I always love reading about Nepal. I've been a handful of times, for various short climbs and for some far longer 30+ day expeditions.
If you're reading this and need a short escape from life, I really recommend looking into doing the trek to EBC. It's extremely accessible (and cheap), and I've personally seen people as young as 8 y/o and as old as 80 y/o doing it and having the time of their lives.
I've been all over the world. Antarctica, climbing in Pakistan, trekking through the Middle East... Nepal was one of my first adventures and remains one of my favourites.
To stay on topic... Teahouses can be found along every route through the mountains. Most of my fond memories are in teahouses, where you get to sit, have a black tea, and reflect on just how beautiful the people (and the mountains) are. It's also a great opportunity to meet people from other cultures. I'll always remember the Russian's who bought me a beer after climbing Island Peak, the cards I played with some kids in Samagaun... I could go on.
Nepal is great. The people are generally very friendly. Kathmandu is very cosmopolitan. The mountains are stunning. I am going back again for the first time in 25 years. I'm doing a much gentler trek this time!
Nepal is also an amazing culinary experience. The food has indo-chinese influence but is its own thing. Dal bhat is what regular people eat and is available in most teahouses and is the best thing after a hard day of walking. Also don't forget to try momos (I actually know someone who went recently and never tried momos in their entire trip! Only if we had spoken first!)
I did EBC in late 2024, and I've done a few other treks, too. I will say that while EBC was great & I'm glad I went, it's far more commercialized & full of tourists than some other treks. I found the experience of other treks (Langtang Valley, Mardi Himal) to have a more intimate and cozy vibe.
Yeah, I've trekked the Annapurna circuit as well as EBC and was struck by just how much better Annapurna was. And Annapurna isn't exactly unpopular, just way less overrun than EBC and way more scenic
Your comment really accentuates the article. I'm glad the feeling I got reading the article was corroborated by your experience, and I hope to visit Nepal one day. Thanks.
I trekked to the summit of Mera Peak some 25 years ago. We slept in tents every night. There were very few, if any, teahouses between Lukla and the summit back then. I guess it is good that more Nepalis are making a living from trekkers with their tea houses.
It was an incredible experience, but not for the faint-hearted. A couple of people in our group were unlucky and had serious issues (oedema and an aneurism) and were too high for helicopter evacuation, but they both survived. If you want to do something like this, go with a reputable company (such as KE Experience in the UK).
Mera Peak is said to be possible without any climbing experience, and it looks like the trek from Lukla is about 2 weeks. Is that true? How hard is the trek -- Looks like it requires well above average fitness level?
(Based on my recollections from ~25 years ago) Mera peak is the second highest non-technical peak in the world (the highest is in S America) at ~21,000 feet. Meaning you can basically walk to the top (no real climbing, but we were roped together for the final section, in case of crevasses). But the altitude and weather makes it much tougher than the equivalent trek near sea level. The summit day was incredibly gruelling, the hardest thing I have ever done physically. So you need a decent level of fitness.
If you are significantly overweight or have dodgy knees, then it isn't for you. You are moderately fit and prepared to do some long walks in preparation, then you are probably fine. If you aren't sure, maybe go on one of the lower level treks and see how you get on.
Tea truly elevates the experience! I lived in western India years ago, and remember a trip to the mountains with a friend on a moped. It was raining and the tropical drizzle added to the fun. Reaching the top, we found a small tea vendor and a woman selling "pakoras" (deep-fried snacks). I can't quite describe the elevated experience at that point.
"Backpacking" in the US is conceptually and vernaculary different from trekking, not to argue something you probably know already and aren't claiming. The guesthouses in these countries were also government sponsored or owned-outright in my experience. There's an economic benefit to providing employment for the caretakers and of course for foreign tourism and even local travelers.
Maybe highway rest-stops are the closest analog for the US but even many of those have been shuttered by governments driven to parsimony.
I always love reading about Nepal. I've been a handful of times, for various short climbs and for some far longer 30+ day expeditions.
If you're reading this and need a short escape from life, I really recommend looking into doing the trek to EBC. It's extremely accessible (and cheap), and I've personally seen people as young as 8 y/o and as old as 80 y/o doing it and having the time of their lives.
I've been all over the world. Antarctica, climbing in Pakistan, trekking through the Middle East... Nepal was one of my first adventures and remains one of my favourites.
