Frequently Asked Questions

If you are planning your first trip to Nepal you will likely have some questions. We have done our best to anticipate questions you might have, if after reading through our FAQ you still have unanswered questions please write us (insert here link to inquiry page) Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about our services:

How can I get a Visa? On Arrival?
Visa to Nepal can be acquired in your own country from the nearest Nepal Embassy or Office of the Consulate General upon submission of proper document.
Alternatively, you can obtain your entry visa at the Kathmandu airport upon arrival or at a consulate in your home country. In either case, you need 2 passport size photograph and the visa fee. To date, the fee is USD 30 for up to 60 days. Check with us for an update. Top

When to Travel?
The Southerly Monsoon, which brings heavy rain between the months of June and September, governs the weather in Nepal. There are great treks available in the rain shadow during these months but if you are planning a more popular trek it is best to avoid the monsoon months. Autumn through to Spring is the best time to fully experience Nepal.

Is it true that you can travel through Nepal without using guides?
The answer is yes, you can. However, we always recommend that you take a guide along.

Why use a Guide?
An experienced guide acts as a liaison between you and the local Nepali people and the environment through which you are walking. A guide also illuminates dangers you may not be aware of and, importantly, ensures that you find your way on the Trek safely and with respect. Without a guide you may visit the place but not interact with the culture and learn from it. Choosing to Trek with a Guide can give you practical information to reduce your impact on the environment plus how to interact with local people without offence. Plus they have a wealth of local knowledge that no guidebook can express!
Professional Guides obtain their licenses from the Government organisation called NATHM (National Academy for Tourism and Hotel Management) and are officially recognised by the government.
They have received training on issues such as first aid, Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), rescue methods etc. Travelling in Nepal is not like in other countries where the altitudes are low. Once you cross the altitude of 3000m (and you will in almost every trek) you have to be extremely cautious, as AMS can be fatal.Top

When Trekking, how many miles do we walk per day?
This varies with each Trekking route. In the mountains we measure hikes in hours, rather than miles. On most treks, we hike 4–7 hours per day, with a lunch break of 1–2 hours in the middle. We encourage you to walk at your own pace. There is no need to rush or "stay up" with others during the daily hikes. There will always be a guide at the back of the group to make sure that you arrive safely to camp. We know that much of the fun of trekking is maintaining a pace that will allow you to fully enjoy your surroundings.

What is a Tea-house Trek?
Tea-house trekking means staying and eating in local Lodges in Villages on the Trekking route. In the popular Trekking areas Lodge accommodation for trekkers is most readily available in the Annapurna, Langtang and Everest Region. In these areas you can operate with a bare minimum of equipment and rely on lodges for food and shelter. We stay in single rooms where possible, but often you will have to share. Rooms are basic, normally just a bed with a pillow, blankets. Though bedding is available in the lodges as a cotton-filled quilt that may not sufficiently incubate you. So it is always better to carry your own sleeping bags. A few have electric lights and all have a spacious dining room-lounge. We eat at tea-houses and, although the food is usually plentiful and delicious, the menu is not extensive. They offer a variety of potato, rice and noodle dishes, as well as soup and seasonal vegetables. Beers and local spirits are often available, but that will be at your own cost. A variety of cereals, bread and egg dishes are generally available for breakfast. There are also snacks available such as basic biscuits, chocolate and soft drinks, in some areas you will find fresh fruit in season.
A Tea-house trek organized by Nepal Travel De Society is an escorted lodge trekking with well-equipped porters carrying your luggage and well-experienced guide arranging food, accommodation and dealing with bureaucracy as a part of the package. Top

What is a camping Trek?
Camping means sleeping in tents, normally we provide a two-person tent for one client, and large three person tents for a couple. These treks normally go to more remote regions where there are no tea-house facilities. You will have a full staff of guides, cooks and porters to take care of you on these treks.

Do I have to carry a backpack?
No. But you have to carry a light daypack containing your water bottle, camera, an extra layer of clothing, sunglasses, a raincoat or windbreaker, and snacks. Porters or pack animals will carry all of the heavy gear.

