There are three plug types, types C, D and M used in Nepal (all round pronged not flat pronged). If your appliance’s plug doesn’t match the shape of these sockets, you will need a travel plug adapter in order to plug in. Nepal operates on a 220-240 V and 50Hz.If you are planning on taking electrical appliances like hair dryer, electric shaver, laptop or other electrical devices and the outlet voltage in your country is lower than 220V-240V, you will need a voltage converter. Please check the small print in your device or plug adapter to find the voltage range it can work with.

All accommodation bookings are made well in advance for all our trips. The city hotels as well as the mountain lodges in the trails are all pre-arranged.

Yes, you can change the lodge if you feel it is not in order by consulting with your guide, (provided there are other lodges with better rooms in the vicinity).

The clothing you bring will need to consider for both the warmth of the day and the chill of the night. While trekking during the day at lower altitudes, lightweight trekking trousers and T-shirts are recommended. It’s always a good idea to carry a waterproof jacket and some warmer clothing with you as mountain weather is notoriously unpredictable. For cold nights, thermal underwear, a warm fleece jacket and even a down jacket will help to keep you warm. Good shoes are of great importance. They must be sturdy and comfortable. For higher altitude treks where you may have to tread snow for long hours, good boots are available for rent in Kathmandu. In view of local customs, try not to wear too skimpy or revealing clothes. Your reception by locals can vary greatly on the way you dress.

In cities like Kathmandu or Pokhara, accommodation will be in hotels of your preference. We have a pool of hotels that ranges from luxury deluxe to budget hotels. While on a trek, accommodation will be at local teahouses. Whilst we endeavor to stay in comfortable teahouses along the way, you should be aware that most teahouses, particularly in the smaller villages, are quite basic. The bedrooms are usually very small, the shared bathroom facilities are often outside and meals are served in a communal dining hall. Although simple, the teahouses do provide shelter and warmth and are normally run by friendly local families. Tea house treks are less expensive than Camping trek and are largely suitable for small groups. Usually during busy seasons if private rooms in smaller villages are fully occupied you might have to sleep in a dormitory. If you are taking a camping trek then you will be sleeping in tents.

You will be provided filtered water (about 3-4 liters per person per day). The good thing about such water is it doesn’t smell of chlorine. We normally use Sawyer Filters which has been tried and tested with more than 5000 clients and has worked good. However, you can also buy bottled water in tea houses. You can also bring water purification pills in case you want to drink water from local taps.

On Tea House treks, standard breakfast, lunch and three course dinner, tea or coffee will be included with each meal. Although the food is usually plentiful and delicious, you should be aware that the menu is not normally extensive. Most teahouses offer a variety of rice and noodle dishes, as well as soup and seasonal vegetables. A variety of cereals, bread and egg dishes are generally available for breakfast. There will also be plenty of snacks available such as biscuits, chocolate and soft drinks and in some areas you will find fresh fruit in season. It is always best to go with local hygienic food. Please ask your guide to help you with menu selection.You can buy packaged water (bottled mineral water) from local lodge and shop en route or you can also ask your guide to fill your water bottle with boiled water and treat with water purification pills.

For more information on food please visit  https://www.explorehimalaya.com/food-during-everest-base-camp-trek/

The leaders are able to maintain very tight controls on health and hygiene in the kitchen with respect to general cleanliness and food preparation and also within the group with respect to personal hygiene. All foods are well cooked and vegetables are treated by potassium permanganate or iodine. Boiled/filtered water is served for drinking. Antiseptic soaps and potassium or iodine treated water are provided for washing.

Security of our clients is the most important concern for us. All our guides and other support crew are carefully chosen for your trips. Our guides hold licenses issued by the Government of Nepal . They are very honest and reliable. But we would also advise you to take care of your own personal belongings. If you are on ‘Tea house or GAP trek’ arrangement, you will be sleeping in local tea houses. You have to take sensible precautions yourself at all times. Never leave your baggage unattended and keep your lodge room locked when you go out. If you are on ‘camping trek’ please do not leave your bags unattended at any time for your own safety. Take your main bag inside the tent once you reach campsite. At night, put all the bags and belongings in the middle of the tent. Your guide assigns a Sherpa on turn wise basis to guard the campsite throughout the night.

