Nepal Trekking Equipment

Nepal Trekking Equipment

Are you planning to Nepal Trekking?. The Nepal trekking packing list below is based on our personal trekking experience in Nepal and has taken a long time to compile. As the list is so long and detailed, we recommend bookmarking this page as a future reference point. This packing list can be used for all hiking and trekking routes in Nepal, including the Annapurna Circuit, Everest Base Camp and the Langtang Trek.

On top of this, we regularly receive feedback from our readers and other experienced trekkers who provide brilliant and useful little insights into gear which we then add to the list.

Although the list can seem daunting and potentially heavy, many of the items listed below can be purchased or rented locally at Kathmandu, Lukla or Namche. Please note though that local equipment is sometimes not up to scratch for severely cold weather that you might encounter on the higher parts of your trek.

This Nepal trekking equipment list is comprised of gear that we have personally used or had recommended to us by experienced trekkers. We believe this gear provides the best value for money whilst also delivering the best performance.

Suggested clothing and equipment list for Nepal Tours:

Footwear:
Walking boots. A pair of water repellent boots with ankle support.
Gaiters. A pair used to keep boots dry if walking through deep snow.
Walking socks.
Trainers or trail shoes. Can be used in and around lodge in the afternoons/ evenings.

Clothing:
Waterproof jacket and trousers (goretex or similar).
Trekking trousers.
Long sleeve shirts (not cotton).
Micro fleece.
Mid to heavyweight fleece.
Sleeveless or body warmer type fleece.
Thermals or baselayer for top & bottom (merino wool or synthetic).
Fleece pants.
Medium weight down jacket (eg Nuptse jacket by The North Face).

Handwear:
Fleece gloves.
Warms mittens and/or gloves.

Headwear:
Wool or fleece hat.
Sun hat.
Bandana or scarf.
Headtorch.  Bring extra batteries.
Sunglasses.
Personal Equipment:
Sleeping bag (Note: it is possible to rent this in Kathmandu for about £1 per day).
Day pack large enough to carry water bottles, camera, lunch and extra clothing.
Stuff sacks for keeping your gear dry and organised.
Two water bottles (Nalgene wide mouth bottles are the best).
Sunscreen and lipsalve with a high SPF.
Water purification tablets (Pristine, Biox Acqua or Acqa Mira).
Favourite snack food.
Books, ipod and cards etc.
Trekking poles (Black Diamond with “Flick Lock” are best).
Camera with spare batteries and memory cards.
Insurance certificate.
Earplugs (optional).
Baby wipes (optional).
Hand sanitizer (optional).

Travelling:
Duffle bag or large backpack for your personal gear on the trek (carried by a porter).  Bring a small combination padlock to secure the bag.
Travel clothes. You will need casual clothing for air travel days and time spent in Kathmandu.
Toiletry bag include toilet paper, soap, towel, toothbrush, etc.

Personal first aid kit:

Note: we provide a comprehensive group first aid kit but please bring personal medications and other items you might use regularly such as:

Any personal medications.
Malaria prophylactic tablets.
Blister treatment (Compeed patches are the best).
Rehydration powder eg Dioralyte.
Analgesics (paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin).
Plasters and zinc oxide tape.
Throat lozenges.
Diamox (helps with acclimatisation

The 6 Best Short Treks in Nepal

Best Family Treks & tours in Nepal

The country is blessed with a considerate amount of unbelievable beauty with the world’s highest mountains in the form of snow-capped peaks and an abundance lot of lush forests, gushing rivers and towering landscapes leading up to them. If you have a short time for Nepal holidays but still want to see some of the best short treks in Nepal, Himalayas here are what we think are the 6 best short treks in Nepal. Note: Some of our itineraries on the website for these treks are longer as they include extra days in either Kathmandu, Everest, Langtang and Pokhara. The times given here are the minimum requirements.

