Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long are your treks?
A: Trek duration depends on your destination and time availability. Basically, a trek is longer than one day and can range up to 40 days.

Q: How difficult is it to trek in the Himalayas?
A: The difficulty of any trek depends on location, duration, and altitude. Generally, shorter treks are easier than longer ones. Many people of various levels of physical fitness enjoy trekking in Nepal, but its best to prepare for some steep narrow mountain trails to reach the amazing views. The higher your degree of fitness, the more you will enjoy your trek. The same applies to skill level: trekking does not require advanced mountaineering skills, but experience can enhance your journey. Finally, trekking in Nepal involves climbing at least 1000m above sea level, and the difference in air pressure can affect us all, regardless of our age or level of fitness.

Q: What types of accommodation are offered?
A: Basically there are two types of accommodation: tea-houses (or guest-houses) and camping. Tea-houses are basic lodges run by local people along the routes. They are small but very charming and clean. Hot showers are often available. Camping (tenting) accommodation is more expensive but offers excellent services – virtually all of your needs are provided for so you can enjoy the scenery and fresh mountain air. Foods and drinks are more hygienic and camping spots are decided according to the choice and interest of the clients.

Q: What can I expect of the rooms at the tea-houses?
A: The rooms are simple. Most places provide common bathrooms, but there are now some tea-houses with attached bath facilities. Rooms are private and bed sheets are changed on request.

Q: Where do we eat and drink?
A: If you are staying in a tea-house, food and drinks are served in the tea-house dining room. For lunch, we stop at other tea-houses along the trail. For a camping trek, our cooks walk ahead of the group and prepare lunch at a nice spot beside the trail.

Q: What types of food are served?
A: Most of the tea-house menus offer a variety of western style dishes (such as pizza, curry, and noodles) as well as the traditional Nepalese set-meal (Dhal Bhat). Cold beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are usually available. For camping, we offer Nepalese, Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and Continental foods.

Q: How safe is the food?
A: Our guides visit the kitchens of local tea-houses to ensure your order is fresh, hygienic, and delicious. When camping, we prepare food and drink ourselves; the quality is excellent, very hygienic and delicious. Vegetables and flatware are washed in boiled water with a solution of potash and iodine.

Q: How can I get safe drinking-water?
A: In both camping and tea-house trekking we provide boiled water for drinking. When necessary, we use purifying tablets and iodine drops. Buying mineral water is also possible but we do not recommend this option to our clients as waste disposal of the plastic bottles is problematic and pollutes the Himalayan region.

Q: What clothes should I bring?
A: Choosing the right clothing is very important. You need to have enough clothes to stay warm or cool as the climatic conditions along the route varies widely. Usually, can expect very warm days and cold nights. A warm jacket, either fleece, Gore-Tex, or Down is nice for the evening and morning. Long underwear, wool socks, a wool hat, and gloves are also necessary. A couple of light shirts, a long-sleeve shirt, a pair of pants, and thin socks are suggested to wear during the day. Sun block, sunglasses, and a wide-brim hat will protect you from the sun, and a good jacket (preferably Gore-Tex) is needed for rain and occasional high winds. Most of this equipment can be easily purchased in Kathmandu and Pokhara, for very reasonable prices.

Q: What types of footwear should I bring?
A: For shorter treks, a pair of comfortable running shoes is quite adequate. However, longer, more ambitious treks require a minimum of light hiking boots with good ankle support. Please be advised to purchase high-quality Hiking Boots and shoes before coming to Nepal. Make sure that the boots fit you well, and that you have broken them in before commencing your trek.

Q: What is the weather like in Nepal?
A: Weather conditions, while somewhat predictable by season, still vary widely and its important to be prepared for anything while trekking. Rain, sometimes accompanied by a thunderstorm or even snowfall can be expected. Generally, weather from September to mid-December and from mid-February to May is usually more stable. We pay serious attention to weather reports during the trekking season.

Q: How will the altitude affect me?
A: Accute Mountain Sickness, or AMS (also referred to as altitude sickness), is indeed a serious risk for anyone, including tourists coming from sea level. For this reason, Beyond The Limits Treks plans extra days during a trek for our clients to acclimatize slowly and comfortably, before continuing on to higher altitudes. Our guides are well trained to monitor for signs of altitude sickness and to treat them accordingly.

Q: How much money should I bring for the trek?
A: The amount of money you bring on a trek depends on your preference and personal needs. Cold sodas during the day and an occasional beer after a long day of hiking can be awfully nice, but is an extra expense in regions where all supplies are delivered by porters or donkeys. These along with any souvenirs and film are personal expenses. In our office, we have a safety deposit locker for storing tickets, money, and other valuables safely while you are away.

Q: What sort of experience do your guides have?
A: At Beyond The Limits Treks, our guides are some of the most dependable and experienced in Nepal. All of our guides have spent years exploring the mountains and valleys; our knowledge of the various trekking routes is excellent. We all speak and understand English well and we regularly upgrade our skills in first aid in the off-season. Most importantly, our guides are friendly people who are anxious to share the beauty of Nepal with you.