We have a fleet of latest model luxury vehicles of all types and sizes, from small two-seater luxury cars to large capacity luxury tourist coaches. 4WD Land Cruisers are used in off-road destinations like Jiri and Manang. Size and type of vehicle depend on size of your group. We use two-seater car for 1-2 persons, micro luxury 6-seater van for 3-5 persons, 10 seater van for 6-9 persons and tourist coach or coaster for group size above 10 persons. Our drivers are specially trained to serve in the hospitality industry. The vehicles are checked carefully before assigning them to your service.

Depending on the prevailing situation, you can modify it to some extent after consulting with your guide. However, the date of trek completion should always coincide with the original itinerary. You should keep in mind that you are doing an adventure trip into the remotest region, where many unforeseen events may contribute to the need for a change in itinerary. In such cases, we will suggest you the best alternative similar to your original itinerary.

Yes, our travel desk which has alliance with IATA will assist and guide you in booking your domestic or international flights. They can also help you with changes and refunds.

Tips are not included in the trip price. As a suggestion, we advise that you can allocate 5- 10 % of the total tour cost as tips.Tips are expected by team in this business but it again depends on the service level and your level of satisfaction.

Money requirement depends largely on the type of trek style, duration and trekking region, and of course on your spending habit. For a two-week Everest/Annapurna trek, you can take about $200-300, more if you intend to get more table drinks (alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages), snacks while walking (a few smaller shops are available along the trail in some areas), souvenirs, battery charge, internet, hot shower (available in some places) etc. Normally, a meal costs around $7-8, water around $1.5-$2, soft drinks, Pringles, hot shower, wifi & battery charge cost around $3-$5, and they all tend to be more expensive as you climb higher. If you are on ‘GAP’ trek style you need to pay for all your meals. Approximately $25-30 a day should be enough to cover your meals. We pay for your accommodation at mountain huts (tea houses) along the trail and bear all the expenses of staffs assigned by us.

Normally with our experience, we always try to minimize the case of illness by following a good standard itinerary, good eating & drinking pattern and necessary safety protocols. However, if anyone falls ill, we decide whether to continue or not based on the nature of illness. Throughout your whole trip, our office will keep track of your movements and be in constant communication with you. If the case is not serious, we will seek first aid help or visit the nearby health post/ hospital. We inform your insurance company if the case is serious or if there is any cost liability. And in coordination with the insurance company, we can even organize a helicopter evacuation if necessary, and promptly get you medical attention.

Upon arrival, you will be met by our Tour officer and escorted to the hotel. He / She will then give you time for a trek brief where you will meet your Guide. Your guide will then be with you till the end of the trek/tour.

All our Guides have undergone basic wilderness aid training. We have also partnered with CIWEC hospital and with their help, we give all our Guides a refresher training before the start of every season.

The cultural tour guides are quite proficient in English. The trekking guide (and their assistants speak reasonable amount of English, good enough to explain to you about the places, local culture or any sight that catches your eyes and will be able to address all your requests. We also provide German, French, Spanish and Italian speaking Guides and per request form the Clients.

We use all Local Guides who have been working in the routes for a long time. Most of them have spent a lot of time in the mountains and trained as a junior to work their way up to become guides. They are all licensed professionals and have been certified by the Government of Nepal.

The number of Guides per trip depends on the number of Clients or the group size. We will have 1 main Guide for all the groups and an assistant Guide for every 4 Clients.

All our porters carry less than 30 kg and underage porters are strictly prohibited in our operations. We provide a 2:1 Client: Porter ratio. As a Travelife certified Travel Company, we strictly adhere to the guidelines of the International Porter Protection group.

On our Camping treks we provide all the tents, sometimes dome tents, sometimes sturdy A frames and normally people share one tent between two; with a foam mattress each. We also provide all the cutlery and utensils, cooking pots, stoves, candles/kerosene lantern, tables and stools, kitchen tent, dining tent and toilet tent. All the main meals- breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided while trekking but not snacks. On Tea house trek there is not the necessity to provide any equipment. We provide a duffle bag to all our trekkers.

