Makalu Base Camp & Shipton La trek
Nepal

Typical Day On a Teahouse Trek in Nepal

We provide a comfortable experience on our teahouse lodge-style treks. Our team works hard to support you so that you can relax and enjoy trekking in Nepal. The lodges provide your meals in a communal dining room. You will sleep in private rooms with a shared bathroom. There is a range of standards and service in teahouse lodges depending on location. i.e. lodges at higher altitudes and places with fewer trekkers tend to have more basic facilities.

The day starts with getting up in your room shared with another trekker in our group. Before heading for breakfast you pack your overnight gear into your main bag (this could be a duffel, kit bag, or rucsac). You would have given your breakfast orders to the guide to pass onto the kitchen last night. At the designated time the group will assemble in the dining room to eat breakfast. Breakfast includes cereal, porridge, or rice pudding and an egg dish with bread or toast plus two cups of hot drinks such as tea, coffee, or lemon ginger honey. 

While the group is having breakfast the porters arrange their loads and set off in the cool of the morning. After breakfast, between 7am and 8am, we start walking. The pace of the trek is moderate as there is plenty of time in the itinerary to reach the lodge for tonight. Enjoy the scenery, take photos, and explore the local villages. Lunch will be around midday at a teahouse lodge by the side of the trail.  This includes one dish such as fried rice, dal bhat, momos, or pasta plus two cups of hot drinks.

After lunch, we continue the walk and on most days we arrive at the lodge around mid-afternoon. On arrival, you will get a hot drink and biscuits. For dinner, you get a two-course dinner (soup and main meal). The menus are quite standard with a range of dishes such as dal bhat, momos, and the famous Sherpa stew. Dal bhat is a Nepalese dish of rice and lentils with vegetable curry. It is also possible to order spaghetti and pasta; pizzas; vegetable burgers and chips and fried rice. We also provide up to two cups of hot drinks per meal.

After supper, the leaders will discuss the plan for the next day. Afterward, people might stay in the dining room chatting about the day’s events or playing cards. After a tiring day, most people head to their rooms quite early for the night. Tomorrow is likely to be very similar to today!

You can read more about Teahouse Trekking in Nepal on our Blog. This article explains the facilities available at a teahouse lodge. It also describes the advantages and disadvantages of camping-style treks. Plus the amount to budget for extra costs. We also touch upon what to pack for a teahouse trek, safety, and security plus responsible use of the lodge.

Meal Plan

We include all meals at the teahouse lodges (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner) while on the trek. Importantly, we clearly define what dishes and drinks we provide so there is no confusion in terms of what is allowed. Given the amount of food and drinks we include, there should be no need to spend any extra money on additional food. However, some people will pay for extra treats along the way such as to get cake and a coffee at the bakeries and cafes!

If you are comparing our prices with other operators you should be careful to compare apples with apples. These days many operators do not include meals in their packages when staying at the teahouse lodges. The food at the lodges is expensive and will cost an average of £25 (US$35) per person per day. If you are paying for the meals directly to the lodges you would need to carry a lot of cash including the tip money too. Having this amount of money with you will be a security risk and for peace of mind, it is better to pay for the meals to us when booking the trip. Also, it will be difficult to know in advance how much cash to bring with you on the trek (there are no ATMs when on trek). Furthermore, in practice, it will be complicated and time-consuming for you and the guides to work out individual bills after checking out each day from the lodge.

With our meal plan, you can select your dishes from the menu at the lodge. In our package, we include the cost of your breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. Breakfast includes cereal, porridge, or rice pudding and an egg dish with bread or toast. Lunch includes one dish such as fried rice, dal bhat, momos, or pasta. For afternoon tea, you get a hot drink plus biscuits. Dinner is two courses including soup and the main dish chosen by you from the menu. You are allowed two cups of hot drinks per meal so this means a total of seven cups per day.

We cater to a variety of dietary requirements. There are always meals that are suitable for vegetarians. During booking, we find out if you have any dietary needs and agree upon meal plans before departure. If you have any questions about the food provided please get in touch with us to discuss further.

Kit List for Makalu Base Camp trek

This is the mandatory kit list for the safety of everyone in the group and to ensure a successful trek. You must have the following items tailored for the Makalu Base Camp and Shipton La trek. The group leader will check your gear in Kathmandu before departure for the trek.

