Tag Archives: trekking
Trekking in Nepal When You Are Over 40 – What’s the Options?
Trekking in Nepal is an activity that appeals to a huge variety of people. It gets interest from young backpackers, from long term travelers, all the way through to retirees and other older people.
Quite often get asked though, what is the best way for a traveler who is in their 40′s or more, to fully experience the majesty of the Nepalese Himalaya. And my simple answer is that there are many different ways for any traveler to experience these mountains, and this applies just the same to the traveler who is aged over 40. There is several “considerations” for any prospective traveler to take into account, when they are deciding if they are up to the challenge. I have listed below a few of these questions you should ask yourself, and in answering these, you, as a 40 plus year old traveler, should be able to assess if you will be up to a trek and what type of trek you should take -
Trek Tea House
1. How much time do you have?
Treks in the Himalaya can be a variety of different lengths. Day walks are possible, there are several treks of 3 – 4 days and most of the more popular treks are from 8 days up to 30 days or more. Annapurna Cuircut Trek, for example is usually going to be at least 18 days So, your first consideration, of course, has to be how long to you can allow. If you only have a week off work, you are only going to be able to manage a 4 day walk at best, once you allow for arrival in Kathmandu, see the city (not much point visiting Nepal and not spending at least 1 full day in the capital) and then get to your trek start point.
2. How fit are you?
Your level of fitness will also dictate, or at least, eliminate, some of your trekking options. If you are in your early stages of planning a trek, you can make plans assuming you can improve your fitness with a training regime, although it is important to be realistic, and take into consideration unchangeable health conditions, and mobility concerns. That said, I have seam some highly escorted tours on the Royal trek (Annapurna Skyline trek), with one on one guide assistance that can get even the least mobile trekker into the mountains. Everest Base Camp trek, on the other hand, required a reasonably high level of fitness, with continual, day long step climbing required. That said, no trek is a race, and determination and rest can break down a 1000 step climb into lots of small ones!
Getting tough
3. How independent are you?
Trekking most of the “regular” treks in Nepal can be done in a variety of levels of pre-organisation. Many trekkers will book an organised trek in their home country, knowing that all their journey will be planned and organised in advance. This will ensure the maximum use of limited time, but could also make you feel it was a little less of an “adventure” than you might have hoped. At the other extreme, Most of the well known treks can be walked with no assistance from others at all. The “big” treks are busy enough it would be difficult to get lost, and tenting or tea-house accommodation are plentiful. In between these , it is also possible to book organised tour in Nepal, or to secure the services of a guide and/or porter to travel with you.
4.What level of comfort do you require?
Many of the main treks, including the Helambu Trek, the Langtang trek, Annapurna base camp or Annapurna circuit treks, and the Everest base Camp ,can be trekked in varying levels of comfort (not the walking, more the accommodation, food etc). Organised tent treks can be very comfortable, having tens assembled, comfortable mattresses, cooks, porters, semi western meals, and portable showers. Of course, there are plenty of camping treks that are not nearly as comfortable (or expensive), and then there is Tea House accommodation, in simple bunkhouses, with daal bhaat meals 3 times a day.
So, how does any of this help you? Hopefully, it gives you an idea of the option available for trekking in the Nepalese Himalaya. Quite often prospective travelers only hear about the organised tour from their local travel agent in their home country, and don’t realise this is not the only way to see the majesty of the “top of the world”. We were fortunate enough to have arrived in Kathmandu over a month into an extended travel experience, and as a result, organised our own trek in the capital, catching a local bus to our Pokhara, our departure point, and then meeting up with a guide and a porter. Even looking back, it still looks a bit scarily independent, but in reality, it was all very comfortable. We think you should consider this option (so much of a better story once you get back!).
Good Luck, It’s Worth It!
Looking back from the end!
Himalayan Trekking when your over 40, do you need to going a group tour?
Last year, we visited Nepal, as part of our 3 month Asia tour, with the express intention of doing a trek of some description. We did limited forward planning in regard to which trek we would be taking, or how we would take it, but we did make sure we did a reasonable amount of fitness and trekking training. I am going to talk about trek fitness preparation in a following post, but this post I want to discuss whether or not potential travelers need to organise a trek from their home country, in advance? In particular, with reference to potential travelers who is not a young, carefree backpackers, but instead the 40+ year old traveler?
Short Answer – NO
Although I believe there is considerable pressure from travel agents and tour companies that a home country organised group tour, probably with a group leader from home, as well as a large local team, is the only way for a middle aged traveler to safely walk the Himalaya, in my opinion, this is not necessarily the ONLY option.
A quite momement!
I am not saying there is not going to be some benefits of being on a group trek, with a dozen or more similarly aged, same nationality hikers as yourself. However, there is also some major advantages of going it alone, getting to Kathmandu, finding a guide and/or porter and walking with them. For the over 40 year old in particular, some of the major advantages of an locally organised, independent trek are -
- Great ability in interact with your guide and/or porter
- With guides help, get a better interaction with locals
- Trek at your pace
- Amend your plans if you require
- Stay in Tea-houses instead of tent camps.
- All your expenditure goes to the Nepalese, and more of it goes to the people of the region you walk through
- In general, get a more “genuine” experience.
The second challenge, if you are considering the possibility of “going alone” on your trek, is that question that you find hard to get a convincing answer while in tour planning stage -
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO ORGANISE YOUR OWN TREK?
Short Answer – NOT DIFFICULT
Honestly, with a little research to know what trek you are considering taking, it is genuinely not difficult to organise all the details once you get to Nepal. There are travel agents and trekking companies in all parts of Kathmandu, as there is in the towns where the major treks depart from – Pokhara and Lukla.
Himalaya Hinterland
We organised a local Pokhara based guide, a porter from Kathmandu, a hotel in Pokhara, bus tickets from Kathmandu to Pokhara, all from a Kathmandu Travel Agent, and all of this cost about 1/10th (probably much less than that), of the cost of a trek organised and paid for in UK, USA or Australia. An example of our costs were
- Guide – $15.00 per day
- Porter – $10.00 per day
- Pre Trek Accommodation in Pokhara – $20.00 per night
- Bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara – $12.00
- Accommodation in tea houses on trek – $5.00 per night
- Meals while on trek – around $15.00 per day
So, in a nutshell – CONSIDER THIS OPTION
We genuinely believe this is the original way to trek the Himalaya. It is not impossible, and being over 40 is not an issue. While trekking, we met independent trekkers up to 70 years of age, and these people where all going to get to Annapurna Base camp, at 4100m above sea level. And that is a once n a lifetime experience at any age!!