There are many shops in Kathmandu where you can both buy and rent gears. From popular brands like North Face and Mountain Hard to cheaper yet great gears, you can buy or rent everything that you need for trekking. Everest Outfit and Lulka Outdoors are two popular local brands which have good quality gears at a value price. There are also many places in Thamel where you can rent gears at an affordable price.

You have to carry your personal gears that you need while you walk like sun glasses, trekking poles, hats, water bottles etc. Your main bag with other trekking gears like clothes, sleeping bag etc. will be carried by the porters.

The average hiking duration is 7- 8 hours per day including an hour for lunch. But on major days where you will be visiting the highlights like visiting Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Base Camp or Climbing Kala Patthar you will have to walk a couple of hours more. Similarly, on the descent in most of the trips, one will have to walk 9-10 hours including lunch.

Trekking boots with good ankle support, light, plentyof toe room for long descents and a stiff sole to lessen twisting torsion are good. Look at the inner lining – leather is good and cambrelle, a material that eats smelly feet bacteria is even better. LA Sportiva, Salomon, North face, Loewe, Merrell etc. are some of the best picks. Make sure that the boots are lightly worn in before trekking which also includes some steep hills to show up trouble spots.

Though teahouses provide you blankets, it’s better you have your own sleeping bag for extra warmth as nights in mountains can be really chilly.  If you don’t have one, you can either buy or rent in Kathmandu.The cost for buying a good -20 degree sleeping will be approx. USD 100 and the rental with be approx. USD 2 per day.

For any items that you don’t need while on trips, you can leave your spare luggage at the hotel in Kathmandu. The hotel will provide you with a tag which you have to present while collecting your luggage on your return.

You can also leave the items in our office, which we can store safely for you.

Yes, National Parks entry fees (ACAP, Sagarmatha National Park, Langtang National Park etc), restricted area permits (Dolpo, Mustang, Nar Phu etc), and TIMS( Nepal Trekkers Information management System) are included in the price.

You don’t need to be super fit or in the best shape with athletic physique to trek in the Himalaya. If you are moderately fit, used to some regular exercise and enjoy walking in the high altitude conditions, Himalayan trekking is for you. But if you choose strenuous and technical trekking like 3 Cols trek, Dhaulagiri trek etc. we suggest you to do some cardio workouts, leg & stamina building exercises and simulation, walking and carrying with some weights.

The difficulty of any trek or walk depends on the hilliness of the terrain, altitude and time duration involved in the trek. Based on these factors, trekking in Nepal is graded as follows:

Soft treks: About a week to 10 days in duration, 4-5 hours’ walk a day, they generally don’t go above 4000 meters. For eg A Week Below Everest, Poonhill Trek

Moderate to fairly challenging treks: Longer treks going right into high mountain country above 4000m, to some of the famous mountaineering Base Camps with occasional crossing over high passes, involves 7-8 hours’ walk a day. For eg, Everest Base Camp Trek & Annapurna Base Camp Trek

Strenuous treks: Normally goes above 5500m and physically challenging, likely to include unfavorable weather conditions and strenuous activities. Should not be super fit but definitely not for beginners! For eg, Dhaulagiri Trek & Makalu 3 Cols Trek

On fully organized trek or camping trek, you will be sleeping in tents. There will also be kitchen and dining tents.Your eating and sleeping arrangements will be fully organized by the support crew consisting of one sirdar, cook and kitchen crew, Sherpa assistants and porters depending on the size of the group. Under the leadership of the sirdar (the local trek leader), Sherpa assistants will guide you throughout, a cook and kitchen crew will keep you well fed with delicious and nutritious meals and the porters will transport all the gears from camp to camp. The ratio of both Sherpa guides and kitchen crew to group members is generally 1:4 and the ratio of porters to group members is around 3:1 at the beginning of the trek, but this decreases as food is eaten and loads become smaller. For bathroom facilities we carry a toilet tent. Your camping staffs dig a deep hole in the ground for excrement and cover the hole with soil after the business is done.

