Category: guided hikes

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Women – 140 days Great Himalaya Trail

Wow. What an undertaking.

The Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) Women Leaders on the Trail Campaign (GHT Women Leaders campaign) is a once in a lifetime opportunity to elevate the roles and status of female Nepali guides and porters in Nepal.

The campaign involves organizing a group of female Nepali guide(s) and porters to trek on the Great Himalaya Trail for 140 days beginning February until July of 2024.

This campaign is in support of the mission of the non-profit human rights organization, The Porter Voice Collective, which aims to advocate for the human rights of porters in Peru, Nepal & Tanzania via all forms of media and storytelling. …

Details

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Anu Shrestha, Campaign Manager (Nepal)

Gauri Malakar, Campaign Advisor

Sara Frenning, PVC Researcher & Campaign Coordinator, Videographer

Pema T. Sherpa, GHT Logistics Coordinator

Marinel de Jesus, Campaign Manager (Global)

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Was Nepal right to ban solo trekking in the Himalayas?

That’s the title of a thoughtful article on National Geographic:

Part of the magic of trekking in Nepal used to be how easy it was to get started, but on 1 April 2023, the government imposed a radical shake-up of the country’s trekking rules. Whereas previously travellers could hike alone anywhere in the country, now they must hire a guide to walk through Nepal’s 12 national parks and six conservation areas, including the popular Everest Base Camp and Annapurna …

 “For less-experienced trekkers, having a good guide can definitely enhance your trekking experience, but guides aren’t trained to a consistent standard in Nepal,” says Bradley Mayhew, author of Lonely Planet’s Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya guidebook. “Encouraging trekkers to hire a guide by providing better-trained guides would be a smarter approach than forcing all trekkers to take a guide, regardless of their experience.” …

Nat Geo

As an experienced hiker who’s been to Nepal more than 10 times, I’ll switch to the Indian Himalaya.

But there are certainly some advantages in requiring a guide for new trekkers.

related – Our guide to INDEPENDENT trekking in Nepal — back when it was still allowed.

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Deoriatal Chandrashila Trek, India

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.

One example.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Nepal MIGHT Ban Independent Trekkers

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.

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Do-It-Yourself IndiaHikes

Logistics are challenging in India.

One option that appeals to me is signing on for a Do-It-Yourself adventure with IndiaHikes.

We do everything ourselves — but hike alongside an experienced Trek Leader who can answer questions and advise on the many complications of India.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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HOW to Hike Huayhuash, Peru

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.

Click PLAY or watch tips and gear recommendations on YouTube.

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Easiest Ways to Hike India

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.

The cost of guided hikes is very reasonable.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

If you prefer to hike independently, IndiaHikes can get you the information you need.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa

Watch the great David Breashears documentary from 2002.

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.

This short documentary is 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Highly recommended for all.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

You might be able to watch the entire documentary on YouTube.

related – Mark Horrell’s review

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Goecha La Trek, India

Goecha La (el. 4940 mt or 16,207 ft) is a high mountain pass in Sikkim, India in the Himalaya range.

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:

  1. Drive from SILIGURI TO YUKSOM
  2. YUKSOM to SACHEN (10 km hike)
  3. SACHEN to TSHOKA (7 km hike)
  4. TSHOKA to DZONGRI (10 km hike)
  5. Rest and hike to DZONGRI LA PASS (4417 m)
  6. DZONGRI to THANSING (10 km hike)
  7. THANSING to GOECHA LA PASS and back (14 km hike)
  8. THANSING to TSHOKA (16 km hike)
  9. TSHOKA to YUKSOM (17 km hike)
  10. 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.

India Hikes, for example, charged about US $230 in 2021.