FAQ Categories: Preparation

Yes, you need a visa to enter Nepal and you can get this on arrival at the airport in Kathmandu.

What to Prepare Before You Go

You’ll need to prepare these things in advance, to make sure your visa to enter Nepal is processed quickly and easily when you arrive.

• Your passport with at least six months validity, and a blank page.
• A photocopy of your passport details page.
• A passport photo (if you haven’t completed the Online Tourist Visa Form mentioned below).
• Currency in USD to pay the visa fee ($30 for 15 days, $50 for 30 days).

We recommend that you complete the Online Tourist Visa Form* (select option ‘Visa Pre-Arrival’) available from 15 days before you arrive in Nepal. But don’t worry, if you’re only just reading this, it’s also possible to complete the form at a kiosk when you arrive. If you do complete this form online and upload a digital photo, you don’t need to bring a passport photo. But you still need to bring a photocopy of your passport details page, just in case.

Once completed, you won’t receive an email confirmation. Instead, you need to print the confirmation form for presentation on arrival (see example below).

*Check that you have a good internet connection before you begin.

On Arrival at Kathmandu

When you arrive at Kathmandu airport, you’ll need to follow this process to get your visa to enter Nepal:

1. Fill in an Arrivals Card, then proceed to a kiosk to complete a Tourist Visa form (if you haven’t completed the online process at home).
2. Make your payment at the ‘Bank’ and obtain a receipt.
3. Proceed to the Immigration desk with all your documents.

We’ll review our information frequently. However we recommend that you refer to the Nepal Department of Immigration for the most up to date information available.

Arriving in Kathmandu – Step by Step

For more information about what to expect when you arrive at Kathmandu Tribhuvan Airport, read our blog.

At this stage we don’t supply equipment. To do so, we’d need to increase our prices. And, it’s actually very reasonable to buy or hire trekking equipment in Nepal. So, this way everyone benefits from a great value quote, and those that need to can organise equipment when they arrive. If you’re not sure what you need, see our tried and tested packing list!

Sleeping Bags

If you’re not bringing your own, you can hire a good quality sleeping bag for around $2-3 per day in both Kathmandu and Pokhara. You can find them cheaper, but the quality isn’t the same and you don’t want to end up feeling cold in the high mountains. Krishna or your guide can help you arrange this.

Trekking Poles

We recommend that you buy these when you arrive in Kathmandu or Pokhara. You can hire them, but the cost to buy is the same, so you may as well get some you like. Then you can keep them for next time! Expect to pay between $20-$30 for a good quality set of trekking poles.

Water Purification

Some trekking companies advertise ‘water purification’ as part of their quote package. The reality is, a packet of 50 Aquatabs (the brand we always use) costs less than $3. So, it’s not really an advantage to have these included in your trip package if it increases the overall cost of your trip! You can buy Aquatabs in nearly every small food shop in Kathmandu (Thamel) and Pokhara.

If you haven’t already got your own water bottle, you can pick up a good one for around $5-6. We recommend metal water bottles – they’re more durable and when it’s very cold you can fill them up with boiling water and use them like a hot water bottle in your jacket!

Down Jackets

It is possible to hire a down jacket, but the quality is often below average. If you’re not bringing one with you, ask your guide about where to buy a good quality down jacket for a reasonable price.

Other Equipment

There’s nothing you can’t organise once you arrive in Nepal, as long as you have time. Your guide can advise you of the best places to get what you need. Many people wait to buy or hire trekking equipment in Nepal, because it’s traditionally a lot cheaper. Although as prices slowly increase in Nepal, we’ve noticed that some major sports and outdoor recreation brands elsewhere like Decathlon are becoming increasingly competitive.

