INSIDER TIPS FOR TRAVELING AND TREKKING IN NEPAL
The following are a few suggestions for making the most of your journeys in the Himalaya:
-Medical Insurance. Does your coverage apply overseas and does it include rescue insurance or will you need to arrange supplemental coverage?
-Scan a copy of your passport and itinerary into your email account and make hard photocopies of your passport, itinerary and important documents and leave them with friends or family back home as well as keeping a set for yourself.
-Register with you embassy upon arrival along with your itinerary. They can help find you and notify you if needed for emergency purposes or to notify your friends and family should the need arise.
-If you are presently taking medication, bring a copy of your prescription with you and keep all medicines that you bring with you in their original containers.
-Let your credit card companies know that you will be overseas and bring their co
ntact phone numbers.
-Nepal’s trails are steep and every addition to your load counts! Review your gear list, and pare down items beforehand.
-Water Heater: At high altitudes, fill a water bottle with hot water and wrap it in clothing for a source of heat that can be kept close to the body or even placed in a sleeping bag to add warmth during the cool night temperatures.
-Clothing: You can pick up a lot of trekking clothing and gear in Thamel, globetrotter ghetto of Kathmandu. Check quality and especially inspect the seams. Some vendors even have leftover gear from expeditions that can be purchased at bargain rates.
-Bring easily donned and doffed clothing layers. Hiking Nepal’s steep terrain can cause a swift build-up of body heat, especially carrying a loaded pack on a sun-drenched hill. In high altitude areas, the temperature drops rapidly, particularly in the shaded areas of the mighty Himalaya, when the sun is behind the clouds or has set, and more so if your clothes are wet and cold from sweat. It is vital to have the ability to remove or add items to adjust quickly to conditions.
-Bring a headlamp and/or flashlight, especially useful when regularly scheduled blackouts occur in Kathmandu and Pokhara (longest during winter and spring months when electricity supply is outstripped by demand).
-Earplugs (more than one pair as they are easily lost). Homes, lodges, and tents can have remarkably thin walls, and buses/vehicles often have blaring stereos and horns.
-Bright coloured duffel bag: Equipment and supplies that porters carry can be packed in sturdy, bright-coloured (for recognizability) duffel bags, with a small lock for the zipper.
-Sunglasses should absorb ultraviolet light. If you wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, bring a spare pair and copy of the prescription for replacements if needed.
-Leave the pocket knife behind. A Leatherman or Swiss Army Knife gadget combination can be useful but unnecessarily heavy unless the multi-function tools are actually needed. Often a simple pocket knife will do if anything at all.
-Umbrellas can be used not only against rainfall but to protect against the sun on hot days and for privacy cover while answering nature’s call.
-Collapsible ski poles and walking sticks (lauro in Nepali), often made of lightweight bamboo, can help ease the load and impact on the knees and are available in tourist trekking shops in Thamel.
-Bring several handkerchiefs or bandannas. A bandanna can be useful as a makeshift face mask in windy, dusty areas and during vehicle travel, and can be used to dry cups, plates, and hands. You can keep a separate bandana for the usual runny nose that accompanies colds and upper-respiratory infections, not uncommon in the highlands—or learn to blow your nose rural style, covering each nostril in turn and blowing out the other.
-Petroleum jelly, Chap Stick, and lip balm are good for cold and dry weather to prevent and treat chafing.
-Bring a universal adapter. Electricity averages 220 volts/50 cycle in Nepal. As Nepal becomes increasingly electrified, there are more and more places along the popular routes to recharge. It is considered environmentally ethical to bring spent cells back to your home country for proper disposal.
-A supply of duct tape can often serve as an all-purpose, temporary fix for various situations. Several feet of tape can be conveniently wound around a flashlight handle or water bottle to store for future needs.
-If you play a portable musical instrument, consider bringing it along. A harmonica, recorder, or flute can quickly ease communication and social barriers. Consider other social and entertainment skills that you might share, for example, portrait drawing or simple magic tricks.
-Most trekkers carry reading and writing materials, and hotels along the popular routes often have paperbacks to sell or trade. A pack of cards and miniature versions of popular board games (such as Scrabble) are a friendly way to pass time and liven up a restaurant while you get to know fellow trekkers.
-It’s a good idea to have a particle mask, to protect yourself from dust and fumes in cities and on vehicle journeys along dusty highways. Masks can be found in Kathmandu pharmacies.
-Bring sunscreen. At high altitude the sun’s rays are especially strong!
-Do not trek alone. Attacks are rare, but when they do happen, attacks are usually against lone trekkers. If you are single, check online for partners (please be advised, this site was once great for single trekkers in Nepal but has grown to include the whole globe and has commercialized...I would not recommend arranging a guide through this site). Find trekking partners on bulletin boards at local hotels and restaurants and actually meet the person before you set off on a trek with them. Or, arrange through one of the many agencies in Nepal and meet the guide and porter before hitting the trails.
PLEASE SEE NEPAL TRIP ADVISOR FOR MORE INSIDER INFORMATION
Nepali Language Guide for Tourists and Trekkers
The Responsible Traveler
Dressing as modestly as Nepalis will be a good first step to cultural acceptance. Respond to greetings with a ‘Namaste’, eat using your right hand and do not share tableware and drinking containers that have already touched your lips. Do not show physical affection in public; kissing and even hand-holding by opposite sexes in public is unthinkable to most Nepalis, especially in rural areas.
If you play a musical instrument, consider bringing it along to ease communication and social barriers. Nepali culture is rich with song and dance and therefore, the people are great lovers of song and dance. Consider other social and entertainment skills that you might share, for example, drawing and portrait sketching and simple magic tricks.
