Annapurna Circuit Trek – 10 Days

What permits and fees are needed for Annapurna circuit Treks?

The permits needed are – Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) entry fee and TIMS(Trekkers’ Information Management System fee).

What happens if someone from our group gets sick while trekking in the mountains?

Please do note that if you are traveling in a group, a member falling sick won’t disrupt your trip. While the sick person will be taken care of, the rest of the group will be able to continue with the trip.

If someone becomes ill on the trail your trekking guide will take the sick person’s condition on the account and decide he or she shall continue with the trek or return to a lower elevation and wait for the rest of the group. If his or her condition is serious then the person will be flown by air ambulance to Kathmandu or Pokhara for expert medical attention. An assistant will take care of the sick person, while the rest of the group shall proceed onwards and complete the trip as per the itinerary. 

What if I want to do something beyond the itinerary?

If you want to add extra activities and sites to your itinerary it can be done. Our Travel Consultant will help you customize your trip. Just let us know which places you want to visit and what you want to do and we will add these in your itinerary.

What kind of overland transportation facilities do you provide during the trip/tour?

We usually provide private comfortable vehicles to individual tourists. For groups we provide comfortable luxury buses for pick up and drop-offs.

How many tips should I give to the guide, porter, and driver?

Although tipping isn’t compulsory, it’s a sweet way to show gratitude to the people who helped you enhance your travel experiences. It all relies on how happy and satisfied you are about their services. There’s no fixed amount, but many of our customers offer as tips from a minimum of USD 50 to a maximum of USD 100.

On average how long will we be walking each day?

Each day you can expect 5 to 7 hours of walking, covering around 10 to 14 km. However when you reach 3500m, you will be walking around 5 to 7 hours but the distance covered will be less as you will be walking slowly at higher altitudes. We want you to know that all our itineraries are flexible and can be altered by the weather, geographical, and physical condition of the individual participants.

How are the teahouses in the Annapurna Region?

The quality of teahouses in the Annapurna Region is pretty good and most of them offer facilities like western toilets, hot showers (may charge cost) and a wide range of items on their menu. The rooms are usually furnished with two separate beds with mattresses, pillows, blankets, and bedsheets. Most of the teahouses are family or community-run establishments. Teahouses are like an extended home and have a warm and cozy feel to them.

Do you provide trekking gear and equipment for this trek?

We provide a sleeping bag and down jacket on rent but you need to bring your own personal gear. We can recommend some good stores where you can hire or buy new ones.

What about drinking water during the trek? Is it safe to drink?

Teahouses offer boiled and filtered drinking water to trekkers for a price. Though you can purchase bottled water, we discourage the use of plastic bottled water on the trail because of the adverse effect on the environment. You can bring along with you a reusable bottle and fill it up with drinking water. 

Your guide will check the condition of the water of the filtered water before you purchase it. Please be assured that our guide will thoroughly check whether the water has been boiled and treated properly before you drink it.

What can one expect on a ‘Teahouse Trek’?

Teahouse trekking is one of the most popular ways of trekking in Nepal. Teahouse trekking has almost replaced old-style camping treks in Nepal along the popular trekking routes of Annapurna and Everest regions. Teahouse Trek involves resting or stopping at teahouses or lodges scattered along the trail for the night. The teahouses are locally owned and they provide accommodation and food. While the standard of teahouses varies, most of these establishments usually offer basic services – small rooms (usually on a twin sharing basis with comfortable beds), shared washroom, a heated communal dining area, and a menu with a range of dishes. Some may offer wi-fi and hot shower. As these teahouses are located in remote locations, one should not expect the service of a city hotel while staying in one. But in popular trails like Everest Base Camp trail and Annapurna Base Camp trail one can expect luxury standard accommodations too. 

Where can I store my extra luggage while trekking?

You can store it at your hotel (most hotels in Kathmandu have storage facilities) or you can leave it at our office.

Can I get single supplement services in cities and during trekking?

