I always love reading about Nepal. I've been a handful of times, for various short climbs and for some far longer 30+ day expeditions.
If you're reading this and need a short escape from life, I really recommend looking into doing the trek to EBC. It's extremely accessible (and cheap), and I've personally seen people as young as 8 y/o and as old as 80 y/o doing it and having the time of their lives.
I've been all over the world. Antarctica, climbing in Pakistan, trekking through the Middle East... Nepal was one of my first adventures and remains one of my favourites.
To stay on topic... Teahouses can be found along every route through the mountains. Most of my fond memories are in teahouses, where you get to sit, have a black tea, and reflect on just how beautiful the people (and the mountains) are. It's also a great opportunity to meet people from other cultures. I'll always remember the Russian's who bought me a beer after climbing Island Peak, the cards I played with some kids in Samagaun... I could go on.
Nepal is great. The people are generally very friendly. Kathmandu is very cosmopolitan. The mountains are stunning. I am going back again for the first time in 25 years. I'm doing a much gentler trek this time!
I've been to Nepal a bunch of times and I usually recommend just passing quickly through KTM to get to where you are going. The dust can be terrible and it is loud and polluted - the opposite reason to why most people generally want to go to Nepal. Better to spend more time in the mountains or Pokhara
It's winter here. That's mostly an issue during summer. Also, if you're out trekking, then that is a non-issue (especially higher up in the mountains).
I did EBC in late 2024, and I've done a few other treks, too. I will say that while EBC was great & I'm glad I went, it's far more commercialized & full of tourists than some other treks. I found the experience of other treks (Langtang Valley, Mardi Himal) to have a more intimate and cozy vibe.
Yeah, I've trekked the Annapurna circuit as well as EBC and was struck by just how much better Annapurna was. And Annapurna isn't exactly unpopular, just way less overrun than EBC and way more scenic
Annapurna Circuit has changed much over the years. It feels busier than EBC, because roads go all the way up to Manang and Muktinath, with only three days between them. And Muktinath is a big pilgrimage destination, with ~800k visitors a year.
"Around Annapurna" with Mountain Travel in the early 1980s. I was in terrific shape (at sea level) and thus very surprised at how hard I was breathing after running 100 meters on the Thorong La Pass at 18,000 feet.
Indeed. A member of our trekking party of 12 or so got altitude sickness and had to be taken down to a lower altitude at around 14,000 feet. IRL he was a Canadian Mountie in great shape, in his mid-20s.
That's the kind of experience that makes one appreciate what Tim Macartney-Snape did, practically speed walking from sea level to summit Mt Everest w/out suppliementary oxygen.
Just another 80s trekker passing along a hello. I had the same experience as you describe nearing the top of Kala Patthar. Trekked outside of Pokhara too but did not do the circuit. Maybe we passed along the trail though ;)
I think it is just the draw of the word 'Everest'. I heard that you can't even see Everest from much of Everest base trek. Perhaps someone who has been can verify that?
It's true. Usually, the first time you see Everest is from the Everest View Hotel (a small hike up from Namche Bazaar) -- so around day 3, depending on your speed -- and then once or twice more on the approach to Gorakshep.
From there, you either hike up the Kala Patthar view-point which has that famous panoramic view of Everest, basecamp, and all the surrounding peaks... Or you trek around the canyon and begin the approach to EBC itself.
You can see it, but best views are from nearby hill called Kala Pathar. I presume you meant from Everest Base Camp, from EBC hike you can see Everest pyramid many times.
There is a very nice variant of EBC hike called 3 passes trek. Goes over 3 high altitude passes (5500, 5400, 5300m) on top of base camp, making a nice loop. A better challenge, once outside main valley just few people, and views are stunning, ie from Gokyo Ri, or north walls of Taboche or Cholatse. A difference between meh and stunning for me.
Nepal is also an amazing culinary experience. The food has indo-chinese influence but is its own thing. Dal bhat is what regular people eat and is available in most teahouses and is the best thing after a hard day of walking. Also don't forget to try momos (I actually know someone who went recently and never tried momos in their entire trip! Only if we had spoken first!)
Your comment really accentuates the article. I'm glad the feeling I got reading the article was corroborated by your experience, and I hope to visit Nepal one day. Thanks.
I did the hike from Pokhara to Ghorepani (Poon Hill is breathtaking btw) and a few other small villages (about a week and half of backpacking). This was after a month in Kathmandu before and a month after. My absolute favorite parts of the whole trip were the teahouses and the roadside food stands. The food was excellent. The hosts were always extremely kind. This was back in 2009. It's now almost 20 years later and I've been itching to go back. Nepal will always have a place in my soul, there is no place like it.
