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For many of our treks, you can choose between staying in
tea-houses or camping. A tea-house is a local run guest house,
but standards vary enormously. In popular areas such as
Annapurna, tea houses are more like hotels, with hot water,
Western food and private rooms, whereas in more remote areas,
they are far simpler and more authentically Nepali. Tea-house
trekking is less expensive than camping, and is suitable for
small groups. With large groups, irrespective of the area, it is
more practical to camp. A team of guides, porters and cooks mean
you trek in comfort and provides international-style food of a
high standard.
Grade 1
For trekkers with no previous experience, we offer a diverse
range of easy treks. By easy, we mean that the trek involves no
difficult climbing or ascents to high altitudes, takes usually
no more than a week and is suitable for anyone. However, you
should not think that loss of height means loss of interest;
while our more challenging treks get you closer to a small
number of mountain ranges, lower altitude treks often provide
colourful horizons of a whole series of ranges. High or low,
mountain villages reachable only by several days walk from the
road brim with character.
The Ghorepani and Jomsom treks follow well-trodden trails. The
tea-houses along these routes offer hot water and Western-style
food. Of course, these treks are not popular without reason and
you will find the terrain and views superb. If the idea of
tea-house trekking appeals to you, but you would prefer to
escape from the crowds, then the Helambu trek could be your
ideal choice. You trek up to within sight of enormous snowy
mountains, and then wind at a leisurely pace through a
spectacular green valley. The tea-houses are simpler here, but
you will benefit from the peace of the unspoilt villages and the
friendly welcome of your hosts. To really get away from it all,
try the Shivapuri trek, Siklis trek or the Royal Trek. Whilst
you will still pass through many remote villages, these regions
are so unspoilt as to have no tea-houses, and you will need to
camp. Again, the range of mountains you can view on these treks
is superb.
Grade 2
Grade 2 treks are more challenging than Grade 1, and are
suitable for any walker looking for something a little more
energetic. They are longer (10-20 days,) involve more walking up
and down and climb to higher altitudes, where you will be
rewarded with close-up views of big mountains. For a
well-trodden route with good tea-house facilities, you could
choose the Annapurna Base Camp trek, which gets you close to
glaciers and affords spectacular mountain views. For something a
little more remote, but still with the option of simple
tea-houses, try a trek in the beautiful Langtang region.
From the Langtang Base Camp, you have the additional option of
scaling a trekking peak. For a moderate trek out in the wilds,
Ganesh Himal would be a good choice. With only 100 visitors a
year to this region, the local cultural traditions are still
very much intact. On this trek, you cross the high Singla Pass
(4600m.) The Rara trek is similarly remote and is a good option
for the summer season as rainfall is low. As tourists are
relatively unknown in these last two regions, you need to camp.
Grade 3
Grade 3 treks should only be undertaken by those with some
previous mountain walking experience. They ascend to altitudes
of up to 5500m and involve some steep climbing, although it is
never necessary to use ropes. Treks at this level can he
arranged for periods of 7-21 days.
For a popular and spectacular trek, with the possibility of
staying in well-developed tea houses, the Annapurna Circuit is a
good choice. A gradual ascent through a green river valley will
lead you up to a number of high passes, where you will reach the
altitude of 5416m. This trek will give you a close insight into
Tibetan culture. Another understandably popular trek, with good
tea house facilities, is the Everest Base Camp. The goal of this
trek speaks for itself, but in achieving it, you cross a
glacier, see Mt Everest and a whole variety of soaring peaks and
experience the rich Sherpa culture. For a real adventure in wild
and restricted areas, that see less than 300 visitors per year,
you could trek in Mustang or to Makalu Base Camp. The Makalu
trek traverses many high passes before reaching the Base Camp at
5000m. The Tibetan plateau of Mustang is a wild, treeless
desert. The last two treks are possible only if you camp.
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Nepal
