Nepal trekking, checked on the trail
Walk the Himalaya
Full itineraries, real costs and current permit rules for 9 routes, written by people who walked them and checked by a licensed guide.
- Field-checked routes
- 9
- Highest point
- 5,545 m
- Days on trail
- 5 to 22
- Guided trips from
- $350
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0
The routes
A handful of what is possible
From a five day walk to the Poon Hill sunrise to three weeks under Kangchenjunga. Every route has a day by day itinerary, the real cost and the permits it needs.
5 daysEasyAnnapurna
Poon Hill & Ghorepani Trek
Up to 3,210 m · from $350
Explore trek
6 daysModerateAnnapurna
Mardi Himal Trek
Up to 4,500 m · from $400
Explore trek
8 daysModerateLangtang
Langtang Valley Trek
Up to 4,984 m · from $500
Explore trek
10 daysModerateAnnapurna
Annapurna Base Camp Trek
Up to 4,130 m · from $650
Explore trek
12 daysModerateMustang
Upper Mustang Trek
Up to 4,010 m · from $2,500
Explore trek
14 daysStrenuousEverest Region
Everest Base Camp Trek
Up to 5,545 m · from $1,250
Explore trek
16 daysChallengingManaslu
Manaslu Circuit Trek
Up to 5,106 m · from $1,400
Explore trek
16 daysChallengingAnnapurna
Annapurna Circuit Trek
Up to 5,416 m · from $900
Explore trek
22 daysStrenuousKanchenjunga
Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek
Up to 5,143 m · from $2,500
Explore trek
Every route page includes
- A day by day itinerary
- Sleeping altitude every night
- Real costs, in and out of the package
- Permit fees with the date checked
- A packing list for that route
How it works
Plan it properly
The answer first
Every page opens with a direct answer: how long, how high, how hard and when to go. If that is all you need, you can stop there.
Then the real numbers
What a guided trip costs, what the lodges charge on top, and every permit fee in rupees with the government body that sets it.
Then the walk itself
Each day with its distance, hours on foot and where you sleep. The acclimatisation days are marked, because those decide who finishes.
Time available
Find your pace
Start with the days you actually have. Everything below includes acclimatisation, so the numbers are honest.
8 to 14
days
The classics
16 to 22
days
Long and remote
Everest Base Camp Trek, day 9
Sunrise on Everest from Kala Patthar, 5,545 m
A pre-dawn climb to 5,545 m for the best Everest view on the trek, then a long, welcome descent into thicker air.
You start around 4:30 am in the dark and the cold. It is a 90 minute to two hour grind up a rocky cone and it is the hardest single effort of the trek.See the full itinerary
Where to go
Start with a region
Nepal's trekking country splits into distinct valley systems. Each has its own gateway town, its own permits and its own season.
Timing
Plan your month
Season decides more than fitness does. Pick a month to see which routes are at their best, which are workable and which to save for another trip.
Bar height shows how many routes are at their best that month.
Trekking in October
At their best9
- Poon Hill & Ghorepani Trek5 days, 3,210 m
- Mardi Himal Trek6 days, 4,500 m
- Langtang Valley Trek8 days, 4,984 m
- Annapurna Base Camp Trek10 days, 4,130 m
- Upper Mustang Trek12 days, 4,010 m
- Everest Base Camp Trek14 days, 5,545 m
- Manaslu Circuit Trek16 days, 5,106 m
- Annapurna Circuit Trek16 days, 5,416 m
- Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek22 days, 5,143 m
Before you go
Four things every trek needs
- 01
Every route needs a permit
Most treks sit inside a national park or conservation area. The Annapurna Conservation Area and Sagarmatha National Park permits each cost NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals.
- 02
Trek with a licensed guide
Nepal now requires foreign trekkers to use a licensed guide in most trekking regions. Beyond the rule, a guide handles lodges, permits and the call to turn around.
- 03
Climb slowly above 3,000 m
Sleep no more than about 500 m higher than the night before, take the acclimatisation days, and go down if symptoms get worse rather than better.
- 04
Insure for 6,000 m
Standard travel policies often exclude high altitude trekking and helicopter rescue. Check the policy wording covers both before you fly.
Before you book
Questions people ask first
Straight answers to the questions that come up in almost every enquiry. The full detail sits on each route page and in the guides.
Read the guides
Timing is everything
The mountains keep their own calendar
Nepal has two reliable trekking windows. Pick your season first, then your route, and you have already made the decision that matters most.
Spring
March to May
Warm, rhododendrons in bloom
Autumn
Late Sept to Nov
Clearest skies of the year