It’s near impossible to find another place in the world right now which graciously provides every attribute above. Nepal is a special place, only gaining popularity with travelers in the past 70 to 80 years. Much of Nepal contains the now-famous Himalayan mountains, sharing the peaks with neighboring countries India, Pakistan, China (Tibet) and Bhutan.

Background on the hiking culture

In 1950, French climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal became the first to summit a peak over 8000m in Nepal. With the help of local Nepalese sherpas and a team of Frenchmen, the expedition to summit Annapurna (8,091m / 26,545ft) turned out to be a successful and extraordinary feat. At this time, Nepal was extremely remote, untouched by foreign influence. The steep terrain allowed for only small mountain communities to prosper, which meant there was little infrastructure and a great difficulty to even access the peaks. Herzog wrote about his months-long journey in detail in his book Annapurna.

It is interesting that the French are credited with conquering this mountain first, because it ignores the strength and the might of the Nepalese. The local Nepalese sherpas were arguably as or more capable of summiting because of their long history among the peaks and deep knowledge of the terrain. The peaks were sacred, and in their eyes, were not to be climbed. They aided the French expedition, but did it with much less technical gear than the westerners and with enormous humility.

For better or for worse, the spotlight on Nepal after 1950 has drastically increased adventure tourism and enticed backpackers far and wide. Furthermore, this demand has spurred Nepal’s investment in its own infrastructure, which is a particularly arduous operation considering most roads need to be carved into towering mountainside cliffs or bridged across vast river-crossings.

Since 1950 with the influx of travelers and the improvement of transportation, many of the small remote villages have turned into hiker safe-havens. This means on many hiking routes, you never have to carry food or an excess amount of water. You don’t even have to carry a tent! There are plenty of “tea houses” that offer more than tea. Most offer a large menu for hot food and cozy accommodation. Guests are encouraged to bring their own sleeping bags (there are no laundromats in the mountains - all laundry is done by hand). As someone who has done a bit of wilderness backpacking, it was such a great relief to learn I didn’t need a tent and could avoid planning and carrying every meal.

Hikers of all levels enjoy Nepal - it is not just for mountaineers with their pickaxes, crampons, and enormously puffy jackets. Many moderate-level hikers come to do the circuit hikes surrounding the eight-thousanders, which is what I sought out to do. This means that the famous peaks are always in sight, but the circuit trail takes you around the mountain and over high saddles.

When the stars aligned

When I booked my one-way ticket to India for a month-long yoga teacher training course, I knew I would make my way to Nepal, but I didn’t have a clue when or where.

I had texted a Slovak friend named Miloš who was traveling around Asia asking if he was going to be in India or Nepal anytime soon, and to my luck, we had the same goals and flexible plans.

We had met in Mexico City one and a half years prior. Within the first 24 hours of meeting, we had hiked La Malinche (4,461 m/ 14,636 ft) which is about a 2 hour drive outside of the city. Traveling solo is great, but traveling with a trusted friend who also wants to spend time outdoors is even better, so I was excited to reunite.

After 4 intense days in Varanasi with Miloš, his Slovak childhood friend Lukaš, and my Italian friend Silvana, we all headed to the airport. Silvana stayed in India while the 3 of us flew to Kathmandu, Nepal.

The long and inefficient TSA line at the Varanasi airport sparked conversation between us and two other young French travelers. You can spot a backpacker from a mile away in this part of the world. Backpack aside, everyone young and foreign here has their fancy hiking pants and hiking shoes on, showcasing their ambition for an unforgettable journey.

We asked, “Where are you headed?”

Nino and Théo, the French friends, replied, “Kathmandu.”

We said, “Same here! Are you planning on hiking? Do you have any suggestions on where to go?”

They responded, “We plan on hiking, but similar to you, we have no plan.”

“Well, October is the perfect time to go in terms of weather.”

Miloš proceeded to explain that although we didn’t have a plan, he knew a Venezuelan/Canadian couple who had recently hiked here and shared the guide’s contact information.

He said, “I am texting with someone named Gopal from Orbit Nepal Adventure. He can possibly give us more information when we land.”

As the 5 of us boarded the 50-minute Buddha Air flight, Gopal made a plan to pick us up from the airport and bring us to his office. And as we had only just met the two French boys, we weren’t yet sure if we would invite them along. It’s quite a gamble to invite people you just met on a long journey in the mountains.

How we decided on the route

Upon arrival in Kathmandu, we were all beaming with excitement at the view of the snow-capped mountains in the distance and colorful homes spreading across the city. In the end, Nino and Théo were just as crazy to agree to join forces with strangers as we were to make the offer, but we were a team now. We all got in a cab and drove to downtown Kathmandu.

Gopal started with some very important questions:

• How many days do you want to hike?

• What’s your budget?

• What are your priorities in this journey?

• Are you experienced in high-altitude trekking?

• What are your fitness levels and any previous medical conditions?

We explained that we wanted to do a less-traveled and affordable circuit hike for a few weeks. Unfortunately at this point, Lukaš would not be joining us because he needed to get back to work, so he planned his own shorter 3 day hike. The rest of us agreed we did not care about seeing the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, so we continued looking at our options all over the country. We all had experience with some high-altitude trekking and were in great shape, but had no serious summits under our belts.

Gopal recommended the Manaslu trek. Mount Manaslu is the 8th tallest mountain in the world, sits in west-central Nepal, and is about 240km / 150 miles west of Mount Everest. The Manaslu Circuit loops for 177 kilometers / 110 miles around the mountain along the Budhi Gandaki River. The crux of the hike is Larke Pass (5,106m / 16,752 ft).

Typically, it takes about 13 days to complete this route, but Miloš only had 8 days free because he needed to return to his remote job. So we planned to buckle up and do it in 8.

I had the desire and budget to keep going for under 3 weeks, and with Nino and Théo joining, it made it even more economically feasible. The 3 of us planned on continuing our trek with Gopal’s next recommendation: the Annapurna Circuit.

The Annapurna Circuit is a much more popular route that varies in length depending on where you start and end, anywhere from 160–230 km / 100-145 miles. The highest point is Thorong Pass (5,416m / 17,769ft). The trail passes by all 4 mountains named Annapurna (I, II, III and IV) - yes, 4 mountains with the same name. Many people like us decide to connect the Manaslu and Annapurna journeys because the end of one is very close to the start of another, so you can decide to hike between villages or organize a Jeep ride. And if you do it this way and continue hiking West, the end of the Annapurna Circuit will land you in Pokhara, a popular backpacker city full of great hostels, bars and food, spas, gear shops, boats on the lake, and lovely cafés.

For the Manaslu conservation area, all hikers are required to obtain a $100 permit and must have a guide. I think the Annapurna Circuit historically required a permit but not a guide, but I heard rumors that they were enforcing the new rule that a guide was necessary. We decided to have a guide on both treks because Gopal recommended this. I’m very happy with our decision as it was stress free.

One of the most popular circuits here is the Everest Base Camp trek, and we opted not to do this in order to stay away from the crowds. Additionally, an apparently stunning and less-crowded trek is the Upper Mustang Trek, but its permit is $500, so we decided to pass on this one.

Gopal offered us a great price: just about$1080 for 18 days ($60 per day) which included a guide, all transportation to and from the city, 3 meals per day, 3 teas per day, all accommodation, and permits. Additionally, he kindly offered to bring our nonessential items (all of the items in our luggage that we didn’t need on the hike) from Kathmandu to Pokhara, where we would eventually finish the hike. If you decide to do a similar hike, make sure to also factor in a tip (I talked to some people and found that 10% might be normal).

The same day, we met our guide-to-be Sanjeev. It was an instant connection. Sanjeev is 26 years old and smiles a mile wide. We could not have gotten luckier. In the weeks to come, our international group of 5 would become a close family.

How to prepare and what to pack

All I can say about this is learn from my mistakes please!!! Pack light!

Again, as a wilderness backpacker, I completely fooled myself into thinking I needed more gear that necessary. Less is more in Nepal. The infrastructure and the accommodations are set up for you on the circuit treks. Your biggest priority should be staying warm, and the rest of your gear will just be extra weight.

One thing I was very happy to rent was a puff jacket. I didn’t need this often, but it was absolutely necessary on the day we hiked over the Larke Pass (5,106m / 16,752 ft). It only had cost about $1-$2 per day and meant that I didn’t need to pack it in my suitcase from home.

I regret bringing my camping chair (1 pound) - I mean what was I thinking?!?! This is something I had craved when I hiked almost 200 miles along the JMT (John Muir Trail) in California for 3 weeks, but it is not something I needed in Nepal. At every tea house, there are comfortable dining areas with chairs and rooms with cozy beds.

I also regret bringing my iPad. I was using it for my e-book, but quickly realized it had not downloaded correctly and I could not reliably do a download with the intermittent WIFI we dealt with in the mountains. I would have rather brought a paper book for our downtime to further remove myself from a screen.

In the day or two before our departure, Miloš and I were on a stressful mission to buy more gear.

Kathmandu is famous for its fake and knockoff clothing and gear. Sellers of common outdoor brands, such as North Face, Arc'teryx, Kathmnadu, Patagonia, Mountain Hardware, and Columbia, haggle over extremely low prices.

We spent one full day buying hiking pants, warm socks, iodine pills for the water, ponchos for the rain, base layers, neck warmers, glove liners, and more. Poor Miloš even had to buy a hiking backpack because he only had a duffel bag. If Zara and Forever 21 are in the limelight of environmentally unsustainable fast fashion, Kathmandu, although extremely helpful in this situation, has the same problem with an abundance of cheap merchandise. But hey, we were thankful to have a last-minute solution for our last-minute planning.

When you do your packing, make sure to bring warm clothes, your daily hiking uniform, comfortable hiking shoes (I did hiking boots and the boys did trail runners), a pair of lightweight sandals, iodine pills for the water, water carrying capacity of <2 liters, lip balm, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, your phone, charger, adapter, journal, book, hiking poles, sleeping bag, headlamp, gloves, beanie, undergarments, toiletries, toilet paper, camera, backpack, headband or Buff, extra plastic bags for trash (or in our case, “plastic socks” because of unexpected snow), and not much more. Pack light!

Enjoying the days before departure

A full day of trip-planning led Miloš, Lukaš, and I in search for a beer. We found ourselves relaxing, laughing, and playing cards in Sam’s Bar. After absolutely destroying the boys in the card game Capitalism, I wanted to invite the guy across the room, drinking alone, to play with us. They teased, “What are you trying to do, try your rizz with him??” Absolutely not, I tried to defend myself. I remember thinking it was already time to get more female energy around me again. To their demise, an hour later, it hit Miloš: the man sitting alone was Conrad Anker, a very famous rock climber, mountaineer, and author. But by then, the bar was crowded, he was pulled into another group, and we missed our shot to hang out. Goes to show you that you should always talk to strangers, folks.

In our other hours of spare time in Kathmandu, we explored the famous Swoyambhu Mahachaitya (Monkey Temple) with its towering gold temple and views from the top of the hill, walked through the Bijeshwari Temple, shopped at Kathmandu Durbar Square, dinned and danced at the Gokarna House Restaurant, and drank beers at our beautiful hostel Hotel Yog.

The night before we left, Miloš gave me the Annapurna book by Maurice Herzog. This is the paperback I should have brought with me, but nevertheless it’s the one which I eventually did read one week after finishing the hike. It is translated from French, but adds so much color to understanding the incomprehensible triumph that the 1950’s summit of Annapurna proved to be. It also provides a perspective of how much Nepal has changed since western influence has permeated and shaped the country, especially in the villages along the trails.

Why is Nepalese trekking so special?

I believe Nepal is an essential place to visit if you enjoy hiking. There’s no other place which is so accessible but feels so remote, which offers an immersion of tradition and culture but has the comfort of other travelers (many who speak English), which fills you with an adrenaline rush and emotional journey but is also so safe.

John Wood, author of “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World” and friend of my Aunt Jodi, put it so nicely. When you are hiking these circuit treks, your biggest problem throughout the day is, “Do I drink my tea, write in my journal, and then hike? Or do I hike, drink my tea, and then write in my journal?”

I found some of the greatest rewards emotionally through active reflection, tests to my strength and endurance, and the bonds I created with my friends. This was truly the start to an unforgettable adventure.

In the next posts, I’ll go into more detail about the actual hike. Stay tuned!