I trekked to the summit of Mera Peak some 25 years ago. We slept in tents every night. There were very few, if any, teahouses between Lukla and the summit back then. I guess it is good that more Nepalis are making a living from trekkers with their tea houses.
It was an incredible experience, but not for the faint-hearted. A couple of people in our group were unlucky and had serious issues (oedema and an aneurism) and were too high for helicopter evacuation, but they both survived. If you want to do something like this, go with a reputable company (such as KE Experience in the UK).
Mera Peak is said to be possible without any climbing experience, and it looks like the trek from Lukla is about 2 weeks. Is that true? How hard is the trek -- Looks like it requires well above average fitness level?
(Based on my recollections from ~25 years ago) Mera peak is the second highest non-technical peak in the world (the highest is in S America) at ~21,000 feet. Meaning you can basically walk to the top (no real climbing, but we were roped together for the final section, in case of crevasses). But the altitude and weather makes it much tougher than the equivalent trek near sea level. The summit day was incredibly gruelling, the hardest thing I have ever done physically. So you need a decent level of fitness.
If you are significantly overweight or have dodgy knees, then it isn't for you. You are moderately fit and prepared to do some long walks in preparation, then you are probably fine. If you aren't sure, maybe go on one of the lower level treks and see how you get on.
Isn't Cho Oyu (around 8201m) the highest non-technical peak in the world? Ice wall can be often bypassed/traversed around. Aconcagua is ~1.25km shorter.
Haven't been up Mera, but back in the day, did do Island Peak which I understand is more difficult these days because of some glacial fissures.
That altitude was about my limit even at the time. I had done a couple of previous Nepal treks to fairly high altitude but not actual climbs and had done a lower altitude glacier climbing school in the US northwest.
There are higher non-technical peaks in South America. Ojos del Salado at well over 22,000 feet comes to mind as a peak that is often considered non-technical. Also an active volcano which is cool.
Aconcagua in Argentina. It's on my 'things to do if in the area' list. The nearest airport is only a 200km drive on a tarmac road away and then a 40km trek to the peak! Although the 4km altitude gain is likely to be harder than the distance.
Mera Peak is in an amazing location, you can see a number of the world's highest peaks from the top (if it's clear), including Everest. IIRC Aconcagua doesn't have quite as much going for it, apart from being slightly higher. Each to their own.
BTW Everest is so steep that it doesn't have a lot of snow on it compared to other high mountains. So it is not even a very attractive mountain (subjective obviously).
Yes the altitude is harder than the distance :) Aconcagua has cca 30% summit rate mainly due to frequent high winds which make windchill temperatures go to -30s C easily. We had to turn back ourselves up there, nobody summited for whole week due to high winds.
"Backpacking" in the US is conceptually and vernaculary different from trekking, not to argue something you probably know already and aren't claiming. The guesthouses in these countries were also government sponsored or owned-outright in my experience. There's an economic benefit to providing employment for the caretakers and of course for foreign tourism and even local travelers.
Maybe highway rest-stops are the closest analog for the US but even many of those have been shuttered by governments driven to parsimony.
Isn't that due to a different relationship to travel? Many on foot, villagers passing through from one area to another perhaps for the market, it makes sense that there will be more opportunities for "walk-in" accommodations. In the US the expectation would be someone flying or driving long distances, or perhaps taking a bus, but not to sell produce at the regional market on foot. And foreign travelers to the US are often people of some financial means or are operating in specialized systems geared towards immigrants, like some of the "mexican" coach services in some states.
I did find, like it seems you did, that I loved traveling through Nepal and the accommodations you've described. Remarkable and tough people living hard lives with resilient cheer.
Tea truly elevates the experience! I lived in western India years ago, and remember a trip to the mountains with a friend on a moped. It was raining and the tropical drizzle added to the fun. Reaching the top, we found a small tea vendor and a woman selling "pakoras" (deep-fried snacks). I can't quite describe the elevated experience at that point.
I always love reading about Nepal. I've been a handful of times, for various short climbs and for some far longer 30+ day expeditions.
If you're reading this and need a short escape from life, I really recommend looking into doing the trek to EBC. It's extremely accessible (and cheap), and I've personally seen people as young as 8 y/o and as old as 80 y/o doing it and having the time of their lives.
I've been all over the world. Antarctica, climbing in Pakistan, trekking through the Middle East... Nepal was one of my first adventures and remains one of my favourites.
To stay on topic... Teahouses can be found along every route through the mountains. Most of my fond memories are in teahouses, where you get to sit, have a black tea, and reflect on just how beautiful the people (and the mountains) are. It's also a great opportunity to meet people from other cultures. I'll always remember the Russian's who bought me a beer after climbing Island Peak, the cards I played with some kids in Samagaun... I could go on.