• Trekking poles – again it’s possible to hire these, but it’s actually cheaper to buy your own when you arrive in Nepal. Then you’ll have them for next time!
• Spare light/comfortable shoes to wear in the evenings.
• One set of comfortable, warm clothes for the evenings/sleeping – fleece or merino is great!
• Secure padlock for your room, sometimes teahouse rooms don’t have locks on the doors.
• Biodegradable personal hygiene wipes – the very best way to stay hygienic without facing icy cold showers!
• Minimum toiletries (you’ll use wipes more often that washing). And trust us, you won’t need any makeup!
• Sweet snacks or energy gels to give you a boost when you need it most!

NICE to haves! These are the things that are NICE to have but not essential:

Yes, we’ll organise a porter to carry your backpack. We include this cost in your quote, so you don’t have to pay extra providing your backpack is not overweight (please see below).

Trekking Nepal is challenging and even harder if you’re carrying your own backpack. It’s much easier for you to put one foot in front of the other and enjoy the stunning scenery, if you’ve only got a day pack to worry about! (That is unless you’re very fit and you’re used to strenuous hiking with a backpack).

There are many porters in Nepal. It’s the way most including our Managing Director Krishna start their careers in the very popular Nepal trekking industry. We carefully select each of our porters in Nepal (many are from Krishna’s extended family) and we ensure they’re safely up to the task. We also include porter insurance in our quotes, to protect our porters in the event of an accident or emergency.

How Much Weight Can my Porter Carry?

The recommended weight for porters to safely carry is 25kg and we assign one porter between two people (unless you pay to have an extra porter). When you think about it, 25kg is already a very heavy load to carry, especially when you’re trekking in the Himalaya! Therefore we ask that you make sure your backpack weighs no more than 12-13kg.

We’ve trekked in Nepal many times and we think you can easily take what you need and be within 13kg. Especially when you can also carry things in your own day pack. If you’re not sure about what to take on the trek, take a look at our tried and tested packing list.

You don’t have to take everything with you. It’s always possible to leave some things (including a clean change of clothes) at your hotel or at our office in Kathmandu – just ask us.

As part of our responsible trekking policy, it’s our priority to be fair to our porters and to compensate them for carrying heavier loads. So, please note that if your backpack weighs more than 13kg, we will charge you extra and this money will be paid directly to your porter.

Extra Charges to Pay if Your Backpack is Overweight

We will weigh your backpack before your trek starts. If it weighs more than 13kg (or 25kg if you’ve paid to have your own porter), we will charge you $1.50 per extra kilo per day. So, if you have an extra 3 kilos and you are trekking for 10 days, we will charge you an extra $45, which will be paid in cash directly to your porter.

If you would like to know about the cost to have one porter for yourself (to carry up to 25kg), just let us know. We’ll happily provide a revised quote. This could work out much cheaper depending on how much you plan to take with you. And it helps us ensure our porters are carrying safe loads.

Essentials to Keep With You

You still need to carry a day pack, as there are some essentials you need to keep with you including:

• Water.
• Water purification tablets.
• Hand sanitiser.
• Toilet roll.
• A snack to give you a boost when you need it!
• An extra layer of warm clothing.
• Rain jacket if there’s a risk of rain – your guide will let you know.
• A hat (warm hat if it’s cold, sun hat if it’s sunny and hot!).
• Sunglasses (all year round) – the glare from the snow in winter can be quite literally blinding.
• Sunscreen (all year round).
• Any fragile items – see ‘note about fragile items’ in our Packing List.
• Camera to snap all those incredible mountain views!

Each morning, pack these essentials in your day pack and put everything else in your backpack.

Please note that often your porters will walk ahead of the group, so you may not have access to the contents of your backpack, until you arrive at your destination.

Yes – Leave it to us!

Yes, you need trekking permits for Nepal. Each region has a different requirement, but don’t worry, we’ll organise your trekking permits for you. We usually obtain your permits before you arrive. However, if you’re trekking in the Manaslu or Upper Mustang* regions, we need your original passport to obtain your permit. We’ll build time into your itinerary to arrange your permit when you arrive in Nepal, before your trek starts.

