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ACTIVITY

Trekking

Nepal's defining activity

Trekking in Nepal means multi-day walking between villages on established trails, sleeping in teahouses. Routes run from a 4-day Poon Hill walk at 3,210 m to the 21-day Three High Passes circuit above 5,300 m.

30+Major trails
12National parks
180,000+Annual trekkers
EstablishedTeahouse network
View all trips
Trekking
TREKKING TRIPS

All Trekking trips

78 hand-crafted trekking itineraries, from short tasters to multi-week expeditions.

About this activity

What Trekking in Nepal Actually Involves

Trekking is multi-day walking on established trails between settlements, and in Nepal it is distinct from mountaineering in one important way: there is no climbing. No rope, no crampons, no technical ground on the standard routes. You walk uphill for five to seven hours, sleep in a teahouse at 2,500 to 5,100 m, and do it again the next day. Jimmy Roberts founded the first commercial trekking company in Nepal at Pokhara in 1965, and the teahouse network grew out of the trade in the decades after.

Above roughly 2,500 m it is altitude, not fitness, that decides most treks. The body needs time to produce more red blood cells, and the standard rule is to gain no more than 300 to 500 m of sleeping altitude a day once you are over 3,000 m, with a rest day every third or fourth. Itineraries that ignore this are why people fail on Everest Base Camp despite being fit enough for it. A teahouse is a family-run lodge: a bed, a blanket, a dining room with a stove, and a menu that is broadly the same from Lukla to Larkya La.

So which Nepal trek should you pick? Duration is the honest filter. Under a week, Poon Hill tops out at 3,210 m and delivers a genuine Himalayan sunrise. Around two weeks opens the two classics: Everest Base Camp at 5,364 m and Annapurna Base Camp at 4,130 m. Three weeks or more gets you the Manaslu Circuit over Larkya La (5,106 m) or the Three High Passes. For the shape of each area, read the Everest region and Annapurna region pages.

No technical climbingStandard trekking routes need no rope, harness or crampons. Boots and poles are the gear.
300–500 m per dayThe safe gain in sleeping altitude above 3,000 m, with a rest day every third or fourth.
Teahouse lodgingFamily-run lodges the whole way on the main routes. No tent needed in Everest, Annapurna or Langtang.
4 to 21 daysFrom a Poon Hill weekend to the Three High Passes circuit. Duration is the main filter.
Trekking
Climbing levels

Find your level

  • TREKKING PEAKS

    Easy Treks

    Under 3,500 m, 3 to 7 days, no prior experience

    Gentle valley walks and ridge trails for first-time trekkers, families, and those with limited time. Comfortable teahouses every 2-3 hours of walking.

    • Poon Hill (4 days)
    • Mardi Himal (5 days)
    • Pikey Peak (5 days)
    1,000m – 3,500m
  • TECHNICAL

    Moderate Treks

    3,500 to 5,000 m, 8 to 15 days, good fitness needed

    Multi-week treks crossing one or two passes above 4,500m. Fitness training and acclimatisation days built into the schedule.

    • Annapurna Base Camp (12 days)
    • Langtang Valley (10 days)
    • Mardi Himal (7 days)
    3,500m – 5,000m
  • ★ HIGH ALTITUDE

    Challenging Treks

    Above 5,000 m, 16 to 25 days, trekking experience helpful

    Long expeditions crossing high passes, often in remote regions. Restricted-area permits required; prior altitude experience recommended.

    • Everest Base Camp (14 days)
    • Three Passes (20 days)
    • Upper Mustang (16 days)
    5,000m – 5,545m
Featured peaks

Featured trekking sites

#NameAltitudeRegionLevelPermit
01
Everest Base Camp
Khumbu
5,364mKhumbuExpedition$50
02
Annapurna Circuit
Annapurna
5,416m (Thorong La)AnnapurnaExpedition$30
03
Annapurna Base Camp
Annapurna
4,130mAnnapurnaTechnical$30
04
Langtang Valley
Langtang
4,984m (Tserko Ri)LangtangTechnical$30
05
Manaslu Circuit
Manaslu
5,160m (Larkya La)ManasluExpedition$100
06
Upper Mustang
Mustang
3,840mMustangExpedition$500
07
Mardi Himal
Annapurna
4,500mAnnapurnaTechnical$30
08
Poon Hill
Annapurna
3,210mAnnapurnaTrekking Peak$30
Preparation

Skills & gear checklist

Required skills

  • Cardiovascular Fitness

    Ability to walk 5–7 hours per day, every day, for 2+ weeks. Hill training the best preparation.