Go visit Nepal!
Nepal is great. The people are generally very friendly. Kathmandu is very cosmopolitan. The mountains are stunning. I am going back again for the first time in 25 years. I'm doing a much gentler trek this time!
Kathmandu's pollution has spiraled out of control so please expect to find a much dustier capital.
That's a pity. Thanks for the heads up. Will take a face mask.
I've been to Nepal a bunch of times and I usually recommend just passing quickly through KTM to get to where you are going. The dust can be terrible and it is loud and polluted - the opposite reason to why most people generally want to go to Nepal. Better to spend more time in the mountains or Pokhara
And mosquito born diseases are going around like crazy thanks to global warming.
It's winter here. That's mostly an issue during summer. Also, if you're out trekking, then that is a non-issue (especially higher up in the mountains).
I did EBC in late 2024, and I've done a few other treks, too. I will say that while EBC was great & I'm glad I went, it's far more commercialized & full of tourists than some other treks. I found the experience of other treks (Langtang Valley, Mardi Himal) to have a more intimate and cozy vibe.
Yeah, I've trekked the Annapurna circuit as well as EBC and was struck by just how much better Annapurna was. And Annapurna isn't exactly unpopular, just way less overrun than EBC and way more scenic
Annapurna Circuit has changed much over the years. It feels busier than EBC, because roads go all the way up to Manang and Muktinath, with only three days between them. And Muktinath is a big pilgrimage destination, with ~800k visitors a year.
"Around Annapurna" with Mountain Travel in the early 1980s. I was in terrific shape (at sea level) and thus very surprised at how hard I was breathing after running 100 meters on the Thorong La Pass at 18,000 feet.
Altitude sickness is also very unpredictable and sometimes hits the fittest people the worst.
Indeed. A member of our trekking party of 12 or so got altitude sickness and had to be taken down to a lower altitude at around 14,000 feet. IRL he was a Canadian Mountie in great shape, in his mid-20s.
That's the kind of experience that makes one appreciate what Tim Macartney-Snape did, practically speed walking from sea level to summit Mt Everest w/out suppliementary oxygen.
~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Macartney-Snape
Just another 80s trekker passing along a hello. I had the same experience as you describe nearing the top of Kala Patthar. Trekked outside of Pokhara too but did not do the circuit. Maybe we passed along the trail though ;)
Namaste
I think it is just the draw of the word 'Everest'. I heard that you can't even see Everest from much of Everest base trek. Perhaps someone who has been can verify that?
It's true. Usually, the first time you see Everest is from the Everest View Hotel (a small hike up from Namche Bazaar) -- so around day 3, depending on your speed -- and then once or twice more on the approach to Gorakshep.
From there, you either hike up the Kala Patthar view-point which has that famous panoramic view of Everest, basecamp, and all the surrounding peaks... Or you trek around the canyon and begin the approach to EBC itself.
You can see it, but best views are from nearby hill called Kala Pathar. I presume you meant from Everest Base Camp, from EBC hike you can see Everest pyramid many times.
There is a very nice variant of EBC hike called 3 passes trek. Goes over 3 high altitude passes (5500, 5400, 5300m) on top of base camp, making a nice loop. A better challenge, once outside main valley just few people, and views are stunning, ie from Gokyo Ri, or north walls of Taboche or Cholatse. A difference between meh and stunning for me.
Nepal is also an amazing culinary experience. The food has indo-chinese influence but is its own thing. Dal bhat is what regular people eat and is available in most teahouses and is the best thing after a hard day of walking. Also don't forget to try momos (I actually know someone who went recently and never tried momos in their entire trip! Only if we had spoken first!)
Your comment really accentuates the article. I'm glad the feeling I got reading the article was corroborated by your experience, and I hope to visit Nepal one day. Thanks.
I did the hike from Pokhara to Ghorepani (Poon Hill is breathtaking btw) and a few other small villages (about a week and half of backpacking). This was after a month in Kathmandu before and a month after. My absolute favorite parts of the whole trip were the teahouses and the roadside food stands. The food was excellent. The hosts were always extremely kind. This was back in 2009. It's now almost 20 years later and I've been itching to go back. Nepal will always have a place in my soul, there is no place like it.
I trekked to the summit of Mera Peak some 25 years ago. We slept in tents every night. There were very few, if any, teahouses between Lukla and the summit back then. I guess it is good that more Nepalis are making a living from trekkers with their tea houses.
It was an incredible experience, but not for the faint-hearted. A couple of people in our group were unlucky and had serious issues (oedema and an aneurism) and were too high for helicopter evacuation, but they both survived. If you want to do something like this, go with a reputable company (such as KE Experience in the UK).