Teahouse trekking means staying at local tea houses (mountain hut) during your trek. Tea house treks are more convenient and affordable than Camping treks. They are also more responsible due to the use of less resources and energy compared to camping trekking. You will also get the opportunity to connect with locals directly as teahouses are run by locals and located in villages. Price includes accommodation in lodges, guide, porters and all meals.

While travelling in Nepal, carrying Nepalese currency is best for convenience and better rates. In major touristic areas like Thamel, in Kathmandu and Lakeside in Pokhara,there are many money exchange shops. You can easily exchange major currencies like US/Australian/Singaporean dollars, Euros, Swiss Francs or Pounds for Nepali rupees. In good standard hotels too, they will exchange the above mentioned major currencies for Nepali rupees.

If you are relying on cash machines, there are ATM machines in almost every corner of Kathmandu and Pokhara where you can withdraw Nepali rupees. However, there will be a transaction cost of USD 5 per transaction and a daily limit. If you pay with your credit card for any services in the country, there will be an additional 4 % of bank charge added to the total amount.

Yes, we have pick up and drop facilities for all our Clients. On your arrival, a tour officer and a driver with your/Company’s name card will greet you and transfer you to your hotel. On your departure also, you will be accompanied by your tour officer and driver to the airport.

Personal expenses such as table drinks, snacks while walking, hot water/shower, internet, telephone, recharging etc, any expenses incurred in emergency evacuation/road block due to any reason, personal gears, clothingand tips are not included in the trip price. We recommend having a good insurance policy that covers any loss or damage, medical and evacuation expenses before booking  any trips to Nepal.

Please refer to “Price Excludes” section in Trip details for more information.

Normally, 3 star accommodation in the cities is included in the price. It is always on BB plan meaning breakfast is included in the city hotels. The category of the hotels and the meal plan can be changed upon request at an extra cost.

For the Trekking portion, local lodges are booked on AP plan meaning all meals are included.

Normally for all the treks, there is Porter services included in the package. We provide Porter services at the ratio of 1:2, 1 porter for 2 Clients. The Porters will carry not more than 30 Kgs, so each Client is given a weight allowance of 15 kgs for the trek.

The Clients just have to carry a small bag pack for daily essentials like sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, energy bars, poncho and a light jacket.

It varies from sector to sector. For Pokhara, Chitwan, Bhairawa, Nepalgunj, Bhadrapur, Biratnagar and also Surkhet & Tumlingtar the baggage allownace is 30 kgs in total (5 kg handbag and 25 kgs check in luggage). For mountain areas like Lukla, Jomsom, Simikot, Rara, Phaplu, Dolpo, Jumla, the baggage allowance is 15kgs in total (5 kg handbag and 10 kgs check in luggage). The extra baggage charge will be approximately 1 USD per kg in both cases.

Private groups are the groups who travel independently, or with friends, families & colleagues. They either customize or choose any of the trips at their own convenient timeframe for any number of people (minimum 1 & maximum 50 at a time).

Group trips are ‘fixed departure trips’, and travelers are likely to join people from different countries of any age group except minors. The size of the group varies. Minimum no of persons required to operate a trip is 2 and the maximum number is 15.

All visitors except the Indian nationals must hold passport and valid visa to enter Nepal. Visa can be obtained at the Nepalese diplomatic missions and consulates abroad. You can also get “On Arrival Visa” at entry points. For doing a normal Trek, you can come with a 30 day visa which costs US $ 50. You should have a passport size photo to get it at airport upon arrival. Some countries’ nationals need to get visa prior to their their arrival. Please check http://www.nepalimmigration.gov.np/page/tourist-visa for detailed information.

2-3 weeks’ trip will give a good overview of Nepal. It can include about 1 week of touring in places like Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan etc. and about 2 weeks’ trekking in popular trails like Everest and Annapurna. However, if you want to experience the best of Nepal, 3-4 weeks would be ideal. You can try some serious treks of about 3 weeks in lesser-known regions like Makalu, Manaslu, Kanchanjungha etc. and spend rest of the time in activities like touring, rafting and jungle activities.

