Can you explain the travel/ hiking grades?
All our travels in Nepal are active tours. The Himalayas cover an important part of Nepal, which means that walking up- and downhill is unavoidable while traveling this beautiful country. For all our tours a good basic fitness is required. Experience in mountain hiking is not needed for the most lodge treks.
easy: city visits on foot, day hikes, max. 1 night in a trekkers lodge, max. altitude is 2500m
moderate: trek with overnight in trekkers lodges inluded (max. 7 days), altitude until 3500m
hard: lodge trek from more than 7 days, max. altitude is 4500m, practicing sports at home is recommended
very hard: camp- or lodge trek with more than 3 days on high altitude (more than 4500m), or in very basic conditions (rural area), or in combination with other adventurous sports (rafting, mountainbike, …), practicing sports at home is recommended
extreme: very heavy camp- or lodge trek on high altitude or in very basic conditions, experience in mountain hiking is recommended
We don’t offer mountaineering or expedition tours. All the treks we offer are possible without special equipment (crampons, climbing rope, etc.) .
How is the accommodation?
While on trekking, you will overnight in basic lodges along the trekking trail, or camp in a tent. The most popular treks can be done with all the nights in lodges. These lodges are basic with a minimum comfort. Single rooms cannot be guaranteed. Hot water is not always available or has to be paid extra. Bring your own sleeping bag. Meals are provided in the lodge.
When you go camping, Ganesh Trekking will provide you the tents, materials and staff. Please bring your own sleeping bag.
In the big cities (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Patan, Pokhara) these are plenty of choice for your stay. In general, we use these 3 categories: budget, standard or luxury hotels.
budget : simple but clean hotels, lodges, guesthouses or hostels (room with common bathroom) (eg. www.peaceguesthouse.com – simple room)
standard : simple but clean hotels, lodges, guesthouses or hostels (room with attached bathroom) (eg. www.ighouse.com)
luxury : hotels (room with attached bathroom) or guesthouses (deluxe room or suite) with more facilities such as a swimming pool or a special location/decoration/… (eg. www.hotelmanaslu.com)
If required, we can book for you a hotel from the “top end” range (five star hotels) (eg. www.shankerhotel.com.np)
At the countryside and in rural Nepal, luxury hotels are not always available. Anyway, we searched for you the best available options.
If you like more information about the hotels you will stay in, feel free to ask us their website addresses.
What kind of insurance do I need?
We advise you to check your health insurance. Hight altitude trekking or adventurous sports (eg. rafting, paragliding, etc.) are not always covered by the standard health insurance. We ask you to make sure that the insurance covers your activities in Nepal and evacuation in case of emergency.
There are hundreds of options to take a travel-, health-, luggage- and cancellation insurance online or in a travel shop. Feel welcome to ask our advice.
Is there Malaria risk in Nepal?
It depends on the time of traveling and the region where you want to travel in Nepal.
Please read the information of the Institute of Tropical Medicine for the full details, or contact your physician.
We advise you to get an adequate health insurance and keep us up to date about any health problems.
Which vaccinations do I need?
For Nepal, there are no vaccinations obligatory, though some vaccinations are recommended, such as Typhoid, Hepatitis A and some others.
Please read the information of the Institute of Tropical Medicine for the full details, or contact your physician.
We advise you to get an adequate health insurance and keep us up to date about any health problems.
Is departure guaranteed?
The departure is guaranteed from the moment 2 persons booked the same trip. The maximum amount of participants is 8 (for the group tours with fixed departure date). When you book an independent tour, trekking or tailor made travel, of course your departure is always guaranteed and there is no maximum amount of participants.
How to book?
You can either use the booking form on the website, or send us an e-mail. We like to know a few things such as your name, address and date of birth, what exacylty you want to book, and if you need a porter or not. Please mention if you have a discount code. After recieving your form, we will contact you as soon as possible by e-mail. In the mean while you can book your flight and arrange your insurance (ask us if you are seeking for advice). Your booking is fixed if we recieved your advance (25% of the total price). We will send you your booking confirmation. At that moment we start to book hotels, guides, etc. One to two weeks before your departure, we will send your travel detail, with all the needed information (such as the name of the trekking guide), and for group tours also the group constitution. Please book your travel as soon as possible, and minimum 15 days before your departure to Nepal.
I heard about altitude sickness…
Our guides have sufficient knowledge about altitude sickness and they will assist you in this case if needed. They ensure that the necessary time for acclimatization is respected. Guests who leave the paths or do not follow the advice of the guide, do so at their own responsibility!
Please inform us about any health problems.
Did you think about sustainable traveling?
Respectful travelling – What is Ganesh Trekking doing?
We ask our guides to choose lodges as much as possible where solar energy is available, instead of lodges which require the use of firewood for cooking and heating.
We pay our staff a worthy salary and a good insurance.
We also help our staff to get solid trekking materials (coat, shoes).
We would like to encourage you to use water purification tablets or drops instead of mineral water in plastic bottles, so as not to leave waste on your way and to ask permission before photographing people or their possessions.
What about trekking permits, entrance of natural parks and TIMS-cards?
Most of the trekking routes lie in protected natural areas. Trekking permits are needed to get into those areas and checkpoints are at certain points along the trek. If you book a trek via Ganesh Trekking, you don’t have to worry about permits; Ganesh Trekking will take care of obtaining the permits for you.
Do I need a visa for Nepal?
Visitors need a visa to travel to Nepal. Visas can be simply obtained upon arrival at the airport in Kathmandu. You should bring two passport size photos. Visas can be also obtained in advance from an embassy or consulate of Nepal.
Find more information here: http://welcomenepal.com/promotional/travel-essentials/visa-information/
How is the weather in Nepal?
Nepal can be subdivided into three different regions and all these three regions have different climates.
The south of Nepal (Terai), bordering India, can be very hot in April, May and June; the rest of the year is suitable to visit Terai and it is especially pleasant in the winter. In this region, jungle nature parks are surely worth visiting (safari).
The north of Nepal is the Himalaya range bordering Tibet. In this part it’s generally colder but the temperature in the valleys is typically agreeable. Trekking is possible in all seasons and depends on where you want to go. Ideal conditions for the majority of trekking routes are between September to November and March to May. During the rainy season in the summer, it’s ideal to trek in the “rain shadow” area, where the rain rarely falls.
Between the Terai and Himalayas lies the hilly region. The capital Kathmandu is located in this region. The temperatures here vary between 0°C during the coldest winter nights to 35°C during warm summer days. The sun shines in Kathmandu throughout the year and temperatures during the day are typically around 20°C, even in the winter.