If any of this listed short treks, you would like to make an inquiry please drop us a e-mail to: [email protected]. We will be happy to answer

1. Everest Panorama Trek:

Everest View Trek Starts at the Lukla (2828m/9278 feet) and passes through the several Sherpa villages like Phakding, Namche bazaar, khumjung village, Khunde village and many other small villages. From every village incredible mountains views can be seen. Nepal is known as the country of Mt. Everest and every one may have such desire to see this highest mountain in the world. This trekking is not only popular for highest mountain. This trek also provides the warm hospitality of Sherpa people, so one can experience Sherpa culture, way of living style, visit monasteries, wild animals and enjoy the mountain views of snow capped peaks. From Namche Bazaar a short walks uphill to a magnificent spot (Everest view Hotel) with spectacular of the surrounding snow-capped giants include Mt. Everest and the valleys below. The Khumjung  is wonderful village with background exciting glance of the high mountains. Tengboche Monastery (3867m/ 12687 feet) is surrounded by rhododendrons forest. Tengboche monastery is the one of the biggest monasteries in khumbu area.

2. Langtang Valley Trek:

A trek to the Langtang valley has to be one of the most rewarding of the short treks available anywhere in Nepal. The east-west running valley is the site of some spectacular alpine scenery as well as being a great place to meet unique people. A minimum of one week is required but trekkers are well advised to add a few extra days for acclimatization and for side trips in the valley. Along our journey you will walk through the Langtang National Park. Although wildlife is never easy to spot in a forest setting, here you get the chance to see some interesting animals and birds. Among those found in the park are monkeys, musk deer, Pika and the national bird of Nepal, the colorful danphe.The trek is best started either from Dhunche or from Syabrubesi.

3. Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek:

This Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek starts from Pokhara and if you want to see some of Nepal’s big peaks up close it’s the best option for a short trek. The view from Poon Hill (3210m/10531ft) takes in Annapurna South, Annapurna I and Dhaulagiri. The first few days the trail makes a steady climb between the small Sherpa villages. The second night can be spent in Tadapani which offers great views of Annapurna II, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, and Machapuchare which is also known as “Fish Tail.” If you bring some swimwear you can make the short hike down to the river to enjoy the hot springs in Tadapani. It’s another days climb from Tadapani to Ghorepani from where the following morning you hike to Poon Hill to catch the sunrise on the Himalayas. After taking in the views it’s time to head back to Ghorepani and start the return trek.

4.Kalinchowk Trek

Kalinchowk Trek, a perfect destination for a short trek in Nepal can be done within 3 days. Kalinchowk, residing at a height of above 3,700m is accessible from a drive from Kathmandu to Charikot and further 6-7 hours continuous trekking upward the hill. Kalinchowk Trek is considered to be one of the non touristic trekking routes in eastern Nepal. The view of Ganesh Himal, Shisha Pangma, langtang, Dorje Lakpa, Jugal Himal, Gauri Shankar etc. are clearly visible in fine weather condition through this route. Tremendous beauty from the high hill of Kalinchowk takes your breath once giving means to visit of this region.

5. Chisapani Nagarkot Trek:

Chisapani Nagarkot trek is one of the easy, short, and beautiful trek for those who have limited time. It gives you an opportunity to explore locality of Tamang people who lives on the edges of Kathmandu valley. You can have a wonderful view of Kathmandu valley, beautiful hike in Shivapuri National park, green paddy fields, and mountain obviously. This trek starts with the drive from Kathmandu to Sundarijal for 1 hrs by bus/car and hike to Chisapani for 4 hrs with a beautiful Tamang villages and a spectacular mountain view as well as green forest of Shivapuri National Park. If you are lucky enough then you could spot a wild animals like deer, Wild boar, Leopard and many species of birds. You can enjoy your lunch at the local teahouses to get more close with locals.

6. Kathmandu Day Hiking

Hiking around Kathmandu offers you an  opportunity to see fantastic mountain views and explore Nepalese countryside without going too far and without climbing high. Besides you do not have to lose the comfort of the city while doing these hikes.Kathmandu is a valley surrounded by green hills all around. These hills are covered with terraced farms, picturesque villages and  lush green  forests. Despite being nearfrom Kathmandu these villages are still not affected by  modernity and offer a chance to see traditional village life.You can see temples, monasteries and Stupas along the trails. You can see farmers working in the fields and pilgrims praying in the monasteries. These Kathmandu hikes are for every age group and for all seasons. If you want to have a taste of trekking in Nepal but do not have time to go all the way up to the remote mountains, these hikes are for you. A Kathmandu trekking, combined with sightseeing tours of heritages sites and a scenic flight to see Mt Everest could make a fantastic short trip of Nepal. There are many short treks available near Kathmandu ranging from day hikes to short treks of 2 days, 3 days or even longer. We have offered here the best three among them.

