I want to go to Nepal this Spring or Fall. I am an experienced backpacker with some mountaineering experience. Can I independently get from Kathmandu to the Annapurna Circuit? If not at what point should I hire a guide and how much should I expect to spend?
When I was in Europe a couple of years ago we hired a guide to take us down the Aiguille du Midi. We spent around $150 to ski with some beginner skiers and our guide down a route that we could have easily navigated. I know the Himalayas are higher and more challenging in ways then the Alps. I am just trying to find out if people do this trek without a guide? I am able to carry my own backpack and will be with a partner. I just don't want to be with a bunch of other people and not have the freedom if the trail is so heavily traveled I can navigate it myself...
If you are reading this and have trekked independently in Nepal please send me a link to your blog experience.
Thanks
If you think I need a guide, do I book one while I am in the states or in Kathmandu? What is a good price?
Reply to this Some people choose to have guides, some don't. We did the Annapurna Circuit last April with no guide and found it very straight-forward. We did cheat a bit by quizzing other people's guides whenever we got the chance at night-stops, and most were very helpful, even they admitting you didn't really need a guide! From this we deduced some are very good, knowledgable, and others, well, aren't! Basically you get what you pay for, and we met several trekkers regretting the day they ever laid eyes on their cut-price guides.
Obviously the cheapest guide is yourself anyway! The trail is very easy to follow, just try to gain as much free local knowledge as you can along the way.
On the alternative Annapurna Sanctaury trek the maps are a bit vaguer at times, and the terrain more challenging, but even so those with or without guides are around 50/50.
Likewise with porters. Basically depends on how lazy you're feeling. We just took the minimum and carried it ourselves.
We may have missed some cultural input from going unguided, but felt the sense of freedom from not having a relative stranger constantly in-tow and being able to do our own thing more than made up for this.
If you've backpacked before you'll find getting a coach from Kathmandu to Pokhara a doddle. Any extra gear can be hired or bought from there, and there are plenty of local guides should you feel the need.
Oh, and by the way, it's completely brilliant, as related in my entry The Anti-Clockwise Rat
The Anti-Clockwise Rat.
Reply to this Hi Katie
I would second what Andy and Debbie have told you - we definitely felt no need for a guide at any stage when we did the Annapurna Sanctuary trek. The main thing I would advise is that it's worth reading up on is altitude sickness - you have no real way of knowing whether or not you will be affected but you should make sure you are prepared and know what signs to look out for.
We met some lovely people whilst doing the trek, one of whom had a fantastic guide with him so if you do decide to go with a guide we can dig out his business card for you and let you have his contact details.
The other thing perhaps worth mentioning is that we met people who had stocked up on outdoor gear whilst in Pokhara and Kathmandu and had found it to be a bit sub-standard so I would either take your own if you have it or try to get a recommendation for a good place to buy kit whilst you are there. It gets really, really cold at night so a good sleeping bag is priceless!
You can read/see pics from our trek in
I Bow to the God in You
It was one of the best things I have ever done - I hope you have as an amazing an experience.
Vikki
Reply to this I can not speak to Annapurna, but my wife and I, both 60s-somethings, did the Everest trek in October 08, and I doubt it is much different. We saw a number of people going guideless (mostly very young and strong), although the vast preponderance were in tours. We were fortunate to get connected with a trek organizer in Kathmandu who found us both a guide and porter, provided equipment and insurance, and, when we heard the prices, we did not hesitate to engage them. It was probably the best decision we made in a year and a half of independent world travel. We might have made it to Kala Pattar without them, but it would have been far more difficult and far less rewarding. The (total) cost for the guide (a sherpa) and the porter was $21 a day. (Plus a modest tip at the end, which we inflated greatly out of gratitude and affection for them). They handle their own accommodations, food, etc.
I'd suggest you ponder the following in addition to all the other issues. 1 A guide with reasonable English can enrich the trek enormously. He will have knowledge of the place, history, flora, fauna, politics, religion, customs, culture, climbing, etc., that you can't get from the guidebook or from other tourists (you spend many hours a day with this person! And, because of the altitude issue, not many hours of the day are spent walking, at least going in). 2 He will have connections in villages, guesthouses, and with the other guides. This can be especially helpful when there are rough patches or worse. 3 With a guide, you will get to know a local person, and through him, perhaps many, and they will get to know you. 4 You can feel very good about putting just a little bit of money into the local economy, directly benefiting real people. Nepal is an incredibly poor but worthy country. Although the mountain aesthetic experience there is unsurpassable, it would be sad to go there and not experience much of the people and their cultures. A guide is a good way into that experience.
FWIW. Write me if you wish and I will share names and emails in Kathmandu and Lukla. Mark
Reply to this Everything depends on which trek u want to go for....as I guess you will be there for the first time so probably u will go for ABC AC or EBC Langtand or so...So those treks u can easily navigate by yourself...but there are some regions areas where is not allowed to travel without a guide or its not adviseable to do it...but I dont think u would be going into those areas as the first timer in Nepal.
M.
Reply to this hi basically for doing famous trek like everest, annapurna circuit, sanctury...u really dont need a guide......if u want u can hire easily consulting with any treking agency.
but if u r going for some not famous treking trials have very less tourist..then u need a guide
Reply to this If you are going to the famous place then you don't need a guide.
but it you are going to the non famous place then you really need a guide.
