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For many of our treks, you can
choose between staying in tea-houses or camping. A tea-house is a local run guest house,
but standards vary enormously. In popular areas such as Annapurna, tea houses are more
like hotels, with hot water, Western food and private rooms, whereas in more remote areas,
they are far simpler and more authentically Nepali. Tea-house trekking is less expensive
than camping, and is suitable for small groups. With large groups, irrespective of the
area, it is more practical to camp. A team of guides, porters and cooks mean you trek in
comfort and provides international-style food of a high standard.
Grade 1
For trekkers with no previous
experience, we offer a diverse range of easy treks. By easy, we mean that the trek
involves no difficult climbing or ascents to high altitudes, takes usually no more than a
week and is suitable for anyone. However, you should not think that loss of height means
loss of interest; while our more challenging treks get you closer to a small number of
mountain ranges, lower altitude treks often provide colourful horizons of a whole series
of ranges. High or low, mountain villages reachable only by several days walk from the
road brim with character.
The Ghorepani and Jomsom treks follow well-trodden
trails. The tea-houses along these routes offer hot water and Western-style food. Of
course, these treks are not popular without reason and you will find the terrain and views
superb. If the idea of tea-house trekking appeals to you, but you would prefer to escape
from the crowds, then the Helambu trek could be your ideal choice. You trek up to within
sight of enormous snowy mountains, and then wind at a leisurely pace through a spectacular
green valley. The tea-houses are simpler here, but you will benefit from the peace of the
unspoilt villages and the friendly welcome of your hosts. To really get away from it all,
try the Shivapuri trek, Siklis trek or the Royal Trek. Whilst you will still pass through
many remote villages, these regions are so unspoilt as to have no tea-houses, and you will
need to camp. Again, the range of mountains you can view on these treks is superb.
Grade 2
Grade 2 treks are more challenging
than Grade 1, and are suitable for any walker looking for something a little more
energetic. They are longer (10-20 days,) involve more walking up and down and climb to
higher altitudes, where you will be rewarded with close-up views of big mountains. For a
well-trodden route with good tea-house facilities, you could choose the Annapurna Base
Camp trek, which gets you close to glaciers and affords spectacular mountain views. For
something a little more remote, but still with the option of simple tea-houses, try
a trek in the beautiful Langtang region. From the Langtang Base Camp, you have the
additional option of scaling a trekking peak. For a moderate trek out in the wilds, Ganesh
Himal would be a good choice. With only 100 visitors a year to this region, the local
cultural traditions are still very much intact. On this trek, you cross the high Singla
Pass (4600m.) The Rara trek is similarly remote and is a good option for the summer season
as rainfall is low. As tourists are relatively unknown in these last two regions,
you need to camp.
Grade 3
Grade 3 treks should only be undertaken by those
with some previous mountain walking experience. They ascend to altitudes of up to 5500m
and involve some steep climbing, although it is never necessary to use ropes. Treks at
this level can he arranged for periods of 7-21 days. For a popular and spectacular trek,
with the possibility of staying in well-developed tea houses, the Annapurna Circuit is a
good choice. A gradual ascent through a green river valley will lead you up to a number of
high passes, where you will reach the altitude of 5416m. This trek will give you a close
insight into Tibetan culture. Another understandably popular trek, with good tea house
facilities, is the Everest Base Camp. The goal of this trek speaks for itself, but in
achieving it, you cross a glacier, see Mt Everest and a whole variety of soaring peaks and
experience the rich Sherpa culture. For a real adventure in wild and restricted areas,
that see less than 300 visitors per year, you could trek in Mustang or to Makalu Base
Camp. The Makalu trek traverses many high passes before reaching the Base Camp at 5000m.
The Tibetan plateau of Mustang is a wild, treeless desert. The last two treks are possible
only if you camp.
Grade 4
Grade 4 treks are only for
real adventurers. They involve steep ascents to high altitudes with the possibility of
some rope limbing. Youll need stamina to complete one of these treks, as it can take
20-28 days to journey to the heart of the wildernesses that they cross. All are camping
expeditions.
The exception is the Simikot trek, which is very
remote with a truly undeveloped culture (quite a shock.) This can be accomplished in a
shorter time (7-14 days.) However, you can also use the little-visited Simikot as the
starting point for a trip to Mount Kailash (20 days.) A trek through the isolated Dolpo
region is one of the few good possibilities for the summer months, as the area gets little
rain. Manaslu, like Annapurna, is a circuit trek and passes through Tibetan villages in a
little-visited, restricted area. A trip to Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the
world, will take you into the remote far east region of Nepal. Here, Sherpa, Rai and Limbu
culture happily co-exist. If you want the ultimate challenge, the Dhaulagiri trek is the
most difficult of our featured treks. This wild trek involves challenging trekking on
rough high terrain, perhaps with a ropes pitch or two.
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