Nepal Trekking Logistics

International Terms and Conditions

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Nepal Trekking Gear List

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Kangchenjunga Trek

Everest Base Camp and Gokyo Lakes

Arrival in Kathmandu

Kathmandu airport is called Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM). Joe or Wongmu Sherpa will meet you when you exit the airport terminal. Share your arrival flight and time with Joe, then double check on the day of your flight. WhatsApp Joe and Wongmu with any changes or problems:

Joe: +1-907-830-0125

Wongmu: +977 985 117 4471

Visa

You will get a 30-day tourist visa when you arrive at the airport. Before leaving home, complete this Visa On Arrival form nepaliport.immigration.gov.np. Print it and save it to your phone. Upon arrival, go to the Visa Fees Collection Counter with your form and pay $50 USD to get a voucher. With your voucher, go through the On Arrival Tourist Visa line to get your visa. 

 

Hotel 

In Kathmandu we stay the four-star Hotel Shanker. It is a 15-minute walk to the Thamel tourist district for shopping and restaurants. www.shankerhotel.com Without daytime traffic it is a 15-minute drive from the airport. Our outfitter will pick you up and drop you off at the airport.

Google directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HDxMHHagKjcy18fn6 

Address: Lazimpat, Kathmandu 44600 Nepal

Phone: +977 1 451 0151

 

Teahouse Lodging

All of the treks Joe offers are Teahouse Treks; we stay each night in a teahouse lodge. These are fun places to socialize with other trekkers and the locals. We will sleep in these very basic teahouses every night. Rooms usually have two single beds and plywood walls. Toilets are shared and often several hundred feet away from your room. Heating is only available in the dining area. We will eat breakfast and dinner in our teahouse, along with tea, coffee, and beverages. We will also stop at a teahouse during the day for lunch. 

Money

Bring at least $600 in US cash. Bills must be clean and new with big faces. Old USD bills will not be accepted in Nepal. We will get about $400 changed into rupees in Kathmandu, for use on the trek. When making a purchase, and given change in rupees, make sure they are not ripped. Credit cards and US cash won’t work on the trek.

Tipping is normal in Nepal. Tip at least 10% in restaurants, 20 rupees for bellhop, and 100 rupees per day for hotel room cleaners,

Fitness and Training

Trekking in Nepal involves consecutive full days of walking on up and down on rough trails, at altitudes up to 16,000 feet, with a light pack. Training will make the trip more enjoyable and help prevent injury. Showing up without training will compromise your enjoyment, increase the likelihood of injury during the trip, and compromise the trip for the entire group. Here are some training recommendations:

1. Don’t Get Injured! The goal of training is to have a better trek, not the training itself. Don’t push yourself to the max during the training. Don’t push through injury. Avoid workouts with big weights. Always back off if you feel aches or pains. And perhaps most important, rest so you can recover and be stronger. You want to be healthy and strong at the starting line. 

2. Hire a Personal Trainer. The best athletes get the most coaching. Find a trainer who understands age and your goals. You’ll learn the right techniques and prevent injury with a good trainer.

3. Determine your Training Zones. This is optional, but helps training. Go to a training facility to find out your training zones, or you can do it roughly using a heart rate monitor watch and your age. The Apple watch does this. The Garmin Fenix is a fancy heart rate/altimeter watch that is popular with mountaineers.  

4. Train for Endurance. 1+ times per week. The best way to train for trekking is by trekking. Try to get at least one full day (8 hours) of hiking in per week in the months preceding the trip. Ideally this will be about 8-12 miles and 1-3,000 vertical feet. Use the footwear you will use on the trek and carry a 20-pound backpack. Shorter walks during the week also help. These are zone 2 workouts where you can keep a conversation going. Most of your training should be zone 2. 

5. Do Functional Training. 1-2 times per week. These workouts improve your core fitness, strength, balance and agility. All of these are important for preventing injury during the trek. Common exercises and equipment include light dumbells, Bosu, TRX, agility ladders, body weight squat, kettle bell swings and sit ups. It’s easiest to do functional training in a class or with a personal trainer. 

6. Train your Cardio. 1 time per week. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) in zone 4 or 5 will help with hills and altitude by bumping up your upper limit, so you’re not trekking near your limit. A common cardio workout is 20-30 minutes of intervals once a week doing hill walking/running, rowing, cycling or stair climbing. Push yourself in cycles of zone 4-5 for 1 minute then take a few minute break. Another cardio option is Tabata workouts with very short bursts of intense exercise—such as on a stationary bike—followed by brief rest periods. A Tabata workout could be 8 rounds of 20 seconds each, with 10 seconds of rest between each round for a total of 4 minutes. 

Reading: Fast After 50: How to Race Strong for the Rest of Your Life by Joe Friel.

Weather

Kathmandu temperatures may be as high as 80F. On the trek the weather will mostly be warm and sunny during the day, but below freezing at night and in the morning when we start walking. 

The Trail

The trails are heavily used, rough and steep with many stairs and loose rocks. Near the high pass there might be snow on the trail where we will use ice grippers for better traction. There are cliffs along the trail and the river, but the trails are are sufficient for hikers, porters carrying large loads and pack animals. No avalanche risk. There will be many big and solid suspension bridges that are strong enough for large pack animals. 

Food and Drink

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included on the trek. You will purchase your own bottled drinks including water, soda and alcohol. Vegetarian meals are common. The normal Nepal Himalaya food is rice and lentils called dal baht. It is not exciting, but is always all-you-can eat. You don’t have to eat dal baht. You can bring a small bag of snacks and drink mix if you want. 

Power, Wifi, and Cell

The tea houses have power for charging batteries and phones. Bring an international adapter (Type C, European) with USB outlets. Converter not needed. 

Most teahouses will have wifi, but it is usually spotty. Cell service is also limited once outside the bigger towns.

WhatsApp is the normal way to text and the connection through wifi or cell is usually better than cell for calls. We will also use WhatsApp to text among the group before and during the trip.

Rescue Coverage

Medical and evacuation coverage are required on this trip. Tell your insurance company that your max elevation will be 5,200m. Some rescue options are listed in the Terms and Conditions. 

Trip Insurance 

Highly recommended. Some trip insurance options are listed in the Terms and Conditions. 

Reading

  • The Heart of the World, by Ian Baker. Joe’s favorite Himalaya book. 

  • High Elevation Travel & Altitude Illness, CDC Yellow Book 2024, by Peter Hackett, David Shlim. 

  • Seven Years in Tibet, by Heinrich Harrer. Himalaya classic. 

  • Touching My Father’s Soul, In the Footsteps of Tenzing Norgay, by Jamling Tenzing Norgay. 

  • The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen. 

  • Nepal: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture, by Tessa Feller and Mercel Sanca.

  • Climbing Jannu’s North Face.