Before planning your travel, you should consult with your government regarding any current travel alerts relating to the areas you are planning to travel in. On arrival you should register with your embassy or register on the relevant travel alert website depending on your country of origin. Most countries governments operate very good travel information and alert websites. You should consult and register with these prior to your departure.
Regarding Nepal, the political situation is presently regarded as safe and stable and a lot of governments are removing travel alerts for Nepal from their lists.
Trekking Companies
When travelling to Nepal and trying to organize your trek, there are a daunting number of travel agencies out there to choose from. It can be overwhelming even when just looking on the internet, especially for the first time traveler. In order for you to have a happy and successful trip it’s important to make the right choice. Bad choices can not only ruin your holiday but also end up costing you a lot of money.
There are many examples of so called trekking companies and tour agencies offering service in Nepal taking advantage and money form unsuspecting tourists. These operators are not licensed by the government, they normally sub contract out your trek to other companies, taking commission from them and avoiding paying the correct taxes and license fees. This can also result in inflated trip prices for the tourist. These bad operators are only concerned with their own wealth and often pay their trekking staff very poorly and in most occasion don’t offer them insurance, proper equipment or any other kind of support.
To ensure that you don’t use one of these bad operators when booking your trip here are a few things you should check up on:
- Make sure the company is registered,
- Make sure that they insure their staff
- Don’t be afraid to ask around to check the companies’ reputation.
- Of course just because a company is registered it doesn’t mean they are a good operator. Other things you should check up on are:
- Is the company environmentally conscious?
- Do they support local projects?
- Is the company culturally aware and sensitive?
- Are their guides and porters supplied with proper clothing and equipment?
- Do their staff have good skills in English?
- Do their staff have first aid training?
As with all things travel related, a little bit of common sense and pre trip research goes a long way to making your trip a success. You should take advantage of traveler’s web sites and blogs and speak to as many other travelers as possible to help you make your choices about which company to use.
Individual Trekking/Hiring Independents Guides
Some travelers coming to Nepal prefer to use the services of independent guides. If you are planning on doing this there are a number of things you need to consider. If you are sure that the guide you are choosing is highly recommended, trustable and experienced then by all means join with them. It is important for you to ensure your chosen independent guide is registered with the correct government authorities. Not only is operating without the correct license illegal, but it could cause you to run into problems obtaining permits.
If you trek alone or hire your own independent guide, you may run into difficulty should you need rescue services or emergency medical treatment. Remember that any independent guide may not have his own insurance and he/she will certainly not have the backing and experience that guides belonging to a registered company will have. Did you know that an average rescue flight cost $3000, you could be responsible for paying this should anything happen not just to you but to your guide/porter, if they don’t have their own insurance. In such emergencies, if you don’t have the backing of a reputable company you could be in serous trouble, esp. in remote areas.
If you, on your own or hiring an Independent Trekking guide, could be difficult to get the rescue services, someone in Kathmandu must guarantee the payment of the flight before the rescue.
If you are trekking alone, you should register with your embassy or consulate in Nepal prior to departing on your trek. By doing this it will greatly assist you should you require evacuation of any type. Your embassy will arrange such things should they arise. If your country does not have an embassy or consulate in Kathmandu and you are trekking on your own or with an Individual trekking Guide, you will have trouble getting rescued unless you arrange something in advance. Make sure to check this with your travel insurance scheme,
If you decide to hire a guide/porter, remember that you are their employer and thus should take full responsibility. You must make sure they have adequate clothes and other gear necessary for the trek. It is your responsibility to rent the gear for them. It is also your responsibility to take care of their medical requirements if they fall sick during the trek, you must be responsible for that as well. When trekking though a company, the company will ensure all this for you. ATC does not under any circumstances send our guides out trekking without the right gear or insurance and back up support should they need it.
Should your independent trekking guide disappointing you or disappear before completing your trip, it could create problems for you, not to mention result in you missing your flight or other planned activities you have in Nepal. We also recommend you to be careful when making payment to independent guides, we suggest you do not pay them in full in advance. It is not unheard of for independent guides to run away with your money. Where does that leave you? With a very expensive holiday
To trek, one does not have to be brave, a mountaineer nor an athlete. Anyone who is sound and healthy with the spirit for adventure to explore the exotic, will enjoy the thrills of trekking in the hills of Nepal. The magnificent scene of the world's highest peaks seen during trekking are marvellous and trekkers make it a memory for life. Green valleys with turbulent rivers, rhododendron forests teeming with countless wildlife are aside. Hindu and Buddhist temples, shrines, monasteris and religious sacred places along the trekking routes enable to give more than insight into the spiritual life and history of Nepal and will remain a memorable experience in life. The attained experience is extremely rewarding and rejuvenating.
roadhead at Jiri, through the lovely rolling hills of the Solu region. Others fly in to the village of Lukla to start their trek. A few days above Lukla is the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park and the town of Namche Bazaar, where most trekkers take a day to acclimatize to the high altitude. From here one may branch towards the village of Thame or continue on to take on of the two main Khumbu routes, to Gokyo Lake or towards the Everest base camp. Beyond Namche Bazaar is the Sherpa village of Khumjung and further on the famous monastery of Thyangboche. Here the Mani Rimdu festival of dances is celebrated every year.
