Hiring a porter for Annapurna/EBC

Hi everybody,

Basically, I'm totally new to hiking with hired help. I've never trekked with a company or have been guided. So if any of my questions seem ridiculous, please forgive me.

Part1: Annapurna
Where is the best place to get a porter for the Annapurna trek. Or alternatively, how have you obtained a porter for this trek? My main concern is that if I look in Kathmandu, I will inevitably have to go through a trekking agency, where some of my dollars goes to them instead of the porter. I'm of course assuming that a porter would not live on his own in Kathmandu, since I would expect it to be quite expensive there compared to living elsewhere. Is it possible to get a reliable porter in Beshishar? (I would like to go directly from Kathmandu to Beshishar, rather than Kathmandu - Pokhara - Beshishar).

When hiring a porter, is it expected for the trekker to pay for transportation costs? I'd assume so, but you never know.

Do you pay the porter daily? Does the porter carry your actual backpack (in a basket)? Can he/she carry two bags? My girlfriend and I both have 35L bags, weighing 18kg together. I'd like to think that is pretty light compared to some loads.

Part 2: EBC

After Annapurna, we are planning on doing the EBC trek, hiking from Jiri, then flying out from Lukla. Is there still maoists between Jiri and Lukla? The lonely planet says that they demand up to 7000NPR which is quite a lot of money, making flying in cheaper and with less hassle.

Is it worthwhile to hike from Jiri? From our point of view, we are doing it to save money($200), but if the trek is horrible, we might reconsider.

Ok, that's basically all my questions.

Thanks for you help

PS. Is anyone looking for trekking partners for Annapurna? We are 23 and 21, reasonably fit, English speaking, relaxed people. Our goal is to do Annapurna without rushing. Probably over the course of 20 days, in order to enjoy the trek and explore areas that are worth exploring. If someone(s) is/are interested, we are also open to the idea of sharing a guide between all of us. We figure to be starting from anywhere from the 17th - 20th of Sept. We arrive in Kathmandu around Sept 11 or 12th (for possible meetings). Please email us if interested. Sorry for this being in the wrong place, it just seems this forum gets more visits than the classifieds.

Thanks again

Calvin and Jen

You should pay around 10 usd/day (that includes everything) for a porter. The weight a porter usually carry is 15 kgs. I reckon it's okay with 18kgs. Best to get all your stuff in one backpack though.

You can find lots of porters in POkhara. Ne need to use an agency or find one in KTM.

Have a good trip

The three main treks in Nepal are designed to be done WITHOUT a guide or porter hence 'tea house' trek. They are designed this way for a reason; to conserve the environment.

You take a small bag with you and leave most of your stuff with your guest house in pokhara. you can also rent all that you might need. You'll need a basic map and then you can just follow the path from village to village. If you want you can buy a trekking guide book but it is not really necessary.

It is better to avoid any porter or guides and DIYS unless you lack basic fitness or unable to follow a basic map.

After Annapurna for 2-3 weeks you will be dead tired, so EBC is doubtful. I won't make any plans.

2 people is ideal. You will meet no end of tourists on the way as well as many local villagers who if it suddenly became necessary could be hired as porter.

ignore chaudi's reponse. If you do not want to carry a bag then that's up to you. These trek's were not "designed" at all. If you want to employ a porter, good for you. I did Annapurna 7 years ago and I hurt a muscle in my leg and had to stop at Manang and fly back to pokhara. If I had not been carrying a heavy bag for day after day, I doubt this would have happened. If you carry a heavy bag and fall and hurt your ankle or knee, you will be sorry for the rest of your life. Doing it yourself is fine, but it doesn't make you special. I am coming back on Sep 20. If I go trekking, I WILL be hiring a porter.
I will also use an agency. It will cost more, but so what? I would like some security and I do not want my porter to disappear leaving me with no-one to shout at at the end!

The annapurna circuit is easy to find your way on. you will never forget it.
alex

Chaudi does not know of what he speaks. I did the Everest trek, felt wonderful after losing a few pounds, then did the annapurna after a few rest days. The treks are not designed to conserve the environment either.

For starters, 18kg backpacks are WAY too heavy and it's an absolute abuse of human rights to expect a porter to have to carry that for you, even if you are paying them. Lighten the load to no more than 12 kgs and carry your pack yourself, it's not that hard! The higher you go with altitude, the harder it gets.

I did Annupurna Base Camp a few years ago in a group of 7 and we all carried our own stuff but took guides. The trip was organised through an agency in Kathmandu but they got a pretty good tip at the end of it.

Get yourself a Porter Monkey and don't worry about anything. Unlike Trekkers the Porter Monkeys don't require any stuff themselves and they never get injured (no insurance required!), and they can carry almost double what a Trekker can. To find yourself a Porter Monkey look for the yellow skin and shabby clothing and eagerness to perform hard labour for $10 a day.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>For starters, 18kg backpacks are WAY too heavy and it's an absolute abuse of human rights to expect a porter to have to carry that for you<hr></blockquote>

??? i think a porter would gladly carry 18 kg any day. most porters who carry normal goods can carry close to their body's weights to make ends meet..
what is a proper weight for a porter is debatable...the general rule is be generous with the porter's wage and the end of the trek. be open to negotiation with the porter and enjoy the process...

if i were you, i'd treat my porter as just another companion on the trek. if so, what do you think would be a good weight for your companion to carry?

