Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Brief Insight on Some Nepal Trekking Areas


Nepal is blessed with some of the world’s most popular trek routes in the world. Anyone interested in trekking is aware of Nepal and its Himalayan range’s importance. The country offers several Nepal trekking areas, each one offering its own unique adventurism and exploration qualities.

Walking through the streets of Kathmandu, you will notice the streets being bombarded with advertising signs of trekking companies, tours and guides. Most of the time it can be really overwhelming what to choose and what not. The biggest decision however, that one requires taking is which Nepal trekking areas he will be visiting.

Since every area offers something special, I thought it best to discuss some popular trekking areas, so that choosing which trek route to visit first will become a tad bit easy for my readers.
Let us start with the most popular site the Annapurna circuit route also referred to as the ABC trekking Nepal route. The ABC trek route might not rank high in terms of sumptuous food, lavish lodging and extreme solitude, however if such places are considered the bonbon of trekking, well the Annapurna circuit is a definite 12 course dinner.

The Annapurna circuit trekking Nepal is a 128 mile long, 5,300 meters high, horse shoe shaped trek route, carved with terraced rice fields, followed by a dark deep canyon, tall, dense pine trees, until finally on the trek you will start to see glimpses of the world’s highest mountains. The circuit takes about 16 to 20 days to complete from Pokhara.
 
When it comes to Annapurna trek routes, another famous trek is the Annapurna base camp. The Annapurna circuit does not touch the basic base camp of Annapurna, until extended to that way, and so this is another trek route that sees a lot of tourist traffic as an individual route.

The Annapurna base camp trekking Nepal also referred to as the Annapurna sanctuary trek, is based at an impressive 8,091 meters and is an eight to ten day trip. The route offers scintillating views of glaciers and high peaked mountains, and is a perfect trek route to visit if you are short on days.

Another trek route in the Annapurna region that offers a tremendous view of the Annapurna region on the west side and the Malaku region on the east is the Langtang trekking Nepal route.

This 14 day trek is a favorite one among all other Nepal trekking areas, for those who are new to trekking and wish to indulge in Tibetan lifestyle. The trek offers a taste of majestic waterfalls, bamboo forests and varieties of Rhododendron along with the snow capped Himalayas.

The Langtang valley trekking Nepal is a 10 day trek starting from Syabrubesi from where the trek starts upwards towards the Langtang village until the famous Kanyanjing Gompa is reached.

Another very popular trekking route is the Everest Nepal trekking route known as the Everest circuit. This route is home to Tibetan Buddhists and the Sherpas. You can also catch a glimpse of the Chomolungma, the Everest peak that is so famous for those who live around it. Normally trek in this route is 18 to 25 days long from Lukla, 2,680 meters away from the Everest.
The trek duration will increase still if you plan on visiting the Gokyo lakes (which you should if you have the time, they are spectacular!) via touching the Everest base camp trekking Nepal site.

Another short but great trekking experience is the Nagarkot trekking Nepal route. This route is exceptionally popular for its Himalayan peak views and its lovely sun rise and sunsets. Nagarkot is situated on Northern fringe of Kathmandu and the quickest way to reach there is to take a bus from the capital to Bhaktapur, from where another bus will lead to Nagarkot, where you can start your trek.
These are some of the fabulous Nepal trekking areas that are worth visiting at least once.


Sunday, November 23, 2014

How to Go Trekking In Nepal

How to Go Trekking In Nepal

Nepal is a wonder on the map of the world and offers absolutely stunning trekking routes that attract several tourists to these remarkable places every year. Before I go into further details of trekking in Nepal, for those who are unaware of the beauty Nepal wraps within itself, let us first quickly shed light on some famous (and beautiful) trekking routes in Nepal.
Following popular trends of tourists visiting Nepal’s trekking routes in 2014, the most visited routes included the Manaslu Circuit Trek, the Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek, The Upper Mustang Trek, the Three Passes Trek which includes the famous Mt’ Everest Base Camp Trek and the entire Annapurna region.
Based on personal experience, I will suggest people wishing to visit Nepal avoid getting intimidated by popular places and choose a trek route based on how many days you are willing to spend there. Some routes take longer and some are completed within 5 days also.
Any Nepal trekking company can offer information about how many days a particular trek route will require along with explaining its route as well. Having said that however, I will not recommend that you follow the route map and venture out alone to trek without a guide.
Especially people who are indulging in Nepal trekking for the first time, having an experienced guide with you is absolutely essential. I do not mean to be persuasive but when it comes to finding a guide, never compromise an experienced guide for a little fluctuation in the cost. The difference between an experienced and inexperienced guide can really turn enormous if something goes wrong during the trek.
You can find a guide either independently or through agencies and hotels; however both have their pros and cons. An independent guide has no authenticity and there is no judging on whether the person is truly experienced or simply bluffing. The agency or hotel referred guides are a tad bit costly as you will have to pay commission to the agency or hotel, besides paying the guide his fee.
Any Nepal trekking guide referred by an agency has insurance, has a trek permit and has the ability to negotiate with the locals in terms of prices for food, etc.
Here it is also essential to choose a Nepal trekking company that is experienced and offers the best prices, as they can really charge you madly for their all inclusive package. It is suggested to try out out at least three different agencies to compare prices and expertise.
In my Nepal trekking tour, I encountered agencies that were ready to charge a scary $1500+ for the all inclusive tour, however you can easily find a more affordable agency through checking out others. Also a standard experienced guide from an agency can cost you about $15 to $20 per day.
Also since most agencies offer a 1:5 guide to trekker ratio, if you can manage to find others to go along, your Nepal trekking guide cost can be reduced considerably, as you will be sharing it with others.
Also it is best to hire a trekking guide from the starting place of the trek. For example most of the treks in the Annapurna region start from Pokhara, and it is best to hire an experienced guide from their instead of hiring from Kathmandu. Those who wish to visit the Mt’ Everest base camp or the Lantang region treks, Kathmandu then is a better choice.
By now you may be thinking that I am continuously bragging about hiring an experienced guide. This is because the different trek routes sometimes can get so complex that you just cannot move ahead without guidance or asking others for the way. Getting lost or encountering unsuspected problems is not uncommon on Nepal trekking routes and an experienced hand will always help.
Never try to move ahead alone, as you can get into grave problems once you are lost or encounter a problem or an accident. Trekking is, let alone in Nepal, an experience of a lifetime, provided it is done right following all safety precautions, and in the company of an experienced guide (there I mentioned it once again!).