Nepal Travel Forum

Totally inexperienced with this type of holiday - although fit and really enthusaistic. As 1st timers and having a month to trekk, what is the best way to go? Able to travel March/ April or October/ November 2009. Have read a few comments that suggest do Everest base camp is better for 1st timers with an organised group. Any advice would be gratefully received.Also for the best experience, are we better looking at Annapurna and Chitwan or EBC? All a bit confusing at the moment? Hope to get some advice

Hi
OK – I will try and answer your questions
First – when to go, Basically there are both advantages and disadvantages in whichever season you pick
Spring
Advantages
Less people, so less queues in lodges for food and a better choice of accommodation
Beautiful Spring flowers including Rhododendrons
Disadvantages
The weather isn’t as good, you tend to get fine mornings but then the cloud builds up and it sometimes rains in the afternoons
Autumn
Advantages
Better weather
Disadvantages
A lot more crowded so less choice of accommodation, queues in lodges for food, flights are often booked up.

Personally I prefer the spring – but that is me

Next – To join a group or travel independently
I would say for the first time neither, Decide where you are going to go, Maybe Everest – Maybe Annapurna, You have to decide that yourselves by researching and looking at photos. Maybe Annapurna is a good choice for a start, that was my 1st trek and I have been back a further 6 times !!
Then hire yourself a guide, then you can go at your own pace, stay where you want to stay, eat when you want to eat and set your own itinery.

I have covered a lot of your questions in more detail on my Nepal pages in the tips section – it might be worth you taking a look – Loads of photos too


I hope that helps a little but If you need more info then feel free to drop me a line
Happy Travels
Rob

Thankyou so much for the advice Rob.We needed to have a clearer direction for our planning.

You've gotten good advice already from both the above respondents. I would only add the following (I've done both twice in recent years, porter- & guide-less, first times solo, second with my nephew):

Annapurna arguably gives you more cultural and ecological variety than Everest, as you start a lot lower (assuming you start EBC from Lukla), around 800m (terraced rice paddies at first), and gradually ascend through different layers of ecosystems and different cultural groups that are tied to those layers. You slowly work your way up to the big 5400m Thorung La pass, then descend through similar layers of culture & ecosystems. (Mmmm, the dried apples and apple juice & brandy in Marpha & Tukche, & the homegrown popcorn, yummy.) A lot more tree time at Annapurna; the Everest trek above Namche is mostly exposed above the tree line.

Culturally, at least from Lukla up, the Everest trek is fairly monocultural: Sherpas dominate, they're great people, just less variety in that regard. Everest gives you more bold, bad-*ss mountain views, but there's plenty at Annapurna as well, particularly if you add in the Sanctuary trek.

Lodging is much more plentiful at Annapurna (so much so that several places offer your room for free if you eat your meals in their dining room) than at Everest, where trekking groups can quickly (and uncomfortably) pack out the lodges, and prices overall are a bit higher (notably higher at the highest locations).

At Everest, you necessarily spend a lot more time at higher elevations (above 3500-4000m) where altitude really starts to effect you than the mere 2-3 days at Annapurna. For that and the other stated reasons, I tend to recommend Annapurna for people's first Nepal trek. But that's not emphatic: as long as you're comfortably knowledgeable about your acclimatization abilities, can deal with sometimes-crowded lodges, and are more interested in big bold mountain views than trees & cultural variety, Everest is a wonderful first trek too. I've got several photos from 2 treks each to both places posted (Langtang too) in the following albums that may help you decide:

>http://picasaweb.google.com/zekebauer/NepalEverestNationalParkTreks
>http://picasaweb.google.com/zekebauer/NepalAnnapurnaCircuitSanctuaryTreks
>http://picasaweb.google.com/zekebauer/NepalLangtangTrek

if you have a month you could probably do both Everest and Annapurna.
Hiring a guide is only $15US per day. that includes his food and accomodation.
I would hire a guide because it is your first time and go alone.
I went to Namche in May and we did day trips from there. it was Awesome. we are going back to do EBC. if you do the EBC, I would highly reccomend the flu injection and altude sickness tablets.
we used this agency.
Prem Silwal
Heian Treks
Kathmandu,Nepal
Tel 00977-01-4700579,4701443
Cell 00977-98510-30913
Email info@heiantreks.com
URL www.heiantreks.com