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<hr>I do not want my porter to disappear<hr></blockquote>

in my experience all porters i've hired have been honest. i've never had any bad experiences.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>leaving me with no-one to shout at at the end!<hr></blockquote>

either #3 is attempting to be sarcastic or he seems to subscribe to the 'babu sahib' mentality...

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>When hiring a porter, is it expected for the trekker to pay for transportation costs?<hr></blockquote>

I pay for my porter's costs. $2-$5 for a bus ticket isn't a big deal. I also offer to pay for the meals although in my experience, many have declined to accept. However, tea is always on me.

happy travelling

pallav

http://pallavgupta.homeunix.org

Let's put this weight thing in perspective:

- The average weight non-trekker porters carry starting from Jiri is 80.5 kg (about 180 lbs). They achieve the best time/load ratio with loads that size.
- The biggest documented loads for single porter have been over 200 kg.
- Everest expedition porters have standard loads of 30 kg, but all choose to carry two loads at the same time. Waste of time to run back for the second one.

We western weaklings have been so far and so long removed from the real physical labor, that we have lost the idea of waht the human body is capable of when trained long and hard. Rich pro athletes we admire, poor porters capable of great physical things we pity (and even refuse to employ them).

18kg load for a porter is a joke, any 5 year old Nepalese hill kid can carry that.

#8

All that but the same species of animal that has grown up in a different geographical location can't carry 10kg?

If you're right then your average porter hiring trekker is simply a wuss.

Hire a porter or a guide. Give someone a job for those days. Porters will not disappear on you. On my first trek, I was kind of paranoid about this. But, the key is to only pay 50 percent at the start. Pay the rest in installments while on the trek, or else at the end of the trek. They also worry about you skipping out on your final payment.

Just because the porters CAN carry heavy loads, doesn't mean that you have to take loads of unnecessary crap on the trek. I'm sure that given a choice, they'd rather carry a lighter load.

#9

It is not where you grow up, but how you grow up. If you had started carryin loads from age 5, manure, gravel, sacks of flour, lumber etc, you could have carried 30 kg easily at age of 12, 60 kg by age of 16 and now 80-100 kg would not be a problem. It is not the African air that makes it possible for the rural african children to easily run 20-50 km in a day, even just fo fun, it is the distances, need and lack of mechanized transportation. We all are born runners and porters, but easy life does not develop those capabilities in us anymore. It is a scientific fact that the physical fitness level of western children has collapsed since the invention of TV and this trait has accelerated after PC and net came to use.

Yes, we are weaklings. 10000 years ago we could all run a duble marathon carrying a deer carcass...

#11

Naturally everybody likes a lighter job if the pay is the same. Trekking porters play on the ignorance of trekkers and tend to complain about "heavy" loads when given over 20 kg. If the trekker would open his /her eyes he could see other local porters passing by carryin 80 kg with less pay... I myself would also prefer shorter hours at double the pay.

Wow,

I'm glad for the responses, however few are actually helpful. What I have gathered is that a porter should cost around $10 a day. Pay half or something shy of that in the beginning. They probably won't runaway with my bag. Combine two bags into one bag (no problem there).

Still looking for:
Porters in Beshishar?
Is there still maoists between Jiri and Lukla?
Is it worthwhile to hike from Jiri?

It's funny how everyone jumps in with their own two cents about porters and guides. It's a very touchy subject, however, my purpose was to learn how to get a porter, not if one is required. My gf and I have already decided to hire a porter (as I thought was evident in my post - I would like to hire a porter, but not through a travel agent because I want the porter to get more money). A porter allows us more comfort in our journey, as well as employing someone who may not have otherwise worked in that time. From what I hear, the porters who are not tourist oriented carry extremely heavy loads for less than $10 a day. As for cheapening the experience, it may be already cheapend with the construction of roads in the area and the number of tourists.

Chaudi - Thanks for the faith in EBC. As I always joke with my friends, "You don't know me". This also applies to you, but without the humour. We realize it might be tough, but having waited years to do it, a little bit of fatigue won't stop us. And thanks for the ideal number of people to trek with. I thought it was obvious that we would like to trek with some other people. But this must have escaped you.

More later... Power is off here

As for the weight, I simply added that in for extra information. My question was whether or not a porter could fit two 35L bags in his carry thingy (lack of a better word), not that of weight. 18kg is not heavy by any means. We have both carried 20kg+ hiking before. A porter should be able to carry 16-18kg, if not, then they are not really providing a service are they?

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>For starters, 18kg backpacks are WAY too heavy and it's an absolute abuse of human rights to expect a porter to have to carry that for you, even if you are paying them. Lighten the load to no more than 12 kgs and carry your pack yourself, it's not that hard! The higher you go with altitude, the harder it gets.<hr></blockquote>

I'm confused by this statement. From what I gather, 18kg is too much, an abuse of human rights (where are you from? I'd like to live there), so I should lighten the load, then I can carry it myself. What happened to the porter? I agree altitude makes things harder, but isn't this one of the reasons for a porter? As for lightening, granted we can loose a few thigs hanging around, but even 16kg for two people seems very light for two people (but 12kg?). We are carrying sleepings bags and jackets and the like, if we get caught at the high pass in a snow storm, they are life savers.

I would like to thank everyone who didn't ruin the spirit of the post and who gave us useful information. We are looking forward to going, and hopefully some of my other questions will be answered.

read a guidebook.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>It's funny how everyone jumps in with their own two cents about porters and guides.<hr></blockquote>

this is a open public forum...

happy travelling

pallav

http://pallavgupta.homeunix.org

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