Trekking in Nepal

The Everest Base Camp trek starts with the most famous flight in Nepal, to Lukla (2,860 m). In the autumn and spring seasons most Lukla flights leave from Ramechhap (Manthali) airport, a 4 to 5 hour drive from Kathmandu, rather than from Tribhuvan International Airport, so check which airport your ticket uses. Foreigner fares run roughly USD 200 to 250 each way, and fog cancels flights for days at a time: leave two spare days at the end.

From Lukla the trail climbs through Sagarmatha National Park to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m), the Sherpa market town where everyone takes a rest day. The standard schedule continues to Tengboche monastery, Dingboche (4,410 m, a second rest day), Lobuche and Gorak Shep (5,164 m), with a side trip to base camp and a pre-dawn climb of Kala Patthar for the classic view of Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse. You cannot see the summit of Everest from base camp itself. The round trip is about 130 km in 12 days, or 14 with sensible acclimatisation, and Ama Dablam dominates the middle days.

Two variations are worth considering. The Gokyo Lakes trek goes up the parallel valley to turquoise lakes and Gokyo Ri (5,357 m), a better Everest view than Kala Patthar with fewer people. The Three Passes trek links both valleys over Kongma La (5,535 m), Cho La (5,420 m) and Renjo La (5,360 m) in 18 to 21 days; it is for fit, experienced trekkers and needs crampons or microspikes on Cho La after snow. Climbers add Island Peak (6,189 m) with a climbing permit and a climbing guide.

The Annapurna Circuit circles the Annapurna massif anticlockwise from the subtropical Marsyangdi valley to Manang (3,540 m), over the Thorong La (5,416 m) and down to the pilgrimage site of Muktinath and the Kali Gandaki gorge. Roads now reach Manang on one side and Muktinath on the other, so most trekkers take a jeep from Besisahar to Chame or Dharapani and walk 10 to 12 days, using the NATT side trails away from the road where they exist. The side trip to Tilicho Lake (4,919 m) adds two or three days and doubles as acclimatisation. Finish in Jomsom and fly or drive to Pokhara.

Langtang Valley starts in Syabrubesi, a 7 to 8 hour drive from Kathmandu (the US State Department currently advises against travel to the Rasuwagadhi-Timure-Syafrubesi area after floods, so check the latest advisory and road status before you book; see our Nepal safety guide), and follows the Langtang Khola to Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) under Langtang Lirung. Langtang village was destroyed by the 2015 earthquake and has been rebuilt; staying in its lodges supports the recovery. Add the sacred lakes of Gosaikunda (4,380 m) and the Lauribina La for a 12 to 14 day loop, or walk Helambu back to the Kathmandu Valley rim.

Manaslu Circuit circles Manaslu (8,163 m) for 14 to 18 days, from Soti Khola or Machha Khola over the Larkya La (5,106 m), joining the Annapurna Circuit at Dharapani. It is roughly where the Annapurna Circuit was before the roads: fewer people, authentic villages and simpler lodges. Tsum Valley, a Tibetan Buddhist side valley, adds 5 to 7 days.

Upper Mustang is the former kingdom of Lo, a rain-shadow desert of red cliffs, cave dwellings and painted monasteries north of Kagbeni, ending at the walled town of Lo Manthang. Because it barely gets monsoon rain, it is one of the few treks that works from June to August. A jeep road now reaches Lo Manthang, so many people walk 10 to 12 days and drive out.

Every trek needs a national park or conservation area permit, and most need a TIMS card. The Nepal Tourism Board lists these entry fees for foreigners, per person per entry: Sagarmatha, Langtang, Makalu Barun, Shey Phoksundo and Rara national parks NPR 3,000 each (about USD 22); the Annapurna (ACAP), Manaslu and Gaurishankar conservation areas NPR 3,000; Kanchenjunga Conservation Area NPR 2,000; Shivapuri-Nagarjun NPR 1,000. SAARC nationals pay less and children under 10 are free. You can pay at the Tourist Service Center in Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu, at the NTB office in Pokhara, or at most park entry points.

