Grade

This trip is graded moderate. It is well within the capabilities of any normally active person, but to gain the best rewards you should be physically fit. Like all Himalayan treks it does have its ups and downs. And some steep and sometimes muddy slopes.

Climate

Weather in the world’s highest mountain range is never totally predictable but we would expect clear and settled conditions. In the early stages the days will be warm, around 70 F/20 C. As altitude is gained, though the days will still be pleasantly warm, it will be chilly early morning and night time temperatures can be down to freezing.

A Bit About Your Lodges

We will use family-run lodges, so clients have a unique opportunity to mix with local people. It will be dormitory style of 4, 3 and 2 bedded rooms. The toilets are normally outside. The lodges are comfortable and warm - so it makes good sense to use their facilities.

Equipment & Clothing

All general equipment and cooking equipment is provided. Also provided free of charge is a Trek Pack including a sleeping bag, two insulated sleeping mats, down/fiberfill jacket, waterproof poncho, duffle bag and T-shirt.  A detailed list of other recommended clothing and equipment will be sent with confirmation of booking.

Included

International/domestic arrival/departure airport transfers. 6 nights accommodation at a 4* hotel in Kathmandu on a bed & breakfast basis, half day sightseeing tour of Kathmandu with an English speaking guide and all entrance fees. 1 welcome evening meal in Kathmandu. Domestic flight Kathmandu/Lukla return.  1 night at Everest Panorama Resort on a full board basis. 2 days whitewater rafting with complete camping services. 2 nights accommodation at Chitwan National Park on a full board basis with all jungle activities & National Park fees. 7 days fully catered lodge trek in the Everest region with breakfast, lunch & dinner and all the trekking support crew. National park fees, conservation fees and all entrance fees. Trekpack for use during the trek, which includes down or fibrefill jacket, duffel bag, two insulated mats, a poncho, air pillow, sleeping bag with inner liner and a t-shirt as a gift.

Not Included

International flights (unless you have requested them), passport, visa, insurance, immunization fees, meals other than breakfast in Kathmandu (budget £15 per meal without drinks), airport transfers and taxes.

The Trekking Day

A typical day begins just after 6 a.m. with an early morning mug of tea served through the tent flap. After a hot breakfast, during which the camp will be struck and the porters loaded, we begin our walking in the pleasant cool of the morning. Lunch is around 11 a.m. This midday break usually lasts about an hour or so. After walking for around  three hours in the afternoon, we will aim to pitch camp around 4 p.m. You will have an hour or so to relax and reflect before the day is rounded off with a hot three course meal. However, there may be the opportunity of visiting a nearby village to have contact with the local people. The two rafting days also have a similar  structure about them.

Flights

We will on request source International flights from London Heathrow to Kathmandu via Doha with Qatar Airlines. Note that these fly out of London on the day   before the first day of the tour (Day 1 of itinerary). 

Flight routing example:

Outbound Depart LHR 22.30  - arrive Doha 07.25
                   Depart DOH 09.00 – arr KTM 16.25

Inbound Depart KTM 08.15–arr DOH 10.30
                 Depart  DOH 12.30 – arrLHR  17.55 (same day)

The Trekking Day

A typical day begins just after 7 a.m.  After breakfast, during which we begin our walking in the pleasant cool of the morning. Lunch is around 11 a.m. or so. This mid-day break usually lasts about an hour or so. After walking for three hours or so in the afternoon, we will aim to arrive at the tea house around 4 p.m. You will have an hour or so to relax and reflect before the day is rounded off with an evening meal.

Health Matters

Vaccinations for Typhoid, Hepatitis A. Diptheria  and Meningitis are also suggested. Some Drs. might recommend the Rabies vaccine as this may be carried by monkeys and dogs. If you are visiting The Chitwan National Park or the  ‘Terai’ you should take anti malarials.

Documents

A visa is required for Nepal and you must have a valid passport. Visas for Nepal if applying directly with the Nepal Embassy will cost £20 for a single entry. Alternatively, you could use the postal visa service of www.travcour.com  but there is an additional fee of  £25 +  £7 postage and packing. Trekking documents are required, but these are organised by us in Kathmandu. You can purchase visas on arrival into Kathmandu but we would not recommend this option as the queues are long and the situation on this can change at any time.