Reply to this I traveled to Nepal a couple times. I always had problem with guides. Especially as a single female traveler. I recommend to take small group tours like Exodus or GAP. Some trekking is easy, so you can do yourself as well like Annapurna. Trail can be missed easily in Annapurna, though. Everest base camp easier to follow but because of altitude problem, you may want to have a guide or tour. I found this guide book and it has good maps. I like it. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nepal-Globetrotter-Trekking-Climbing-Guides/dp/1859744095
Reply to this You can never beat the knowledge of a local. If you are just trekking along and want to save money, you are fine without one. But if you want to "know" the place, its people, the heritage, the information that a good guide can provide you does not match anything else.
Reply to this Miyako mori/ Katie
Miyako i am disagree with you in this point you had a problem with the boys always. but i am not understanding have you ever saw any man/ woman who clap with only one hand so hope you will clear now. With out convincing boys can't do any things if epically if girl is not agree so its not good idea to blame all the tours and trekking guide all are not same like the finger of your hand.
Katie you can do any trek with out any body but last 2 years lots of people lost in the mountain some of them are found and some of not. So it up to you how you would like to go. i am not doing any business here as a profession i am also Trekking,Mountaineering, Canyoning. hope you love to have safe trip and enjoyable one so decision is on your hand.
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Reply to this I do not say all the guides. personally I do not feel comfortable and do not want to have private guide. My first guide got drank and hit other guides and did not pay my accommodations and so on. He used my money for his drink. I met a girl on my second trip, her guide stayed with her in the same room. He wanted to control her and did not want her to talk to other travellers. That's her trip and he did not have the right to do and on and on. My point is hiring the guides locally, sometimes need to take chances. Many times, you never see again. But the tour company in Western country also operate the tours in other countries, they are in their customer's country so they need repeat customers. Also People can come back to complain. So I felt that they have more sense of responsibly, customer service and management. They develop relationship with local operators and once in a while check with ther quality. There are so many tour companies in Nepal. Some may still need to work to improve, some are reliable. It's personal choice.
Reply to this It is always nice to have someone from Local land. It is very helpful. And must important things for your safety.
Reply to this I'll be going to Nepal in october.I want to do the kathmandu valley trek.....kathamandu-shivpuri-chisapani-nagarkot. I have very few days in hand so this is the only trek tht fits my time limit(4 days). Has anybody done this trek I just wanted a feedback.I spoke to a tour guide they'll charge almost $75 per day. Just wanna be sure its worth.....
Reply to this
Responsible Trekking
Katie, the decision making, at the end, comes down to yourslef. People have different experiences in different contexts and situations. It would be a gross fallacy to say that guides in Nepal get drunk as guide of Miyako Mori. There can be few bad eggs in a basket of many good eggs. You can find good info. in a blogs like this. Or check for Nepal trekking guide in books, blogs, or google, you will have some ideas, if you need a guide. As a I have been trekked in most part of the Himalyas myself with friends, i realised that whether you wanted to be fed information by guide or you want her/him to assist you to explore the unknown, it is up to you to utilise the guide.
You need guide for two reason: Safety and treading into the unknown. But if you have enough travel and trekking experience, with help of Insight guide and lonely planet you can make it. But Himalyas is ver different from French alps. I have been to Chamonix in 2007. I saw train of people up to Midi top. I learnt to ski with my friends without a professional guide. But then, you are in France, middle of everything, rescue faciltiy, para-medics, promt heli-service etc. In the Himalayas it is very different, some time you are middle of nowhere, the other time amidst smiling crowd. Above all, if you ever feel like needing a guide make sure your guide do not drink, s/he has wilderness first-aid trainning, /she is competent in communicating cultural gaps and way to bridge them, geographic knowldge. If the guide do not have all these qualities then, you yourself is best guide! Good Luck to you! And I m sorry for Miyako Mori that she had unpleasant experience.
Reply to this Hey,
For detailed information about travelling to nepal visit <snip>
It has a list of all the travel operators in Nepal. It consists total information about travelling to nepal and also the directory of travel agencies in nepal. It features list of trekking, expedition, operators. Embassies and Consulates present in Nepal are also listed in the directory.
Hope I could Help!
Reply to this Dear All,
I am rabindra. I think its always better to have guide then not to have. people can see the things but they can't understand what it doese mean. Nepal has so many things to know not only for seeing,
thanks.
Reply to this Dear concern,
I have come through your question and followers answers. I hear by inform you that do take a Guide. Two different reason
1. Once you have decided to spend a lot of money for your flight towards Nepal, you should gain many tips of Nepal. If you depend on a guide book, how will you come to know about Nepal and its way of life.
2. Your small contribution helps our economy. Your money will go directly to the local guide which helps him a lot and do remember you his entire life. So, be a friend of Nepal and particular someone.
As concern the booking mode and the price certainly cheaper to book through local company and better to book earlier so that you may have a great chance to join other trekkers.
So, do not hesitate to drop your questions here.
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Reply to this Hi!
What i am thinking is the most important thing in any treks and travel is the information.which is very difficult to get it through by seeing only. To finding out way and going though is even by the mules also doing it with carrying 80kilos of shake.So you wanna do trek by gaining knowledge of the people their culture, history, way of life and so on. i think traveling without information is like eating testy foods without test or salt. Raj
Reply to this Hi Bhakti - am planning to trek in Nepal too. Is there any suggested itinerary u can propose? I'm thinking of 10 days in Nepal. Tks
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