Depending on what you would like to do, Autumn and Spring are the most favored times, especially for mountaineers and trekkers. During Autumn (from mid-September to end of November ), and Spring (from the beginning of March until mid-May), the skies are clear and weather is dry and stable. Winter (December, January and February) is not favorable for high altitude adventures due to snowy condition, but low altitude trekking (below 4000m) like A Week below Everest, Everest Monasteries Trek, Poonhill Trek etc are possible. Nights are chillier but days are comfortable and the best thing is, views are stunning – quite ideal for photography. The trails are crowd-free and the deals are better. Winter is also an ideal time for touring in Chitwan, Bardia and Lumbini. Summer (June-July) and Monsoon (August- September)are not the best time due to humidity and heavy rains. But if you are a great fan of freshness and lush foothills, and don’t mind wet conditions and leeches (in some trails), these are great times. Trekking to Trans-Himalayan regions like Mustang and Dolpo is also possible as they are not affected by rain. But, be prepared for transfer delays and road obstructions. City tour is possible all year round.

We try to bring together a small group of like minded people to give them a memorable and insightful travel experience, coupled with an invaluable opportunity to interact with each other in a fun-filled environment. Our travel group generally comprises of maximum 12 members. We need a minimum of 2 participants to run our fixed departure dates. For private trips, no minimum and maximum apply.

On camping trek, our staff will boil and cook meals treated by potassium permanganate or iodine. On GAP trek, you will be able to buy safe hot drinks in the tea house. We recommend you to bring water purification pills. On the trail, water from the streams is safe if away from settlements.

The best time to trek is from October to May. The first two months of the dry season – October and November, when it is still comfortably warm – are ideal for trekking in Nepal. December, January and February are still good months for trekking, but it can be bitterly cold at high altitudes.

This is an abbreviation of Guide Accommodation and Porters (GAP). This option of the trek is for those who want basic support from us. This is the most economic way to do trekking in Nepal. We provide an English speaking local Sherpa guide, book and pay for the accommodation in local lodges during trek and arrange required porters and trekkers pay for meals directly to the local lodge owner. This option works only in certain routes in Everest, Langtang and Annapurna regions where trekking routes are served by local tea house or lodges. You pay for your own meals. We take care of all expenses of our staff.

All our trekking programs are classified into THREE different categories according to the level of difficulty. Soft Adventure treks are only about a week to 10 days in duration. They generally don’t go above 4000 meter and each day, you can expect to be walking for around 4 – 5 hours. While moderate to fairly challenging treks are longer treks that go right into high mountain country. Physically quite tiring, these involve approx 6-8 hours trekking along rocky ridges of high Himalayan peaks.Strenuous treks are longer treks that go far beyond the normal haunts of trekkers and tourists. Physically challenging, these may involve 7-9 hours trekking and likely to include unfavorable weather conditions and strenuous activities. It’s definitely not for beginners.

Yes, we do. If you would like to travel independently, or with your friends, families & colleagues you are invited to choose any of the trips at your convenient timeframe for any number of people (minimum 1 & maximum 100 at a time). Cost for private trip is fixed on the basis of group size, trek area, duration and trek style, and is negotiable. We also arrange TREKS FOR SINGLE WOMAN. If none of our fixed group departure dates work for you and you do not have anyone to accompany you, you can still be able to make your preferred trip with us. There is absolutely nothing to worry about making it solo trip. We assign local guide, porters etc who you can trust your life with.

We try to bring together a small group of like minded people to give them a memorable and insightful travel experience, coupled with an invaluable opportunity to interact with each other in a fun-filled environment. Our travel group generally comprises of maximum 12 members. We need a minimum of 2 participants to run our fixed departure dates. For private trips, no minimum and maximum apply.

The cultural tour guides are quite proficient. The trekking guide (Sirdar) and his assistants speak reasonable amount of English, good enough to explain you about the places, local culture or any sight that catches your eyes.

Yes, we are a licensed trekking agency. We have been organizing tours, treks and expeditions for our valued clients since 1997.