Nepal trekking notes

Helpful answers before you choose a route.

Notes from Nepal Nexus on routes, seasons, difficulty, gear and planning. The goal is simple: help you compare treks clearly before you send an inquiry.

The turquoise third lake at Gokyo (Dudh Pokhari, 4,750 m) with the Gokyo village lodges on the shoreline and the Ngozumpa Glacier moraine on the right, taken on a clear late-October morning in Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal.

LATEST · ROUTES · 30 AUG 2026

Gokyo Lakes Trek 2026: 12-Day Itinerary to the World's Highest Freshwater Lakes, USD 1,300-2,100 Cost, and the Cho La Pass EBC Combo

Gokyo Lakes in 2026: a 12-day Everest-region walk to a string of turquoise lakes at 4,700 to 5,000 m, USD 1,300 to USD 2,100 all-in from Kathmandu, the same Sagarmatha permits as EBC, and a Cho La Pass option that links the two routes into one three-week trip.

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The Annapurna Base Camp cirque at first light — Annapurna South on the left, Machapuchare on the right, and the glacial floor at 4,130 m where the lodges cluster. Shot from the ridge above the lodges on a clear late-October morning.

ROUTES · 14 MIN

Annapurna Base Camp Trek 2026: 7-11 Day Sanctuary Itinerary, USD 950-1,800 Cost, and the New Jeep-Road Shortcut

Annapurna Base Camp in 2026: 7 to 11 walking days from Pokhara to a 4,130 m amphitheatre of 7,000-metre peaks, USD 950-1,800 all-in from Kathmandu, mandatory licensed guide since April 2023, and a new jeep road that shortens the trek if you want it shorter.

Arid trans-Himalayan landscape typical of the Upper Mustang trek route above Kagbeni — bare ochre cliffs, whitewashed chortens, and the Kali Gandaki river cutting through the rain-shadow terrain north of the Annapurna massif.

ROUTES · 13 MIN

Upper Mustang Trek 2026: The First Year Solo Permits Work, Lo Manthang in Ten Days, and the USD 1,800–2,600 Budget Line

Upper Mustang opens up in 2026: solo restricted-area permits now valid, 10 trail days from Jomsom to Lo Manthang, USD 1,800–2,600 per person all-in, and the only high Nepal trek that stays dry through the July monsoon.

Langtang Lirung (7,227 m) rising above the rebuilt Kyanjin Gompa village at 3,870 m in Langtang National Park, with yak pastures and prayer flags in the foreground on the standard Langtang Valley Trek route.

ROUTES · 12 MIN

Langtang Valley Trek 2026: Eleven Years After the Earthquake, Kyanjin Ri at Sunrise, and a 7-Day Cost Breakdown from Kathmandu

Langtang Valley climbs to 4,773 m at Kyanjin Ri in 7 trail days from Syabrubesi — Nepal's most accessible high trek from Kathmandu. The 2026 permits, USD 800–1,100 breakdown, the eleven-year rebuild story, and how we book it now.

Everest Base Camp at 5,364 metres with the Khumbu Icefall and Mount Everest (8,849 m) rising above the Lho La ridge, viewed from the Kala Patthar approach in Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal.

ROUTES · 13 MIN

Everest Base Camp Trek Autumn 2026: Ramechhap Reality, Post-Montha Booking Windows, and a 12-Day Cost Breakdown from Kathmandu

Everest Base Camp climbs to 5,364 m over 12 trail days through the Khumbu. The 2026 permit stack, the Ramechhap flight question, USD 1,400–1,900 breakdown, and how Cyclone Montha reshaped our autumn calendar — from Kathmandu.

Mount Manaslu (8,163 m) viewed from the Samagaon side of the Manaslu Circuit Trek, with prayer flags in the foreground and the Larkya Himal range stretching toward the Larke La pass.

ROUTES · 12 MIN

Manaslu Circuit Trek 2026: Solo Permits, the Road to Machhakhola, and What 2025's Larke La Storm Changed

Manaslu Circuit climbs to 5,106 m at Larke La in 13–14 trail days through Nepal's quietest restricted-area trek. The 2026 solo-permit change, the road that now starts at Machhakhola, a USD cost breakdown, and the October 2025 storm lesson — from Kathmandu.

Sunrise on Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machapuchare from a high ridge in the Annapurna Conservation Area — the same range visible from the Mardi Himal Upper Viewpoint at 4,500 m.

ROUTES · 10 MIN

Mardi Himal Trek 2026: The 5-Day Annapurna Alternative Most Travellers Miss

Mardi Himal climbs from 1,000 m at Pokhara to 4,500 m at the Upper Viewpoint in five trail days. Machapuchare twenty kilometres from your tent, USD 600 to USD 800 per person in 2026, and a quieter finish than the Annapurna Base Camp route.

Arid high-altitude Himalayan landscape on the Manaslu Circuit, the kind of dry valley terrain that sits in the rain-shadow belt where June trekking still works in Nepal.

SEASONS · 10 MIN

Trekking in Nepal in June 2026: The Pre-Monsoon Window and the Rain-Shadow Routes That Still Work

Nepal's monsoon usually breaks 10–15 June 2026. The first ten days of the month are still a usable trekking window, and Upper Mustang and Dolpo stay dry through July. Here is what to book — and what to walk away from — if you want a Nepal trek in June.

Trekker crossing the Cho La Pass at 5,420 metres on the Everest Three Passes Trek, Khumbu region, Nepal.

ROUTES · 11 MIN

Three Passes Trek 2026: Why We Run Everest's High Loop Anticlockwise

The Three Passes Trek crosses Kongma La (5,535m), Cho La (5,420m) and Renjo La (5,360m) in 18–21 days through the Everest region. The 2026 cost, route, and the direction call most operators get backwards — from a Kathmandu team.

View of Mount Everest and the Khumbu valley from the trail above Namche Bazaar, Nepal.

PERMITS · 9 MIN

Nepal Trekking Rules 2026: Solo Permits, the End of TIMS, and the New Lukla Reality

Nepal's 2026 trekking rules — solo permits in restricted areas, no more TIMS, mandatory licensed guides on regulated trails, and the Ramechhap–Lukla detour every spring. A clear read-through from a Kathmandu-based trekking team.

FEATURED · NEPAL TREK PLANNING GUIDE

The Nepal Trek Planning Guide. Routes, seasons, costs.

A practical guide to Nepal trekking routes, seasons, altitude, gear and planning questions. Useful if you are comparing Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Base Camp, Manaslu, Langtang or Kanchenjunga.

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NEPAL NEXUS · TREK PLANNING GUIDE

The Nepal
Trek Planning Guide.

Routes · Seasons · Gear · Costs · Planning

NEPAL NEXUS · KATHMANDU

Coming through the season

Four useful threads we are building.

Routes

Clear breakdowns of Nepal trekking routes: who they suit, when to go, what the days feel like and what to ask before booking.

Gear

Plain gear advice for Nepal treks: boots, layers, rain protection, sleeping bags and the items people often forget.

Training

Simple training notes for first-time trekkers and experienced hikers preparing for altitude and multi-day walking.

Stories

Stories from the trail, founder notes from Ram and practical observations from guides working across Nepal.