Planning a Trek in Andalusia
Outdoor Activities | April 3, 2025
SAIL
October 18, 2024
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Despite its small size, Nepal offers endless possibilities for trekking enthusiasts. The country is renowned for its eight summits towering over 8,000 metres, as well as numerous peaks ranging from 4,000 to 7,000 metres, with trails winding between them. Himalayan giants are all around! Nepal has been a significant part of the Karavaniers story since 1998. The team had the honour of collaborating with Babu Chiri Sherpa, the legendary mountaineer and world record holder for an oxygen-free ascent of Everest, until his passing in 2001. Today, his brother Tendee continues to guide Karavaniers trips, and the team still takes pleasure in crafting the perfect itineraries to explore the beauty of this small country: its emerald lakes, snow-capped peaks, pine and rhododendron forests, small villages nestled in cultivated valleys, and, above all, the warmth of its people… It is rightly said that you go there first for the mountains… but you return for the Nepalese.
This article was written in collaboration with Karavaniers travel agency.
In this article, you will learn more about how to prepare for a trek in Nepal:
To prepare for most of our trekking itineraries in Nepal, we encourage travellers to practise hiking on a regular basis, about once or twice a week, covering a distance of 5 to 15 kilometres.
In terms of cardiorespiratory training, which is equally important, we recommend that they keep enjoying their favourite physical activities, but more regularly and with increasing intensity. For example, if they currently do about 40 kilometres of road biking once a week, we recommend going up to 40 kilometres twice a week, and then gradually to 50 or 60 kilometres.
The idea is to increase the frequency and duration of their physical activities from the moment they sign up for the trek until the day they depart.
Endurance sports, definitely! Cross-country skiing, cycling, hiking, etc.
Engaging in these activities on rough terrain is beneficial, as it strengthens the muscles for both uphill and downhill efforts. This is essential!
Another valuable skill to develop when preparing for a trek in Nepal is your ability to walk with ease on a variety of surfaces. You want to focus on developing balance, weight transfers, rhythmic breathing, and more. And the best way to practise all of this is to get out on a variety of terrains! On the Canadian Shield, you might consider the Laurentians, the Appalachians, Charlevoix, or Sutton, and on the other side of the border, the Adirondacks, White Mountains, Green Mountains, etc.
For the most challenging treks we offer in Nepal, such as the Tour of Manaslu and the Thame Valley trek, we recommend planning a series of multi-day hikes to test your muscular recovery and overall energy levels. These types of outings are a great way to see how well your body can adapt to the challenges of trekking.
A few weeks before departure, we suggest embarking on a long hike (longer than previous ones) to observe how the body reacts to fatigue, nutritional needs, psychological state, etc. The idea is for trekkers to get closer to their own limits so they can learn about themselves and anticipate their needs as much as possible.
All our Nepal treks at Karavaniers are classified as level 3 or 4, and they obviously involve reaching high altitudes.
For us, level 3 treks range from 10 to 14 kilometres in distance, with an average elevation gain of 600 metres. Altitude is between 3,500 m and 4,500 m.
→ This is the case with our trips to Sherpa country, for example.
Our level 4 corresponds to distances ranging from 12 to 15 kilometres, with an elevation gain of 800 to 1,000 metres. These treks typically reach altitudes of over 4,000 m.
→ This is the case with our “Tour of Manaslu,” “Everest via the Thame Valley” and “Ascent of Mera Peak” trips, for instance.
The best seasons for trekking in Nepal are spring and autumn. During summer, a monsoon phenomenon occurs in the Indian subcontinent, south of the Himalayas. This generates abundant hot and humid cloud masses that accumulate from the Indian Ocean, resulting in heavy rainfall and sweltering heat!
Spring begins rather early, so you can set off from the start of February to the beginning of May. Similar conditions then return in autumn, from October to mid-December. November and December are in fact cooler months, but the weather conditions tend to be more stable.
We often get asked which season to choose between spring and autumn, but the answer really comes down to personal preference.
There are actually a few meteorological differences between the two seasons:
This trip was created to allow travellers to experience a real immersion in the world of Sherpa culture, but in an accessibility perspective. The Solu region is at a lower altitude, and we pass through several villages, which gives us the chance to have genuine encounters with the locals. This trip is shorter and less intense than the others, and it offers a true cultural immersion.
This trip lasts 25 days, including an 18-day trek. We begin in the Sherpa valley, where we meet our local team and spend time in the villages. Next, we head to the heart of the high mountains in the Khumbu region to take in the 8,000 m peaks (Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu). As part of our itinerary, we cross the Renjo pass at 5,360 m and spend a night at over 5,000 m to explore the sacred lakes at the base of Cho Oyu.
Both trips include stays in camp accommodation (tents with full mattresses, shower tent, toilet tent, kitchen tent), but it’s worth noting that we also frequently use mountain lodges with shared facilities and so on. This is a distinctive feature of these two treks.
This tour is a Karavaniers classic! It is a long trek that takes us on a journey through the Hindu and Buddhist worlds. We encounter several Nepalese communities before embarking on the grand tour of Manaslu. We venture into a region referred to as “restricted,” accessible only with special permits. One advantage is that there are fewer people on the trails, as access is a bit more complicated. The Tsum Valley is even less frequented in this area. We travel to the base of the Ganesh Himal mountain range, where we visit two secluded monasteries, providing trekkers with a truly immersive experience.
This trek takes place on accessible terrain, making it a great introduction to mountaineering. Mera Peak rises to 6,476 m, which is no small deal. That said, it offers the perfect terrain for discovery: few crevasses, minimal risk of avalanches… a true gateway to mountaineering. Mera Peak also boasts some of the finest views in the region, with Makalu, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, Kanchenjunga, Ama Dablam and Everest visible in the distance. Six 8,000-metre peaks, no less!
In closing, one of the key points to remember is the ancestral bond we have with our local team. I dare say “ancestral” because it has been 25 years since we forged these ties! We have even witnessed some of today’s team members grow up, and there are genuine memories of friendship between us.
Pointing this out really matters to us, as it is an invaluable asset of our trips: we are truly welcomed as friends, because that’s what we are.
For a trek of this nature, we follow a three-season approach in order to be prepared for major climate variations: wind, precipitation, heat, cold, and so on.
On evenings spent at altitude, the circulatory system slows down, reducing the efficiency of oxygen transport in the blood and to the tissues, which means you get cold more quickly. This requires careful protection of the extremities and vital organs. You need a warm tuque, a thick down jacket, mittens and a good sleeping bag!
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