Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Trekking in Nepal

I have a tentative trip to Nepal scheduled, arriving May 3 and departing May 17. Although I would like to stay longer, I just dont have enough vacation time with my company. Therefore, my goal is to spend a couple days in Kathmandu, then fly to Lukla and trek to base camp. Most of the trekking trips Ive seen for this type of trip are about 10-12 days. Ideally, I would like do to this trip in about 8 days total. Has anyone had any experience they can share with me on this topic? Is my anticipated trip schedule too agressive? I do acclimate well and I have no problem carrying my own gear, I just cant find an outfit that I can reach with my request. Any guidance would be appreciated. thanks

Wait another year until you have at least a month of vacation. You'll appreaciate that fact that you'll be able to see more of the "off the beaten path" sights that you can't possibly see on a two week trip. I'd also give some serious thought to going in October. For sightseeing, it's a better season, although it will be much colder than May. Mid-May also puts you into the possiblity of crappy weather due to an early monsoon and there's nothing worse than not being able to see the mountains due to cloud cover.

Go to my photo website listed below and look at the International Mountains albums for an idea of what you can see if you stay longer.

If you have the ability to "pre-acclimatize" to 4000m+, you could probably get up to Lobuche in three days (I did this up to Chhukung - at a similar elevation). A rest day up there and you could go up-and-back to Base Camp in one more day. This type of schedule is putting you at serious risk of altitude problems though. I got lucky and had only a minor headache on day three. I day-climbed two 18,000' peaks on day five.

Base Camp is really nothing... although most climbers want to see it at least once. I haven't bothered to go up beyond Lobuche on about five trips since my first one.

Send an e-mail to: bishnu@naturetrail.com.np . Bishnu will be able to answer any questions you have (give him a break, though... english isn't his primary language. If you want, I can dig up a phone number for you.

Richard, Thanks for your input and guidance. Balancing between tourist season and monsoon season is tricky. The general consensus is that Oct-Dec is more desirable with the spring a close second. I dont 'want' to move the trip out, but if Oct is better, I just might. Let me send an email to Bishnu to get his thoughts. Ive had a heck of a time trying to find someone, other than a trekking outfit, to give me real info and not just try to sell me a tour. Thanks again

I agree with Richard, Nepal is a long way to go for only a two week stay. Twenty four hours in Khatmandu makes me nuts ( pollution, noise, hustle and bustle, poverty, stray animals of all types, poverty )I am always ready to leave, and yet, I long to go again. It'f a fanciful city, with good dining, reasonably priced.

I find it easy to cover a lot of ground out of Lukla, but the altitude is the limiting factor. If for no other reason, you need more time to acclimate. Once acclimated you can zip along. This past October I climbed Kala Patar (18,200') out of Lobouche on a spectacularly clear day. I was able to look down onto Everest base camp without having to slog over to it, and others described it as nothing but a slog. Everest and Lhotse seemed close enough to reach out and touch, and they were gorgeous with lenticular clouds streaming off the top of each.

Whenever you go enjoy yourself, it's a magical place.

Your posting implies that you plan to wing it on your own without any assistance. I strongly recommend against going solo unless you are experienced in foreign travel, young and with considerable mountain experience. You will also encounter numerous hassles such as not being able to find suitable housing on the route. There are many trekking companies in Katmandu, which despite the congestion is an interesting and exotic city. You can hire a guide and a porter for your individual trek and the cost will be very reasonable. Having a guide will facilitate your trek and he will make all the overnight and food arrangements, and you will be able to travel much faster with a porter. Also by hiring a porter you will be contributing to the welfare of the Nepali people. Finally, if you get sick or injured your guide will get you back to Katmandu.

Generally speaking, it is difficult to predict altitude sickness. I have friends who were in the 60s and early 70s and they made it to the first Everest base camp. The only friend who had to turn back was 32 and couldn't go beyond 14,000.

Nepal is one of the fastastic places on this planet.

agree with statements that more time would be safer to avoid risk of AMS (have you been to 18,000 before?) and that fall is better weather choice. Solo travel might also be more dangerous- see the Nepal embassy and other warnings to travelers, although Khumbu is still pretty safe compared to areas where the Maoist hang out. Last time I was there we loaded up in Kat with a hundred Nepali Army guys surrounding us. The Kat-Lukla connection can get messed up for days thanks to clouds and fog. Many flights delayed until a window in weather opens in afternoon, then a mad scramble. Your flight may get bumped a day or two or three. Need to have some spare days built in to hang around the Mera Hotel in Lukla and chill out waiting for your ride home. Harvey

Thanks guys. Do you think fall time (Oct-Nov) should pose less risk with weather? I know beginning of June starts the monsoon season. Im definitely rethinking my decision of going it alone. Most everyone recommends a guide, though do I really need a porter to carry my pack? I hate to be the ugly American.

It took me a while to track this down:

http://www.mt-whitney.info/viewtopic.php?t=1479

If you happen to find out that you can't trek independently anymore, we'd appreciate hearing about it.

this consulate affairs bulletin Dec 06 is a pretty chilling warning:

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=60149

I have not been there in a few years, so it would be nice if someone with a recent first hand account could chime in on this thread. Harvey

I was there in October 2006 and we were shaken down by the Maoists outside of Lukla. Our group of 10 was charged 20,000 rupes which worked out to almost $30 per person. We had agreed to refuse to pay the "fee" before we got to the checkpoint, and did in fact march on through it. Our head sherpa however, remained behind and paid for the whole group. In the end the guide service we used, Mountain Experience, picked up the tab and did not charge us extra. I thought that was sporting of them. I was unaware of any special trekking permit being necessary, and saw numerous individuals and parties traveling unaccompanied by Napalese guides or porters.

