July, 2012

Two years ago TIMS card fee was introduced and now Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) want to force hikers to hire porters or guides no matter you need it or not.

In July TAAN announced about mandatory support staff (porter or guide) for all tourists traveling to any trekking destination In Nepal from September.

Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal has welcomed the decision and urged the government to include the decision in the Tourism Act for effective implementation. “The decision will help promote Nepal as a safe destination for tourists at a time when international media are questioning the safety of foreigners in Nepal,” Mohan Lamsal, general secretary of TAAN, said.

Of course they welcomed it, but they forgot it can be against them, as a lot of people already are thinking are they really want to go to Nepal to see Himalayas? May be instead to choose much cheaper Ladak region in India?

The reason for such rules?

Increased crime in the trekking areas

In last years  it was couple assaults against young women in Langtang National Park with latest this June. But I doubt the guides or porters can prevent such accidents.

It always was hard to find good guide/porter in Nepal as the quality of guides and porters, even those who are TAAN registered, varies enormously. What will happen if it would become mandatory? It will be chaos and bad guides/porters will ruin all trekking business and it definitely won’t make trekking more secure. Even the best guide is not able to watch everybody as even in the small group people are hiking 100s meters apart and nobody can’t see what is happening around the corner. So I am sure the safety is not the first thing TAAN members are thinking when they pressuring the Nepali authorities to make these changes.

According to trekking operators, the new policy change will increase budget of FITs(Free Independent Travellers) by only around $10 per day.

Are they kidding? The porters hire price starts from $10. They forgot about food, transportation, agency tax. It will be at least double that. So hiker no should add (minimum) additional $100 for their weekly budget.

August, 2012

It good I double checked the information posted on TAAN website and found discussion in one of  Lonely planet forums. Apparently all these announcements about mandatory guides/porter were only rumors spread by TAAN. I thought it is trusty body, but I won’t trust the information on their website without confirmation from other sources anymore.  Thought they posted about government decision to put the ban of solo trekking on hold.

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Next time I would love to go there with tent as there so much more to see and you can camp in backcountry. But you can still see a lot even if you have only one day.
For one day visit I suggest combine two trails – Lake Oesa Trail and Opabin Plateau Circuit.

The combined trail length probably will be less then 8-9km (5-6 miles) with maximum 240-250 meters (800ft) elevation gain. This allow you to see O’Hara and Mary lakes from above (first picture) and to visit Lake Oesa with Rocky Mountains behind it (second photo), visit Opabin Plateau with some smaller lakes and come back down to lake O’Hara.

Doesn’t it sound like perfect day in the mountains with easy hiking? There is one very important thing – you must prepare for this trip in advance. I am not talking about physical training, but visitor number restrictions may be is one of beauty of this park as you don’t see big crowd there thought park is only 200km (130 miles) from Calgary or only 30km (19 miles) from Lake Louise in Alberta.

But these restrictions means you need to make a reservation well in advance for a seat in the bus. At moment only 42 day visitors are allowed. Of course you can hike the 11 kilometers access road from car parking to lake O’Hara, as there is no limit how many people can get to the lake on foot. But access road is not pictures at all and I would avoid hiking that road.

Check this page for bus seat reservation and other latest information about access to the park.

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Cheapest option is independent trekking. In this case you need about 10-15$US/day. Bed in guest houses cost about 2-3$US/night and other expenses are for food. But depending on season and the size of group you are travelling with it is possible to negotiate and stay for free, but you must order food in guest house you are staying. This is possible during low or shoulder season when there not so many trekkers in the mountains. Prices in the cities like Kathmandu or Pokhara are much higher. Expect to pay at least 15-30$US per night for double room in guest house or hotel.

For  10-15$US/day you can hire porter if you feel your backpack is too heavy to carry it all the way. Just make sure to hire porter from reputable company. Can’t recommend any as I didn’t use any myself, but I heard stories how porters leave clients in the middle of trek or stealing stuff from backpack they are carrying.

Organized tours are most expensive option as you can expect. Prices starts from 50-100$US/day depending on trek. There are too many companies organizing tours so it is difficult to summarize all services they offer.

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The best time to walk there in my opinion is in afternoon as at that time sun very nice lightens Southern Alps.

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So if you are going Milford Sound cruise in the morning, on your way back stop in The Divide car park where trail starts. There also begins Routeburn Track, but after you pass beech forest Routeburn and Key Summit tracks will split. Track is well signed and there is no way to get lost there. It takes about 40-60 minutes one way to get to summit and I would grade it as easy walk comparing with Lake Marian track

Some more photos from Fiordland in New Zealand

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It is not easiest walk as track is steep in some places and can be muddy after rain, but it takes less then an hour to reach the lake and you’ll be rewarded with view to beautiful alpine lake surrounded by mountains.

Water even in summer is quite cold but is very refreshing if you’ll be keen to swim in hot day.

Here are more pictures from Fiordland in New Zealand and information about other short walks in South Island, New Zealand.

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