Note: In our official website Nepal Tours, we are listed on Short treks under the trekking section. Please choose one of them

10 Things to a Hike in the Himalayas

Trekking in Nepal

Planning to go for a trek in Himalayas here is the list of 10 things you must bring to a hike in the Himalayas. No matter whether you are going in an organized trekking in Himalayas or self organized these are the must things to do before the trek in Nepal. Packing lightly for a trip out of the country is in itself exhausting. However, when you only have so much baggage allowance yet you are preparing for a trip and a hike at the same time, the task can be so daunting as you have to be wise about every bit of weight you put in your rucksack.

On October 2016, I went on a month-long trip to Nepal where I also did the 14 days Everest Base Camp Trek. Since it was my first time hiking in the Himalayas, prior to leaving my home country, I read every article on google about the things that are essential to bring. Almost all articles listed everything – from the kinds of jackets one must bring, down to the number of underwear one must carry.

Two months after my trek, I found myself writing almost the same things-to-bring article everybody else already wrote and posted on their blogs. However, you should know upfront that you won’t find here detailed information of what the items you must stuff in your rucksack for you Himalayan dream. Here, I have listed what you should never forget to bring with you aside from the obvious jackets, trousers, hiking boots, underwears, toiletries, etc.

1. Water Purification System

Bottled water is available in every tea house but as you get higher, prices will get steeper. During the trek, you will be required to drink at least three liters of water a day. When you reach the altitude of 4000 meters, you will have to increase your water intake to up to five liters. Unless you are willing to splurge on bottled water during your trek, bring with you water purification drops, tablets or some other gadgets. As for me, I used water purification drops and they worked just fine.

2. Sunscreen

Every single day of the trek, you will be walking under the sun for a minimum of five hours. Slather on a sunscreen before you leave the tea house and reapply every so often, especially on your exposed skin. Halfway through our 12-day trek, our faces were starting to get sunburnt even if we were wearing caps. The first four trekking days were mostly cloudy but it didn’t mean we were safe from the sun’s UV rays.

3. Lip balm (with SPF)

Protecting your lips is as important as protecting the rest of your skin. With the combined power of the heat of the sun and the harsh wind, your lips can be as dry as the desert if you do not put on a lip balm.

4. Sunglasses

At some point, I started getting headaches and I thought it was merely the altitude sickness kicking in. Later on, I realized it was the glare that had been causing the headaches as my eyes had a hard time adjusting to the brightness of the surroundings. I put on my sunglasses, which has been sitting in my backpack all the time and the headache was instantly relieved.

5. Beanie

One thing my guide kept on reminding me was to never let the head get cold or you will be more prone to getting altitude sickness. I had a beanie with me but it’s not as warm as the knitted one my guide lent me. You can find a plethora of these in Kathmandu and even in the villages you’ll pass by during your trek.

6. Warm Gloves

This item is a must especially for people like me who easily get cold. This would of course depend on your tolerance as everyone is different. At +3000m my hands were already freezing while my guide’s hands were still warm. I used thin warm gloves I bought from Thamel in Kathmandu. Though knitted gloves are also available in the tea houses.

7. Buff®

A secret to efficiently packing light is to bring items with multiple uses. Buff® is a multi-functional headwear that can be used as a baclava, hair tie, cap, hat liner, wristband, etc. I mainly used it as a hairband, sun guard or even face mask when it got to windy. This also served as my handkerchief when I was not on the trek.

8. Treats

No, I do not mean dog treats. Lol. This could be chocolate, peanut butter, chips or other food you might crave while on the trek. Doing a 12-day trek is no joke and somewhere along the way you will try to find something to reward yourself and usually that reward is food. You can of course always buy these from the tea houses when you start craving them but, like water, they can be more expensive up there. A German friend was wise enough to ask her brother to buy chocolates from the airport for the two of them so that they can have at least one per day when they did the 20-day Manaslu trek. As for our group, since we didn’t bring enough, we resorted to buying mars bars, mars rolls and pringles in the tea houses.