LEAVE NO TRACE IN THE HIMALAYA by following four fundamental rules
• Dispose of Waste Properly (‘Pack It In, Pack It Out’)
• Leave What You Find
• Respect Wildlife and Farm Animals
• Be Considerate of Others, Local Customs and Traditions
The Annapurna Conservation Area Project and Kathmandu Environmental Education Project recommend the responsible traveler to follow a Minimum Impact Code:
• Encourage lodges and trekking companies in their efforts to conserve environmental resources.
• Campfires and hot showers are a luxury when locals use fuel for cooking only.
• Use washing and toilet facilities provided, or, if none are available, make sure you are at least 30 meters (100 ft) from any water source. Bury excreta at least 15 cm (6 in) and use biodegradable toiletries.
• Limit your use of non-biodegradable items and pack them out.
• Respect religious shrines and artifacts.
• Don't give money, sweets or other materials to begging children.
• Taking photographs is a privilege, not a right. Ask permission and respect people's desire not to be photographed.
• Dress modestly and avoid outward displays of physical affection.
• You are a representative of another culture and your impact lingers long after you return home.
KATHMANDU ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROJECT
The Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP) maintains a Porter’s Clothing Bank, and other resources including trekker logbooks with the latest trail information and supplies such as water purifiers, anti-leech oil, biodegradable soap, and more.
While trekking, if the desire to donate money or materials along the way is tempting, the following from The Center for Responsible Travel (www.responsibletravel.org) provides valuable guidelines for those wishing to make a difference while traveling:
Travelers’ desire to help, interact, and learn from those they meet during their holiday is clearly positive. However, there are sometimes unintended consequences from these good intentions. Misguided contributions can perpetuate cycles of dependency, cause corruption, burden communities with unwanted or inappropriate donations, and require recipients to spend time and resources to handle ‘gifts’ they didn’t request or cannot use…when, how, and what to contribute needs to be decided by the host community, not the tourist or the tourism company.
Pre-Arrival Preparations
Don’t let a lack of physical preparedness take away from your enjoyment of an exhilarating outdoor adventure. Travelling up to and along the hills and vales of the Himalaya is a vigorous activity that requires stamina, fitness and strength. A training regimen is strongly advised prior to arriving to Nepal. The terrain of Nepal is steep and the high elevation and thin air makes exertion all the more strenuous. In fact, even when you are descending it might seem like an uphill grind.
If you are fit and fine, then a trek in Nepal will be all the more enjoyable and satisfying. Adding rest days is essential and giving your body and mind time to revitalize along the way will improve the overall trekking experience.
Even for people in excellent physical shape, these rugged trails take perseverance and grit, and pre-arrival efforts to get in physical shape before trekking will be rewarded. Practice on your own regional hills with a pack, boots and kit before reaching Nepal and to make your journey all the more rewarding!
When to Go
The busiest months for trekking in Nepal, in decreasing order, are October, April, November, March, September, and May.
Weather is typically the most important factor to consider when planning a visit to the Himalaya. Each of the four seasons of Nepal is distinctive from the others and offers something different. A trip during the monsoon will be completely unlike a spring journey and unique from autumn and winter as well.
October-November: The most popular season. Monsoon rains have washed the skies of dust and pollution, weather is relatively reliable, and views are vibrant. Autumn is the second busiest season for climbers attempting the summits.
March-May: The next most popular trekking season. Late April through May are when climbers typically push for the summits.
March through May are pleasant months for high-altitude treks. However, the lowlands are less pleasant and temperatures can be too warm for comfort. Additionally, the dry air can get dusty and smoggy which obscures views. May is the month immediately prior to the beginning of the monsoon in June, and rainfall will intermittently threaten and some cloud cover can be expected.
December, January and February: Most people are not keen to trek in the winter when temperatures are too cold for comfort at high elevations and snowfall often blocks high passes. Haze sits in valleys and reaches up to the Himalaya, diminishing views. During this season, expect temperatures below freezing, fog in the mornings, and the possibility of snowfall. You will have the trails more or less to yourself, tranquil, but the cold is demanding on the body! Not all lodges and facilities are open (always check with locals before continuing onward and upward), and snow and ice on the trails and rocks can be treacherous (as can ice around toilet areas).
June-September: The monsoon. Most people avoid the rainy months when constant cloud cover blocks mountain views, trails are muddy and leeches thrive in the high hills. The monsoon typically begins in early June and finishes by October, but frequently continues later. If you are prepared for rain, then it can be a memorable time to be in the mountains unlike any other season. Rain and fog can be expected almost daily, and although clouds rarely part, when they do open up they offer astonishing views. Generally, more rain falls in eastern Nepal as the monsoon arrives there from the Bay of Bengal and moves westward.
Despite a lack of mountain panoramas, the monsoon season is undeniably a beautiful time of year when the general haze of pollution is absent. Plants are at their greenest and meadows are swarming with flowers and dancing with butterflies. Rivers are rushing and waterfalls roaring at this time. Typically, rain falls intermittently throughout the day. As it arrives, find the nearest shelter and wait it out, downpours usually do not last long—although some can last for several days! Keep in mind that you and your gear will likely get wet. Trails can be muddy and slippery. Roads, trails, and bridges might wash out with time-consuming and difficult detours. To make matters more challenging, leeches are active above 1200 m and looking to steal a meal of blood--from you!
For a monsoon trek, bring a sense of adventure and the following essential items: anti-leech oil, a waterproof cover for your pack, sheets of plastic for covering porter loads, umbrella, hat with brim, walking stick or ski pole, and footwear with good traction.
Summary of Trekking Seasons
Clearest Views: October to November
Next Best Views: March to May
Cold Winter: December to February
Wet Monsoon: June to September
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