  • Altitude Awareness

    Recognise AMS symptoms and follow the climb-high / sleep-low rule of acclimatisation.

  • Comfortable in Basic Lodging

    Teahouse rooms are simple. Shared bathrooms above 3,500 m, no heating, and a sleeping bag is essential.

  • Decent Footwear Break-In

    Trek your boots for 50+ km before you fly. Blisters at altitude end trips.

Essential gear

  • Waterproof Trekking BootsEssential
  • Down Jacket (–10°C)Above 3,500m
  • Sleeping Bag (–10°C rated)Essential
  • Trekking PolesRecommended
  • Daypack (30–40L)Essential
  • Headlamp + Spare BatteriesEssential
  • Water Purification (SteriPen or tablets)Essential
  • Sun Hat + UV Sunglasses (Cat 4)Above 3,500m
  • Lightweight Down Sleeping Bag LinerRecommended
  • First-Aid Kit + DiamoxEssential
Planning

Best season & permits

When to go

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Prime Good Not recommended
Autumn (Oct–Nov) is the single best window, with stable post-monsoon weather and clear mountain views. Spring (Mar–May) is second-best, with rhododendron bloom. Avoid monsoon (Jun–Aug) except for rain-shadow regions like Upper Mustang and Dolpo.

Permits

  • TIMS Card
    Required for most main trekking regions, individually or as a group
    $20 / $10
  • Annapurna Conservation Area Permit
    Covers every trek in the Annapurna Conservation Area
    $30
  • Sagarmatha National Park Permit
    Required for Everest Base Camp and Khumbu trails
    $50
  • Restricted Area Permit (Upper Mustang)
    $500 for first 10 days, $50/day after
    $500
  • Restricted Area Permit (Manaslu)
    $100 for 7 days (Sep–Nov), $75 (Dec–Aug)
    $100
Good to know

Trekking questions, answered

What is the difference between trekking and hiking?
Duration and remoteness. A hike is a single day's walk that returns to where it started. A trek is multi-day, moving point to point, sleeping along the route in teahouses or tents, usually somewhere without road access. In Nepal, a Shivapuri day walk out of Kathmandu is a hike; Everest Base Camp over 14 days is a trek.
Do I need to be fit to trek in Nepal?
You need endurance rather than strength or speed. The benchmark most guides use is being able to walk uphill for five to six hours on consecutive days without a rest day in between. Nobody is running. What actually stops people is altitude, which is unrelated to fitness, and very fit trekkers get altitude sickness just as often as unfit ones.
What is a teahouse trek?
A trek where you sleep and eat in family-run village lodges rather than carrying a tent and food. The teahouse network covers Everest, Annapurna and Langtang comprehensively, so you carry only clothing and a sleeping bag. Remote routes such as Dolpo, Kanchenjunga and parts of Manaslu still need camping support, which raises the cost and the crew size.
How much weight will I carry?
On a supported trek, a daypack of 5 to 7 kg with water, a layer, camera and documents. A porter carries the rest, and the customary limit is around 15 kg per porter, which typically covers two trekkers' duffels. If you trek without a porter you carry everything, and 12 to 15 kg over a 5,416 m pass is a very different trip.
What is altitude sickness and how do I avoid it?
Acute mountain sickness is the body reacting to reduced oxygen, usually above 2,500 m, and it presents as headache, nausea, poor sleep and loss of appetite. You avoid it by ascending slowly: no more than 300 to 500 m of sleeping altitude a day above 3,000 m, with acclimatisation days built in. It is not related to fitness or age. The severe forms, HAPE and HACE, are life-threatening, and the treatment for all of it is to go down. Our guides carry a pulse oximeter and know the descent points.
When is the best season for trekking in Nepal?
October and November give the clearest and most stable conditions, followed by March to May, which is warmer and brings rhododendron below 4,000 m. The June to August monsoon closes the views on most routes; the exceptions are the rain-shadow districts of Upper Mustang and Dolpo, which stay dry. Winter trekking works at lower elevations but the high passes close with snow.
Can I trek in Nepal without a guide?
Assume not. The Nepal Tourism Board moved in April 2023 to require a licensed guide for independent foreign trekkers, and while enforcement has varied by region since, Annapurna applies it consistently. Restricted areas including Upper Mustang, Manaslu and Dolpo have always required a guide and a minimum of two trekkers. The rule has changed more than once, so verify it against the current position rather than an older account.