A Typical Trekking Day

Our itinerary is designed so that the walking is challenging, yet not exhausting. We always remember that your trek is your holiday and we try to plan each day to help you enjoy it as much as possible, not to wear you into the ground.

Each day is different and ruled by a number of factors, such as availability of water, trail and weather conditions, and the pace of the group as a whole. Exact timetables and routes cannot always be followed and would in fact destroy the free-form nature of the trek. The following schedule is therefore a guide only. The day begins early with a cup of tea brought to your room and you pack your gear before breakfast. Your kit bags will be packed into one of the porter loads, and will head off along the trail, usually by 7.30 am. You have a few hours’ walk before lunch, around 11.00-11.30 am, at one of the lodges along the trail. The afternoon walk usually finishes around 4 pm and dinner eaten at around 7 pm each evening.

The lodges (tea-houses) are very basic huts that provide accommodation and good food. As a general guide, 3/4 beds are arranged in dorms. There is a central dining/sitting room where food and drink is served. The lodges have rubbish pits and we recommend that you use them. Despite the basic facilities most trekkers remember their evenings in the tea-houses as one of the highlights of their trek.

You can also buy toilet paper either at the lodges, or at many of the shops on the trail. During the day, ensure that toilet stops are far off the trail, and that all waste is buried at least 15cm and all toilet paper burnt. Sanitary napkins and tampons should only be disposed of in the toilets at tea-houses (usually outdoor latrines).

Adventure Level

This trek is graded 'demanding' with walks of between five and seven hours each day on trek and two nights spent above 3000m. Although porters carry main luggage on trek, you must be reasonably fit and prepared for days involving both sustained ascent and descent. Whilst on trek you’ll stay in teahouses, which offer very basic accommodation with shared facilities.

Climate

The best time to visit is generally October/November and late February to the beginning of April. Nepal has a generally sub-tropical to temperate climate, with northern-hemisphere seasons. Altitude causes wide variations in temperature. The monsoon sweeps up and over India and makes mid-June to mid-September wet and humid. Three distinct seasons follow, all suitable for trekking but offering different advantages:
Post-monsoon: Mid-Sept to Nov. Usually regarded as ‘prime’ trekking time and the most popular season for a visit. The countryside is lush and green as the rice harvest approaches. This time of year generally has the clearest skies and mild to warm days with cool - cold nights. Kathmandu average max. 27-23°C, gradually turning cooler later in the season.
Winter: Dec to the end of Feb. Despite the colder conditions, winter is considered by large numbers of experienced trekkers as the ideal time to visit. Occasional closures of the high passes and trails by snow are offset by the beauty of walking in pristine white snowscapes. (Heavy snow is unusual at these altitudes). Skies are clear with warm - cool days and colder nights. Kathmandu average maximum temperature is 19°C. As well as having clear skies offering magnificent views, this season also has the advantage that trails are less crowded.
Pre-monsoon: March to mid-June. Haze often builds up during the day, limiting mountain photography to the usually clear mornings. It can be very warm to hot in the lowlands, and increasingly warm in general as the season progresses. Kathmandu average maximum temperature is 25-30°C. The riot of colour blossoming from the wild flowers found in the countryside is one of the many reasons that regular ‘Nepal hands’ trek at this time of year.

Note: The temperatures above reflect conditions in the Kathmandu valley. At higher altitudes very significant temperature drops occur at night. When high in the mountains, October/November night-time temperatures usually fall to around -10° C, whilst in December to February they will fall further to around -20° C. Just as at home, unusual weather patterns can impact on these approximate figures.

For worldwide climate information go to www.weatherbase.com

Local Payment

A Local Payment of £100 pounds sterling is payable in cash on arrival in Kathmandu. The Local Payment is part of the total price of the trip that is paid by you to the Group Leader or local agent at the start of your holiday. This is in addition to the amount you pay to The Adventure Company when settling your final invoice. The Local Payment must be paid in the specified currency when requested by the Group Leader or local agent, or you will not be permitted to join the trip.

Responsible Travel

We offset the carbon emissions associated with the in-country travel on all of our trips by supporting a solar stove and clean energy project in Madagascar. However, it is your flight that will have the largest environmental impact on your holiday. We offer you the opportunity to offset your carbon dioxide emissions with a donation to our solar stove and clean energy project in South Africa. The project is run by the non-profit organisation Blue Ventures Carbon Offset and validated by the Tourism Industry Carbon Offset Service (TICOS) as delivering measurable carbon reduction and wider sustainable development benefits for local people. We strongly encourage you to donate to our project, so if you would like to offset the carbon emissions generated by your flight, please contact us.  Offsets start from as little as £4. 

We work with a local Nepalese owned agency who employs responsible working practices throughout their operations. This includes a porter welfare policy to limit the load each porter to carries to 25kg, to pay a fair wage so porters can equip themselves properly and to use the same pool of porters offering them further training opportunities to become guides and more if they wish.

We make a financial contribution to the Trisuli Community Centre for every person that travels to Nepal. You will visit this on your trip and see the good use the money is put to.

We also ask that you use environmentally sound practices while trekking in this fragile mountain environment. Please do not use hot showers in lodges where wood-fuelled stoves heat the water, as deforestation is one of Nepal’s biggest environmental problems. However, some lodges have electricity and others use solar power to provide hot water - these are a rare delight! Be prepared to go several days without washing, beyond using bowls of warm water.

We recommend that each trekker keeps and uses a small rubbish bag. Burnable material can be disposed of at lodges, but other rubbish such as bottles and batteries must be taken to Kathmandu for proper disposal or left with the lodge owners to do so.

Do not buy bottled water on the trail as the plastic bottles are not recyclable. Soft drinks are available, with the glass bottles being carried out and recycled. However, it is not recommended to drink only soft drinks. We strongly encourage you to bring iodine tablets (available from outdoor equipment specialists) to treat village hand pump water, making it safe to drink. All washing should be done away from rivers and streams using biodegradable soap. Never tip soapy washing water where it will run directly into a watercourse.

We hope you appreciate the need for our guidelines - following them will help to protect and preserve this beautiful region for future visitors.