2-week trip in Nepal

Hi everyone,

We have booked our flights to Nepal for August 2017 but unfortunately we have to move on a very tight schedule; we have only two weeks, which means we have to be very careful and try to make the wisest decisions so that we can make the best of our limited time in a country where I understand we should have been planning to spend a minimum of three weeks :( So I would really appreciate any suggestions you might have to make.

I particularly would like to know;

1-what your suggeston for a 5-day trek would be. I have been advised to try the Poon Hill circuit but then we would not be making it to the Himalayas at all, and for Annapurna, which is another circuit I have been advised for, I understand that I need to be aiming for a minimum of 8 days, right? So, are there any short everest treks anyone would be willing to recommend? I have found out this link;
http://www.mountainmarttreks.com/destinations/nepal/trekking/everest-region/budget-everest-short-trek.html

is anyone aware of this company? Or more importantly, are there any companies, preferably local, you have tried and were happy to trek with?

2- If we are not to do the Poon Hill trek, how many days do you think we should spend in and around the lake city of Pokhara?

3- is Lukna only accessible by Kathmandu by air or are there other alternatives?

Finally, what other suggestions and general recommendations would you make for two weeks in Nepal?

Thank you very much in advance for your kind input!

As others will remind you, August is monsoon time. Most treks will be very wet (especially Poon Hill). Some trails can be quite muddy and slippery.

Beyond that, there is the important problem that both air and road travel is often disrupted during monsoon time (clouds are a problem for flying in the mountains; washed-out roads and lanslides for road travel). Flights and road transport DO get through, but you need to have a few buffer days in case of delays/cancellations (especially for flights to Lukla or road transport up into middle hills/mountains). (Travel between Kathmandu and Pokhara is usually fine.)

There are some great positives, though: clear air (much less pollution), very green hills, roaring rivers, AND few tourists.

There are some "rainshadow" areas, where monsoon has much less of an effect. Poon Hill and, to a lesser extent, the Everest region are not in the rainshadow. Flights to/from Lukla are often delayed/cancelled.

Given your timeframe, accessible rainshadow areas would likely be (i) Mustang area, either the" lower area Marpha to Muktinath (no expensive permit), or the upper Mustang, which requires agency/guide and $500/person permit., and (ii) Manang area. (Western Nepal, Dolpo, is also in the rainshadow, but requires more time.)

The issue is getting to /from these areas. You can get land transport to both Manang and Jomsom (lower Mustang), but both must travel through monsoon-soaked areas, with possibility of delays (almost certainly, land transport to Jomsom area is more frequent and more reliable). There are also daily flights Pokhara-Jomsom, subject to weather issues.

Having said all the above, given your time frame, a trek in the Lower Mustang area (Marpha, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Muktinath) would give you a good 5-8 day trek in the rainshadow area. You just have to decide whether to fly or go by jeep/bus, both from Pokhara.

Our favourite trek was in August to rainshadow areas in Nar-Phu, Manang and Muktinath. Of course, we had 2.5 days of trekking completely soaked to start before we got to the rainshadow region, and a crazy bus/jeep ride back down from the rainshadow of Mustang through monsoon-soaked areas below. Hence my sugestion to transport up to Marpha/Jomsom area, and avoid trekking (hopefully) in heavy rains.

as an addendum:

Poon Hill is famous for its great views of the Annapurna Himal - - definitely in the himalaya. The trek has excellent lodges and trails (lots of steps). It would get a lot of rain in August (and be quite warm and muggy). During monsoon, there are often clouds, obscurring views (though we often had good views on our August trek). There are usualky large breaks in the weather and and on the Poon Hill trek, lodges are usually no more than an hour apart. These facts and the ease of acces to the trek (from Pokhara) make it doable any time of the year. But bring a good umbrella (available in Kathmandu or Pokhara).... ;-)

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Landfall gives excellent advice and suggestions. It won't rain all day and everyday, but you need to expect significant moisture, especially out of the rain shadow. It could be cloudy most of your trip, outside of the rain shadow. You can easily be delayed because of land slides that block roads and by flights that operate on visual flight rules.

I am not familiar with the trekking company that you mentioned above. However, there are hundreds of trekking companies in Nepal and many are good. If you send me a private message, by clicking on my name to the left of this message, I'll give you the contacts for three good trekking companies where I personally know the owner. You'd do well with any of them. These owners have become friends over the last15 years, and I like to help them out when I can by recommending travelers to them. I am not associated with any of these companies. I don't post their websites because it would be considered advertising which isn't allowed on this board.

Given your time frame and season I would agree with landfall steer clear of poon hill wet with likely no view. Even when the weather is clear I'd consider poon Hill over-rated as view point. No better than any of the views from the middle hills that are reachable by vehicle. Lower Mustang is a good option. Muktinath (3800 m), Chhyonkar (3400 m), Jhong (3200 m), Putak(3000 m), Kagbeni (2840 m), and Marpha (2780 m) are all interesting places. But go early in your two weeks since transportation in and out could be an issue flights get delayed canceled due to weather, and landslides can delay road traffic. Don't plan on coming back from your trek the day befor you have to leave.

-Micah

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