9. Patience

This was something not listed in the articles I read before but I decided to include this as this is more important than any gears and equipment you will bring. Trekking in the Himalayas is not easy and she won’t always show off her beauty. The truth about doing trips like this is you cannot always get what you want whenever you want it. And you get what you don’t want when you don’t feel like it. Sometimes, you’d be annoyed by too much clouds, too much rain, too much sun, bitter cold, too much crowd, and a lot of hella other things you can complain about. But that’s the beauty of it. It exhausts you, breaks you, drives you nuts to the core then disappoints you, and then one fine day it just unfolds right in front of you what you have always been looking for … and more. And it leaves you breathless, speechless and grateful more than ever before. You just have to be patient.

10. Faith

I almost cancelled on doing the trek as I believed I don’t have enough physical strength to finish it. But then, I decided to push through after hearing the advice of the first few Nepalese I met in Kathmandu. It is not always just about the physical strength. Anyone deciding on doing the trek must first be mentally strong. You have to believe you can do it, or else you will definitely fail. You have to have faith in yourself and faith in the God above that He will give you the strength you need. I honestly didn’t have the physical strength to do it but I finished it and I will forever be grateful for that.

Nepal tourism makes spectacular rebound

Nepal Tourism

Nepal tourism experienced a dramatic turnaround last year after being hit by the twin disasters of a devastating earthquake and crippling trade embargo in 2015. Foreign tourist arrivals to Nepal jumped 39.71 percent to 753,002 in 2016, boosted by robust visitor growth from India, China, the US, the UK and Sri Lanka, according to the statistics of the Department of Immigration.

However, 2016 arrivals are still 4.69 percent down from 2014 when the country welcomed 790,118 foreign visitors. The tourism boom is expected to continue in 2017 and remains a major growth driver for the economy even as the industry sees low overseas promotional activities. October, November and December have been the most productive months for the industry, accounting for nearly one-third of total arrivals.

“It’s a dramatic growth. The industry is returning rapidly to its pre-earthquake growth level,” said Kedar Neupane, director general of the Department of Immigration. “The tourism boom is expected to continue in 2017 given a level of promotion by Nepal in the major source markets.” He said that if the government, Nepal Tourism Board and private sector conducted aggressive promotional activities, this year could be an extraordinary year. “We can expect 1 million tourists in 2017 considering the current environment.”

Neupane said that Nepal could see a boom in Chinese arrivals this year following the move by the Chinese government to encourage travel to the country. China has announced Nepal Tourism Promotion Year 2017 in a bid to encourage its citizens to visit the Himalayan republic, according to the Nepal Embassy in Beijing.

“The industry carried out massive marketing activities in major source markets after the earthquakes, leading to a massive recovery,” said tourism entrepreneur Basant Raj Mishra. “The arrival of foreign volunteers as well as conferences held by I/NGOs in Nepal last year propelled growth.”

Suman Pandey, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal Chapter, said that 2017 looked promising; but the crumbling Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Nepal’s only international aerial gateway, could be a major setback.

“The hospitality industry in Nepal can accommodate more than 3 million tourists, but the airport is already choked with capacity constraints even though arrivals are way short of the one million mark,” he said.

TIA is currently served by 28 international carriers, and it has announced that it cannot accommodate more flights. “What does this statement mean? Of course, Nepal has become an attractive holiday destination for travellers, but TIA will remain the main obstacle to the growth of the industry.”

Nepal received a lot of media exposure following the earthquake which has aroused tremendous interest among potential travelers. The world’s leading travel guide Lonely Planet has named Nepal the world’s ‘best value destination’ for 2017. Likewise, Nepal’s Langtang region has been featured in The New York Times ‘52 places to go in 2017’ list.

Nepal has also appeared in the January travel issue of chinadaily.com.cn. “Nepal remains a fabulous choice for budget-conscious travelers, whether it’s the country’s world famous trekking routes or the wildlife in the southern region. Travel costs per day are as low as $50 on average,” it said.

A breakdown of arrivals by market shows Indian travellers at the top of the list. Arrivals from the southern neighbour reached 118,249 last year, up 57.40 percent. Chinese tourist arrivals jumped 55.26 percent to 104,005. Travel trade entrepreneurs said that Chinese arrivals did not increase as expected last year as the key entry point,

Tatopani Customs in Sindhupalchok, was closed after the earthquake. However, Rasuwagadhi has emerged as an important surface route with 23,452 Chinese visitors entering the country through this point last year.

Meanwhile, visitors from the US, Sri Lanka and the UK jumped 25.67 percent, 29.64 percent and 55.71 percent respectively.

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