Life Hacks for Independent Travel in Nepal

When you go to Nepal for the first time, many questions arise. How to get there, how life is arranged, how cold is it there, what do you need to take with you?

The most popular trekking tours in Nepal are routes to the Everest Base Camp Trek or around Annapurna. The first option is the most popular. To do this, you must first get to Lukla, from where all routes to Everest begin. Here is the Tenzing-Hillary Airport with a very short runway, which on one side rests on a rock, on the other – hangs over a cliff. Planes don’t fly in bad weather, and bad weather in the mountains happens often.

If you are not ready for independent travel, then you can always contact professional trekking organizers in Nepal, who organize a hike to the Everest Base Camp Hike.

Route

The route to the Everest has several options. They often choose the path through the Gokio lakes and the Cho-La pass — it is longer than the standard track, but allows you to see more Himalayan beauties and better acclimatize at altitude.

To pass this or any other track to Everest, you have to pay two fees:

• 2000 rupees for the permit are paid in Lukla;
• 3000 rupees for the entrance to the national park.

On the trail, the main rule of safety is to give way to the yaks, clinging to the slope. If you stand on the edge of the trail, there is a risk that the yaks will not calculate their size and accidentally throw off the cliff. Before you start moving across the bridge, it is useful to see if the yaks are coming towards you.

Housing and everyday life

Popular Nepali tracks usually don’t go with a tent. Theoretically, it is possible, there are places for a tent, but it will be inconvenient. When you buy a group hike to the Everest Base Camp Short Trek, this price includes accommodation and meals. Most often tourists are accommodated in lodges.

Lodges are Nepalese guest houses, with a common kitchen—dining room and rooms where many people can sleep.