High five the Himalayas
Which hikes have you done? The first three hikes I did spanned a 20-year period in my life, but since 2017 I’ve gone back every year. My first trek was the Annapurna Circuit in 1998 (260 km, 18 days); a decade later I trekked to Gokyo Ri, also known as Gokyo Peak, in Everest National Park (150 km, 10 days) and in 2017 I did the Lower Mustang region and sections of the Annapurna Circuit again (170 km, 10 days). In 2018, I went back to Gokyo Ri, but on a different route to my previous trek (200 km, 12 days); and this year I did the Langtang Trek and sections of the Tamang Heritage Trek (200 km, 12 days).
My day usually looks like this: Get up at 6 am, have some bread and tea, set off at 7 am, walk for 3 – 5 hours, reach a village, choose a teahouse and a room, and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Why Nepal? It’s affordable – you can get by on less than R400 per day – and the mountains are stunning. It’s a tiny country, but it’s home to eight of the world’s fourteen summits that are higher than 8 000 m. The cultural experience is equally special: You experience so many different ethnicities, religions and building styles during a two-week trek. The trekking infrastructure is excellent – there’s usually a village every few kilometres where you can overnight in a teahouse, so there’s no need to carry a tent, mattress, stove or food.
I have also found Nepal to be a safe country. Best of all, you can get a visa upon arrival. Just make sure you have a few passport photos and the visa fee ready (US$50/R750
