Everest Base Camp, Trek Experience and Solo Travel

Hi there. I%26#39;ve been considering different treks in Nepal and am looking for advice on two areas:

1. Tour guides. Is local better? I was considering an Aust. company Asu Global Soft Adventures. It promotes it as being good for those of avverage fitness and while I%26#39;m not a senior - I like the way they emphasise having time to explore and photograph etc. They also seem to promote responsible tourism - but they all do to some level and when i read different reviews its easy to become cynical about what is marketing blurb and what isn%26#39;t.

2. The other point I%26#39;m interested in hearing about first hand is whether any of you had never treked before. I classify myself as fairly active and have every confidence I%26#39;d succeed but as some tours state experience in treking I have a niggling thought about ';what if I hold up the tour';

And lastly - I am traveling solo. Although I%26#39;ve heard traveling alone can be very lonely. Thoughts?

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

can6883

Everest Base Camp, Trek Experience and Solo Travel

Hello,

To answer your question:

1. There are a variety of opinions on this, and basically all are valid. I did the EBC trek last spring and hired a great local guide when I got to my hotel in Kathmandu. I am so glad I did because it became a great friendship that I will always have. If you are concerned about safety and feel more comfortable being in a big group backed by a large trekking company, by all means do that. I just felt better paying my guide and having the money go directly into his hands than a large company. There are many other posts and opinions on here about this subject so look around at others%26#39; ideas.

2. I had NEVER trekked more than a mile before I went and I even broke my hiking boots in there, both of which are bad ideas. I would not worry about holding things up because everyone will be going at their own pace and you all end up at the same point by day%26#39;s end. I liked hiking with a single guide, as it allowed me a day%26#39;s rest when I got sick so we just took the day off. A group may not be so forgiving with the schedule. If you can walk five miles with a pack on, you can do this. I took it VERY slow and I think that helped because it allowed me to gain altitude slowly. Just remember there is no need to hurry because your body needs time to adjust to altitude. I would suggest getting out and walking a lot with a pack before your go and strengthen your thigh muscles as much as possible.

3. I went solo with only my guide, but I met some great people along the way and we bonded with people so quickly due to the circumstances. I was NEVER lonely. I made may friends on the route that I will never forget and still have contact with some a year later.

Please let me know if you have any more specific questions as I could discuss Nepal all day long. It was a fantastic trip.

Everest Base Camp, Trek Experience and Solo Travel

1. I feel that local is better - most commercial companies in the %26#39;developed world%26#39; will use the services of a Nepalese firm anyway, but will probably charge more as they %26#39;top-slice%26#39; what you pay to cover their advertising, office etc. costs. At least using a Nepal-bssed firm you can feel cofident that what you pay is all going into the country.

2 depends on whether you are aiming to join a group or to travel solo: if the latter, and you hire a Nepali guide / porter you would have control over the speed - you can go / stop as you see fit.

I would recommend dealing through a Nepalese firm, hiring your own Nepalese staff (probably a guide and a porter) through them. The firm will also arrange any internal air or road transfers, and insurance for your Nepali staff. Most guides have good english, and provide insight into the culture. They also tend to be excellent company ! Depending where you aim to travel, and particularly if you intend to use lodges rather than to camp, you are most unlikely to be short of company anyway.

I have a list of Kathmandu agencies drawn from recommendations on TA from genuine postings (as opposed to the %26#39;testimonials%26#39; that unfortunately often appear on this site and are slightly questionable). If that list would be any use please send me a private message.

Alan

Thanks Hulagirl %26amp; Alan. Your feedback has been most helpful and has given me food for thought and made me think more clearly about what I should do.

It gives a great amount of confidence when you can get feedback first hand from those who have ';been there, done that'; - so a BIG THANK YOU!!

You will do just fine. I still gush about this trip when I talk to my friends, so much so that they are tired of hearing about it already! I know you will have a great time.

I did this a number of years ago, and then followed up with Annapurna trek 4 years later. I was solo, hired a guide out of Lukla when I flew in. Second trip, hired my guide out of KTM and kept him for 5 weeks. My preference will always now be to hire in KTm and take them with me. He met me at the airport and had my hotel set up. Oriented me to KTM and took me to off-tourist sites if I was interested. He was at my service and as I do a lot of photography, wa svery patient. I had an intinerary, and he worked with me, due to reality, to adjust that schedule for the trails. He knew the best plafces to stay, was great at pointing out culture, things I wouldn%26#39;t see/know unless he showed me and maed the trip much more valuable.

You can interview potentials via email. I would be happy to send you my guides email address.(he now has his own agency)

Costs have gone up due to inflation and government interference in the trekking permit/guide service process. The tour companies got tired of us by-passing ther services and hiring guides directly ourselves adn for some treks require documentation that you ahve gone through and hired from a guide service.