To stay on topic... Teahouses can be found along every route through the mountains. Most of my fond memories are in teahouses, where you get to sit, have a black tea, and reflect on just how beautiful the people (and the mountains) are. It's also a great opportunity to meet people from other cultures. I'll always remember the Russian's who bought me a beer after climbing Island Peak, the cards I played with some kids in Samagaun... I could go on.
Go visit Nepal!
Nepal is great. The people are generally very friendly. Kathmandu is very cosmopolitan. The mountains are stunning. I am going back again for the first time in 25 years. I'm doing a much gentler trek this time!
Kathmandu's pollution has spiraled out of control so please expect to find a much dustier capital.
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Nepal is also an amazing culinary experience. The food has indo-chinese influence but is its own thing. Dal bhat is what regular people eat and is available in most teahouses and is the best thing after a hard day of walking. Also don't forget to try momos (I actually know someone who went recently and never tried momos in their entire trip! Only if we had spoken first!)
I did EBC in late 2024, and I've done a few other treks, too. I will say that while EBC was great & I'm glad I went, it's far more commercialized & full of tourists than some other treks. I found the experience of other treks (Langtang Valley, Mardi Himal) to have a more intimate and cozy vibe.
Yeah, I've trekked the Annapurna circuit as well as EBC and was struck by just how much better Annapurna was. And Annapurna isn't exactly unpopular, just way less overrun than EBC and way more scenic
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Your comment really accentuates the article. I'm glad the feeling I got reading the article was corroborated by your experience, and I hope to visit Nepal one day. Thanks.
I trekked to the summit of Mera Peak some 25 years ago. We slept in tents every night. There were very few, if any, teahouses between Lukla and the summit back then. I guess it is good that more Nepalis are making a living from trekkers with their tea houses.
It was an incredible experience, but not for the faint-hearted. A couple of people in our group were unlucky and had serious issues (oedema and an aneurism) and were too high for helicopter evacuation, but they both survived. If you want to do something like this, go with a reputable company (such as KE Experience in the UK).
Mera Peak is said to be possible without any climbing experience, and it looks like the trek from Lukla is about 2 weeks. Is that true? How hard is the trek -- Looks like it requires well above average fitness level?
(Based on my recollections from ~25 years ago) Mera peak is the second highest non-technical peak in the world (the highest is in S America) at ~21,000 feet. Meaning you can basically walk to the top (no real climbing, but we were roped together for the final section, in case of crevasses). But the altitude and weather makes it much tougher than the equivalent trek near sea level. The summit day was incredibly gruelling, the hardest thing I have ever done physically. So you need a decent level of fitness.
If you are significantly overweight or have dodgy knees, then it isn't for you. You are moderately fit and prepared to do some long walks in preparation, then you are probably fine. If you aren't sure, maybe go on one of the lower level treks and see how you get on.
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Tea truly elevates the experience! I lived in western India years ago, and remember a trip to the mountains with a friend on a moped. It was raining and the tropical drizzle added to the fun. Reaching the top, we found a small tea vendor and a woman selling "pakoras" (deep-fried snacks). I can't quite describe the elevated experience at that point.
This is main difference between backpacking in the US vs backpacking in India/Nepal/Bhutan.
You just pack clothes, no matter how remote your destination is, there’s going to be food and shelter available every 6-8hours.
>there’s going to be food and shelter available every 6-8hours
In Nepal? That sounds like a risky assumption to make.
Yes
Of course if you go completely off-trail for days all bets are off.
"Backpacking" in the US is conceptually and vernaculary different from trekking, not to argue something you probably know already and aren't claiming. The guesthouses in these countries were also government sponsored or owned-outright in my experience. There's an economic benefit to providing employment for the caretakers and of course for foreign tourism and even local travelers.
Maybe highway rest-stops are the closest analog for the US but even many of those have been shuttered by governments driven to parsimony.
Not just guesthouses though, it’s pretty easy to find a place to sleep in small villages.
The word for it is ‘home-stay’, there are a few houses in every village that are set up to accommodate guests for a very reasonable amount of money.
And these villages are pretty much everywhere.
I have been lost in the Himalayas, and it was not that much work to walk down the river to a village.
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It took me a minute to realize that "Trekkers" in this headline is not referring to fans of Star Trek.
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