If you follow our Facebook page and Instagram feed you’ll know that we’ve been trekking around the Everest region, with kids age 9 and 11, for the last 12 days and that pre-kids we did some other treks in the Himalayas. It’s an incredible experience, a top highlight not only of the last 3 years of family travel, but of a lifetime of global adventures. I can’t tell you everything about our experiences in Everest region trekking in this post, nor about our Annapurna Circuit Trek. there are many posts on this site about trekking in the Himalayas and the Everest region on this website. We’ll point you to these blog posts below.
But first, bookmark this to Pinterest, hover and a red button will appear.
What Do You Need to Know About Trekking in the Himalayas
In our blog posts we’ll tell you:
- What level of fitness you need for such extreme trekking. I am 51 years old and overweight. My husband is an ultra fit Ironman triathlete, my kids are just regular kids. It’s OK, you don’t need a high level of fitness.
- What equipment you do and don’t need.Never trust the marketers.
- What you can expect to eat, where you’ll stay and how you’ll wash
- Which do you need, guide, porter, both or none
- How kids cope with Nepal and the Everest region treks
- What that flight into Lukla is really like
- How to get to or from Lukla, without flying
- How somebody terrified of heights copes with those horrific bridges.
- Things to do in Kathmandu, one of our favourite cities in the world, and where to stay.
- What our previous Annapurna Circuit Trek was like and how this compares to Everest Base Camp
- What it cost. Clue: a lot!
- How to organise a trek in the Himalayas? You don’t need to go with a group, you don’t need a guide, you don’t need a porter. You can go solo ( although I wouldn’t) you just follow the path or take a map. More on this soon.
- What scams to watch out for in Nepal
- Why we rate this experience as possibly the best of our lives.
- Why we’re moving on from family travel to cultural and adventure travel. Things are changing here.
It’s been hard, there were tears, there was a lot of swearing and there was prayer of the please-let-us-come-out-of-this-alive, sort. Also there was singing and glorious days as the boys skipped and played on the gentler slopes through enchanted forests.
There were terrifying, windy, wet suspension bridges and sheer drops from slippery donkey-muddied paths.
We had a few falls and tumbles, some upset stomachs, but no major problems.
It was both better than we expected, and worse and we’re not Nepal trekking beginners, we’ve previously taken on the 3 week Annapurna Circuit ( without kids) which incorporates the short scenic, Poon Hill hike.
Highlights of our recent trek in the Everest region included landing at Lukla, the most dangerous runway in the world, seeing a yeti skull in a locked monastery at Khumjung, witnessing how the people of the mountains, the Sherpas live and work, taking a challenging day hike to Tengboche Monastery with my 11 year old son and of course, seeing Everest.
- We enjoyed wild flowers, rainbow-coloured birds, puppies, goats, buffalo and yaks.
- The varied landscape included high peaks and tropical paradise valleys. There was rain, snow, intense sunshine and mud. Lots and lots of mud.
- Our Sherpa guide, Nima, who was the super-star of this journey.
- Ram and family plus Jackie the pug who looked after us so well at Stupa Guest House Kathmandu.
- There are hundreds of photographs, as yet, still unprocessed.
Finally there was a 13 hour bus ride of maximum intensity and superb oddity bringing us back to Kathmandu.
Oh, and there was Prince Harry, we had a chat.
We’re glad to be back in the relative normalcy of Kathmandu with our Stupa Guest House family, it feels like coming home as many cities around the world do to us now. I can forgive this ancient city for its air pollution, power cuts, temperamental wi-fi, and cold showers, it’s always magical to be here.
I also have to tell you what Kathmandu is like now, 11 months after that terrible earthquake.
So lots more to come, but for now, I have laundry to organise and 500 emails to read.
If you have any questions just put them in the comments, I always answer.
Another one for you, for Pinterest.
Thanks for following our story, take a look at some of the links above and hopefully, if you’re planning your own treks in the Himalayas or Everest, we’ll be able to give you some answers. This section is still growing and I have more posts to write. We also have future treks to add.
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This is an awesome post. I appreciate all the detailed information. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks. And I hope current world problems don’t close Nepal nor cancel the trekking season this year. That would be a tragedy for the people of Nepal and our thoughts are with you.
Alyson,
When i looked through the web they said there are new rules to enter the Everest park. You need to pay RS. 3990 or similar. What is the best currency to have? Nepalese rupiah or $$??
Ho it works in the tea houses? I am sure they will accept $. 🙂
can you help?
Massive thx.