The TIMS (Trekkers’ Information Management System) card costs NPR 2,000 for foreigners and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals. Since the revised rules it is issued only through a government-registered trekking agency, which registers you online and gets an e-card with a QR code.

Restricted-area permits are issued by the Department of Immigration in Kalikasthan, Kathmandu, and only through an agency. Current NTB figures: Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpo USD 50 per person per day; Manaslu USD 100 for the first week from September to November (USD 75 from December to August), then USD 15 or 10 a day; Tsum Valley USD 40 a week in autumn, USD 30 otherwise; Nar Phu USD 100 a week in autumn, USD 75 otherwise; the Kanchenjunga (Taplejung) and Makalu areas USD 20 a week for the first four weeks. In practice agencies issue them only to groups of at least two foreigners with a licensed guide.

A licensed guide booked directly or through a small Kathmandu or Pokhara agency typically costs USD 25 to 35 a day, and a porter USD 18 to 25 a day, including their food and lodging; porter-guides, who carry a lighter load and speak some English, fall between. A fair porter load is 20 to 25 kg shared between two trekkers. Check that your agency insures its staff and provides them with proper boots and warm gear for high passes. Tip 10 to 15% of the trek cost at the end, handed to each person directly.

Teahouse rooms are cheap, typically NPR 500 to 1,500 a night, because lodges make their money on food and expect you to eat dinner and breakfast where you sleep. Food prices rise with altitude: dal bhat costs NPR 500 to 700 in the lower villages and NPR 1,000 to 1,500 near Gorak Shep or Thorong Phedi. Budget for extras: hot showers NPR 300 to 700, phone charging NPR 200 to 500 an hour high up, and wifi cards in the Khumbu. A realistic independent-style budget with guide is USD 50 to 80 a person per day; package treks from Kathmandu agencies run USD 1,200 to 2,000 for Everest Base Camp including flights. Carry enough cash in rupees from Kathmandu or Pokhara; Namche has ATMs, most villages do not.

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) can affect anyone above about 2,500 m, regardless of fitness. Above 3,000 m, raise your sleeping altitude by no more than 300 to 500 m a day and take a rest day every 3 or 4 days or every 1,000 m, climbing higher during the day and sleeping lower. Drink 3 to 4 litres a day and skip alcohol until you descend.

Symptoms are headache with nausea, loss of appetite, poor sleep and fatigue. Never ascend with symptoms, and descend at once if they worsen or you notice breathlessness at rest, a wet cough, confusion or loss of coordination: these are signs of HAPE and HACE, which kill trekkers every season. Acetazolamide (Diamox) helps acclimatisation; discuss it with your doctor before you leave, and buy it in Kathmandu pharmacies if needed. The Himalayan Rescue Association runs seasonal aid posts at Pheriche on the Everest trail and Manang on the Annapurna Circuit, with free altitude talks most afternoons.

October and November give the clearest skies and the busiest trails; March to May is the second season, warmer, with rhododendrons and hazier views. December to February is cold but clear, and high passes like Thorong La and Larkya La can close after snow. June to September is monsoon: leeches, landslides, cloud and cancelled Lukla flights, except in rain-shadow Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpo.

You can rent or buy almost everything in Thamel in Kathmandu or Lakeside in Pokhara: down jackets and four-season sleeping bags rent for a few hundred rupees a day with a deposit, and local copies of branded gear are fine for one trip. Bring your own broken-in boots, merino base layers, a headlamp, water purification tablets or a filter (bottled water is banned or discouraged in several parks), sunscreen and lip balm. Keep your pack under 8 kg if a porter carries the rest.

Not everyone has a week. From Kathmandu, the forest trails of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park (NPR 1,000 entry) climb to Shivapuri Peak (2,732 m) or the overnight village of Chisapani. The rim walk from Nagarkot to Dhulikhel takes 5 to 6 hours with Himalayan views on a clear morning, and the Champadevi ridge rises above Pharping. From Pokhara, walk up to the World Peace Pagoda across Phewa Lake, hike Sarangkot for sunrise, or take the two-day Australian Camp and Dhampus loop, which has the best mountain view per hour of effort in the country.