hi all
I am looking for a climbing partner in Nepal in oct 06. my plan is to attempt trekking peaks that have minimal costs involved. If anyone is interested please let me know.
Cheers
Rob

Paddyrock wrote:hi all
I am looking for a climbing partner in Nepal in oct 06. my plan is to attempt trekking peaks that have minimal costs involved. If anyone is interested please let me know.
Cheers
Rob

this may sound stupid, but what are the costs of such trip at the other end of the world? appart from the plane ticket of course.

This is not the greatest time to be trekking in Nepal with all the unrest. That said, by October, if this keeps up trekking companies will be begging for business. I would hit the ground there and do some shopping if the government and communist troops carrying AKs doesn't bother you. Once there, you may find a like minded trekker willing to spit the costs.

What are you planning for airfare?

As of May 2006 it appears that the king is releasing some of his power and a parliament is being formed... this may help to stabilize the political situation.

I was in Nepal in the early 1990s and did Kala Pataar on a shoestring budget. We got our own Trekking Permit in Kathmandu, bought a trail map, booked a flight to Lukla and set out. We used no tour companies or anything and it was quite inexpensive. If plans are to climb something like Island Peak, then I am sure more elaborate plans must be made.

For anybody interested, we used the Lonely Planet book about trekking in Nepal and found several good contacts mentioned in the book.

Hello
I am planning a special trek to the Himalaya.
Date : Mid October 2006 (beginning).
Duration : 3 - 4 weeks
Route : Lukla - Hinku valley - Mera peak ( climbing ) - Hongu valley - Amphu labtsa pass. - Imja tse valley - Namche - Lukla .
I am not a technical climber , but I had been summitimg some peaks , So , I know a little about walking on ice/snow. I'm in good physical shape . I don't need luxury treatment ( I'm cooking my meals ).
I'm trying to organize some friends to a little group , but... for now I'm still alone .
My budget is limited , so I can join to other people ( if the route & dates fits ).
What are the possibilities ?
Regards ,
Elyada.

hey, i'm actually planning on going to Nepal around that time and would like to do some trekking, Everest Base camp and the such. I have no equipement for ice climbing and the such (sadly).

How much do you guys think it would cost to hire a porter/guide to the everest base camp and maybe a bit more( basicly spending couple weeks in the mountain)
Are guide expensive?

I'm planning on doing some volunteer work and then going hiking, but won't have much money so i'm trying to find out if i could just get a local to be my porter and guide or would it be same price as pre arranging something from home and meeting over there?

I was in Nepal during the worst time possible (April 1 - April 15) as I was on gardening leave with a month to kill.

As a non-Nepalese I would say you have nothing to worry about. The dates I was in Nepal there were all-day curfews and some major demonstrations. However, there was nothing going on in the mountains or the tourist areas.

Nepal is dirt cheap. If you can afford the flight from your home country you can afford spending time in Nepal. A guide is about US$10 a day. Huts were about US$1.50 for the night and food ran me maybe US$5 a day? I ate like a pig though.

One thing I would mention (and happy to answer any specific questions) was the fact that it's so easy to meet people in Nepal you may not even need to worry about hiring a guide. I went at a horrible time and I still met a bunch of really good people willing to accompany me on the hike.

Nice, Thanks for the info guys,
So it looks like getting to base camp isn't very hard then (finding your way)
I'm in good physical shape I guess, I do a lot of mountain biking play badminton too.
Many of the organized treks have a day or two for acclimatisation, so I guess I could just base my trek with what the companies do but do it on my own? What i'm more scraed of is walking with the big heavy bag, I think i'd have to put it on and go for a walk more often to get ready for the trek. Also, are the teahouses hard to find or there are signs and pretty much impossible to get lost?

Would I have to get some powerbars(or anything energy food) before starting the trek or are there plenty of teahouses along the way to grab a bite to eat?

Also, since I have no idea how long it would take me to reach base camp, how hard is it to find a flight from lukla back to ktm?

One last thing, is the Everest park open year round? I would probably be trekkign in December or late november
Thank you

what I meant by "open" was just that it seems like the trekking companies don't have any trek to base camp in December so I was wondering if the park was closed during that time.

Also, does it get very cold up there and I guess I would need a tent if the upper villages/lodges are closed? Would a 3 tent be enough to camp up there or would a 4 season be better for the time of year?

edit.. found it actually gets quite cold in December so 4 season tent it has to be

Awesome,
thank you for the information

Also, I noticed the lodge accepts credit cards, is it fairly common for the lodges to accept cards or do they mostly only accept American money or NR? I'm trying to see how much money I should have in cash for the trek

One last thing, i'm not really worried about it but by curiousity, are there any showers in the lodges/teahouses?