Andy
yes off course US dollar is accepted in trekking area but better to take Nepalese currency because when you drink tea or coffee, for example they may charge 150 Nepali rupees which is 1 us dollar and 5o cents so it may difficult to pay so i recommend Nepali currency during treks.
Thanks for traveling in Nepal. Hope you guys have enjoyed in Nepal. Thanks for sharing.
Wow congrats. Sounds awesome and great inspiration for families. We are a family of 5 (kids 9, 12 and 14) heading to Nepal mid sept. Plan to do the 5 day Gorepani /poon Hill trek with all of us then Chitwan and then my 14 year old son and I are staying for another 10 days and thinking trekking either part of the Everest Trek or Langtang region. We can probably only allow 7 days trekking with flights etc so do you think it would be worth going to Everest via flights to Lukla just to walk to Namche Bazar and Tengboche and then turn back? Or would you recommend Langtang? I did the Annapurna Sanctuary and Circult back in my 20’s in 1995 so keen to explore another area on the second trip. Thanks Frank.
Everest for me Frank! It’s magic. You get a great view from Tengboche, I think you need about 4 days to get to Tengboche, an acclimatisation day at Namche Bazaar is absolutely needed, Namche is wonderful, that day there is a lot of up. And the flight to Luckla is unmissable! I’m going back with my elder son soon to go on to Everest Base Camp. It was crazy to get as far as Tangboche and turn back, but we were plagued by tummy trouble and none of us even had boots or proper gear. After Tangboche we would have hit snow regularly. Good luck!
Everest is something I have always wanted to do but still have never been able to.
Do it Villa! I will be back soon. Although we were only 2 days walk from Base Camp, it wasn’t enough, I have to go back and get closer. I may think about organising a group trek if you’re interested.
Can’t wait for all the following posts and photos.
A few are now published Kym, we have so much to tell about Nepal.
Very cool to continue reading your post in Everest, Thanks! (we read your post of Annapurna). We find you inspiring and soon, we (family of 6) will join in the adventure. We have slotted 3-4 weeks in Nepal. Kids are 8-14 and are enthusiast hikers. As a first visit, would you suggest Pohkara/Annapurna or Kathmandu/Everest? Peace!
Kathmandu is a must do, a fascinating city, Pokhara less so. My gut feeling is Annapurna region, the walks are more gentle and you dodge the scary Lukla flights ( they’re also expensive, $165 each, 1 way). But seeing Everest is the ultimate trek. So, your call really. Also the Annapurna Circuit is long, 3 weeks or so, but there are shorter treks in the region. Even f you go to Everest Base Camp, flying in and out of Lukla, it’s a much shorter journey. Do’t walk in and out of Lukla, it’s hard, really hard, will post more soon. We’re off to Pokhara early tomorrow so keep watching the Facebook feeds. Cheers! I’d also say it will be very hard on your 8 year old, my 9 year old’s legs just weren’t long enough some days. You’ll also need a guide with that child:adult ratio, probably porter too. So allow $30+ dollars per day for that.
I can’t wait to hear more about it! Love following your family and while my boys are still small (4 and 2) i hope we can do even 1/4 of the amazing travel you do!
Thanks Lindsay.
No mountain sickness ?! Good for you ! And I am formal : you HAVE SURVIVED !!!
(The Anapurnas nearly killed me, so I sort of get what you’ve been through!)
Congratulations to the whole family!!
Altitude? No, not really, 2 spight headaches on arival in Lukla but then we descended for the first night so they passed. On our first night in Namche, Boo and I really noticed being breathless just climbing into bed, but after Tengboche and Kunjung that was gone. We felt we could do anything then. No lassitude either ( have you read Rumdoodle?)
I, Eli, 10 years old, would like to know how how hard this trip was for the two boys (physically and mentally speaking).
I, Ewa, 8years old, would like to know where you slept on your trip. Did you carry a tent with you?
(our Mom read this Post to üs while we were laying in bed with the Flu…)
Hi Eli and Ewa, thanks for your interest. The boys were great, in many ways better than me. They had less fear of heights and the scary bridges, certainly. I’m 49 and they are young, they have a lot more energy. We didn’t need tents, these treks in the Himalayas are called tea-house treks, you stay in small guest houses, usually paying around a dollar each per night, they make their money through selling you food ( which is expensive!). The rooms are very simple, just two beds in a plywood cubicle, no heating, but once you’re under the blankets it’s pretty snug. Lots more posts to come, I have to go to bed now, we’ve been out this afternoon visiting the Pashupatinath temple and the burning ghats, where they burn all the dead people, a bit weird but the boys found it fascinating. Goodnight!