Pokhara Panorama 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.

Clothing and Equipment List for Pokhara Panorma

As a reminder, the weather on this trek will vary season to season with hottest months being in April, May, June, September and early October where you could experience hot and humid conditions with temperatures up to 25˚to 30˚C.

Each trekker should bring one backpack for gear required during the day. Your day backpack will contain items such as warm clothes, jacket, camera, water bottles, personal first aid kit and snacks. The rest of your personal equipment packed in a duffel or kit bag will be carried by a porter. The maximum weight allowance for your duffel bag  is 15kg. Please ensure that your bag is marked clearly on the outside for easy identification.

We suggest you 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.
• Walking socks.
• Trainers or trail shoes. Can be used in lodge in the evenings.

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. Minimum two pairs of trousers.
• Long sleeve shirts. Minimum two shirts.
• Micro fleece.
• Mid to heavyweight fleece.
• Sleeveless or body warmer type fleece.
• Thermals or base layer for top & bottom (merino wool or synthetic).

Handwear:

• Fleece gloves (only required for winter treks).

Headwear:

• Wool or fleece hat.
• Sun hat.
• Bandana or scarf. (eg. Buff Headwear or purchase a #myTMCbuff).
• Sunglasses.
• Headtorch. Bring extra batteries.

Personal Equipment:

• Sleeping bag.
• Fleece or silk liner for your sleeping bag. A liner protects your sleeping bag from getting dirty and helps by adding extra insulation to keep you warm at night.
• Recommended size is 30 litres or larger as you need to have enough space to carry water bottles, camera, snacks and extra clothing such as down jacket etc. It is also a good idea to bring a rain cover to keep the contents dry.
• Stuff sacks for keeping your gear dry and organised. Or even better are fold- drybags such as from Exped.
• Two water bottles (Nalgene wide mouth bottles are the best).
• Sunscreen and lipsalve with a high SPF.
• Insect repellent.
• Water purification tablets (Pristine, Biox Acqua or Acqa Mira).
• Favourite snack food.
• Books, ipod and cards etc.
• Trekking poles (Black Diamond with “Flick Lock” are best).
• Camera with spare batteries and memory cards.
• Insurance certificate.
• Earplugs (optional).
• Baby wipes (optional).
• Hand sanitizer (optional).

Travelling:

• Small combination padlock to secure the bag.
• Travel clothes. You will need casual clothing for air travel days and time spent in Kathmandu and Pokhara.
• Toiletry bag including toothbrush, etc.

Personal first aid kit

Note: we provide a comprehensive group first aid kit but please bring personal medications and other items you might use regularly 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.

Threat and risk assessment for Pokhara Panorama

Participants should be aware trekking and travelling in a developing country are activities that involve a risk of personal injury or death. As a condition of booking 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, unpredictable weather and last-minute changes to the itinerary beyond our control. The ability to work in a team is an important aspect of all of our trips.

As a part of our planning process, we have performed a detailed threat and risk assessment for our Pokhara Panorama trek. It is worth pointing out that all of our trips have a certain degree of risk, this is of course part of the attraction of adventure travel and why so many people choose to join this type of holiday. However, by identifying the potential hazards in Pokhara Panorama itinerary we can assess the level of risk and implement control measures to reduce this happening.

Our full threat and risk assessment for Pokhara Panorama is available on request. For your information 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.
• Climatic injuries (dehydration, sunburn, heat exhaustion or heat stroke).
• Lightning strike.
• Wildlife, pack animals (eg. donkeys or horses) or stray dogs. Pack animals have been known to knock people off the path. Dogs can attack and bite, we advise you to discuss rabies vaccination with your doctor.
• Earthquake.
• Risk of fire in the hotel or lodge.
• Endemic local diseases. We advise you to discuss vaccinations with your doctor before departure.
• A physiological injury such as a heart attack, appendicitis, hernia, toothache, etc.
• Road traffic accidents.
• Flight accidents, see paragraph “Internal flights in Nepal".
• Contaminated food and/ or water.

Internal Flights

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (“FCDO”) travel advice from UK to Nepal states that “STOL airstrips in Nepal are among the most remote and difficult to land on in the world and are a challenge for even the most technically proficient pilots and well-maintained aircraft.” For their latest advice please take a look at their Safety & Security section under Air Travel.

There have been a number of recent air accidents in Nepal and in December 2013 The European Union banned all airlines based in Nepal from flying in the 28-nation bloc under the latest changes to a list of unsafe carriers.  For more information on Nepal’s air safety profile take a look at Aviation Safety Network.

Weather and climate for Pokhara Panorama

Pokhara Panorama trek will have a wide range of temperatures depending on the altitude and the time of day. In the mountains between 1,000m and 2,000m the nights will be cool, normally around 5˚C, and during the day temperatures sometimes rise to 25˚C. The weather on this trek will vary season to season with hottest months being in April, May, June, September and early October where you could experience hot and humid conditions with temperatures up to 25˚to 30˚C.

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