With front-row seats for the world’s highest mountains, Nepal is a country-sized adventure playground for lovers of the great outdoors. In the Nepal Himalaya, trekkers can clamber over creaking glaciers and tie prayer flags atop knife-edge mountain passes, before stopping for the night in ancient stone villages, sharing the camaraderie of the trail with a legion of like-minded trekkers over salted butter tea.
With Nepal’s fantastic trekking infrastructure, you don’t need to do much more than fly in, arrange a trekking permit, and start walking, but you do need to decide where to go – no easy task in a country with this many mountains.
Towering snowy peaks trace the northern reaches of Nepal in a mighty sweep from 7132m Mount Api in the west to 8586m Kanchenjunga in the east. Most trekkers make a beeline for Everest Base Camp, or the looping trek encircling the Annapurna Range near Pokhara, but there are dozens of other treks, some starting within walking distance of the capital, Kathmandu, and others only accessible on challenging camping expeditions with packhorses and guides. Here’s an overview of what to expect from Nepal’s top trekking regions.
Everest Region
Good for:
Views
Bragging rights
Sherpa Buddhist culture
Creature comforts
The high-altitude valleys of Solukhumbu form the main approach route for ascents of Mt Everest (8848m), and Everest Base Camp (EBC), the tent city used by mountaineers attempting the summit, is one of the most famous trekking destinations in the world. This does mean crowds. Up to 1000 trekkers arrive at the tiny mountain airstrip at Lukla every day during the peak trekking months from October to November and March to April, putting sleeping bag space at a premium.
The flip side of popularity is excellent infrastructure. Comfortable trekking lodges line the entire route from Lukla, and modern-world luxuries such as Snickers bars, hot showers and Wi-Fi internet are available all the way to Base Camp. Factor in ancient Buddhist monasteries, yeti relics and awe-inspiring views of Everest, plus side treks to glacial lakes, Ama Dablam and other landmark summits and it’s easy to see the appeal.
Classic treks:
Everest Base Camp (16 days) – the definitive Nepal trek, climbing right onto the flanks of Everest, with grandstand views of the world’s highest mountain.
Three Passes Trek (20 days) – the Everest Extension, linking the Gokyo, Kumbhu, and Imja valleys over three of the world’s highest navigable passes.
Annapurna Region
Good for:
Views
High Passes
Comfortable lodges
Apple pie
North of Pokhara, the Annapurna Massif boasts 14 peaks that exceed 7000m, including Annapurna I (8091m), the tenth highest mountain on earth. Trails approach the peaks from both the south (Annapurna Sanctuary) and north (Annapurna Circuit) and impressive tourist infrastructure lines both networks of routes (not for nothing is this known as the Apple Pie trail). Road building has had a bigger effect on trails here than in any other region of Nepal, but the accessibility of the region and its classic views of peaks like Machhapuchhare and Annapurna South ensure this remains Nepal's most popular trekking region.
The famous Annapurna Circuit is just one path through the Annapurnas. Almost as popular is the ten-day tramp to the Annapurna Sanctuary, while dozens of smaller trails link the Gurung stone-walled mountain villages north of Pokhara on routes that be done in just a few days. Most trailheads are just a couple of hours' drive from the well-connected town of Pokhara.
At the other end of the spectrum, remote Mustang and Nar-Phu offer expedition-style detours off the Annapurna Circuit for trekkers with special permits, visiting parched high-altitude deserts that are refuges for Tibetan Buddhist culture.
Classic treks:
Annapurna Circuit (18 days) – The definitive Annapurna trek, circling the massif and crossing the breathless Thorung La (5416m).
Annapurna Sanctuary (10 days) – A journey to the heart of the Annapurnas, through valleys iced by mighty glaciers.
Langtang, Helambu and Manaslu
Good for:
Mountains and monasteries
Proximity to Kathmandu
Traveller camaraderie
Low elevation
Langtang and Helambu were hit badly by the earthquakes of 2015, but nothing keeps Nepal down for long, and lodges across the region have been rebuilt better than ever, offering some of the most rewarding short treks close to Kathmandu. In place of a hair-raising mountain flight, a simple bus ride will whisk you to the trailheads for exploring the Langtang Valley and a spiderweb of side-trails through the surrounding uplands. As another bonus, few trails exceed 3870m, reducing the need for rest-days to acclimatise to the altitude.
