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The world "teahouse" means hotel. Since the word hotel has, it provides accommodation and foods. Thus, in the hills of Nepal a "hotel" has food & place to sleep. Many innkeepers specify the services they provide by calling their establishments "Hotel or Lodge". The most popular way to trek in Nepal is to travel from teahouse to teahouse. Hotel accommodation is most readily available in the Khumbu region, the Langtang area and the entire Annapurna region. We provide teahouse trek as a complete package. An English-speaking native guide will accompany you and make all the arrangements for food and accommodations along the way. We also provide one porter for every two persons to carry the bulk of your kit. The standard of accommodation and food at these inns varies tremendously, but your guide will select the best available. Should our itineraries not be to your satisfaction, you are welcome to design your own.
On a rest day in our itinerary, you can spend a day photographing mountains, flowers or people - or you can simply lie around for a day. Hotels provide a special meeting place for trekkers from throughout the world. You will have a good opportunity to see how the people in the hills of Nepal live, work and eat and will probably develop at least a rudimentary knowledge of the Nepali language.
You are, however, dependent on facilities in villages or in heavily trekked regions. Therefore you must trek in inhabited areas and on the better-known routes. You may need to alter your schedule to reach a certain hotel for lunch or dinner. |
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Fully organized camping treks are conducted in remote areas supplying all camping equipment such as two person tents, mattresses, tables and chairs, dining and toilet tents, all kitchen utensils. A Sirdar (chief guide), assistant guides, cook and kitchen boys accompany each group. The Sirdar employs the appropriate number of porters to carry all equipment and trekking gear.
A typical day begins about 6.00am when tea is brought to your tent, along with a bowl of hot water for washing. This is followed by breakfast, consisting of tea/coffee, muesli, porridge, eggs and pancakes. Whilst you enjoy your breakfast and admire the surrounding scenery, the trekking crew dismantle camp. Shortly after 7.00am we are on our way, taking advantage of the cool morning, each guest carrying a small rucksack containing articles required during the day (water bottle, camera, sweater, sun cream etc). The porters carry all other personal belongings.
Everyone walks at their own pace and as the group spreads out along the trail, our assistant guides are always close at hand making sure no-one gets lost. There is plenty of time to enjoy the views, meet the local people, take photographs and enjoy the flora and fauna. Even though you are with a group, you can walk alone, if you so choose. Around 11am we reach our lunch stop and as the cooks have gone ahead, tea is ready by the time we arrive. While we relax and perhaps swim in a nearby stream, lunch will be prepared. Around 1.00pm we are on our way again, arriving at our campsite between 3-4 p.m.
Although the porters walk more slowly on the trail, they take less time for lunch and will by now have set up camp for the night. Tea and biscuits will be available when you arrive and there will be ample time to sort out your tent, relax or explore the surrounding area before dinner. As we often camp near villages, a trip to the local inn can provide some light entertainment. Rest days are built into our itineraries to allow for acclimatization and can be utilized to explore the surrounding countryside. The food provided is a combination of western and local cuisine and trekkers are usually astonished at the quality and variety of meals produced in the camp kitchen. The cooks and kitchen staff are fully trained to the highest standards of hygiene. |
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For a self-sufficient and an experienced traveler, trekking company can provide you a guide and porter. One major advantage to hire a guide and porter from a trekking company is the reliability. This approach is suite for those who want to take all responsibility like arranging entry permits, transfers, food, accommodation etc. However this option is not very convenient for the travelers because they need time to arrange all the logistic and every concerns of the trips before and during the trek. So better travelers choose the package deal either tea house or camping to have relax like on holiday and free enough time to enjoy fully the land and the people which have attracted trekkers for a century. |