Mera Peak is said to be possible without any climbing experience, and it looks like the trek from Lukla is about 2 weeks. Is that true? How hard is the trek -- Looks like it requires well above average fitness level?
(Based on my recollections from ~25 years ago) Mera peak is the second highest non-technical peak in the world (the highest is in S America) at ~21,000 feet. Meaning you can basically walk to the top (no real climbing, but we were roped together for the final section, in case of crevasses). But the altitude and weather makes it much tougher than the equivalent trek near sea level. The summit day was incredibly gruelling, the hardest thing I have ever done physically. So you need a decent level of fitness.
If you are significantly overweight or have dodgy knees, then it isn't for you. You are moderately fit and prepared to do some long walks in preparation, then you are probably fine. If you aren't sure, maybe go on one of the lower level treks and see how you get on.
Isn't Cho Oyu (around 8201m) the highest non-technical peak in the world? Ice wall can be often bypassed/traversed around. Aconcagua is ~1.25km shorter.
Haven't been up Mera, but back in the day, did do Island Peak which I understand is more difficult these days because of some glacial fissures.
That altitude was about my limit even at the time. I had done a couple of previous Nepal treks to fairly high altitude but not actual climbs and had done a lower altitude glacier climbing school in the US northwest.
There are higher non-technical peaks in South America. Ojos del Salado at well over 22,000 feet comes to mind as a peak that is often considered non-technical. Also an active volcano which is cool.
> the highest is in S America
Aconcagua in Argentina. It's on my 'things to do if in the area' list. The nearest airport is only a 200km drive on a tarmac road away and then a 40km trek to the peak! Although the 4km altitude gain is likely to be harder than the distance.
Mera Peak is in an amazing location, you can see a number of the world's highest peaks from the top (if it's clear), including Everest. IIRC Aconcagua doesn't have quite as much going for it, apart from being slightly higher. Each to their own.
BTW Everest is so steep that it doesn't have a lot of snow on it compared to other high mountains. So it is not even a very attractive mountain (subjective obviously).
Yes the altitude is harder than the distance :) Aconcagua has cca 30% summit rate mainly due to frequent high winds which make windchill temperatures go to -30s C easily. We had to turn back ourselves up there, nobody summited for whole week due to high winds.
This is main difference between backpacking in the US vs backpacking in India/Nepal/Bhutan.
You just pack clothes, no matter how remote your destination is, there’s going to be food and shelter available every 6-8hours.
>there’s going to be food and shelter available every 6-8hours
In Nepal? That sounds like a risky assumption to make.
Yes
Of course if you go completely off-trail for days all bets are off.
"Backpacking" in the US is conceptually and vernaculary different from trekking, not to argue something you probably know already and aren't claiming. The guesthouses in these countries were also government sponsored or owned-outright in my experience. There's an economic benefit to providing employment for the caretakers and of course for foreign tourism and even local travelers.
Maybe highway rest-stops are the closest analog for the US but even many of those have been shuttered by governments driven to parsimony.
Not just guesthouses though, it’s pretty easy to find a place to sleep in small villages.
The word for it is ‘home-stay’, there are a few houses in every village that are set up to accommodate guests for a very reasonable amount of money.
And these villages are pretty much everywhere.
I have been lost in the Himalayas, and it was not that much work to walk down the river to a village.
Isn't that due to a different relationship to travel? Many on foot, villagers passing through from one area to another perhaps for the market, it makes sense that there will be more opportunities for "walk-in" accommodations. In the US the expectation would be someone flying or driving long distances, or perhaps taking a bus, but not to sell produce at the regional market on foot. And foreign travelers to the US are often people of some financial means or are operating in specialized systems geared towards immigrants, like some of the "mexican" coach services in some states.
I did find, like it seems you did, that I loved traveling through Nepal and the accommodations you've described. Remarkable and tough people living hard lives with resilient cheer.
Tea truly elevates the experience! I lived in western India years ago, and remember a trip to the mountains with a friend on a moped. It was raining and the tropical drizzle added to the fun. Reaching the top, we found a small tea vendor and a woman selling "pakoras" (deep-fried snacks). I can't quite describe the elevated experience at that point.
Aren't you no longer allowed to go hiking without a hired guide anywhere in Nepal (even on well-marked non-technical trails)?
Not being able to solo hike really ruins the experience for me, so I'll be avoiding Nepal until that changes.
This rule does not apply in the main trekking areas that everyone goes to.
In the areas that few people go to, it isn't actually enforced.
The Nepalese government just introduces this rule every few years in response to a missing trekker in the guise of safety.
It took me a minute to realize that "Trekkers" in this headline is not referring to fans of Star Trek.