*Please note that Upper Mustang is a highly regulated area and trekking permits for this region cost $500 (Restricted Area Permit) +$30 (ACAP) per person for a maximum stay of 10 days. Therefore, treks in this region are significantly more expensive.

When you book with us, we’ll let you know exactly what information we need and the things you need to prepare for your trip to Nepal.

All trekking permits for Nepal are included in our quotes, so you don’t need to pay extra. Just provide the information we ask for once your booking is confirmed.

Police Check Points

Each trekking trail includes at least one check point, where local police or military will check your trekking permit to make sure it’s valid. Some check points also conduct thorough bag searches.

Clear Digital Copies

We usually need a scanned copy of the passport details page and a scanned copy of a passport photo (or similar), for each trekker.

It really helps us if you send through high resolution, clear scanned images.

Altitude sickness can affect anyone, regardless of their experience or fitness level. We insist on designing an itinerary that allows enough time for you to acclimatise during your trek. There’s a safe limit that we can ascend daily. So, some trekking days will be shorter than others.

We recommend that you read our complete guide to altitude sickness when trekking Nepal, but at the very least you need to know and remember the symptoms listed here.

Common symptoms to remember and look out for include:

• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dizziness
• Tiredness
• Loss of appetite
• Shortness of breath

If you show any signs of altitude sickness when trekking Nepal, for your own safety we’ll take immediate action to descend quickly. This is the most effective treatment in the absence of a medical facility. You must talk to your guide or porter immediately if you’re feeling unwell.

Some longer treks have rest days built in. Don’t worry – we’ll still trek to some stunning places and vantage points! But we’ll return to sleep in the same place. This will help you to acclimatise to the high altitude.

There are things that you can do to take care of yourself during your trek. It helps if you drink a lot of water and avoid alcohol, especially at high altitudes.

Altitude Sickness Medication

Medication exists called Acetazolamide, commonly known by its trade name Diamox. It’s used for the treatment and prevention of altitude sickness. We’re unable to provide this, as it’s a prescription medicine. If you’re interested in taking this medication, either as a preventative or in the event of altitude sickness symptoms, please speak with your doctor or medical professional before you leave home.

For more information about altitude sickness when trekking Nepal, don’t forget to read our complete guide or you can visit this website.

Seek Advice From Your Medical Professional

When you travel to any foreign country, you need to be aware of the health risks. We recommend that you visit your doctor or health professional at least four to six weeks before you fly, to discuss the health risks in Nepal. They’ll let you know if you need any vaccinations or other preventative measures (including for altitude sickness).

In some countries you can find a ‘Travel Doctor’ with special knowledge about health risks when traveling. It’s also worth checking your own Government’s foreign travel advice about travelling to Nepal.

Seek advice about what to take in your first aid kit and keep in mind that food poisoning can occur. So, it’s likely you’ll want something for that! Ice in a drink is often the culprit, so avoid it unless you’re fully confident that it’s safe to drink.

Your health and safety is our top priority, so we’ll do all we can to take great care of you!

Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness can affect anyone, regardless of their experience or fitness level. We insist on designing an itinerary that allows enough time for you to acclimatise during your trek. There is a safe limit that we can ascend daily. So, some trekking days will be shorter than others.

It’s important to know the symptoms of altitude sickness so you know what to look out for. It’s also possible to speak to your medical professional about preventative medication. Find more information about altitude sickness in our Complete Guide.

Travel Insurance

Medical treatment is expensive, and scarce in remote areas of Nepal. Trekking can be very challenging and there are several health risks in Nepal that could affect you. That’s why we strongly recommend that you purchase comprehensive travel insurance to cover your trip. Trekking in Nepal can be dangerous, especially at high altitudes. We need to be sure that in the event of an emergency, we can take action quickly. Find more information about travel insurance in this FAQ.