Yes, a single supplement will be available in the cities and at lower elevations while trekking. At higher elevations there are very few teahouses. During peak season when there is a high demand for rooms, it will be difficult to book single rooms. However, if you are traveling during the off-season a single room can be arranged at all places at an extra price.

Can you provide more information about your trekking guides?

Most of the guides in our adventure company come from mountainous areas. They are carefully selected on the basis of their experience, leadership skills, and personal aptitude. We provide guides that are experienced and fluent in English. With the objective of sustaining local communities, we employ guides from different ethnic backgrounds who have adequate knowledge about the culture, ecosystem, flora and fauna, geography, and history of Nepal.

Our guides have the required government license to guide tourists. They have all gone through intensive training programs like wilderness first aid, trekking guide training which are certified and approved by the government of Nepal.

Do I need to bring additional medicine for trekking?

We carry a first-aid box with us while trekking. But if you want you can carry along some essential medicines like ibuprofen, codeine, paracetamol, lozenges, anti-diarrhea tablets, and Diamox for AMS.

How do you avoid altitude sickness?

Please do note, all our trekking itineraries incorporate an adequate number of acclimatization days. You will get an extra day’s rest at a lower elevation to prepare your body for a walk-up in the higher reaches.

AMS or Acute Mountain Sickness usually occurs due to the lack of oxygen in the atmosphere in high altitudes. Our body is not used to walking in high altitude and it requires a lot of time to adapt to thin air in the mountains. Technically there is no way of stopping AMS but you can surely prevent it by following the given tips:

• Keep your body hydrated. Drink at least 4 liters of water daily.
• Give up smoking, alcohol, and caffeine, the major causes of dehydration and headache.
• Go slow- it’s not a race. Take plenty of time to acclimatize to the increase in altitude.
• Don’t skip the acclimatization day. Take Diamox, an over-the-counter pill used to prevent and reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness.

What kind of insurance do I need for trekking in Nepal? Can I get insurance there?

We would recommend all our clients to purchase travel insurance before booking any of our treks. Trust us you will have a pleasant holiday knowing that you have a good insurance cover. In the event of any sickness or injury, while trekking in the mountains, the cost of emergency treatment and evacuation will be considerable. Therefore, traveling with an insurance cover is strongly recommended for everyone who signs up for any of our trips. But be careful while choosing a policy as some policies makes special exceptions for adventure travel.

Do read the fine print. Before buying insurance make sure your insurance company is aware of your travel itinerary and is agreeable to cover all activities being undertaken during the trip. Such as if you are planning to trek or climb (mountaineering expedition) in the Himalayas, your insurance must cover emergency air ambulance/helicopter rescue including medical expenses. For a group tour in an urban area, insurance cover of air ambulance or helicopter rescue is not mandatory. While booking a trip with us you need to send us a copy of your insurance policy (e.g. your insurance certificate) or carry it with you while you come for the trip.

No, you cannot get insurance in Nepal. Please also note that Mountain Hike Nepal does not arrange or sell insurance.

What happens if I need to leave the trekking beforehand?

If you have to leave the trekking due to ill-health or injury, an emergency air rescue will be arranged whereby an air ambulance/helicopter will fly you out of the mountains to Kathmandu for medical attention. Make sure your insurance covers high altitude mountain rescue. If you are able to walk down, one of the assistant guides will guide you down to a lower elevation where you can wait for the rest of the team or fly out to Kathmandu ahead of the group. Whether for health or personal reasons, please do keep in mind that refunds for the unused days of your trip will not be given. Even if you leave the trekking beforehand, we are committed to paying the porters, and guides for the duration of the trip for which they are hired. 

How do I deal with the slow walkers in the team?

Besides, your group leader will appoint you with your group’s assistant guides, and your leader will take complete responsibility for the group’s slow walkers. He will work out regularly identifying each of his assistants in the team while taking responsibility for the people behind him, making it completely non-strenuous for everyone involved. Your leader, however, must set up grounds for everyone in the group to remain together and walk as a group.