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You have itchy feet and crave adventure travel. How long has it been since you were on your last adventure? Ah, yes, that trip you took nearly two years ago with one of those tour companies. They keep mailing you their catalogues. They profess intimate experience with the locals, unspoiled trails, few or no other tourists. Indeed, the only way this can be had, the say, is in “small group” travel, the kind they proclaim they have perfected – with “no more than 16 members,” their literature emphasizes! Their glossy catalogue is so inviting - should you book another trip with them again? You do need to get away after all the struggle that has hit your business the last many months.

So where should you go?

How about Western Australia at its summer best. Blue seas and non polluted skies, swimming and diving the western and northwestern coast of Australia. Camping on warm wilderness beaches of Kalbarri, Shark Bay, Coral Bay, and many other, lesser know or hidden ones, only few know about. You could go hiking Kalbarri National Park and rock hole swimming in Karijini National Park, the Hamersley Range in the mountainous region of Pilbara in Western Australia, with nights under the desert stars.

Or should you go to India in the early spring to sample the Kumba Mela, where only once every twelve years some 50 million people gather and bath in the Ganges at Hardiwar where this mighty river gushes out of Shiva’s Himalaya, broad, clean and cool, a photographer’s dream of flower garlanded faces extolling their gods.

Should you wait until the summer and go trekking in the Indian Himalayas, from Kulu-Manali over the Parvati Pass to Spiti, and press on from there to Ladakh and Zankar, the high altitude desert beyond the High Himalaya?

Or in the fall, you could go to Everest, the best time for Khumbu and the villages of the Sherpas.

The catalogue your are consulting speaks of the comforts of organized travel in small groups of no more than 16! Is it once again what you want? There is only one way to penetrate the shield of seeing things from afar, from being on the outside – it’s through having your own guide that can guide you to true adventure.

For once in your life put down the supermarket of travel catalogue you are reading and set out on a real adventure, one on one, you and your guide. Forget the economic meltdown of past year, drop your worldly headaches, and get away from alcohol! As a bonus, you might even shed a few pounds if weight has been one of your problems.

Under the British Raj you could had ridden a train into India from Lahore in present day Pakistan. Since India’s independence you have to walk across the Wagha border between Pakistan and India, take bus to Amritsar and ride all over India from there. But now, Indian Railways has announced that it plans to establish rail links with Nepal, Bhutan and apparently concrete plans have been also drawn to connect the Indian rail network all the way with the Chinese railways.
With trade and tourism having reached large scale proportions in Kunming and Yunnan province of south-western China, the Chinese have already connected its rail system with that of Myanmar and plans are underway to extend it from there to Bangladesh with Dhaka being only a step from Kolkata, the eastern gateway to India. Once the network is fully in place and operational you’ll be able to tour Assam and Meghalaya from Kolkata and continue all the way to tour Yunnan in China.

With now being able to ride the iron rooster across China to Lhasa in Tibet, Chinese already started on extending the line across the High Himalaya down to Kathmandu in Nepal. Thus obviously after China you’ll be able to tour Nepal and then hop on a train and ride down into the plains of India. Of course this line will cost pretty penny as the road down from Kathmandu to Indian border is not an easy ride but the Chinese engineers have already blasted their way through much worse in Sichuan.

The third route in the works is to link southern Xinjiang Province of Western China with Pakistan. There is indeed another major obstacle in the way there and that’s the Karakoram. But never mind, just imagine, you could ride a train along the legendary Silk Road from Beijing via Kashgar over Kunjerab Pass, and along Karakoram Highway all the way to Deli and Mumbai!

Few years ago this Italian tourist asked me if I could arrange for her to take a taxi from Kathmandu to Mount Everest Base Camp! Now I wonder how soon will this really become possible.

The main trekking season in the Nepal Himalayas is beginning now. October to early December is the main season for trekking in the Sherpa Solu – Khumbu region, the Annapurnas, Langtang Himal, Himalchuli and Manaslu as well as Kanchenjunga.

While springtime, May to early June, is an ideal time for ascending Mt. Everest and some of Nepal’s other prominent peaks, fall generally offers clearer skies for trekkers. In the spring monsoon is fast approaching and skies are always hazy though it is warm even in high altitudes thus a best period for summiting Everest. October and November is the ideal season for trekking.