For your own safety, we strongly recommend that you purchase comprehensive travel insurance for trekking Nepal. Your policy should cover your trek and any extra time you’re planning to spend in Nepal. Trekking Nepal can be dangerous, especially at high altitudes. So, we want to be able to act fast in the event of an emergency. If you’ve purchased suitable travel insurance for trekking, it’s easy to request fast emergency assistance. We’ll ask for your insurance and emergency contact details before you leave home.

Your policy needs to include helicopter evacuation above the highest altitude on your trek (e.g. above 4,130m/13,550ft for Annapurna Base Camp). Some people need to be airlifted out of the Himalaya mountains. Either because of altitude sickness, or an injury. Even with a sprained ankle, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to complete your trek. So, it’s simply not worth the risk to trek in Nepal without travel insurance.

Increasing Premiums

Travel insurance providers around the world have been hit with an extremely high number of claims in Nepal. It is alleged that some local businesses act fraudulently to profit from unnecessary helicopter evacuations. As a result, premiums have increased to cover the cost of claims. You can read more in this article.

We’ve always purchased this insurance policy with World Nomads. However, they’ve also had to increase their premiums recently. So, we recommend that you shop around for the most reasonable policy. But please make sure that it covers helicopter evacuation – yours could be a real emergency.

Naturally, it’s your responsibility to ensure the policy you buy covers all your requirements. Also, that you follow the requirements of your insurance provider when making a claim.

It’s customary to leave tips for guides in Nepal, porters too. Whilst many companies suggest a minimum 10% tip, we don’t believe in recommending a specific amount. We think that any tip should be based on two things:

1. The quality of service you’ve experienced throughout your trek.
2. Your own financial means.

There’s no doubt that most visitors to Nepal enjoy a better standard of living than the local people, including being able to travel. But you may have saved for years for your dream trip to Nepal…

Any amount you give will make a difference for our guides and porters, and their families. Naturally the more you can afford to give, the bigger difference you’ll make. That’s why we suggest giving what you think is reasonable and fair based on our service and what you can afford.

It used to be possible to trek Nepal without a guide. But in March 2023, the Nepal Tourism Board revised the provision for trekking in Nepal.

Now all trekkers are required to hire a licensed trekking guide through an authorised trekking agency registered with the Government of Nepal. Click here to see our credentials.

Whilst this news is frustrating for the many competent trekkers who return to Nepal to trek in the Himalaya, it might not be bad news for you! At Nepalorama, we’ve always recommended you trek with a guide – at least for your first trek in Nepal. Here’s why…

The Benefits of Trekking With a Guide

• When you walk out of Kathmandu airport, you’ll discover a sea of people waiting to offer you their services. It can be quite daunting! But once you’ve spotted our sign with your name on, you can relax knowing you’re in safe hands. Our team will take care of everything, leaving you to enjoy the crazy sights as you drive through Kathmandu to your hotel!
• We’ll organise all the required trekking permits and TIMS cards for you – these are included in your trip cost.
• Your accommodation on the trek is guaranteed. This is really important in high season, as the demand is higher than the availability. When you trek with us, we’ll make reservations in advance to make sure you have a bed.
• Your guide will take your food orders and settle the bill (a standard option from the menu at breakfast, lunch, and dinner is included in your trip cost; then you can order extra if you want). It’s much easier than trying to do these things yourself. Instead, you can sit back and relax after a tough day of walking.
• Your guide will manage your porters, so you have full confidence that your backpack will turn up when you do.
• Most importantly, when you trek in Nepal you’re on holiday! It’s a challenging adventure, as opposed to lying on the beach… But you still want to feel looked after and not have to sweat the small stuff. When you trek with a guide you can focus on the trekking itself and the stunning nature in the Himalaya, which for most invokes a sense of deep self-reflection.

