and the conservationist porters will be part of the trip and take care of carrying all the equipment and setting up the camps. After your trekking tour you will be transferred back to Kathmandu. In addition to that you will also receive a free travelling bag from our partner and a certificate after you have finished the tour. During your trip you will be supported 24/7.

To prepare for your Wilderness Experience in Nepal, you will need to refresh your standard vaccinations and especially need a tetanus vaccination. Moreover you should also bring your personal medical and first aid, e.g. containing medication against headache, cold/flu and some blisters.

In total the tour with arrival, sightseeing in Kathmandu and departure will take 13 days.

Besides your personal medical and first aid kit it is very important for you to bring good boots or walking shoes that should be well worn to avoid painful blisters. Moreover, you should bring comfortable trousers as jeans will rub and cause painful sore points. In addition to that you should bring a sufficient number of shirts/t-shirts, some spare trousers as well as shorts, socks, comfortable underwear, spare shoes or also sandals, thermal tops and leggings as well as a jersey or a polar fleece for colder times. You should also keep in mind that the weather may vary; therefore you also should bring a raincoat, gloves as well as a beanie or a warm hat and a sun hat. Besides that, towels and toiletries as well as a refillable 2-litre water bottle are important. In addition to that you may consider bringing some handy equipment like a head torch, a pocket knife, small solar panels, spare boot laces, sunglasses, some plastic bags to keep things dry and a cord that you can use as a washing line. Moreover you might also want to bring a book and you should definitely consider bringing a camera as the landscape is really stunning and you can take beautiful pictures!

After you arrived at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu you will be picked up and brought to a guesthouse in the capital city by a transport service of our project partners in Nepal. Also your transfer from Kathmandu to the location where your trekking tour begins will be organized and is included in the fees. After the trekking tour your transfer from your end point back to the capital city will also be organized and is included.

You will spend the first day after your arrival to do some sightseeing in Kathmandu with the group. important conservation issues for Nepal. On day 2 of your trip you will do your first trek of about 3 hours to the first camp. Within the following days you will do ascending hikes of 4 -6 hours to reach new camps every day and will rest and explore the region on day 6. On the following two days you will hike to higher altitudes for 3-4 hours every day and have another day off to rest and explore on day 9. After that on day 10 and 11 you will do descending hikes and depart on day 13.

In general you will start your days with a cup of coffee or tea that is brought to your tent at around 6 or 7am, followed by a bowl of warm water for washing. Before breakfast you will pack your kit bag that will be brought to the next camp for you by porters. After breakfast you will start your morning hike in the time span between 7:30 and 8:30am before you will have a lunch break of about two hours from 11am to 1pm. In the afternoon there will be another hike and you will reach the new camp at around 4am every day. The camp will be set, coffee and tea will be prepared and some warm water will again be served for washing. Dinner will in general be served at around at 6 or 7pm. In the evening you will have social and private time after your hikes. The trekking tour includes a special educational component: A professional conservationist, who already gave you the introductory lecture in Kathmandu, is going to accompany you and your group and – as part of further short lectures – teaches you more about the country’s flora and fauna as well as conservation issues being of great importance for Nepal.

The group size will vary between 6 and 16 people.

After your arrival in Kathmandu you will spend your first night in Nepal in a guesthouse where your will share a room with en-suite bathroom with another participant. During your trekking tour you will sleep in tents in camps that will be rebuild in a different region every afternoon. The necessary camping equipment will be provided by our project partners. You should be aware that there will be no electricity in the time of the trekking tour. Therefore, you should think about packing solar panels to be able to load smaller devices.

During your trekking tour three meals as well as coffee/tea in the morning and afternoon as well as boiled off water from springs will be prepared and served to you every day. Meals will contain all kinds of food and also include characteristic Nepali dishes. In general, it is also possible to receive vegetarian meals, just let us know before your departure so staff members can prepare accordingly. On your first day in Kathmandu you will be responsible for your meals by yourself, but there are a lot of options to find delicious and satisfying dishes for a small amount of money.

You can spend you free time at your lunch break with relaxing and refreshing as well as catching up on your diary, reading or doing some laundry as it is the warmest time of the day. After your afternoon hike you can enjoy some tea or coffee, explore your surrounding as well as villages nearby or use the time to chat with locals as well as the crew. After dinner, time can be used for relaxing, playing cards, chatting, singing or dancing with locals and the group.

During your time in this course you will always have a contact person nearby as the trek is guided by experienced personnel.

While you are staying in Kathmandu, you will be able to withdraw money with your credit card as well as your regular bank card at almost every ATM in the city. In general you cannot pay in foreign currency therefore you need change some money to Nepali Rupees before the trek starts, as you will need money as tip. You should prepare for tip of about 100 US-$. Euros can easily be exchanged in banks in the city. Besides that, your expenses will depend on your spending behavior in Kathmandu before and after the trekking course.

During your time in Kathmandu you can use the WiFi in the guesthouse to contact family and friends. Alternatively you can also consider buying a Nepali SIM card. Nevertheless in the mountains there will be no WiFi at all and also the reception for mobile phones will not be available in general. For emergencies staff members carry a satellite telephone to contact the Kathmandu office. From there family members will be contacted.

In general temperatures will be around -3 to -5°C in the morning and the evening in altitudes above 3,000 m. In the afternoon temperatures can rise up to 15-20°C. Temperatures in Kathmandu will be on average around 15°C, varying between 8 and 21°C.

The guides leading the tours are trained for emergencies and have the Wilderness First Responder certificate. For serious emergencies the guide carries a satellite telephone to call for a helicopter evacuation (you should make to get health insurance that covers this kind of evacuation!). If there are minor problems the staff carries a big first aid kit and a Gamow bag in case of acute altitude sickness. In Kathmandu there is an international hospital injured clients will transported to.