Great number of trekkers in Nepal book tours from established Nepal tour and Himalaya trekking operators in the United States or Europe well before departing for their trip. Many trekkers, however, come to Nepal entirely on their own hoping to arrange trek support in Kathmandu. So what are the costs associated with hiring a Sherpa in the Nepal Himalayas?

Minimum cost of a Sherpa is Rs. 650 (Nepalese rupees), that’s about $10 per day. It’s important to note that this rate applies for the service of a Sherpa staff, a camp hand, porter or a cook possessing essential experience having worked with trekkers in the past, though the rate does not include allowance for his lodging and meals namely if staying in local lodges. Those expenses will have to be covered by the trekkers in addition to the Sherpa basic rate.

Tour operators will have to also pay for the Sherpas’ health insurance (rates start as low as Rs. 3500 ($50) per person) and in some instances, for example on certain climbing expeditions, the operators must also provide all necessary personal gear for the Sherpa, from special boots to down jackets especially if they will be working in exceptionally high altitudes.

Experienced Sherpa mountain guide is referred to as “sirdar” and his will cost is well above the mentioned rate for Sherpa staff. Top expedition Sherpa sirdar can earn over hundred dollars per day, even more, especially on large expeditions when he manages a sizable team of other Sherpas. The head Sherpa guide or sirdar assigns and coordinates responsibilities of the entire expedition support team, hires and pays the porters, pack animals and their caretakers and makes all the necessary decisions regarding routes and camping sites.

While Sherpas act as essential porters on high altitude treks such as ultimate Everest treks to Gokyo Ri, Kala Pattar, Chukung Ri and similar destinations, in lower elevations of, for example, the Annapurna circuit trek up to Manang along the Marsyangdi River valley or up the Kali Gandaki River valley to Muktinath, the Sherpa guide will hire local porters from other Nepalese tribes, namely Limbus, Rais, Thamangs or Gurungs. Their daily rates may vary.

Porter rates start at Rs. 1065 ($15) per day but proven high altitude Sherpa porter will earn considerably more. The said rate is based on carrying 40 Kg load, approximately 88 pounds. In 2008 the rate was Rs. 850 ($ 12) per day, so rates in 2009 have increased.

All Himalayas expeditions will also routinely employ the services of a yak, an absolutely essential pack animal for trekking in high altitudes. In 2008 yak daily rate was Rs. 900 ($13); in 2009 minimum daily tariff is Rs. 1200 ($17) per day. Of course yaks must be handled by a yak driver, their caretaker, and his minimum daily cost starts at Rs. 1200 ($15) per day.

Aside the Sherpa and pack animal expenses trekkers in the Nepal Himalayas will each have to get a trekking permit issued for the specific region where they will trek. Himalayas trekking permit for Solu – Khumbu currently costs Rs. 2750 ($ 40).

Additionally, as most trekking areas in the Nepal Himalayas are now within boundaries of national parks trekkers must also pay national park fees, typically Rs. 2000 ($30).

Over and above the noted costs trekkers will have to pay a daily tariff that includes full expedition support, costs that will include quality sleeping tents and mats, dining tent, toilet tent, and all the necessary camp gear, kitchen gear, food provisions and cooking fuel, buy their own health and evacuation insurance as we as pay for any other extras not mentioned above. All in all the quality of all Himalayas expeditions will not be the same and much of any trekking tour’s true success depends on the experience and leadership abilities of its sirdar, the Head Sherpa guide. In this regard, before you commit to booking a trek lead by a Sherpa team, a reliable Nepal Himalayas client testimonial will be essential to know your group will be guided by a true professional Sherpa guide.

This post is a continuation of my earlier posts on other ethnic groups found along the Arun River in Eastern Nepal, namely Rais and Lhomi Tibetans, a great trekking destination that most trekkers to Nepal overlook.

The way of life in the Himalaya is determined by the Himalayan topography, altitude, and climate, factors which quite substantially differ from region to region, plus, naturally, by the cultural diversity of the individual ethnic groups. Closer look at the variety of ethnic groups that populate this impressive mountain range reveals fascinating mix of architectural house styles.

In terms of settlement characteristics, each of the Himalayan racial groups prefers its own altitude and peculiar habitat. No other part of the Himalayas is as rich in house design styles as the Nepal Himalaya. Most of the Nepal Midlands, the principal settlement belt between the High Himalaya to the north and the Mahabharat range, or the front range, to the south, have been settled by the Ancient Nepalese races. Their villages range from the low river valley floors of some 2,500 feet above seas level up to 8,000 feet in elevation, above which only seldom even today they can be found. Of the seven major population groups belonging into this ethnic entity, Limbus, who have settled in far eastern Nepal, build one of the more remarkable house types.