valley noted for its scenic grandeur and pleasant climate, lie in the north of the Kathmandu Valley. One can stay in highland monastery villages and small settlements in pristine forests. Above Helambu is a mountain pass through the lakes of Gosainkunda reaching the valley of Langtang. Gosaikunda lake itself is situated at 4,380 meters. It is sacred to Lord Shiva and every summer there throng thousands of Hindu devotees to take a holy dip into the waters of the holy lake. Nearby are other lakes including Nagkunda, Bhairavkunda, Saraswatikunda and Suryakunda. The trek passes through a varied landscape ranging from evergreen forests, cascading waterfalls and turbulent streams to sub-alpine grasslands and stark, beautiful mountainsides. Langtang valley stretches north of Gosainkunda . One travels through pristine forests to the village of Ghoda Tabela, then the valley opens out into a high, Himalayan river plain full of beautiful camping sites, spectacular peaks and wide glaciers. One can hike to the back of the valley or take numerous optional trips to explore glacier-filled side canyons.
culture to the high village of Jomsom, near the isolated land of Mustang. Trekkers often continue on to the sacred shrine of Muktinath, near the 5,415-meter Thorang-La pass and down into the lovely valley of Manang. The route through Manang circles the Annapurna back to the Kathmandu-Pokhara highway. The Annapurna circuit takes one through terraced hills, forests and alpine pastures and through the villages of a number of different cultures. North of Pokhara is an area protected by the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, tucked beneath the southern slopes of the Annapurna Massif. The Sanctuary is an easy trek from Pokhara and takes one through some of Nepal's most lovely rhododendron forests to the Annapurna base camp. There are also numerous one or two day treks out of Pokhara town, where one can have views of Dhaulagiri, the Annapurna range, Manaslu and Ganesh Himal.
On the far eastern border of Nepal lies Mt. Kanchenjunga (8586m), the third highest peak in the world.The valley approaching the mountain base camp has been opened to trekking, specifically for organized treks. The long trek to the lap of Kangchenjunga takes one through some of the country's richest and most pristine forests. The region is quite uninhabited, so the visitor must bring along all food and camping equipment. Most groups fly in and out of Taplejung, which requires a plane change from Biratnagar. You could also walk to Taplejung from Basantapur which takes about three days. Two separate routes head northeastwards from Taplejung, one to the North Base Camp, the other to the South Base Camp. These routes can be combined into a circuit.
facilities. The flight from Kathmandu to Jumla passes south along the Dhaulagiri range and provides lovely views of Nepal's western landscape. It is a three and half day's trek from Jumla to Rara National Park. Rara Lake (2,990 m.) has an area of nearly ten square kilometers and is surrounded with hills of pines and rhododendrons . The peaceful surroundings are enhanced by the reflections of the surrounding hills in the lake's bright blue waters . Due north, Chankheli peak (3,201 m.) looms large across the deep Mugu Karnali gorge.The usual itinerary is a loop that starts and ends at Jumla and the entire trek takes about ten days. Food has to brought from Jumla but beyond the bazaar it is often unavailable. There are lodges in Jumla and a bunk house at the lake, in between there are tea houses where you could stay, but camping is more pleasant and certainly more reliable.
One of the newest areas of Nepal open to trekkers is the southern part of Shey-Phoksundo National Park. Reached in about a week from Jumla, the centre of attraction is lovely Lake Phoksundo, famous for the ever-changing colors of its waters. Here one steps on to the edge of the trans-Himalayan plateau that extends from Tibet down into Nepal. This is the region of some of Nepal's most remarkable wildlife, including the blue sheep, the serow and the snow leopard.Peter Matthieseu's "The Snow Leopard" and Snellgrove's "Himalayan Pilgrimage" have contributed in revealing the mystery and attraction of Dolpo. Dolpo lies between Dhorpatan and Rara and two of those treks could be combined into a single tour from Pokhara to Jumla. Dolpo trek on its own takes one to two weeks, assuming you fly there in and out of Dunai. Everyone heads north from there, entering the park after about a day and reaching the lake after two days. A few houses in the region offer shelter but it's a food deficit area , so you will need to be self-sufficient.
(c) TERAI REGION.
CLIMATE
Criteria : Cultural
Criteria : Natural
Criteria : Natural
Date and History of Establishment Chitwan was declared a national park in 1973, following approval by the late King Mahendra in December 1970. The bye-laws (Royal Chitwan National Park Regulations) were introduced on 4 March 1974. Substantial additions were made to the park in 1977 and the adjacent Parsa Wildlife Reserve was established in 1984. The habitat had been well protected as a royal hunting reserve from 1846 to 1951 during the Rana regime. An area south of the Rapti River was first proposed as a rhinoceros sanctuary in 1958 (Gee, 1959), demarcated in 1963 (Gee, 1963; Willan, 1965) and later incorporated into the national park. 
Criteria : Cultural
