First Time Trekkers

My wife and I are heading to Nepal next week and are looking to do about a 7 day trek. We%26#39;ve never been trekking before so we were looking at something like the Annapurna Foothills type treks (I think that%26#39;s what they%26#39;re called). We%26#39;re basically looking for a company that can deal with idiots like us that show up and know absolutely nothing about what we%26#39;re doing, can advise us on what to bring, provide all the guides/porters and have the accomodations booked, etc. I found a place online called Bigfoot Treks that has nice itineraries but I%26#39;m wary of booking something without knowing who they are. Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

Ken

First Time Trekkers

Hi Michelle,

Could you please give me the name of the guide you used? Planning a trip to Everest Base Camp in the spring. Thanks R

First Time Trekkers

Try Zen Adventure Holidays (http://www.zenholidays.net/), look for Badri or Tejendra. They were the ones who arranged our recent trekking trip to Gorephani/Poonhill and Annapurna Base Camp.

I was very pleased w/ CorsaNepal (www.corsanepal.com) during my visit in April 2008 (Pokhara, Sarangkot, Kat, Bhaktapur) and plan to hike the Annapurna for 5 days in April 2009, using Corsa Nepal again.

http://www.corsanepal.com/

CorsaNepal has an office in Kathmandu and the company is quite familiar w/ various hikes in Nepal.

The owner Nakul can make arrangements w/ you, and is a very good communicator to help comfort concerns: nakulnp@gmail.com

I invite you to PM me w/ any further questions.

Paris...Actually, personal adverstising is against the TA Forum Guidelines and should be reported.

Those looking for advice wisely inquire on TA about the experiences of others, as SpasticFerrett has done, with valuable responses of personal experiences coming from multiple posters in this thread.

Hi Ken,

My husband and I went trekking two years ago, and we were new to trekking, just like you and your wife. We were out of shape, and the most climbing we%26#39;ve done was up the stairs! I used Himalayan Scenery Treks which I found online and I went with them based on trust and also the patient way they handled all my queries. I paid a 10% deposit (via telegraphic transfer) before I left Singapore, and the rest was paid when I arrived in KTM. For the most part, the trekking agencies in KTM will do their best to try to win you over, and they depend a lot on customers referring others to them, so really, they aim to please.

However, since it is Nepal, you need to prepare for the worst, i.e. your flight might get cancelled, your trek shortened, your porter may not turn up, etc and also prepare for the Nepalese to smile it all away and shrug their shoulders. It%26#39;s a different way of approaching life, and to me, it%26#39;s a lesson and experience in itself.

Back to Himalayan Scenery Treks. The guide they gave us was excellent. As we were out of shape and I was ill, a 5-hour trek (on paper) became a 10 hour one but my guide was patient and did not rush me during the gazillion times I stopped to catch my breath. For that alone, I am glad that I went with this trekking agency.

If you need more information, just send me a message. I hope you%26#39;ll have a blast in Nepal. My husband and I are heading over there end Nov and we are toying with the idea of trekking again. It%26#39;s that wonderful.