Covered by lush monsoonal forests, the ridge of the Mahabharat range in the eastern Nepal separates the fertile lowland of Terai from “Limbuwan”, the Land of the Limbus. Poetically sited below steep hillsides of the Mahabharat Lekh or dotting the rolling land of the eastern Nepal Midlands, the dispersed villages of the Limbus are found between altitudes of 2,500 to 5,000 feet above sea level.  Traditionally also referred to by the Limbus themselves as the “Pallo-Kirant” or “Far-Kirant”, this region includes an area east of the Arun river and west of the Nepal-India border.

Sited conventionally amid dry cultivated fields, the yards of the Limbu houses may often be beautified by planted beds of colorful flowers. The houses are built of stone, mud packed, and characteristically washed with white and ochre mud. Typically, each Limbu house has the same type of front elevation.  It is entered via a small porch, constructed like the balcony above it out of timber or bamboo.  Designed with a small window above the balcony, the roof is of a gable type.  Although in most instances the houses are roofed with thatch, the most prominent of the Limbus cover their houses with sun-baked shingles.  For the most part, there is not much variation in the design, although here and there one may come across interesting horn-like tiles extending upwards from the ends of the gable triangle, a feature reminiscent of the Far Eastern architecture. 

The main living and sleeping area, including the kitchen hearth, is on the ground floor.  Grain, seeds, tools, and different sorts of family valuables are ordinarily stored on the second floor. Cattle is kept in shelters built in the vicinity of the house. 

If you’ve got the time and would prefer a trekking route to Namche Bazaar and the Sherpa regions below Mount Everest that is less traveled, start your trek in Eastern Nepal, from Dhankuta or Ilam. This is certainly a great alternative approach route to Namche than the one from Jiri, which sees lots of trekkers especially in October and November. One way or another trekking from Eastern Nepal to Solu-Khumbu offers a more complete experience of Nepal than a direct flight to Lukla from Kathmandu.  

Trekking in Eastern Nepal along the Arun River valley one can admire fascinating changes in house architecture as one progresses from the lower Himalaya toward the elevations where Arun breaches the High Himalaya on its way from Tibet to Nepal.  One of the dominant Ancient Nepalese ethnic groups that populate the Nepal Midlands in this region are the Rais. Generally, the Rais have settled west of the Arun River in altitudes between 4,300 and 7,400 feet above sea level, however, their settlements can be found also on or very near the bottom of the Arun gorge, in altitudes even less than 1,000 feet. Here the Rai houses are constructed on stilts and woven out of bamboo and reed. In some instances the Rai settlements can be quite compact, with the porches of the neighboring houses practically touching and narrow passages lead between the houses, but for the most part, Rai low river valley villages are dispersed. Packed with mud like the entire house floor, including the front elevation of the house, the porch is a viable work area. As the structures are only one story high, storage is partially provided on the outside of the house. Cattle and other livestock are typically kept below the house. A special thrashing and milling area is built usually in close vicinity of the house.

Another house type is built by the Rais higher on the west bank of the Arun, in a region immediately south of the Lhomi Tibetans, but even here the altitude where they settle does not exceed 5,000 feet above sea level. Although bamboo is still used abundantly, particularly in the construction of the animal shelters, the important building material is stone.

The facades of the houses are frequently richly decorated with geometric ornaments and “flowers of luck” designs, and images of gods as expression of worship to reward the house with prosperity.

Some of the houses have adjacent to them fine fenced vegetable gardens. Typically the houses are roofed with thatch, although bamboo mats may occasionally be used. In villages above 6,000 feet, as is the case on the northern side of the Salfa Phedi pass, separating the watershed of the Arun from that of the Dudh Kosi, the roofs of the Rai houses are covered with wooden shingles.

During the civil war in Nepal, a conflict between government forces and Maoist insurgents, which lasted ten years and finally ended with peace agreement in 2006, it was virtually impossible to travel in Eastern Nepal as this area was controlled by a number of bandit groups many of which posed as Maoist rebels but were most set on ambush and armed robbery than selling communist ideology and collecting rebel-sanctioned donations prevalent at that time. Today once again this region is open and may be used as a lesser frequented route to access the Sherpa region of Solu-Khumbu to the north-west from here.