Have decided to go solo on a trip up Everest! My questions:
1. Where should ~I fly to to pick up a local guide?
2. What local companies would you recommend?
3. Is this a safe trip for a lone female to do ?
4. #Will I meet other people when I walk up in March, ideally I do not want to be alone!
Many thanks
Claire
Going it alone!
Dear Everest lover,
Thanks and welcome for your decision ,
You will fly lukla from Kathmandu.Everest region have also many trekking route. .for Everest region trekking you need to take flight ticket..and for good guide you need to take from Kathmandu. .you can make companion on there also.it is totally safe you.if you take one Nepali person%26#39; otherwise I%26#39;m not sure.
for more
Going it alone!
UP Everest ? Do you mean to base camp or to the summit . . . . . ?
1. Fly to Tensing-Hillary Airport, Lukhla.
2. I have put together a list of Kathmandu-based companies that genuine TA users have recommended from their own experiences - I%26#39;ll happily forward it to you directly. Whilst it will cost a bit more to organise a guide through a KTM-based company (you%26#39;ll have to fly the guide in and out) it has advantages over merely taking up one of the many offers that you%26#39;d be likely to get if you land at Lukhla without a guide.
3. I%26#39;ve always found Nepal to be a safe and very friendly place. A guide will also be company / bodyguard ! You may be able to arrange a female guide.
4. Your rarely alone in the Khumbu. You are likely to meet numerous other trekkers.
Alan
thank you!
why is it better to pick up a guide in kathmandu rather than lukla?
if i get a guide in kathmandu how many days should i plan to find one?
only to base camp maybe the next one up but not tough enough for the summit!
the list of companies would be great!
Hello Claire...
Please find your answer below as per your questions.
You Wrote:
why is it better to pick up a guide in kathmandu rather than lukla?
I Write:
Better to get guide from kathmandu because first reason is he is very much communicative of your each question during your trek secondly he is well experience and license holder by the ministry of tourism(Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management)and finally he his very much familiar with all trekking routes and in case if you got anything trouble on your trekking period he is your gardens as well as nice counterpart for any kind of trouble if happen.
You Wrote:
if i get a guide in kathmandu how many days should i plan to find one?
I Write:
Well,to find the experience guide you should search some local companies such as Thamserku,Himalayan Adventure,Corsa Nepal Adventure etc and for your comfort you may check with these companies such as wwwdotcorsanepaladventuredotcom and hope you will get some positive response regarding your personal desire. Enjoy the trip in nepal...
You Wrote:
only to base camp maybe the next one up but not tough enough for the summit!
I write:
If you are keen to take guide up to base camp then take him for 2 weeks which cover your all trek from kathmandu to kathmandu and finally give him some tips on your wish because nepalese people are extremely glad to see the foreigners in our country and they work very hard for them and expect something before you leave the country but never keep anything fixed demand,therefore you may tip them something good and reliable...
the list of companies would be great!
Please check www.taan.org.np
where you will find more than 300 companies list and of course you will find above companies list there as well..
Cheers and please do write here for further assistance...
N.D
Why a guide from a KTM-based company?
The downside: you%26#39;ll have to pay for his flights to and from Tensing-Hillary, Lukhla.
The upside: You%26#39;ll probably want to spend a day or two in KTM on arrival: this would give you time to meet your guide beforehand, rather than simply arriving at Lukhla and trekking off with someone you%26#39;ve not met before. (You could overcome this by spending a day or two in Lukhla, but I%26#39;ve not found Lukhla to be much fun !)
There are some firms with offices in Lukla: I%26#39;ve not used one. Most of the KTM-based firms (and I%26#39;m sure it%26#39;s true of ones recommended by TA posters) are competent and efficient, and provide experienced staff. They will also be responsible for insuring their staff.
An agent in Ktm could also book flights for you.
A guide from a firm in Ktm has access to back-up if needed: we had to have one of our party evacuated from Lobuche this year - our guide, contacting our ktm agent, was able to organise a helicopter evacuation within 2 hours. I%26#39;m not certain that an independant guide would have the back-up to do this.
