Trekking in Nepal:  The Basics

When to go - Nepal has all four seasons, but the best ones for trekking are spring (March through May) and fall (September through November).  My favorite months are May and October since it tends to be a little warmer at altitude these months.  During the summer (June - August) is monsoon season, so it's very wet with the exception of the Mustang area.  If you're thinking about going to Jomsom and trekking that area or the Upper Mustang trek, the summer is a good time.  Winter (December through February) is OK for the lower level treks, but a bit too cold even at these elevations for me.

There are two main ways of trekking in Nepal, tea house treks and camping treks.

  The most common is tea house treks.  These include the Everest Base Camp Trek, the Annapurna Base Camp Trek, the Annapurna Circuit, Manaslu Circuit, Poon Hill, Mardi Himal and many more.  I have to admit these are my favorite because there is less logistics involved.  I like the fact I can get a pot of milk tea as soon as I arrive at our destination for the day, and generally there is at least one or two stops along the route to get lunch or someting to drink.

Camping treks are generally in the more remote areas of nepal, for example Dhaulagiri Circuit trek, Makalu Base Camp Trek, and Limi Valley Trek.  Be prepared to carry quite a bit of gear for these, or have additional porters to carry tents, food and cooking gear.

Where to trek, well that depends.  

Khumbu - These treks almost all start with a 30-45 minute flight to Lukla (2860m).  You will need to fly from Kathmandu or Ramechhap to Lukla on a very small plane like a De Havilland DHC Twin Otter.  The most popular area for trekking is the Khumbu which includes Everest Base Camp (EBC) at 5365m.  There are some climbing companies that will even take you to Camp 1 through the Khumbu Icefall at the base of the Western Cwm.  I wouldn't even think about that unless you have some high elevation trekking experience and at least basic knowledge of ice climbing.  There are numerous variations of treks in the Khumbu, depending on how many days you have and how high you want to go.   A good short trek would be from Lukla to Namche Bazzar which would be 3 days of actual trekking, two up and one back to Lukla.  You'd have to spend a night in Lukla to get a flight out the next morning.  This is a good area to get familiar with Nepal trekking as there are lots of other trekkers and it has good infrastructure at the lower levels.  By infrastructure I mean good tea houses, phone reception, hot showers and excellent paths.  There are no roads up in this area.

I could write a book on this area, oh, that's right there are quite a few already.  There are also a ton of travel bloggers that have great writeups of treks in the Khumbu, just google it and you will have information overload.  There are so many high peaks to see from the trail here including Mount Everest at 8848m being the highest mountain in the world with the best view from Kala Patthar (5644m).  Lhotse at 8372m is the fourth highest mountain in the world which is right next to Mt. Everest with the Western Cwm between the two.  For those not familiar with the Everest route, the top of the Western Cwm is where Camp 4 is located.  This is the last stop before summitting either of these peaks.  There are numerous other peaks, with two other standouts being Ama Dablam (6812m) and Island Peak (6165m).  These are not the highest peaks around by far, but are notable for climbing.  Ama Dablam just looks intimidating and is a failry difficult technical climb.  Island peak is a trekking peak (non-technical) above 6000m, so it is a very popular first peak for new climbers.  It's on my to-do list.

Here are some other treks starting from Lukla:

Gokyo Lakes Trek: This trek takes you to the Gokyo Lakes, which are some of the most beautiful lakes in the Himalayas. The trek takes 7-10 days, and it is a moderate hike. 

Everest Three Passes Trek: This trek is a more challenging version of the Everest Base Camp Trek, and it takes you over three high passes. The trek takes 16-20 days, and it is a challenging hike. 

Island Peak Trek: This trek is a great way to acclimatize for the Everest Base Camp Trek, and it takes you to the summit of Island Peak, which is a 6,189-meter (20,310 ft) peak. The trek takes 5-7 days, and it is a moderate to challenging hike. 