What is the food like on a Camping Trek?
On camping treks we provide 3 tasty, plentiful and nutritious meals daily with a variety of local and Western dishes. To start the day, breakfast consists of a choice of porridge, muesli and cereal followed by omelette, fried or scrambled eggs with chapattis or bread. Lunch is generally a selection of salad, cooked vegetable dishes, pasta and traditional breads. After a day on the trail dinner is a hearty 3-course meal - soup, followed by a variety of vegetable, meat, rice and pasta dishes and completed with a simple dessert. Tea, coffee and hot chocolate are also provided at most meals. We use as much fresh produce as possible and our cooks and kitchen crew maintain good standards of cleanliness and food preparation hygiene. Special dietary requirements can be catered for. Top

How is the water purified?
All water used for cooking and our camp staff purifies drinking either by boiling or by the use of Iodine. (At high altitudes, Iodine is safer than boiling since water boils at lower temperatures.) You can buy bottled water while in Kathmandu and you will be provided boiled or filtered water on the trek. Always brush your teeth in treated or bottled water. As an extra precaution, you can add your own Iodine tablets to your treated water while on the trek.

Are Backpacker Treks possible?
Nepal Travel De Society also facilitates the backpackers with just a guide or porter for those who are not willing to face with uncertainty, travelling alone and those who don’t want to face with bureaucracy or group dynamics. Having one assistant is exclusively helpful in case of sickness, emergency and remodelling your itinerary.

General information on Trekking
There are many ways to structure a trek because of two major factors. Firstly, there is inexpensive (by western standards) professional and non-professional labour available to carry loads and to work as guides and camp staff. Secondly, you can almost always find supplies and accommodation locally because there are people living in even the most remote trekking areas. The western traditional backpacking approach of a light pack, stove, freeze-dried food and a tent is not an appropriate way to trek in Nepal. So much food is available in hill villages that it doesn’t make much sense to try to be totally self- sufficient while trekking. Top

Why do I need a Trekking Permit? and how do I get one?
It is very important to have some kind of monitoring and facilitating system in place for any sort of outdoor activity that involves physical risk. Trekking is a major outdoor activity in Nepal's mountain tourism. Given the rugged physical condition and remoteness of almost all trekking areas of Nepal's Himalayan mountain region, a record system is very essential that would be helpful in monitoring the safety and security of trekkers. The past experiences have shown that difficulties have been faced while carrying out rescue operations promptly during the times of natural calamities. Because of lack of proper record system of trekkers, their exact whereabouts and the information about trekking routes, rescue and search missions used to face difficulties in spotting the trekkers missing.

The Nepal Government is very serious about implementing TRC as a mechanism to control all sorts of anomaly, including illegal operations, and to ensure safety and security of trekkers. The decision regarding the introduction of TRC is a welcome step taken in its policies and programmes by the Nepal Government. We act as the liaison to obtain your Trekking permit, you will need to provide a photocopy of your passport plus two passport photos.

Am I too young or old?
We have had a range of ages on our trips, from teenager to pensioner, and all have enjoyed themselves without any problems. Top

I am a single trekker. How does this work?
Normally single trekkers have no problems fitting in with a group. Normally single trekkers share rooms or lodges with other trekkers of the same sex, but if we have an odd-number we ensure that a room or lodge is organised accordingly.

If you are a single trekker wanting to have a Trek without a group we can provide you with a competent and responsible guide. Single female trekkers can feel safe and secure with one of our staff trekking in the remote locations. Accommodation will single room for the client. We no not recommend single women to attempt trekking in the mountains without a registered professional guide for their own safety.

I have never trekked before; can I do a Trek in the Himalayas?
If you are in good health and enjoy regular exercise such as jogging, tennis, cycling or even long walks, we have a trip designed for you. The main ingredient qualification is a positive attitude! We have had many years of experience of Treks in high altitudes, so we know how to pace a trek or climb. Each person reacts to altitude in a different way, so it is difficult to predict how you will exactly do. But in general, with the careful pacing of our trips, allowing proper rest days for acclimatization, most people adapt well. The potential problems with altitude stem from people going too high too fast. We make sure that this does not happen. Top

What will the weather be like on the trip?
The ideal time of year to go to Nepal is either in the fall or in the spring. In the mountain regions, daytime hiking temperatures generally range from the 50's to the 80's F. Night time temperatures drop down to 20 to 40 F. Since we carefully schedule trips to coincide with the ideal seasons to visit a particular area, we do our best to assure you "good" weather. Unfortunately, Mother Nature always has the final say. We are happy to answer your weather questions on an individual basis as each area of Nepal can have quite different local weather patterns.

