When you tell the uninitiated about trekking in Nepal I think a lot of people get the wrong idea about what this is all about. People whose only exposure to the Himalayas comes from movies probably have this idea about locals carrying your gear on donkeys and setting up tents and needing oxygen in order to make it to the top. Perhaps mix in a few falling injuries and the fact that you are constantly in danger of freezing to death... right?
Well, while those things are actually possible, that isn't what most of it is all about.
src
Everest climbs are actually a tourist nightmare since it is the most popular mountain in the world and is on the bucket list for many folks in the world. Often you aren't really even climbing and there is no danger as there are hundreds of people going all at once and stopping briefly at the top to get a photo to put on instagram or something.
src
There is also an airport that takes you to Everest base camp and that it kind of cheating now isn't it?
There are ways that you can climb and follow trails that involve staying in tents and being a survivalist and cooking your own food and risking starving / freezing to death but I don't recommend these for newbies. There is a much better baby step way of getting involved in trekking in Nepal.
Tea Trekking
src
Tea house trekking or simply tea trekking is a far better way to being your journey into Nepal's mountainous wonderland because the paths are clearly marked and there are actual buildings to stay in every so often. These places to stay are actually quite perfectly spaced apart from one another so that you do a reasonable amount of hiking / climbing in a day and then you can take a load off, have a shower, rest, and go to a restaurant.
src
Often these are just retrofitted homes that have been turned into multiple rooms with beds that are comfortable enough to get you through the night. They also tend to not have a great deal of electricity since the only way to get electric up here is with solar panels and this will power a few lights here and there but don't expect this to go on all night because it will not. Food is cooked using fire and a makeshift stove and the heating is provided in the same manner. It is like stepping back in time and can actually be a wonderful experience.
I have never had any of our hosts be anything other than just unbelievably welcoming and here is another kicker. If you go during the off season you don't even have to pay to stay, just promise to eat at least 2 meals (dinner and breakfast) at the hostel and the stay is free. In our 7 day trek we never paid to stay in any of the mountain lodges we were at.
src
Do not come up here expecting luxury because you are definitively not going to find it, not matter how much you are willing to pay for it. That is all over at Everest base camp where world class chefs, luxury hotels and accommodation exist for the rich and famous. Tea trekking is a mecca for backpackers the world over. You can stay for next to nothing, hike for 5 to 7 hours a day, get some amazing views and photos and some memories that will last a lifetime. You can do all of this in relative safety too.
Just another reason to not be afraid of traveling to the wonderful country of Nepal and it puts people's minds at ease knowing that this is done by many people and is safe, cheap, and easy to follow. Why not give it a try? Well, once we are allowed to travel anywhere again that is.
exercise for a vacation? No thanks... just kidding it does look wonderful but i don't know if trekking for 5 hours a day only to sleep in what appears to be kind of not so comfortable bed to be my cuppa!
I have a couple of friends that went to Nepal for this and one who went to the top of Everest. He told me Everest was really expensive... and you are saying all the others are not?
The others cost almost nothing. Everest is crazy expensive and not something a newbie should even attempt.
an exercise vacation that costs next to nothing. Now there is just the problem of it being almost exactly on the other side of the world from where I currently reside
I think we are all going to have a global celebration once we can go places again. I know I will be extremely happy when that time comes.
id love to do this one day. I wonder how much the massive earthquakes they had there a few years ago affected these places. The buildings don't look terribly solid.
yes, a lot of the locations I visited in one of my trips was almost completely destroyed. It was truly tragic because these people were already really poor before that happened.
Lovely. Seems I stayed in the Annapurna GH in 2000. The photo really brought back some memories. Yes tea house trekking is super. I know its important to support the locals by using porters but we had small packs so didn't need one. So offseason. What month would you recommend? We always ordered the same food to cut down on the cooking fuel needed. As well we brought our own tea bags to cut down on expenses a bit. Nepal is a wonderful country with very nice people especially in the mountains. Could you imagine only going to Kathmandu and thinking this is Nepal? Did you try the local butter milk tea?
yes i tried that tea even though I am not much of a tea drinker, it was delightfully decadent.
I can't really imagine anyone going to just Kathmandu unless they were there on business. That is a horribly dirty city and was pretty much my least favorite part of the trip.
I do know a few people that fly into Kathmandu and then just fly straight on over to Pokhara, but to be fair to this couple they are in their 70's and it isn't exactly reasonable to expect them to climb mountain paths.
I also never used a porter but just like you, I was traveling very light and didn't need one. It wasn't a case of me trying to be stingy.
Yeah I'm into supporting locals but not really in need of someone to carry my bag and be my constant companion hehe.