Challenge Yourself
Trekking in Nepal has to be the most exhilarating way to see and understand the country. Nepal has two very big attractions: its friendly and hardy people and the world’s highest and most dramatic mountains. You travel as locals do – on foot – and you are treated much more as a welcome visitor than as a tourist when you lodge overnight in traditional houses. For many, the appeal of trekking holidays in Nepal is the complete escape from busy lives and the satisfaction of sitting around the fire with fellow trekkers at the end of a glorious day in the Himalayas.
The reassurance of an Oyster Nepal trek – our promises to you
- First class organisation and support throughout
- Quality at a fair price
- Friendly guides with great experience, knowledge and a caring attitude
- A responsible approach to the mountain environment and communities
- Your money is protected through ATOL (if we book your flights) or IPP (if you book your own)
How our treks are graded
GRADE – Easy:
Easy trekking holidays by Himalayan standards is generally up to 2000m/ 6500ft. There are always plenty of ups and downs and travellers need to be reasonably active walkers to get full enjoyment from their experience. It is possible however to design “easier” three to four day treks with perhaps only three to four hours walking per day on request. This trek does not require any trekking experience and any enthusiastic person can enjoy such treks. Cultural experiences, mountain views and historic sites are the main focus of these trips.
GRADE – Moderate:
Moderate trekking by Himalayan standards is generally up to 3000m/9840ft. These treks involve trekking for 5 to 10 days mostly on maintained trails. Expect plenty of steps! This kind of trekking often includes day excursions to higher elevations. It is good to have some past hill walking experience to fully enjoy the trek.
GRADE – Moderate to Strenuous:
These treks are reasonably demanding and require good physical fitness. Trekking often takes place at altitudes up to 4000m/13000ft. with side trips to higher elevations. These treks are often walked on less defined trails and are in more remote locations away from habitation.
GRADE – Strenuous:
These trekking holidays in Nepal are of a demanding nature, requiring all participants to have high levels of physical fitness, be in excellent health and have previous experience of trekking. Trekkers must prepare well in advance and build up their fitness in order to avoid any problems. Trekking will be in remote areas with difficult conditions to contend with. Treks in these areas reach altitudes in excess of 5000m/18000ft.
Our cultural impact
We have always believed in the principle that individual and small group treks work best and therefore you will be trekking with a maximum of nine others (plus guides). By keeping groups small, we can get to know all of our participants before and during your trekking holiday. You will also get real attention from our overseas staff – the guides and porters that will be trekking with you.
Individuals and small groups also have less impact on the environment and community that you will be visiting and passing through. We want all of our trekkers to be responsible and we will brief you to stick to paths, take rubbish with you and carry a refillable water bottle to reduce our impact on the environment.
Trekking has become one of the main sources of income for the remote Nepali villages along the routes. Our trekkers support this by eating local food, staying in lodges rather than camping and buying locally-produced crafts. We employ local guides and porters, ensuring good working conditions and a fair wage.
Accommodation and food
Whichever of our treks in Nepal you choose, the same tried and tested formula will apply. You will stay in simple but comfortable hotels in Kathmandu and Pokhara, as well as the best available lodges en route. In our experience, participants enjoy flexibility when choosing their meals. We therefore exclude most meals from the price so that you can eat according to your taste and budget. A budget of £13 per day should be ample.
Top 5 trekking kit items not to be forgotten!
Simply type ‘Top 5 trekking kit items’ into your search engine and you’ll get endless pages of results reminding you of the importance of taking clothes, walking boots, a jacket… this list goes on, most of which, you will have already considered if you are planning a trek in the Himalayas!
Here are a few more, less obvious, trekking essentials to have at hand in Nepal…
- Water purifying tablets – use these to treat the water in your bottle or platypus/camel back system and make it safe to drink from a local water source. They are a great money-saving idea and, more importantly, help to reduce the amount of wasted plastic bottles left scattered across the Himalayan mountains.
- A good quality 3 or 4 season sleeping bag – possibly an obvious one but we cannot stress it enough! At some altitudes temperatures fall to well below freezing and you will want a good nights sleep for the long day of trekking that awaits you!
- Alcohol hand gel – this is really handy and helps prevent ‘Delhi belly’! Take a little bottle along and you won’t need to wash your hands if facilities are not available.
- Nepali phrase book – on your trek you will no doubt pass through a few traditional villages. Impress the locals and your guide by learning a little Nepali and keep a phrase book handy – it is always more polite to give the lingo a go!
- A great camera – keen photographer or not, invest in a good quality camera to capture some of the best scenery in the world.