As a reminder, the weather on this trek will vary from season to season and day to day as you ascend to higher elevations. At the start of the trek you will experience warm conditions with temperatures up to 20 Celsius. You experience the coldest temperatures in Makalu Base Camp at an altitude of 4,900m. Overnight lows here will be down to around -15 Celsius.

You should bring a rucsac or backpack for the gear required during the day. Your pack should contain items such as warm clothes, a jacket, a camera, water bottles, a personal first aid kit and snacks. The weight limit is 5kg. A porter will carry the rest of your personal equipment packed in a duffel or kit bag. The weight limit for your duffel bag is 15kg. Please mark your bag on the outside for easy identification.

Print the kit list and tick items off as you pack them then weigh your kit bag before you come on trek.

Footwear

• Walking Boots. A pair of water-repellent boots with ankle support. Boots must be in good condition, the best approach is to get new boots and break in before the trek. 
• Trail shoes. Used around the lodge.
• Walking socks.
• Gaiters. A pair of knee-high gaiters is used to keep boots dry if walking through snow or on wet ground.

Clothing

• Waterproof and Windproof jacket (with hood) and trousers (Goretex or similar). For use if it rains or snows during the trek and in windy conditions.
• Trekking trousers.
• Long-sleeved tops or shirts (not cotton).
• Micro fleece.
• Mid to heavyweight fleece or synthetic/ primaloft top.
• Sleeveless/ gilet or body warmer type fleece / synthetic top. This will help keep your core warm while not bulking when layering up. Gilet is used in combination with base layers, other fleeces and a down jacket. This provides the most warmth and insulation.
• Thermals or base layer for top & bottom (merino wool or synthetic).
• Fleece or synthetic leggings. Worn around the camp or added as a layer when the temperatures start to drop higher up.
• Medium-weight down jacket.

Head and Gloves

• Fleece gloves.
• Warms mittens and/or gloves.
• Wool or fleece hat.
• Sun hat.
• Bandana or scarf (eg. Buff Headwear).
• Head torch. Bring extra batteries.
• Sunglasses. They should have side protection or a wraparound design.

For crossing the pass

• Trekking poles. Two poles are mandatory for your safety. These will be helpful on steep sections of the trail and river crossings. Also for walking on snow or ice higher up.
• Kahtoola Microspikes or YakTrax Summits. These are for your security when descending passes with snowy or icy conditions. They fit onto your walking boots.
• Gaiters. A pair of knee-high gaiters is used to keep boots dry if walking through snow or on wet ground.

Personal equipment

• Sleeping bag. Overnight lows down to -15 Celsius. It is possible to rent a bag from Shonas Rental in Kathmandu.
• Fleece or silk liner for your sleeping bag. A liner protects your sleeping bag from getting dirty. Also helps by adding extra insulation to keep you warm at night.
• Day pack. The recommended size is around 30 litres. You need to have enough space to carry water bottles, a camera, snacks and extra clothing. The pack should have a good waist belt. It is also a good idea to bring a rain cover to keep the contents dry.
• Trekking poles. Two poles are mandatory for your safety. These will be helpful on steep sections of the trail and river crossings. Also for walking on snow or ice higher up.
• Stuff sacks for keeping your gear dry and organised. Or even better are fold dry bags such as from Exped.
• Two water bottles. Nalgene wide-mouth bottles are the best.
• Pee bottle. Recommended as means you do not have to get up to find the toilet at night! For men, you can use an old water bottle. For women take a look at SheWee.
• Sunscreen and lip salve with a high SPF.
• Water purification tablets with chlorine dioxide. This kills bacteria, viruses, and cysts including Giardia and Cryptosporidium without leaving any residual taste, odour, or colour.
• Favourite snack food.
• Books and cards etc.
• Camera with spare batteries and memory cards.
• Insurance certificate.
• Earplugs (optional).
• Baby wipes (optional).
• Hand sanitizer. Keep this in your day pack for use after a toilet break during the trek or before eating any snacks. We provide sanitizer for use before meals.

Travelling

• Duffel bag for your personal gear on the trek. Will be carried by a porter. Rugged and waterproof made of a plastic material. Size 80-100 litres. Eg. Mountain Equipment or Rab. Bring a small combination padlock to secure the bag.
• Travel clothes. You will need casual clothing for air travel days and time spent in Kathmandu.
• Toiletry bag with soap, travel towel, toilet paper, toothbrush etc.