Books & Maps

For information on the sights of the Kathmandu valley, its history and culture, we suggest ‘Rough Guides’ & ’ Lonely Planet travel guides’.  A good general guidebook (although without so many hints) is the Insight Guides series Nepal.  There are many books on Trekking in Nepal. Perhaps the most well known are those by Stephen Bezruchka, or Stan Armitage.  A usefully realistic account of what happens on trek is found in Mike Harding's Footloose in the Himalayas.

There are accounts of the most important great expeditions such as John Hunt The Ascent of Everest. Reinhold Messner The Crystal Horizon.

 Note: That a good company for sourcing outdoor / trekking books is ‘Cordee’: www.cordee.co.uk

Another company: ‘Cicerone Press,’ www.circerone.co.uk Publish their own trekking guides to areas of the  Himalaya. Recommended is:

Annapurna: A Trekker's Guide by Kev Reynolds
Published: 1 Jan 2004
Originally Published: 1 Jan 2003
Pages : 272
No. Maps: 28
No. Photos: 78
Dimensions: 17.2 x 11.6 x 1.5cm
Weight: 380g
EAN: 9781852843977
ISBN 1852843977
Price: £14.00

A trekking map is normally issued to you at your trek briefing in Kathmandu, if not these are readily available in the town, although they are somewhat lacking in detail!

Outline Itinerary

The following itinerary is intended as a working guide only and is subject to variation as a result of local conditions weather and government restrictions.

We reserve the right to alter (lengthen or shorten) the trek  at any time if necessary.

1000 = 3281ft. 1km = .62 miles

This trek involves internal air travel within Nepal.  You  should be  aware  that delays can occur on these flights because of  bad weather and because it is Nepal.

Day 1: Arrive Kathmandu. You will be met on arrival and transferred to  a 4 * hotel.  Evening pre-trek briefing before your traditional Nepali evening meal.

Day 2:  Half-day sightseeing (private bus) tour around Kathmandu with its many temples and pagodas.  In the afternoon your trek packs will be issued and other pre-trek matters are dealt with followed by the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 3:   Early in the morning we transfer to the Domestic Airport to board our flight. This sometimes involves a period of waiting around, so remember to pack a book in your daypack! Once up and away our destination on this breathtaking flight is the Sherpa village of Lukla, perched above the Dudh Kosi (River of Milk, so named because of its pale colour from glacier melt). Years ago, Lukla (2827m) was a herding pasture (its name means “Place for Sheep”), but it is now the gateway to the Everest region and hundreds of trekkers pass through this prosperous village. Buy your lunch from any of the many lodges in Lukla and commence to Phakdingma (3 hrs, 2652m) you head downwards and you will immediately notice the difference between the Nepalis of Kathmandu and the local Sherpa people who migrated from Tibet 500 years ago. Their dress is very similar to that of the Tibetans and their language is closely related, although not easily understood by modern-day true Tibetans. You will notice Mani walls on the trail, made up of hundreds of carved stone tablets and giant carved boulders, brilliantly decorated with brightly coloured paints. Buddhists hold these sacred and always seek to gain merit in their next life by praying as they go past. As a sign of respect for local beliefs, please always pass these clockwise. 2 hours, 2652m.

Day 4:  to Namche Bazaar.  After your first night’s lodge at Phakdingma, the trail follows the river through stands of pine and oak as far as Jorsale, where it starts to rise and rhododendron, magnolia and giant fir trees predominate. Here we start up the famous Namche Hill, your first big climb where a slow, steady pace is essential.  This is an excellent place to learn from the masters - the porters. Their ability to climb such hills with enormous loads is done through technique and following them allows you to learn the rhythm that makes such hills seem almost effortless.

At the top is Namche Bazaar, stone built houses in terraces up the hillside.  A delightful village for the visitor, it is also an important workaday trading centre for the locals. 6 hours, 3446m.

Day 5:  in Namche Bazaar:  A rest and acclimatisation day is spent here allowing time for sightseeing, side tours or just relaxing in the sun! 

Day 6:  to Thyangboche. Leaving Namche, and gaining height along the valley above it, the mountain views start to open out and get even better as we approach the holy ground of Thyangboche and its world famous Gompa (Monastery) where the Rimpoche resides. (Lama reincarnate).  Traditionally expeditions to the high mountains receive their blessing from the High Lama, but from a trekkers' point of view, Thyangboche is the place where one of the best mountain panoramas can be found: Kwangde, Tawoche, Nuptse, Lhotse, Kangtega, AmaDablam and Everest loom above. The walk up the ridge behind the Gompa is definitely worth the small effort required! 4 hours, 3867m.

