Starting April 1, 2023 ➙ independent trekking in Nepal is no longer allowed. You MUST hire a guide.
Therefore, more foreign hikers should be looking at India.
The high mountains are stunning and less travelled than Nepal.
Logistics getting to and from trailheads can be complicated and problematic, however.
Next time I head for the Indian Himalaya I’m planning to use IndiaHikes. Prices are excellent. And they handle all the local transportation as well as guiding great adventures.
I’ve hiked Nepal on 10 different vacations. But I’ll stop going if this NEW policy is upheld.
The nation is notoriously poorly governed. Don’t be surprised if Nepal Tourism Board suddenly reverses the policy once they foresee the economic damage.
As of March 2023 there is one major exception — the Everest region. The Khumbu Valley remains unaffected because they don’t use the TIMS card required everywhere else. For Everest, idependent hikers can instead buy a local Khumbu Trek Card.
Perhaps this exception will be changed before the start of the spring 2023 trekking season.
The best hike in the world for me personally was the Huayhuash Circuit,
We did rent a cook tent and hire a mule driver, but decided on our route independently.
Huayhuash is dangerous. Hikers have died there. This is arguably the best hike in the world but is appropriate only for robust, experienced high altitude trekkers.
The greatest danger is altitude sickness. We hired horses instead of mules so we could evacuate by horse, if necessary. Smart trekkers do some acclimatization treks out of Huaraz before catching the bus to Huayhuash.
I’ve made several trips to the Indian Himalaya, usually disappointed at the lack of information and infrastructure.
In Nepal everything is easy. Not so in India.
Happily trekking guides IndiaHikes are doing a terrific job making organizing walking adventures easy. In fact, they want this kind of fitness experience to be accessible to everyone.
Guide Jacob Kyungai is excellent. Everyone on the team interesting. Including supermodel Heidi Albertsen. But for me the highlight were the two kids on the 45 mile hike: Hansi Mmari and Nicole Wineland-Thomson,
Dreaming of climbing Kilimanjaro is childlike. Full of wonder.
The southeast face of Mt. Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain, can be viewed from the pass, which is also a base camp for those aspiring to scale the mountain. …
The basic itinerary:
Drive from SILIGURI TO YUKSOM
YUKSOM to SACHEN (10 km hike)
SACHEN to TSHOKA (7 km hike)
TSHOKA to DZONGRI (10 km hike)
Rest and hike to DZONGRI LA PASS (4417 m)
DZONGRI to THANSING (10 km hike)
THANSING to GOECHA LA PASS and back (14 km hike)
THANSING to TSHOKA (16 km hike)
TSHOKA to YUKSOM (17 km hike)
Drive back to SILIGURI
vista from Goecha La
Seems it’s impossible to do this trek independently.
But rather than sign on with a company from home, you could simply show up in Gantok or Darjeeling and start asking around the various agencies to join a group that will give you the best rate.
The real experts on this park are Mike Blake and his team at MB Guiding.
If you are looking to organized a guide trip — climbing the Golden Hinde, for example — go with MB Guiding.
If you’ve never been to Strathcona before, easiest access is via the Paradise Meadows trailhead out of Courtney / Comox which gives easy access to the Forbidden Plateau.
Well signed, well organized, well maintained, there are loops of increasing difficulty depending on your time and the weather.
One loop is wheelchair accessible, for example.
There are trails ideal for kids, as well.
Three campsites on the Forbidden plateau are first-come, first-served. Great value at CAD $10 / person / night.
If you want to tent, I’d recommend you head for the furtherest campsite – Circlet Lake.
besthike.com 