Q: What forms of payment do you accept?
A: We accept cash and Traveller's cheques in any convertible currency as well as Visa and Master Card.

Do I need a guide?
No matter how experienced and fit you are in outdoor adventures. It is important to have an orientation to a new area. Ignorance of local area, culture and environment make you difficult to finish your journey. A qualified guide is a minimum safety requirement and can also enhance your enjoyment and understanding of the region as they double as companion and interpreter. A guide can help you to be both culturally and environmentally sensitive as well as safe. Tourist can also learn the lifestyle, culture, tradition, history and nature of the country from our experience guides. Besides that our guides also assist to our guests on the issues like: first aid, Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), emergency, rescue methods etc.

When is the best season for trekking?
September to Mid December: September to early December is the best season for Trekking in Nepal , offering excellent weather and out standing mountain views.

Mid February to Mid June: The second finest trekking season. The Temperatures are relatively warm. Mornings are bright and clear especially the rhododendrons are in complete blossom and the mountain views are excellent.

Note: July to August is the Monsoon period in Nepal and This is the most preferable season to trek in the rain shadow areas like Mustang, Upper Manang and Dolpo However, One can make a Trekking in Annapurna circuit, Langtang valley, Jomsom Muktinath Trek, Everest base camp respectively.

Is trekking permit required?
All trekkers require a trekking permit to visit Nepal ’s interior regions, which are not connected by highways. Recently the Annapurna, Langtang and Everest regions have been declared “permit free" areas but National Park or Conservation Entry Permit & TIMS permits are required. Other then three popular trekking areas required special trekking permit for trekking.

What is TIMS?
With the objective of maintaining the database of trekkers and discouraging illegal operation in trekking business, Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) and Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) have started to implement the Trekkers’ Information Management System (TIMS) from 1st January 2008.

All foreign trekkers going on trekking in different areas of the country are required to obtain a TIMS slip/certificate. Trekking companies, who are members of TAAN, will be used as TIMS counters. The TAAN central office in Kathmandu and its regional chapter office in Pokhara will also issue TIMS slips. If it is necessary, NTB will open its counter to issue the slips for Free Individual Tourists (Fits).

How many miles and hour do we walk per day while on trekking?
There is not any rule how many miles you work per day. It depends up on the physical fitness and interest of the guest. Normally we trek about 5 to 7 days per day. Normally we walk 9 km to 18 km per day depend on an altitude and condition of the way. All of our Treks are designed on the principle of working 5 to 7 hours per day.

Is there electricity Facility during the trekking?
Most of the Trekking areas like Annapurna, Everest, Langtang, Dhaulagiri , Mustang and Manaslu, has an electricity facility.

Is there any communication while we are on trekking?
There are telephones facilities in many villages along the popular trekking routes from which you can make international calls and in Major city of Nepal you can use your Cell Phone.

Do I need a visa to travel to Nepal?
All foreign nationals, except Indian Citizens, need visas to enter Nepal.

What do I need to get my visa?
You need a valid passport, two passport size photos and US$ in cash.

Where do I apply to get my visa?
The best way to apply for visa is from the Nepalese diplomatic missions in your home country. The other choice is to get it from Immigration office at the entry points of Nepal.

How to Enter Nepal?
In order to fly directly to Nepal from your home country, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu is the only international airport in Nepal. TIA has direct air link with Osaka, Shanghai, London, Frankfurt, Hongkong, Singapore, Bangkok, Delhi, Dubai, Bombay and Calcutta. Nepal Airlines (NAC), Air India, JetAir, Thai ,Kingfisher KLM , are major airlines to fly Nepal and if you buy tickets from any other airlines, you will probably connect with one of these airlines for the final leg of your flight. Alternatively, if you have time and enthusiasm, traveling overland to Nepal via India is an option.

What type of insurance should I have? Can I get there?
It is necessary to have Travel insurance for all clients to take in any tour. It should provide adequate protection for the full duration of the tour to cover personal injury, medical expenses, repatriation expenses, helicopter evacuation, loss of luggage, etc. We request our clients to arrange their Travel insurance from their home town however, if you wish to arrange your travel insurance from our Company; we will arrange travel insurance for you.

Are there ATM facilities in Nepal?
Yes, in Kathmandu and Pokhara. International credit cards (Master Card, Visa Card etc) are also accepted in all leading hotels, shopping centers, bars and restaurants in Nepal.

Will my Cell phone (mobile phone) work in Nepal?
Please, Contact your service provider and check if Nepal country is included in their `Global roaming' package. Please note, not all parts of Nepal are covered by the GSM Network in Nepal. It is also possible to get Nepalese Mobile SIM easily.

Do you Accept Credit Card?
Beyond The LimitsTrekking accept American Express, Visa and Master cards. When you are paying in Nepal , we kindly request you to pay in Cash or Travelers cheques as the bank charges for credit cards are quite high.

How much is the weight limits that porters carry?
Weight limits for porters to carry a load is 30 kg in Nepal.