BAD NEWS. As of April 1, 2023 the Nepal government required that major treks can no longer be done independently. Hiring a guide is mandatory. The obvious alternative for independent hikers is the Indian Himalaya.
UPDATE April 2024. The Everest region refused to enforce mandatory guides. Hikers are doing Base Camp independently.
Every hiker dreams of trekking in the footsteps of Hillary and Norgay. Climbing to Mt. Everest Base Camp Qomolangma (Tibetan), Sagarmāthā (Nepali) should be on your bucket list.
Here is the finest alpine scenery in the world, we reckon.
Namche Bazaar … at 3,440 metres (11,286 ft) … is the main trading center for the Khumbu region with many Nepalese officials, a police check post and a bank. …
Namche has a permanent population of around 800.
Almost everyone trekking in the Khumbu region will visit Namche Bazaar, as it is the gateway to the high Himalaya.
The hiking infrastructure for foreign tourists is not nearly so well developed. There are far fewer hiking guidebooks.
You need to do much more research when planning a hiking trip to India. The easiest jumping off point is Leh, Ladakh — a region administered by India as a union territory, and constituting a part of the larger region of Kashmir.
Stok Kangri seen from Leh
AT A GLANCE
Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttaranchal in the west
Darjeeling and Sikkim in the east
many peaks over 7000m (23000ft)
every serious hiker wants to travel to Nepal. The savvy trekkers to the Indian Himalaya, as well.
though challenging, India is a wonderful tourist destination
English is widely spoken
public transportation is slow at best, downright terrifying at worst
getting to the trailhead may be much more dangerous than anything you do on the trek. Take the train rather than a vehicle whenever you can.
best for experienced, confident, self-sufficient high altitude hikers
hiking season somewhere May-Nov (though micro-climates vary greatly). Many treks are not recommended Jul-Aug — though you can hike most places in Ladakh most of the year.
Huaraz is a trekkers’ paradise. On one side of the valley you have the White Mountains (Cordillera Blanca). On the other side, the Black Mountains (Cordillera Negra). We hike the White Mountains, mountain bike the Black Mountains.
And only a short distance away is the remote, high Cordillera Huayhuash, ideal for hard core trekkers.
Huaraz is located in the central-northern part of the country at an altitude of 3052 m (10,013 feet), some 420 km north of Lima. Huaraz sits in the agriculturally important Callejón de Huaylas valley, at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, which includes Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru at 6768 m (22,204 feet). …
On May 31, 1970 the Ancash earthquake destroyed much of Huaraz, killing 10,000 people. Almost nothing was left of the old city with its narrow streets and big adobe casonas roofed with tiles. The main square was the only major structure that survived the earthquake so the city was rebuilt around it. …
Huaraz is connected to the rest of the country through the Panamerican Highway (187 km north of Lima) and can be reached from Lima … in seven hours. …
Huascarán National Park is a popular destination for tourism and trekking. Huaraz is a frequent base for expeditions to the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash. …
The population of the greater area is over 100,000 though you’d never guess it was that big. Huarez retains the feeling of a remote mountain town.
Many North American hikers pooh-pooh hiking in Europe as “too civilized and too expensive“. The ones who have never hiked there.
Harder Ridge, Switzerland
With advanced planning you can get to some of the best wild scenery in the world and not go bankrupt in Europe.
Iconic peaks reflected in tranquil mountain lakes, sweeping hillsides blanketed in wild flowers and dramatic, sprawling glaciers characterize the Alps. Discover why this mighty range, the birthplace of modern mountain walking, has enthralled walkers for centuries. – LP
The culture and history of Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenian and Switzerland are an added bonus.
Travel is easy in Europe, of course, but the hiking window is short. You want to be there Jun-Sept, the same high season as North America.
Our favourite trip in the Alps was the Tour of Mont Blanc. But after besthike editor found the TMB crowded with hordes of tour groups the summer of 2009, we changed our “favourite hike in Europe” to the more challenging Walker’s Haute Route, Chamonix to Zermatt.
Both long hikes are in the same region, sharing sections of trail near Chamonix. Both are great, truth be told.
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