This continues a series of articles featuring trips taken by travelers from all different walks of life to destinations all over the world. If you have taken a trip you’d like to see featured here, please contact me!
The Travelers: Amie and Cyndy, friends from the Bay Area and avid travelers.
The Trip: Two and a half weeks in Nepal, including a 16-day trek through the Annapurna Mountain Range
Amie answered some questions about this memorable adventure and shared some of her favorite photos with What A Trip.
WAT: Where exactly did you go?
A: We went to Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Pokhara, and then into the Annapurna Range for the trek. The trip is 16 days but you will probably need an additional day at the beginning or end to make flights work. This trek was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. I think I lost about 10 lbs on the trip between the veggie meals and the 6 hours of trekking daily. (The itinerary is here.)
WAT: Why did you choose this destination?
A: We wanted an active and exotic trip. I had done a hut-to-hut type of trip in Torres Del Paine in Chile and I love that style of travel. All you carry is your water for the day. Porters are available to carry your backpack if you want to hire them, which we did. Food is available at the lodges. We settled on Nepal after considering the cost of the trip including flights. Europe was out due to the hideous exchange rates at the time. Our other options were hiking in Borneo or cycling in Vietnam.
WAT: Did you use a tour company for to book your trip?
A: We used a company for the tour, but booked our own flights. We used Intrepid Travel (a Kiwi-owned company based in New Zealand) and I cannot recommend them more highly. They were better than I could have expected. I will use them again for my upcoming trip to Southeast Asia.
I would not tell someone to go there without using a guide or reputable tour company. There were trekkers that would arrive at lodges in the snow and rain and if there was no room at the lodge, they had to turn around and go back to the last lodge or hike several hours further to the next lodge. Horrible.
WAT: What were your favorite sights during the trip?
A: Fish Tail mountain and hiking closer to it each day. The mountains each day were just unbelievable.
WAT: Tell us about some of your most memorable moments in Nepal.
A: I think my most memorable moments were the hours following the trek every day. We usually arrive at the lodge by 2 or 3 pm we had nothing to do but hang out. Luckily, we were with an AMAZING group of Aussies and Brits. We talked, laughed, played cards, told stories, and read books. It was really a luxury to be bored and just sit there and do nothing. You never really get to do that at home.
Also, some of our group made decidedly female snow-women with the guides and porters outside one of the lodges. Each man helped sculpt this perfect woman, while all the real women sat inside and took pictures and laughed at these guys while they were staying the snow-woman’s hair. Quite an afternoon diversion. It was hilarious to see how a snow-woman with breasts could unite such different cultures.
WAT: Do you have advice for others planning travel to this part of the world?
A: Be aware of your environmental actions. Eat vegetarian dishes like the locals. Treat the water with iodine and drink it instead of buying all that bottled water while on the trail. Take your used batteries home with you. That country cannot dispose of all our hazardous waste. Pack minimally and live lightly. Be polite and remember EVERY MOMENT how lucky you are.
(Check out the amazing photos below!)
What A Trip 