The chances are you’ll be glad you didn’t trek Nepal without a guide, especially when you experience our level of service…

Trekking Nepal with Nepalorama

When you trek with us, you trek on your terms, with your own private guide. Whilst we agree your itinerary before you go to Nepal, you still have a lot of flexibility once you’re there. For example, if you want an extra rest break, just ask your guide! If you want to start a bit later one morning, just ask your guide! If you want to walk further one day, just ask your guide! You get the idea!

We may not be able to fulfill every request, but we’ll explain why and of course our guides will do everything possible to make sure your trek feels just right for you!

Visit the Nepal Tourism Board website for more information about why it’s no longer possible to trek Nepal without a guide.

Once you’ve confirmed your booking, we’ll ask you to provide the following documentation for trekking Nepal:

Flight Details

We need international flight arrival and departure details to organise your airport transfers. When you arrive in Kathmandu, Krishna or your guide will be waiting for you with a sign with your name on.

Passport Details for Trekking Permits

Where possible we’ll organise your trekking permits before you arrive in Nepal. This is really important if you’re flying into Kathmandu and then directly to Pokhara.

Annapurna Region – we need a scanned copy of each trekker’s passport details page and a high quality scanned photo of each trekker.

Everest Region – we need a scanned copy of each trekker’s passport details page.

Langtang Region – we need a scanned copy of each trekker’s passport details page.

Manaslu Region* – we need your original passports to obtain your trekking permits for the restricted area of Manaslu. Please also bring two passport photos of each trekker for your permits.

Upper Mustang Region* – we need your original passports to obtain your trekking permits for the restricted area of Upper Mustang. Please also bring two passport photos of each trekker for your permits.

*We’ll need to build a day into your itinerary to wait for your permits to be processed. We usually plan sightseeing in Kathmandu so you can enjoy some of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites while you wait!

We need these documents at least 14 days before you’re due to arrive in Nepal. This gives us time to reserve your domestic flights and organise your trekking permits.

Trekker Emergency Information Form

We ask each trekker to complete this online form before leaving home. It’s important for us to keep this information on file, so that we can take action quickly and easily in the event of an emergency.

Travel Insurance Certificate

Whilst it’s not mandatory, we strongly recommend that you purchase comprehensive travel insurance for your trip. You can email a copy of your certificate to us, or just include the details in your trekker emergency information form.

Covid 19 Entry Requirements

At the time of writing, fully vaccinated travellers can enter Nepal without the need to self-isolate or quarantine. We’ll tell you about the latest Covid 19 requirements when you contact us about your trek. For the latest information visit the Nepal Goverment Immigration website.

If you’re not sure what to wear for trekking Nepal, let us make it simple for you! You’ll be dusty, sweaty and muddy in no time and will forget what you look like. So dress for comfort not vanity!

We recommend that you wear whatever clothing is really comfortable. If you’re not sure, do a test run as you’re working on getting trekking fit for Nepal!

What to Wear for Trekking Nepal

Bring several layers of clothing, including very warm layers. If they’re breathable, even better. You’ll be cold, warm, and perspiring all at the same time!

We think a down jacket is a must. They’re much lighter to carry than traditional coats, yet keep you really warm. You’ll need hiking trousers/pants, and tops that you can layer depending on the temperature. We love merino or polypropylene thermal underwear that can be worn under your trekking clothes to keep you extra warm.

Comfortable hiking boots are essential and it’s best for you to break them in before you come to Nepal. If not, bring some blister treatment!

You might think you need several sets of hiking clothes for your trek. Once upon a time, I made this mistake when I didn’t really know what to wear for trekking Nepal! The reality is, you’ll likely wear the same clothes for most of your trek, with the exception of your underwear. So be careful not to over-pack. You need a maximum of two changes of clothes and just one for shorter treks (4-8 days).

When I trek for a week, I don’t change my outer clothes (apart from in the evenings!). It’s a bit nasty putting them back on each morning, but after five minutes I’m back in the rhythm and my clothes are comfortably rocking the Himalaya with me!

See our packing list for more information about what you need to take with you.