Choosing Your First Trek in Nepal: Seven Routes Compared

Nepal has hundreds of trekking routes, and most first-time visitors choose from the same handful. They differ far more than their fame suggests: in length, altitude, crowding, scenery and how hard they are on a body not used to walking uphill for a week. Picking the right one matters more than any piece of gear you will buy.

Start with three questions

How many days do you have on the trail? Count walking days only, not travel to and from the start. Add at least one spare day for weather or tired legs.

How high are you willing to sleep? Above about 3,000 metres, altitude becomes the main factor. Above 4,000 metres, most people feel it. If you have never been to altitude, a lower route is a kinder introduction.

What do you most want to see? Close-up glaciers, a famous summit, forests and villages, or a wide panorama from a ridge? No single route has everything.

The routes

1. Ghorepani and Poon Hill (4–5 days, highest point about 3,200 m).

A loop through Gurung and Magar villages and rhododendron forest, with a celebrated sunrise view of Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas. Many stone steps. Altitude is rarely a problem. Ideal for beginners, families with older children and short holidays.

2. Mardi Himal (5–6 days, highest point about 4,200–4,500 m).

A ridge walk that climbs quickly from forest to open alpine ground beneath Machhapuchhre. Short, steep and scenic, with smaller lodges and fewer people than the neighbouring valleys. Good for fit walkers with limited time.

3. Langtang Valley (7–8 days, highest sleeping point about 3,870 m).

A single valley running towards the Tibetan border, reached by road from Kathmandu with no flight. Forest, yak pastures, Tamang villages and optional climbs to viewpoints near 5,000 metres. A strong all-round choice.

4. Annapurna Base Camp (7–10 days, 4,130 m).

A walk up a deep gorge into a natural amphitheatre ringed by peaks over 7,000 metres. Varied scenery from rice terraces to snow. Thousands of steps, and busy in peak season.

5. Pikey Peak (5–7 days, about 4,065 m).

A quiet ridge trek in the lower Everest region, with Sherpa villages, monasteries and a sweeping view of the high Himalaya including Everest. Reached by road. Suited to people who dislike crowds.

6. Everest Base Camp (12–14 days, 5,364 m; viewpoint about 5,550 m).

The famous one. Sherpa culture, big monasteries and the world's highest mountains, at a serious altitude that requires rest days. Long, cold near the top and dependent on small-plane flights.

7. Annapurna Circuit (12–16 days, pass at 5,416 m).

A journey around a whole mountain range, from subtropical valley to high desert, crossing a major pass. Road building has changed the lower sections, but the upper valley remains outstanding.

Matching route to person

• One week, never trekked before: Poon Hill, or Langtang if you are reasonably fit.

• One week, experienced hill walker: Mardi Himal or Langtang.

• Ten days, want to stand among big peaks: Annapurna Base Camp.

• Two weeks, set on Everest: Everest Base Camp, with extra days in hand.

• Two weeks, want variety over fame: Annapurna Circuit.

• Want quiet above all: Pikey Peak.

How hard is "moderate"?

Trek grades are vague. In practice, a typical day means five to seven hours of walking with a daypack, gaining and losing several hundred metres on stone steps and rough paths. You do not need to be an athlete, but you should be able to walk uphill for a couple of hours without distress. People in their sixties and seventies complete all of these routes; so do children. Preparation and pace count for more than age.

Season changes the answer

October and November give the clearest skies everywhere. March and April are warmer with spring flowers. In winter, lower routes such as Poon Hill and Pikey Peak are still feasible, while high passes may be blocked by snow. During the monsoon, most of these trails are wet and cloudy.

Cost and logistics

Road-accessed treks such as Langtang, Mardi Himal and Pikey Peak avoid the expense and uncertainty of mountain flights. Everest is the most expensive of the main routes because everything is flown or carried in. All of them require permits, and foreign trekkers are now expected to go with a licensed guide through a registered agency.

A final thought

The best first trek is the one that leaves you wanting a second. If in doubt, choose the shorter and lower option, walk it slowly and enjoy it. The mountains will still be there next year.