East of Langtang, epic Manaslu is Nepal's best-kept secret, offering an ever-changing palette of Himalayan scenery, as dramatic as Everest and Annapurna but without the crowds. An excellent add-on is the side trip to Tsum, a junction of high valleys bordering Tibet that combines Tibetan culture, monasteries and traditional villages.
Classic treks:
Langtang Valley Trek (7-9 days) – Restored after the 2015 earthquake, the trail to Kyanjin Gompa is back on the map as a classic short trek, within easy reach of Kathmandu.
Around Manaslu Trek (16-18 days) – A high-altitude epic, through valleys well off the beaten path, in the shadow of mountain giants such as Himlung Himal (7126m) and Manaslu (8163m).
Eastern Nepal
Good for:
Peace and quiet
Empty trails
Wildlife watching
Close up views of Kangchenjunga
Compared to the established trekking routes around Everest, Annapurna and Langtang, Nepal’s rugged east is uncharted territory. Crude teahouses dot the lower slopes in summer, but the high altitude valleys are only accessible on camping expeditions, with special permits and guides. In exchange for foregoing Wi-Fi and apple pie, you get unparalleled vistas of Kangchenjunga (8586m), the third highest peak on earth.
If Kanchenjunga feels too ambitious, consider the world’s fifth highest peak, Makalu (8463m). Just a trickle of independent trekkers attempt the trail, which links widely-spaced teahouses and camping grounds en route to the mountaineers’ base camp at 4870m. Pioneering routes connect Kanchenjunga and Makalu via the remote Lumba Sumba Pass, perfect for anyone interested in a wild camping adventure
Two great advantages of trekking in eastern Nepal are the spring rhododendron blooms and the year-round tongba, traditional millet beer served warm in wooden tankards to stave off the mountain chill. This is also Nepal's wettest region, so bring good waterproofs.
Classic treks:
Kangchenjunga North (18-20 days) – The most spectacular approach to Kangchenjunga, a camping climb through remote alpine valleys you may have entirely to yourself.
Makalu Base Camp (13 days) – A remote ramble to the base camp for climbers attempting Makalu (8463m), through untamed country with a scattering of rustic teahouses.
Western Nepal
Good for:
Mountain lakes
Remote monasteries
Trekking off the map
Wilderness
Trekkers who venture to the west of Nepal enter a world of pristine wild scenery, icicle-clear mountain lakes and ancient Buddhist kingdoms edging onto the roof of the world. There’s little support for trekkers here; most routes are only accessible by mountain flights, and you’ll need a trekking company to arrange restricted-area permits, guides, packhorses, camping equipment and food. The reward for all this planning, organising and expense is the chance to trek far beyond the familiar Nepal, meeting remote communities who have been touched only lightly by the modern world.
Most visitors drop in via the airstrips at Dunai and Jumla, but a few hardy souls trek into Dolpo overland from Beni, following a route made famous by Peter Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard. The placid lakes of Phoksumdo and Rara are impossible pools of blue-ringed by unknown mountains, while Dolpo and Humla offer glimpses of ancient Buddhist civilisations that cling on only in the remotest valleys in the Himalaya. Best of all, you can trek for days without seeing a glimpse of Gore-Tex, beyond your own small trekking group. Wild routes from Dolpo to Mustang or to remote peaks like Api-Saipal are for true Himalayan connoisseurs.
Classic treks:
Beni to Dolpo (12 days) – A legendary camping trek through the high valleys of Dolpo, home to elusive snow leopards, and more Himalayan blue sheep than people.
Jumla to Rara Lake (9 days) – Short and strenuous, but perfectly formed, the trek to millpond-calm Rara Lake passes through scented forests that teem with Himalayan wildlife.
You might also like:
6 must-visit day-trip destinations from Kathmandu
How to be a responsible Everest Base Camp trekker
The best places to see tigers in the wild
This article was first published in October 2017 and last updated in April 2020.