I didn't feel any threat while in Kathmandu or anywhere in the countryside, but that doesn't mean it wasn't present. The guest house we stayed at in Lukla recommended we not go out after dark. I think consular reports, like the one referenced, tend to be cautious, but provide valuable information. If I knew then what I know now I would still go, but maybe be a bit less cavalier.

After reading Peter's comments, it sounds to me as if the new permit requirement for trekking in the main areas is being enforced in the same manner as the NMA permits required for the smaller mountains... selectively.

I'd also mention an opposing view to what WCD has stated: Porters have "days," meaning that they will travel only a specified number of kilometers in a day, and some of them are very short in certain areas. If you are acclimatized and can move at a faster pace, you better discuss the matter with the Guide/Porter/Agency in advance. Otherwise, you'll find yourself sitting around a LOT! (I once forced the issue while heading into the Annapurna Sanctuary... I walked three "days" worth in one morning and forced the Guide and Porter to catch up with me. I resolved the situation at the end of the day with a couple of thousand rupees.)

As far as travelling alone... the situation in the Khumbu Region is similar to Whitney in the high season... you WILL NOT find yourself alone. And, it's always fun finding someone who you find interesting, who has a similar itinerary, to hang around with. If you're not a "scary looking person," you can usually convince the lodge owner/manager to let you stay in the "community" area if it is fully booked for the night (sometimes common in the high seasons). One real benefit of this is that it's usually a LOT warmer than any of the private rooms.

Regarding a porter, it depends on your strength, high altitude experience and comfort with the vagaries of being in a foreign country. My friends all used porters and had praise for them, but my friends are middle-aged and older and found the trek challenging but doable with a daypacks, not 50 lb backpacks. One friend still talks about how his porter, who wore only flip-flops, could out hike him on the steepest climbs; his porter was the one who had to wait around.

There is also the danger factor. When I was Katmandu I read the local English newspaper, which contained stories of Europeans killed while on hiking treks. While the Everest trek is safe, you don't want to get injured or sick without a designated person who will make arrangements for your care. BTW, make sure you have the proper medical supplies and take extras.

Having arranged housing is the way to go. When you're tired and maybe wet and cold, do you want to hassle over lodging? Guides get preference because the innkeepers want their future business. Also, solo travelers sometimes get second rate service because business owners feel that they're poor and cheap. They love "rich" Americans. I speak from experience, having been in 40 countries.

It almost sounds like these guys are unionized (hope I didnt offend anyone here in the southland with that comment). I was initially going to wait until I get to Kathmandu to hire a guide or trekking outfit, but based on what Im reading here, it sounds to me like it realy would be good common sense to stick with an experienced outfit and work out the details ahead of time. These details should probably include how much actual hiking time we'll be on the trail - incidentally, most of the emails I gotten back from guides do actually show the daily schedule including altitude and est. time to travel. Now I think I know why. Regarding the shaking down, is this something that happens to most trekkers? What is the worst that can happen if you refuse to pay? Also, most of the outfits are quoting me about $550 for a 10 day trek, excluding the flights to/from Lukla. Does this seem reasonable?

Hey Richard, Thanks for getting me in touch with Bishnu. Ive sent several emails and, though it took him a couple days due to travel, he did get back in touch with me and has the best rates. I was initially going to go the base camp route, but Annapurna also sounds like it could be really scenic. Too bad I dont have a month. Thanks again

If you're heading into the Sanctuary, you'll not find a more beautiful place anywhere in the world.

Read up on some of the expeditions to Annapurna. It'll make the trip more meaningful when you see the mountain.

Keep an eye out for the avalanche debris fields. The devastation will blow you mind.

Glad you were able to get the info you needed. If you have the time, go out for a meal with Bishnu. He's a very interesting man.

<img border="5" src="http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/4190288-M.jpg" align="left">Narin (My Porter) and I on the Lungsampa La, with Everest in the background.





























<img border="5" src="http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/photos/4190262-S.jpg"


In case anyone gets the impression that I'm a slave driver in how I treat the Nepalis, that's a 90 liter pack on my back. And, the reason I go "this route" is because, yes, I could hire another Porter to carry my load, but that would also probably mean it would be necessary to hire another to carry the additional food that we'd all need. Over many trips, I've discovered that three people willing to hump loads works just about perfectly for trekking/climbing off the beaten path. And, just to counter WCD's opinion one more time, none of the lodge owners treat me any differently when I come out alone, or with a group.

Narin has a big smile on his face because I've just given him a fairly significant bonus for putting him through the ascent shown in the second photo.

Richard, the Nepalis are delighted to do whatever, as you know. They love having a job. We take that for granted. After a full days work (for all of us, although they did carry more) it's time to make tea in the Hongku Valley with Amphulabsa "Pass" up ahead for tomorrow. Harvey

So, I'm assuming that you did Mera? Fun stuff, isn't it?

That lake looks like the same one that I had fun watching my porters (I think we were down to about a dozen at the point in the expedition.) slip and slid across. They definitely enjoy having a good time.

yep. The holy lake that doesn't freeze (usually)

From Mera, you can see #1 Everest, #3Kachenjunga, #4Lhotse, #5Makalu and #6 Cho Oyu.

The stretch from Mera toward the north is still unspoiled. And then there's the extra fun of slipping down the north side of Amphulabsa to do Imjatse, mesmerized by the looming south wall of Lhotse.

Does anyone have any recent experience on the Jomsom trek out of Pokhara? A few of my non-serious hiking friends want to see the Himalayas and I thought this trek might be ideal for them. I did a portion of it 30 years ago, when the lodges charged $1 and European/American tourists few and I enjoyed the experience. Has this trek become overly popular?