Why a guide from a KTM-based company?
yes if you take a guide from Kathmandu they are controllable from trekking company if they are not to to their duty you can complain about Guide if you taking guide indivisibly from lukla may be they will be leave you on midway they can bargen with you a lot of problem.best for taking guide from Kathmandu.
I am planning to go to Everest region in Oct this year and have quizzed friends who have been about who/what/where etc.
Three friends went in Oct 08 and did EBC and Gokyo lakes. They landed at Lukla and organised their guides from the airport. There were 2 companies and one of their group went between the 2 and worked out which one suited them best and cost etc. They paid $600 each.
Good discussions here, I hired out of Lukla last time and would not do that again. Easier to set up email discussions with potential guides and begin interview process from home. Then you can speed up the hiring process as you will have been able to narrow down guide options. I would advise hiring versus going alone, as a guide can help should you have problems, or an unusual weather event hit, or more likely anothe bandh (strike!)
You will see advice here for guides, I will add my guide as I have refered him to a number of people on this site, so far with great success
Binod = dbsubedi@mail.com.np
Just to throw a spanner in the works from all those keen to go solo.
I have been to Everest region twice and sumitted Lobuche East, Island Peak and Pkhalde - all 6000m plus. EBC is around 5400m. Both with World Expeditions.
If you have not climbed at altitude before, I think it is sensible to go with a larger group - there are plenty around, eg. World Expeditions, Peregrine etc. Altitude Sickness is one good reason to look carefully at your suport team.
The advantage with the ';big oreganisations'; is their setup is usually superior. You have someone to carry the bulk of your gear, you only need carry a day bag and camp is set up for you every night. Sometimes you will stay in lodges Their guides know what to look for with Altitude Sickness and they usually carry satellite phones and Gamow bags for urgent treatment. You may be OK and have no symptoms but is is reassuring if there is someone around who does.
On one trip we had to get someone helicoptered out as the got Pulmonary Oedema - potentially life threatening. Our guide had a phone to ring to Kathmandu and had all resources available to get our guy out quickly. Sounds scary and it would have been for him. He was in hospital for 10 days after recovering before he flew back to Australia.
They also seem to magically get you on the first flights in and out of Lukla - there can be issues in bad weather and you could get stuck for days -in Lukla or Kathmandu.
I think travel on your own as single female is fine - i did my last trip on my own - we had a team of 8 - 2 girls and 6 boys and probably had a support crew of cooks, porters and sherpas totalling 15 or so.
So if safety is a concern, i think for your first trip you should look to go on a fully organised trip with a well regonised company - avoid all the logistical hassles, you will meet other peole, you will feel safer knowing if you suffer from Altitude sickness that someone will be able to help.
Hope you have done plenty of physical training!
Happy to correspond more on the topic and answer any other questions you have.
I love the place and hoping to go back next year - got to get fit again!
Cheers
As k2kelley says in her post which makes good points, a good discussion, and enlivened by DeeDeePop%26#39;s %26#39;spanner%26#39;
Whilst I agree with DeeDeePop about an expedition to climb a trekking peak (Lobuche East, Island Peak, etc), which inevitably involves camping and a full support crew, you don%26#39;t need that level of support for a trek (though a camping trek has its own delights). Indeed for a tea-house trek to Base Camp and/or Kala Pattar you don%26#39;t NEED any support at all, (particularly if you are a back-packing masochist who is either penny-pinching, on some strange get fit mission, or culturally unaware . . .)
I would question DeeDeePop%26#39;s assertion that the %26#39;big organisations%26#39; (and she lists several Western-owned ones) are superior. The fact is that they use Nepali agencies as the mainstay of their service, and those Nepali are normally totally able to deliver the advantages that she lists (see my earlier post above !). Why not deal direct with reputable Nepali agencies, and avoid simply adding costs for Western advertising, offices, etc. ? Many TA users have done so, and are happy to offer suggestions and recomendations of agents that they have used.
No comments:
Post a Comment