Trekking in Nepal Information

Teeming capital, outside the Kathmandu. Nepal is a land of remote mountain villages, where people survive by growing their own food on the thousands of hill terraces that scale even the steepest slopes where mechanized farming is unheard. The fields is ploughed by water-buffalo, the corn is harvested and threshed by hand and grounded by water mills. If you stay in a trekking lodge, your bread will likely as not be made from flour ground that day, your vegetables freshly harvested from the fields.

Since 1950, Nepal has been an unique place for mountaineers from all over the world. Some have come to scale an unconquered peak, others to undertake scientific research in the high mountains. Today, Nepal meets tourists of many nationalities; some come to complete an energetic trek or high adrenaline rafting trip, others to enjoy the peace and cultural richness of Nepal’s lower slopes and valleys. You can visit villages that are ten days trek from the nearest road, or ones that can be reached in two hours.

Country Holiday. operator has, since creation in 1985, been striving to open up the remote areas of Nepal to visitors, whilst providing them with the best possible value for money. A member of the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal, we are committed to trekking in a way that does no harm to the local environment. With camping groups we always carry kerosene, so that no local wood need to be used to cook our food. Naturally, to maintain our high standard, we have a dedicated team of experienced staff, from the office managers who arrange your trip right down to the cooks that prepare your food!

We excellent record of customer satisfaction and continued success has led us to expand our range of services. As well as a wide range of treks in Nepal, we now offer mountain biking tours, rafting expeditions, hotel reservations, Wildlife Safaris, trekking and tours to Tibet, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sikkim (India) and even Trans-Siberian train tickets! In fact, we specialize in tailor-making your holiday to your requirements. Let us make your time unforgettable experience in Nepal.

Nepal is a land of extreme topographical, climatic and ecological contrasts. South of the central Himalayas, this mountain kingdom with an area of 147,181 sq. km, varies in altitude from the plain of 100m. To 8848m, the height of Mt. Everest, within a short span of less than 200 km. Biodiversity ranges from tropical to sub-tropical to alpine flora and fauna within that short north -south axis. Few countries in the world might have such a vast range of natural beauty crammed into a small area. The kingdom is a reign of natural and adventure opportunities are many.

TREKKING For tourists with no prior experience of trekking, soft trekking routes amidst sprawling tribal villages with sweeping views of green hills and snowy peaks are available around Kathmandu and Pokhara. The trek starts from roadhead, goes up the hill until a panoramic view unfolds before the eyes and winds back to the comfort of the city on the same day or camping overnight on a ridge for view of sunrise over the snowy massif and coming down to the city the next day. Friendly and smiling Sherpas take care of you during the trip.

For trekkers with varied tastes, Nepal is the ultimate area. You can trek up to the foot of the great Himalayan ranges, such as Mt. Everest, Langtang and Annapurna or make a circuit of the highest mountains. You can also get beyond the mountains in Tibet -- like arid landscape with ancient culture such as upper Dolpa and Mustang. Nepal is a gateway to adventure in Tibet and Bhutan.

Trekking In Nepal
Trekking Chart

Trekking grades
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 climbing. You’ll 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.