Day 7:  We trek to Khumjung which is the largest village in the Khumbu at the foot of the sacred peak Khumbila (5861m) from which the Khumbu valley takes its name. There may also be time to visit the high school and the nearby hospital built by the Himalayan Trust which has succeeded in providing excellent education and health care for the Sherpas of Khumbu. There are also some 'Yeti' bones in the village Gompa, which may be viewed and photographed for a small fee which goes to the upkeep of the Monastery. 6 hours, 3790m.

Day 8: Today we start to retrace our steps back to Lukla. Trek to Monzo 6hrs, 2835m.

Day 9:  to Lukla. Your last evening in this spectacular area is spent in this wonderful village and a party at the Paradise Lodge is not unknown! 6 hours, 2827m.

Day 10: Early morning sees you taking off from the short and steep Lukla airstrip and having the pleasure of the spectacular mountain flight back to Kathmandu where we will be met at the Domestic Airport terminal and transferred to the 4* hotel. The rest of the day is free.

Days 11/12: Free in Kathmandu to shop, try out the restaurants in Thamel, and continue your explorations of this fascinating city. Also surely an absolute "must" are the outlying towns of the Kathmandu valley, Baktapor and Patan, with their exotic temples, streets and squares.

Day 13/14: An early morning bus ride from Kathmandu carries you to the rafting put-in point where your rafting guides and crew are waiting. A full safety briefing is given and then it's onto the river to practice the various paddle strokes you will need to know before entering the first of the rapids. With rapids named 'Upset' and 'Surprise', you can be sure of having fun! During the stretches of quieter water, we can let the world drift by and take in your new surrounds. Rafting days are more relaxed than trekking days, but follow the same general routine. Lunches and camps are made on sandy beaches that provide excellent opportunities to swim and sunbath. The second day's rafting is a further continuation of the fun and has the added interest of the countryside's changing as the Trisuli meets the Marsyangdi River at Mugling and turns southwards to India. The river narrows and some deep gorges are passed, often monkeys are seen in the trees and the river takes on an almost primordial aspect with dense forests of tall trees and clinging vines right down to the water's edge.

Day 15/16: A short bus ride from the night's camp takes you to the Terai and the pick-up point for your lodge in Chitwan. Four-wheel drive vehicles or sometimes elephants are used to take you from the main road to the camp where you are given a twin-bedded room with hot showers and towels. The temptation is to luxuriate in them but the jungle beckons. After a briefing from the naturalist guides you will commence exploration of this intriguing area. The Lodge has a programme that allows you to experience all the different activities such as elephant safari, jungle walks, canoe rides down the nearby Rapti River, elephant briefing, bird watching and so on. The main animals that people come to see are the One-Horned Rhino and the  Bengal Tiger but remember that both animals are extremely rare and difficult to find, especially the Tiger. Sightings are a valued experience. The jungle is thick and dense, unlike the plains of Africa, and the activities not to miss are the dawn and dusk tours when the animals are at their most active, as they often sleep through the heat of the day. The day is the time of the birds and with over 400 species in the park, this incredible variety is well worth the jungle walks and view tower visits. You will be together as a group on all activities and the real secret to seeing animals in Chitwan is to work together. When you go out on activities, the quieter you are, the far greater chance you have. 

Day 17: Transfer by private bus to Everest Panorama Resort for a relaxing afternoon enjoying this wonderful hill country. On a clear day, 400 km of the Himalayan range from Everest in the east to Dhaulagiri in the west can be seen, just standing on one spot! Afternoon activities are available for those that would like to experience the excitement of mountain biking or pony trekking, or walk to a monastery nearby. After dinner, a party in the cosiness of the "Base Camp Bar" is not unknown as the sun slips down over the mountains. You can also choose to relax in the sauna, jacuzzi and steam room. 

Day 18: Return to Kathmandu and to your hotel, in time for lunch. You're free to continue exploring this wonderful city, shopping for souvenirs, getting your photos or slides processed and trying out the various restaurants in Thamel. Your guide will be available to show you around and help you with your shopping, but remember, he/she can only be in one place at a time! 

Day 19: Departure day: You will be transferred to the International Airport for your flight home.

 Each day may vary from this schedule as walking times differ with every group, some taking longer and others take less, plus trails and lodge conditions need to be taken into account. The guide in charge of your trek will alter the schedule if necessary.