Need company to Nepal Expedition

Hi... I am planning a peak expedition in nepal in sept-october time frame. After one month of googling and research i have decided on Mera peak and Island peak. I have contacted a few agencies (companies) there but their authenticity is not so convincing to me. If anyone is interested to join please do contact me or if anyone have any information about a good company please do share.

However my dates are quite flexible in sept-oct and i think the overall itinerary would be around for 25-30 days and cost ard 2L INR.

I'm doing Island peak climb with PeakFreaks this October. They seem to have a great safety record with their Everest climbs, and from what I've read on the web, their leader Tim Rippel and their guides/staff are highly respected in the climbing community.

There are many additional companies such as Alpine Ascents, Mountain Madness, IMG, Himex, Adventure Consultants etc who are well known for their Everest expeditions, and they also have Island peak, Lobuche, Mera peak etc options.

You can either go with peakfreaks or any of the above well known everest expedition companies. In-case you need more information about peakfreaks PM me.

Thanks a lot for the information. Yeah i am in contact with the www.uniquetreks.com, www.nepalclimbing.com and they say that they have many people signed up for the island peak.
I want to do both the peak in one shot because as I am working professional and getting a leave another time would be problem and who knows I would arrange it again or not. You know there are many things to consider Interest+ Money + Time + Health and getting a combination of all is not at all easy. Well I would ask another question then, how can i validate the agency (unique adventure Intl Pvt Ltd) that they are good and genuine in case i am going to book with them?

I'm a novice to the world of mountaineering, and so to me the most important things when deciding upon who to climb with were:
1.) Inclusion of a mountaineering / climbing clinic
2.) Super awesome safety record
3.) past professional record of the company. There are tons of trekking agencies out there promising many things, difficult to differentiate between them. So past record helps.
4.) good itinerary, mine covers EBC, Kala Pattar, Mt Pumori BC, Island Peak and follows a decent acclimatization schedule. Plus being a novice I want to take baby steps. So one climb this year, will do more later. I'm young and I'm sure will have time to do 6 weeks mountaineering course next year in Patagonia.

Now I don't know what your priorities are, whether you are a novice/intermediate/advanced mountaineer because that can change perspective and ultimate objective. For an intermediate mountaineer all they may be looking for is help with camps and other support. Me I'm looking for much more.

And now to answer your question, I have no idea how to vet Unique treks agency. Probably you can contact people who've already gone with them before, or try reading reviews about them on the web, ask them details about the guide and his/her credentials etc. Hope this helps.

And if you need info about peakfreaks let me know.

Hi Priyanka,

You can contact Mr. Tanka Baniya at pikeexpd@wlink.com.np. Tell him that you got his contact details from Souvik, he may do it for a far lesser cost. The name of the company is Pike Expedition and Trekking (P) Ltd. They are a small company, which means that their price would also be far less than what other companies charge. They had provided all the support staff and logistics for a Dutch team which climbed Baruntse last year.

If you are going for a packaged tour then probably 200k is fair enough (I still think it’s too much for a 25 days trip). But if you are experienced and a good climbing guide and a porter is what you require then let Tanka know about this. He would charge only for the guide and porter on a per day basis. You can hire the climbing equipments in Kathmandu. Let me know if you need the hiring rates.

I will be doing a 36-40 days “trek” across Makalu – Everest – Rolwaling region and the total expenses would be around INR 40,000 per person. Trekking agents charge more than 200k only for the first stage of my trek (which is from Tumlingtar to Everest Base Camp via Makalu Base Camp, Sherpani Col, West Col and Amphu Laptsa La). I reduced the costs so much just by avoiding a packaged tour and I also have most of the necessary climbing gear with me.

I am still looking for a third person for my Nepal trek (to reduce the costs further). If you are interested to join, for the entire trek or just one of the stages, then do let me know. There are no peak climbing though, but the route is too technical and it is more than just trekking with max elevation of 20,300 ft. I haven’t come across anyone (from India) who has done this “trek” route. Check this website for few images of the stage 1 of my trek http://www.explorehimalaya.com/nepal...amp_photos.php and also this one http://p6.hostingprod.com/@treks.org/nepal04.htm to get an idea. If you need further details let me know, I will give you the link of my thread in Indiamike.

Cheers,
Souvik

Thanks a lot for the information you provided. Yes i will look for the option. I may bug you again if other help is required :-). Yes i know 200K is too much but this is what the companies are quoting. Anyway i will see with the person you have recommended .
Thanks again.

Regards,
Priyanka

Hi
when you are going for this trek.I am going with other two for makalu base camp.The quote is around 80k per head for a 20 day katmandu - Katmandu.Please let me know your opinion.Oct 16 is our reporting date.Will we get snow in Base camp.

Why are you going in for an organised trek? 80k is way too much for Makalu BC. My budget for a 35-40 days trek across 3 regions is 80k (that too I am alone, if I have one more then it would be half of it).

If you have prior trekking experience and have the necessary gear, you can organize it yourself as up to Makalu Base Camp is no big deal. Buy air tickets (yourself or through some agents in Kathmandu) from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar. Once you reach Tumlingtar, you can buy the necessary ration, kerosene (NPR 80/ltr) and also hire porters. