Trekking and expidition

Namas Trekking group holds 1 Sherpa leader, assistant guide for every group of 6 trekking clients and 1 Sherpa porters for every 2 clients to taking into consideration of if a client falls sick and the trip goes ahead as planned. Namas Adventure organises trekking programs with a maximum of 15 in each groups, if clients requests for group of more than 15 necessary arrangements and planning's can be made upon requests.

Safety & Security

Namas Adventures takes clients safety as our upmost highest priority. Namas Adventures has taken extra consideration, looking into all aspect and planned with safety in mind. Every team member will be equipped with cell phones, emergency satellite phones, extensive medical kit and other safety tools where necessary. You are all time connected to our Kathmandu office. Trekking leaders are trained and have skills for safety on the trip, and will make any changes to the itinerary they deem necessary should local conditions dictate.

Accommodation

On trekking program days, clients will spend their stop over nights on tea-houses which are the an ideal place for trekkers or climbers. While trekking mattress and pillows are provided bow ever Namas recommends that each trekkers carry at least basic trek gears ( Sleeping bag ). Rooms are widely shared and single room cannot be provided during peak season. Before trekking checks medical questionnaires and travel insurance are conducted with safety proceedings. During peak season taking into consideration in some cases clients might have to share room. Client's accommodation while in Kathmandu and Pokhara will be in 3 - 4 star category hotels. Alternatively, while in Kathmandu or Pokhara hotels upgrades are available, we suggest clients make advance requests so that our team on Nepal can make necessary arrangements. Please note extra charge are applied meeting the needs of your requests.

Food and Diet

While trekking 3 meals per day are provided to our trekkers. Foods mostly served during the trekking routes are organic and locally grown foods. Dal- Bhat ( rice and lentils )with Nepalese curry are the most famous also providing continental breakfast, teas, apple pie, bakery, noodles etc. We advise that clients enquire 1 month in advance, on requests for vegetarian diets or any medical diet requirements i.e. allergies and intolerances. We will then be able to make necessary changes taking your health into consideration. We strongly recommend travellers with life threatening or severe allergies to take all medical precautions  for all possible cases. Clients must travel with necessary medication and should be knowledge about their medical intake. Garlic soups are recommended as it is a natural remedy on helping with acclimatisation. Food choices are limited in trekking regions and higher the teahouse the lesser are the choices. We encourage trekkers to use their own water bottles and highly recommend not to depend on plastic water bottles as it is one of the major case of environment pollution in trekking regions. Also, water purifying bottles or tables are recommended.

Landscape

The terrain trekking is very varied as the route passes through valleys, forest and mountain slopes above the tree line; paths on the whole are good but are very steep in places and with many steps to both walk up and down. Terrain can be slippery in wet conditions. You should have a good level of fitness to enjoy the trek to the utmost. The trek takes you as high as 5540M and some people may experience symptoms of altitude sickness despite of precautions. Because of the varied terrain and lack of accurate maps, it’s impossible to give accurate daily distances. It’s also much more useful when training to think about the hours you need to walk for, and the terrain involved, rather than the actual distance! We are always happy to talk through the trip in more detail with you if you are worried about your fitness at any stage.

Weather in Nepal

Nepal has cool, clear winters; pleasant moist springs, hot wet summers and fantastic mostly clear autumns. Thus best time to do most of the popular treks including Annapurna Base camp trekking is spring (March to mid June) and autumn (September to December). But you can also trek during winter being well prepared for the severe cold conditions. 

Clothing and Equipment

You are traveling through remote mountains where you could be exposed to bad weather at any time so be prepared for all weathers and temperatures. Weather conditions can change quickly in the mountains. We provide a rucksack for your luggage that is carried by porters during the trek. You will also need a day-pack in which water, clothing for a day, knickknacks and camera goes in and that will be carried by you. We also provide sleeping bag and down jacket for you to use during the trek. 

Fitness Level

Fitness requirement varies from trek to trek, our trek routes requires reasonably fit body conditions and used to some regular exercise. It is most important that you know you enjoy walking in the great outdoors but you certainly don’t need to be an experienced hiker for trek routes such as Annapurna Base Camp Trekking. For some people this is their first real trek. Understand that you trek with a day-pack with water, spare clothing, knickknacks and camera; porters or animals carry your sleeping bag and other gear you don’t need during the day in a kitbag. So in theory your day pack will be light and you can skip along the trail – except that you are at altitude and this really does make a difference, and we are walking easy days but day after day they still build up so that you feel like you really are getting fit and really do have to push your body more than you might think. We expect all participants to train reasonable well to achieve the final destination, but we respect everyone’s limits. The older you are the more important prior fitness and training is. We design our trips in a way that everyone can go at their own pace: this is not a race. For logistical and safety reasons we sometimes need to re-group, so the front-runners will find themselves waiting for the slower ones.

