An overview:

Trekking is walking up and down on the beaten trails or virgin tracks. Trekking usually consists of a series of ascents and descents walking 5 to 7 hours (9 to 14 kms) per day on average with a guide, cook and porters and on some occasions pack animals. The trekking history began from the last 40 years, spreading outward from the British hill-station of Darjeeling and the traditional trade routes of Nepal, mountain tourism has developed to a refined state of hospitality and convenience that has opened the way for trekking as the optional means of Himalayan travel. Ultimately trekking is the only way to truly experience the amazing sights, sounds and sensations of the Himalaya and of the various cultural adaptations to its many profiles. Trekking provides an opportunity to observe the local culture of the people and enjoy the beauty of nature undisturbed by the influence of modernity. Trekking has been promoted in Nepal as mountain tourism and adventure holiday destination. Whether you begin your trek at a road head or fly into a remote mountain airstrip, a large part of it will be in the middle hills region. Trekking is normally on well-developed trails through villages and across mountain passes. Even at high altitudes there are intermittent settlements used during summer by shepherds, so the trails, though often indistinct, are always there. You can easily travel on any trail without the aid of ropes or mountaineering skills. There are rare occasions when there is snow on the trail, and on some high passes it might be necessary to place a safety line for your companions or porters if there is deep snow. Still, alpine techniques are almost never used on a traditional trek. Anyone who has walked extensively in the mountains has all the skills necessary for an extended trek in Nepal.

Why trek in Nepal?

The diversity in Nepal's nature and a range of exotic culture makes this country ideal for trekking. This is a land of immeasurable beauty and inexplicable spiritual wonders…. The valleys to explore, distant mountain range to cross, hilltop monastery in which to ponder your inner thoughts, moments to contemplate the past and the future of humankind, where time seems to stand still and your mind is repeatedly drowning to present. It is a chain of the highest and youngest mountains on earth and it encompasses a region of deep religious and cultural traditions and an amazing diversity of people. A trek in Nepal is a special and rewarding mountain holiday, which provides an opportunity to observe the local culture of the people and enjoy the beauty of nature undisturbed by the influence of modernity.

Fortunately for the visitor, there are still only a few roads extending deeply into the hills, so the only way to truly visit the remote regions of the kingdom is in the slowest and most intimate manner - walking. It requires more time and effort, but the rewards are also greater. Instead of zipping down a freeway, racing to the next "point of interest," each step provides new and intriguing viewpoints. You will perceive your day as an entity rather than a few highlights strung together by a ribbon of concrete. For the romanticist, each step follows the footsteps of Hillary, Tenzing, Herzog, and other Himalayan explorers.

Trekking in Nepal will take you through a country that has captured the imagination of mountaineers and explorers for more than 100 years. You will meet people in remote mountain villages whose lifestyle has not changed in generations.

Villages embrace many ethnic groups and cultures. The terrain changes from tropical jungle to high-glaciated peaks in only 150 km. From the start, the towering peaks of the Himalaya provide one of the highlights of a trek. Finally, after weeks of walking, you will arrive at the foot of the mountains themselves - astonishing heights from which gigantic avalanches tumble earthwards in apparent slow motion, dwarfed by their surroundings.

How the treks are?

Long/short trek, easy/hard trek, low/high altitude trek, cultural/wilderness trek, classic/off the beaten trek, Individual/group treks etc.

When to Trek in Nepal?

There are two major factors to weigh as you decide when to go to Nepal: crowds and weather. As a general rule, the better the weather, the more people come to Nepal to go trekking. During the high tourist season in Autumn (Sep-Nov) and Spring (Mar-May), flights and hotels are fully booked and hotels and trails in the hills can be horrendously busy. In these, both season bight sun makes for pleasant day temperatures. So the best seasons are Autumn & Spring for trekking in Nepal.

The winter is cold and off-season for trekking. However, some low altitude and shorter treks are possible. The Christmas period is cold, but this is the holiday season in Japan and Australia and these nationalities dominate flights and hotels.

The monsoon is rainy and off season but trekking is possible if you are willing to put up with the rain, leeches, slippery trails and lousy mountain views. Flights operate throughout the monsoon to remote parts, so it is possible to fly in and trek above the leech line. The Mustang & Dolpo restricted areas are in the Himalayan rain shadow so these places are the best for summer treks.

Trekking Requires Physical Effort:

A trek is physically demanding because of its length and the almost unbelievable changes in elevation. The trail gains and loses more than thousands of meters of elevation during many steep ascents and descents. On most treks, the daily gain is less than 800 metres in about 15 km, though ascents of as much as 1200 metres are possible on some days. You can always take plenty of time during the day to cover this distance, so the physical exertion, though quite strenuous at times, is not sustained. You also can stop frequently and take plenty of time for rest. Probably the only physical problem that may make a trek impossible is a history of knee problems on descents. In Nepal, the descents are long, steep and unrelenting. There is hardly a level stretch of trail in the entire country. If you are an experienced walker and often hike 15 km a day with a pack, a trek should prove no difficulty. You will be pleasantly surprised at how easy the hiking can be if you only carry a light backpack and do not have to worry about meal preparation. Previous experience in hiking and living outdoors is, however, helpful as you make plans for your trek. For trekking, mountaineering experience is not necessary, but you must enjoy walking.

How the treks can be arranged?

In Nepal, there are few major ways to arrange a trek, which can be categorized into four approaches: backpacking, teahouse treks, camping trek treks and treks with guide and porters. There is a lot of overlap among these, because of many aspects of each trekking style spill over into the next. A backpacking trek that stays a few nights in hotels has many of the attributes of a teahouse trek. A teahouse trek with porters starts to become a self-arranged trek. A self- an arranged trek that uses the services of a trekking agency in Nepal is similar to the trekking company approach.

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