Few places in the whole world can match the sheer beauty and
fascinating culture of Nepal. Adventure travellers rave about
it, and more and more people are preparing for the first trek
based on the positive reviews of others. The trouble is,
trekking in Nepal isn’t as simple as booking a beach holiday or
taking a city break – it’s a serious undertaking that requires a
lot of thought and preparation. Fortunately, the rewards exceed
these negatives, so beginners should not be put off! Here’s a
list of things you should know before you go trekking in Nepal
for the first time…
When to go?
Spring or autumn are without a doubt the best times to go
trekking in Nepal. It’s around 15 to 25 degrees centigrade in
spring, and between 10 and 15 degrees in autumn. Which of these
you pick depends on your own tastes – in spring, the forest’s
flora is in full bloom, while autumn’s clear skies present
unparalleled mountain views.
As for the other months, winter is just too cold for most
tastes – well below freezing at nights on higher elevations.
Summer would be ideal, if it weren’t monsoon season – 80% of the
country’s rainfall is between the months of June and September,
so it’s best to be avoided!
Where to go?
The most important thing is to not overstretch yourself in
Nepal. Trekking is not for the faint of heart (both figuratively
and literally!), and you can’t just head up Everest on your
first trip! That said, all of Nepal’s trekking regions have
areas that are suited to beginners. The best advice here is to
not overstretch yourself, and to find a tour operator who
clearly outlines the strenuousness of their routes. Do a little
research and you should be able to strike up the right balance
between difficulty and pleasure fairly easily.
Before you go?
Above all else, it’s important to make sure you have the proper
vaccinations before you head out to Nepal. These include
Hepatitis A, Polio, Typhoid, Tetanus and Rabies vaccinations.
You may have had some or all of these before, but in the case of
Rabies and Tetanus, they have a time limit on their
effectiveness.
The next big concern is what to drink. It’s best to boil or
purify any water you get locally, as drinking unclean water will
really ruin your experience!
Finally there’s altitude sickness, which some people suffer
from. Typically this does not affect people until they’re over
10,000 feet, though so if you’re sticking to lower treks you
should be fine. If you are planning on heading over 10,000 feet
for the first time, the bad news is that there’s no way of
knowing if you suffer from altitude sickness until you see the
first symptoms. The best advice therefore is to move to higher
altitudes slowly over a period of days, which will give your
body the chance to acclimatise. If you find you are suffering,
the solution is to move to a lower elevation – which you should
do if you begin to recognise the symptoms: nausea, dizziness,
headaches and/or insomnia.
What to take?
A fairly common question is what sort of clothes travellers
need to take for a Nepal trek. The key to being comfortable for
your trek is layers: Always be able to add and remove clothes as
you need and you should be fine, no matter what the weather
throws at you. Hiking shorts and trousers with T shirts and sun
hats should see you fine at lower altitudes. If your Nepal trek
takes you above 10,000 feet, you will want to bring insulated
trousers, gloves and a strong jacket.
When you’re out there…
The last thing you want to do on your Nepal trekking holiday is
to cause offence to the locals. To that end, there are some
local customs, and rules that you should be aware of. Pointing
is considered rude (both at people and statues), shrines and
Chorten should be passed in a clockwise direction and hand
shaking is not the norm when greeting new people – putting the
palms together in a ‘praying style’ is expected.
There are also various rules to do with the feet – stepping
over the feet of someone is considered rude and shoes should be
removed upon entering someone’s home or any of the shrines. One
of the oddest customs is to not stand next to someone who is
eating, while it is perfectly acceptable to sit or kneel next to
said person.
If you follow this advice, and you have an appreciation of
natural beauty, you’re bound to get hooked. Fortunately, there
are many excellent Nepal trekking routes, and no two are ever
the same. You won’t be able to resist visiting time and time
again…
About the Author: Kieron Sellens is the Marketing Manager of
the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AiTO). With
AITO’s Nepal trekking holidays
http://www.aito.co.uk/south-asia-holiday.asp you can
tailor-make the dream escape.