Annapurna - Where to start.  I love trekking anywhere around Annapurna.  I don't know if there is a more beautiful view of mountains than at Annapurna Base Camp aka. ABC (4130m).  You can look at my map in GoogleEarth here, as you can see you are surrounded 360 degrees by 6000m, 7000m, and 8000m peaks.  We completed the Annapurna Base Camp Trek in 7 days, so I would say that's typical.  Poon Hill is a 3 day extension to this trip or can be trekked by itself in about 4 days.  If you're going to do ABC I don't recommend Poon Hill before ABC, the first day is strait steps and can be quite draining.  Save your energy for ABC.

The Annapurna Circuit is usually done in around 14 days, but this is definitely not the trek it use to be.  The roads go all the way to Manang, so technically you could complete the circuit in 4 days.  This is only an option if you are acclimated up to 5000m, so if you just came down from the Manaslu circuit it's an option.  Luckily when we did it the first time there were landslides blocking the road so there wasn't much traffic.  Last year when we were in Chamje it was crazy with all the jeeps.  The trekkers were understandably annoyed because they were not aware of the road being that busy.  There are a lot of sections you can get away from the road and onto a trail, but most people don't follow that path because it is more difficult, or they are worried about getting lost.

There are numerous other treks of all different lengths and difficulty within the Annapurna area.  Mr. Happy at Happy Treks Nepal has a good list and can do custom treks to your needs.  

Mardi Himal is becoming a more popular trek and the typical itinerary is 5 days with a maximum altitude at Mardi Himal Base Camp of 4500m, although you usually will not stay overnight at this elevation.  It follows the ABC trek, but up on the ridge to the right of the ABC trail.  The ABC trail is lower mainly following the river.  The tea houses are not as established as on ABC, so they will be a bit more basic.  You can summit Mardi Himal at 5587m if you have a few extra days.  Mardi Himal is part of the Machapuchhre mastiff.  

A little bit of lesser-known history, the south face of Annapurna I has been called the most difficult alpine climb in the world, this is the face of Annapurna I you see from ABC.  The South Face was first climbed in 1970 by a British expedition.  Annapurna is the most dangerous mountain in the world with a higher death rate than K2, only Kangchenjunga (8586m, third highest in the world) is a close second.  I'd have to comb through the Himalayan Database to find out when the South Face was last climbed, but I believe it was 2013 by Ueli Steck.  Even this is controversial as there is no evidence that he actually reached the peak.

No section worth it's salt would talk about the Annapurna area without a quick mention of Machapuchhre (aka. Fishtail).  This is a beautiful peak that twists up and the top looks just like a fish tail pointing strait up to the sky.  It is the most prominent mountain on the ABC and Mardi Himal trek, along with Annapurna South.  This is a sacred mountain that has never been climbed to the summit.  A British expedition in 1957 climbed to within 150m of the summit and turned back to honor their promise to King Mahendra, which was an honorable decision I very much respect.  It is one of the 10 highest unclimbed peaks in the world.

The Khumbu and Annapurna areas are the most popular, but there are many other treks in the more isolated areas such as:

Langtang Valley Trek: This trek is located in the Langtang National Park, and it offers stunning views of the Langtang Himal range. The trek takes 7-10 days, and it is a moderate hike. 

Manaslu Circuit Trek: This trek is located in the Manaslu Conservation Area, and it offers stunning views of Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world. The trek takes 12-14 days, and it is a moderate to challenging hike. 

Upper Mustang Trek: This trek takes you to the Upper Mustang region, which is a remote and isolated area of Nepal. The trek takes 12-14 days, and it is a challenging hike. 

Kanchenjunga Trek: This trek is located in the Kanchenjunga National Park, and it offers stunning views of Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world. The trek takes 18-22 days, and it is a challenging hike. 

Lamjung Circuit Trek: This trek is located in the Lamjung region, which is a remote and isolated area of Nepal. The trek takes 7-9 days, and it is a moderate hike.