Vaccinations

There is no need to present inoculation/immunization certificates to enter Nepal. However, vaccination for diseases such as Malaria, Small Pox, Typhoid, Tetanus, Meningitis, Rabies, Hepatitis and Polio are recommended before you commence your travel to Nepal to be on the safe side. We advise you to consult your doctor before beginning your travel and also to carry necessary health certificates (immunization certificates), should they be required in any case.

Travel Insurance

It is a condition upon joining any of Namas Adventure treks and activities that you must have adequate insurance that covers comprehensive expenses that might incur due to medical issues or accidents (this includes air ambulance, helicopter rescue, and treatment costs). Please note that we don’t arrange or sell insurance. You are welcome to source your own travel insurance and provide us with proof of this prior to 15 days of your trip departure date.

Passport and Visa

All nationalities except Indians require a visa for Nepal. Visas are obtainable from embassies abroad or on arrival at Kathmandu airport (Tribhuvan International airport). If you are applying for the visa at the airport be prepared for long queues (30 minutes). You will need to provide one passport-sized photo and fees in US dollars or equivalent convertible currency: multiple entry visas valid for 30 days – US$40. Please note regulations and costs for visas change frequently so it’s advisable to check the current rules with your nearest Nepalese embassy or consulate. More on passport and visa

Environmental Care and Sustainable Tourism

We have designed our trips to ensure they make minimum impact on the environment. Our viewpoint is to leave the incredible Himalayan nature the way we found it, unspoiled, clean and well-preserved so future generations will have a chance to enjoy this just as we do with our clients. We also understand that our industry depends completely on the conservation of the fragile nature and with increased tourism comes our responsibility to make sure our customers can explore with peace of mind, making sure that they are not doing any harm along the way. All tourism, even simply walking, can make some damage to nature if care is not taken. We evade the harm by carefully designing our itineraries, educating guides and having an active practical environmental policy which is persistently reviewed. Our guides are committed to following our environmental policy and illustrate how to “leave no trace” and encourage our guests to help us preserve the Himalayan nature. See more on our environmental policy:

• Transport

Namas Adventure chooses fuel efficient and low emission vehicles whenever possible. Our drivers are instructed on eco friendly driving tactics and to keep fuel usage to a minimum to reduce emission. We also use public transport when possible to reduce emission per passenger and to support the local economy.

• Garbage management

All debris on our trips is disposed at suitable recycling facilities. On trips where no recycling and debris service is available all waste is stored until a garbage disposal facility is reached. We also endeavor to select re-usable products and environment friendly products such as biodegradable cleaning agents, toilet paper etc. In our office also the waste is separated for recycling and we promote our staff to minimize waste.

• Overcrowding

 We realize the fact that certain areas in the Himalayan region are very famous and are already at jeopardy for environmental damage because of being overcrowded. To facilitate such areas with the break they need we either offer suitable alternatives to our customers, or suggest visiting the most famous areas at times when they are less crowded. This is evidently better for the environment and also endow with a better experience for our customers.

• Purchasing and local products

We use local products as much as possible to keep away from avoidable transport around the world. We also use local food and products on trips where possible. This helps lessen emission and also supports the local economy.

• Paper and printing

We keep the use of paper and printing to least by using electronic business processes and encourage our clients to do the same. All paper and printer toner we use is eco friendly and we recycle all printed materials.

• Sustainable Tourism

As a Responsible tourism company, we really care that our challenges are ethical, sustainable and responsible. We work very closely with the local communities through which we pass and in return we get lots of love and support from the local community as well as our clients. Usually the guides, cooks, porters and drivers etc. employed for our trips come from the local villages where our particular trip is operated. During trekking and mountaineering trips, we use accommodations owned by the locals where possible to support local economy. We are committed to leave positive impact on the local communities we pass through. We actively support several community projects in the locality we run our trips. We always ensure that our help goes to worthwhile and needy, long-term project and is managed fairly and with sustainable development in mind. As well as our own help, whether that’s in the form of money, goods, practical help or raising awareness, we encourage many of our customers to bring stationeries, clothing, unwanted books etc, to be distributed among porters, orphanages, schools if they wish to do so. Please contact us if you wish to know anymore.