We provide a comprehensive group first aid kit.  Please bring personal medications and other items you might use such as:

• Any personal medications.
• Blister treatment (Compeed patches are the best)
• Rehydration powder (eg Dioralyte).
• Analgesics (paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin).
• Plasters and zinc oxide tape.
• Throat lozenges.
• Diamox (helps with acclimatisation).

Risk assessment for Makalu Base Camp

You should be aware trekking in a developing country involves a risk of personal injury or death. You must accept these risks and be responsible for your own actions and involvement. Adventure travel requires an open and flexible attitude. You may experience extreme conditions and unpredictable weather. There could be last-minute changes to the itinerary beyond our control. The ability to work in a team is an important aspect of our trips.

We have performed a threat and risk assessment for our Makalu Base Camp trek. Our trips have a degree of risk. This is part of the attraction of adventure travel and why so many people choose to join this type of holiday. By identifying the hazards we assess the level of risk. We have control measures in place to reduce this happening or to reduce the impact.

Our risk assessment is available to clients on request. We have listed below a summary of the significant risks and hazards identified by us:

• Falls and trips resulting in physical injury eg. slipping on ice or falling off the path.
• Altitude illness including but not limited to AMS, HACE, and HAPE.
• Climatic injuries (dehydration, sunburn, heat exhaustion, hypothermia, or heat stroke). Please note during the months of April and October it will be very hot and humid in the early days of the trek.
• Crossing a river with no bridge resulting in drowning and/ or a fall.
• Rockfall and landslides.
• Snow and ice avalanches.
• Lightning strike.
• Wildlife, pack animals (e.g. donkeys or horses), or stray dogs. Pack animals can knock people off the path. Dogs can attack and bite. Discuss rabies vaccination with your doctor.
• Earthquake.
• Risk of fire in the hotel or lodge.
• Endemic local diseases. Discuss vaccinations with your doctor before departure.
• Physiological injury. Such as heart attack, appendicitis, hernia, toothache, etc. in a remote area.
• Road traffic accidents.
• Flight accidents. Read paragraph “Internal flight".
• Contaminated food and/ or water.

This trip visits a remote area. You are away from the usual emergency services and medical facilities. Evacuation for a serious injury requiring hospitalisation could take up to several days. This delay could impede your ensuing recovery. Helicopters are the usual means of evacuation. They are not always available or hindered by poor weather and flying conditions.

Internal Flights in Nepal

Flights from Nepal’s Short Take-Off & Landing (“STOL”) airstrips are dependent on weather. Delays often happen if there is poor visibility or high winds. For our itineraries with flights to or from STOL, we include one extra day in Kathmandu at the end of the trip. This is in case of delays flying back. If the delays are longer we will help reschedule your international flights. There is likely to be a fee charged by the airline for this. You also have to pay for costs incurred in Kathmandu as a result of the delay such as accommodation and meals.

You should read the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (“FCDO”) travel advice for Nepal. For their latest advice take a look at their Safety & Security section under Air Travel. There have been some recent air accidents in Nepal. The European Union has banned Nepalese airlines from flying to Europe. For more information on Nepal’s air safety profile take a look at Aviation Safety Network.

Weather and conditions for Makalu Base Camp trek

Makalu Base Camp and Shipton La trek has a wide range of temperatures. This depends on the season, altitude and time of day. Below 3,000m the nights will be cool around 5 Celsius. During the day temperatures sometimes rise to 20 Celsius. At higher altitudes temperatures range from about 15 Celsius to -15 Celsius.

The trekking season in Nepal is late September to May. October and November is generally recognised as having the best weather. Spring is a popular time of year with warmer weather than in Autumn. Also there is the advantage of seeing spring flowers and rhododendrons in bloom.

We have chosen the dates for optimal conditions to cross Shipton La pass. By April and May in the Spring season the weather is warmer and the snowline is higher than March. This decreases the chance of snow blocking the pass. In the Autumn season  we organise the trek during October also because the weather is warmer. Later into November the temperatures cool off and there is a higher chance of snow at 5,000m altitude. 

We have written a blog article When is the best time to go trekking in Nepal Himalaya? This has information about the weather and conditions in Spring and Autumn seasons. It also explains the differences between the trekking regions of Nepal.