BEST TREK IN NEPAL?
ok, here goes:What's the best trek to do in nepal in everyone's opinion and why?
anywhere between 10 and 18 days for someone fit with altitude experience. flexible on time of year but preferably between jan and april.
all suggestions welcome
thanks very much!
alex
i had been planning on annapurna circuit but there were some pretty negative comments on other posts saying roads had had a big effect..
2
“Best” is a word that I don’t like to use as all treks have their Pro’s as well as Con’sBut with between 10 and 18 days you have plenty of options including
1) EBC, Fly into Lukla, Trek to EBC / Kala Pattar and consider the side trek to Gokyo
2) ABC including the Poon Hill Extension
3) Langtang – Gosiakund – Helambu
Of the above, EBC will be the most challenging and probably offers the best of the views – But it is the most expensive as you have 2 Lukla flights to buy
ABC including the Poon Hill Extension is a very popular trek, no flights to buy, but you don’t get as high
Langtang – Gosiakund – Helambu is probably the quietest of the above, so if you are looking for a bit of solitude. It might well be the trek for you.
I have written up more details on all of the above treks including trekking schedules and photos in my Sports and Outdoor and on the Off the Beaten Path Tips in the link in my tag-line if you care to take a look.
Good Luck and Happy Safe Trekking
Rob
5
I'd recommend Upper Mustang, 10 to 12 days trekking in the 'permit area', but add a week to get there and back from Kathmandu. End of August / September nature is at its very best. You have to pay 500 dollars permit fee for 10 days but for that you get great nature (the road isn't finished yet...), pure Tibetan culture, great hospitality in lodges/homestays, not too many trekkers.7
Always depends a bit on what you like. For high mountains rock and ice as well as ease of independent trekking the "three passes" trek in the Kumbhu is hard to beat though it might take you a bit more than 18 days. The road has killed a lot of Annapurna, but it also has killed its popularity, and made it a much shorter trek. So the crowds are less, saw more people on the Manaslu Circuit than the Annapurna when I trekked that and Tilicho pass last spring. I'd still stay the area around Manang and Tilicho lake is great trekking and there is no road there, this was the best part of that trek so now you can sort of do just a highlight version by taking the road as far as it will go doing a few day hikes from Manang including Tilicho lake, and then Getting a ride out of Muktinath or Jomsom if you do the Tilicho pass (need a tent). But certainly no point in trekking the road parts. Sad that the road has killed the trekking economy there loads of boarded up lodges. For a bit more of a "wild" trek you can look into the Dhaulagiri Circuit (need a tent) or Makalu Base Camp (can maybe get by without a tent). I wouldn't bother with Upper Mustang unless you have money to burn. If you want Tibetan culture trekking go to Ladakh in India great trekking there, more impressive monasteries and more impressive scenery and no permits.8
@7"saw more people on the Manaslu Circuit than the Annapurna when I trekked that"
How different experiences can be, I've just finished the Tsum / Manaslu trek 2 weeks ago, meeting on average 20 trekkers a day, the last 2 days on the Annapurna circuit (partly road, partly path) was about 15 to 20 fold that number.
+" I wouldn't bother with Upper Mustang unless you have money to burn." + Have you really been to Mustang? You liked the crowds and tourist thing in Ladakh?
10
I would say Khumbu/EBC is The best 2 week trek, even if it is crowded especially in October. It would not be crowded if it was not good... AC was the best, but when it still was the best, it was more like 20+ days, not 10-18, for obvious reasons.Dhaulagiri circuit can not be compared to the big 3 (AC/ABC, EBC, Langtan-Helambu), much more serious, too often even deadly.
11
Hi everyone ,At the moment I'm thinking the EBC trek and then trying to get some of the highlights of the Annapurna area either after or before. I have 23 days in Nepal if I include arriving at 9 am on the first day ( could be used for organising). I'd like to build a few days into this for general relaxation / sightseeing. So I think I have about 4-5 days spare for Annapurna. Tilcho lake area was mentioned above, what do people think? Ideally I'd like to see the sorts of things I wouldn't see on EBC but would around Annapurna area, scenery etc.
thanks for your help
Alex
12
HiI think you would need more than 4/5 days for Tilicho even if pre acclimatised from EBC. I understand it's a spectacular setting and worth it if you have a little more time. With a few more days ABC also becomes a possibility and the views at the top are awesome. 4/5 days is enough for a Poon Hill trek but it's not as good as ABC.
The area is a good choice because it gives options and the same pieces of paper are needed for any of the routes mentioned. The decision could be left until after EBC when you will know how much appetite for trekking remains.
The NATT Guide has more information about Tilicho and this Annapurna map might be useful
scoodly
13
If you are pre-acclimatized from EBC you could do Chame-Tilico Tal-Jomsom in 5 days (camping required 1 night), but need 3 days more to get to Chame & from Jomsom to KTM.If you are a real tough mountain man, you could possibly climb, well pre-acclimatized again, from Jomsom to the lake in 2 days, then down in one day. This means from Kathmandu:
1) get to Pokhara
2) morning flight to Jomsom, hike up as far as possible, camp
3) climb to Tilicho tourst pass and to the lake, camp
4) hike down to Jomsom (long day)
5) fly Pokhara, Kathmandu
NOT EASY, but doable, means two daily 1500m+ climbs back to back from 2100 to 5300m, then 3000m+ descent.
