We wanna do the whole Annapurna Circuit in Oct/Nov '09

He there....

We are 2 females who want to do the whole dang circuit next year. We are just starting our research and would appreciate suggestions of a tour company that would take us. We are not comfortable just hiring someone once we are there as we do not want to be responsible for them/their gear etc. Having said that, we would prefer not to go with a huge group of people either. We want to do the tea house trek for 17-22 days...whatever it takes.

Any suggestions? I have heard of Intrepid Tours but they seem a little pricey. Thoughts?

Thank you fellow Trippers!

Susie

We wanna do the whole Annapurna Circuit in Oct/Nov '09

I%26#39;ve used a firm called %26#39;Spirit of the Himalayas%26#39; several times. They are a Nepali-owned, Kathmandu-based company who specialise in tailor-made trips that provide exactly what you, as the customer, want. They recently organised a three week trek into the Langtang for two of us: I provided the itinerary, and they organised the whole thing - a camping trek with raft trip, and a bit of tourism, thrown in at the end: the service, at our request, included transfers from kathmandu airport, hotel in Ktm, trek, flight to Pokhara, hotel there, rafting trip, flight back, car to Nagarkot and hotel there, car to Bhaktapur and hotel, car back to Ktm, hotel, final transfer to airport, i.e. the whole package. They also insure and equip the trek staff. They will equally happily provide guide and porter for a tea-house trek (I feel it%26#39;s worth employing porter/porters as not carrying a big sack will add to the enjoyment of your trip - and creates employment !). Because the firm is based in Nepal it doesn%26#39;t have to carry the costs of western offices, advertising, etc.and so their prices are reasonable. It%26#39;s worth emailing them at nepshol@mos.com.np

We wanna do the whole Annapurna Circuit in Oct/Nov '09

That is awesome! You will have a great time!!! We just got back from doing the Poon Hill trek yesterday. My whole family of 7 went. We had a great experience I think largely due to the guide that we chose. We tried a few American companies and they were sooooo expensive. I also tried another Nepali company and felt that they were more interested in making a buck. I found Dil Subedi through another Trip Advisor member and was 1000% satisfied. He really took care of us down to the last detail. I was concerned a bit about my kids, but he really did a great job with us. He put a porter on my 10 year old (a guy named Prakash who had climbed Everest), and that made all the difference for my boy. I dont%26#39; think he%26#39;ll ever forget Prakash!! We ran into a couple of groups of europeans and some Japanese and Chinese trekkers who were with guides who were lost and they never even got them to Poon Hill!!! One British woman was only allowed dal bhat to eat (the Nepali set meal which is very good - the first couple days. . . .). Anyway, Dils%26#39; a Nepali who owns his trek company, does all the permits, etc, and conducts his own guiding. His email is dbsubedi@mail.com.np I was very pleased. If you have any questions, re: what to take, etc, what I WISH we took etc, let me know!!! Have a great time!

I have trekked three times in Nepal and the Annapurna Circuit is a great one. I don%26#39;t know if I am supposed to name certain outfits here, but I used the same guide and porter all three times and was very pleased. These trips were in 1999, 2000, %26amp; 2001. When first contacting the agency in Kathmandu we were told a higher price if they take care of all the food and lodging price themselves, but we opted just to pay for the guide / porter and pay the rest as we went and saved a bunch of dollars. When we were there the basic rooms in the teahouse trek came to about $2 for the two of us, and food was good and also cheap.

Since I do not know for sure the rules of naming a particular guide and agency on the forum, you can send me a personal message if you wish and I can respond that way.

Think you will really enjoy Nepal. I hear there is road construction going on the west side of the trek which was not there when I went, so don%26#39;t know how that will effect that portion. The village of Jharkot was a particular favorite of ours, and we also liked Manang where we hung out for almost two weeks and got to be there for a village festival.

Tom.

Susie,

My experience told you can contact info@omegatreks.com,good reliable company.

best of luck

John

The trekking agency in Kathmandu I was referring to is located on the internet at nepalvisiontreks.com you can write to Kumar and mention Tom or Jim Goldrup from California. Instead of their listed treks you can do your own independent trek with them for less money. Our guide%26#39;s name there is Jhalak Thapa. He was really great. This would be our recommendation based on three trips there in 1999, 2000 %26amp; 2001.

You can also check yetizone.com where folks post questions and answers about travel to Nepal.

Hí,

It is a wonderfull trek. I did it last year.

I would recommend the himalayanabode.com agency.

They are very organized and do a very good job for me.

I wish a nice trip and enjoy Nepal.

bagmati

Hello ScubaQ,

I just saw your post here and I want to tell you some words if you do not mind and I want to inform you that I have been to Nepal 2 times.

To do annapurna trekking you need to have at least 16 days and in maximum 30 days if you want to join Annapurna Base Camp Trekking too. I did whole Annapurna Circuit trekking in 21 days. I had my wife with me. We hired a guide named Upendra from Kathmandu and 1 porter for carrying our luggage. If you contact him may be he knows more than I know because he walks always on that beautiful trail. The guide was best and I really appreciate his style, help, courage and skill. I think the best idea is to contact him to know in detail.

If you like to contact him then you can ask me for his email address / cell phone. I think he won%26#39;t hesitate to provide you information.

Take care and best of luck for your trekking.

Jone