How do you organize Tour of Tibet?
Once you have read and accepted the information on our Tibet Tour, we then need you to send us a scan of your personal details page from your passport; we prefer this in JPG format not much bigger than 100 KB. We need to receive this at least one month before your Tibet tour begins, we will then do all the necessary work for you to get a travel permit to Tibet and a Chinese visa. Top

Can I get my own visa for Tibet from home?
No, sorry you will have to let us arrange a group visa for you, as the Chinese Government don’t allow travellers to travel individually to Tibet from Nepal. We have had a lot of experience in ensuring that the correct application is made to enable your travel to Tibet.

What type of insurance should I have before I come to Nepal? Can I get it there?
We insist you have travel insurance when you come on one of our tours. You need to get this from home, as no travel insurance is available in Nepal. Please refer to our insurance advice for more information.

What equipment should I bring?
We will help you in your selection of equipment to bring, it depends a lot upon the season you arrive here or where you are going, so please see our basic equipment lists (link to basic gear list) or email us for a complete gear list specific for your tour. Often this is about getting the balance right, you need to have enough gear to be warm and comfortable but without overloading. Usually you will experience warm days and cold nights depending on altitude and the time of year. Most treks to around 3000 m. are really quite comfortable especially in springtime. It is worth remembering you can buy or hire a lot of what you will need in Kathmandu before your trek at very reasonable prices, we can also provide our own hire pack to you. Footwear is best purchased at home before your arrival to ensure they are comfortable and worn in. Top

Are your staff fully equipped and what about their insurance?
All our staffs have insurance and free access to equipment. The salaries are above average and our staff members are free to join any trade union. Medical care, if needed, is for everyone in the expedition. Our porters carry a maximum of 30 kilos and if a porter gets sick we will take care of him until he has recovered. This means that our clients are paying a slightly higher rate than the budget companies, however you will sleep well knowing that you are supporting decent and equitable working conditions for all staff.

What is your cancellation policy and terms or conditions?
Every trip is different, depending on the various rules. But, as a rule of thumb, a deposit at the time of booking is typically 33%. If you cancel before 30 day there will be no charge. Between 25 and 10 day the rate of refund varies from 10 % to 65%.
If you cancel after 10 days no refund will be made.
email us to get details for your specific trip.

Why purchase travel insurance?
Many trips require it and we always recommend it to protect yourself in the event you need reimbursement for the costs of medical evacuation, trip cancellation or interruption, unexpected delays, lost luggage or any medical services needed while travelling. Top

Health Issues
We recommend that all clients consult their doctor to discuss the health issues associated with their trek. We also recommend that clients bring their own personal first aid kit to supplement the comprehensive first aid kit carried by the Trek Leader.

Vaccinations Required
Please ensure that you allow at least 1 month to complete a course of vaccinations. Whilst your personal doctor will be the final authority, we recommend the following:

* Poliomyelitis
* Tetanus
* Typhoid
* Rabies
* Meningococcal
* Immunoglobulin (for Hepatitis A)Top

Malaria
Nepal is listed as a country for which malaria prophylaxis is advised. We will not be visiting any malarial areas on the treks in the mountains, however if you wish to include a visit to the Jungle or go rafting or some other southern areas excursion you may wish to consult your doctor about the need to take malaria pills.

What is altitude sickness?
Altitude sickness often known as acute mountain sickness (A.M.S.) in general may occur when people ascend too quickly normally in altitudes of over 3000 m. We ensure minimal risk by building in rest days into our trekking itineraries. Most people will feel some affect of altitude, shortness of breath and possibly light headed, this is fairly common. Acute mountain sickness is very different and normally involves a severe headache, sickness and loss of awareness. In almost every potential case there are enough warning signs to take appropriate action. Descending to a lower altitude will generally be enough to prevent any further problems. Top

What happens if there is an emergency?
All of our guides are trained in basic first aid and can deal with the basic ailments that may occur on trek. In the event of an emergency Nepal Travel De Society will cover initial expenses of any rescue operation. It is a condition of booking that you are adequately insured for such an event, as these expenses will need to be recovered from your insurance company. In the more frequented regions there are health posts, which have been established by foreign doctors and many are staffed by overseas personnel. Nepal Travel De Society are associated members of The Himalayan Rescue Association. Top

Further useful information
Respect local traditions, customs, values and sentiments to help them protect local culture and maintain local pride.
Respect privacy when taking photographs
Respect holy places
Refrain from giving money to children as it encourages begging
Respect for the local etiquette earns you respect
Let the Himalayas change you - Do not try to change them
Protect the natural environment
Leave the campsite cleaner than you found it
Limit deforestation - make no open fires
Burn dry paper and packets in a safe place
Keep local water clean and avoid using pollutants
Plants should be left to flourish in their natural environment

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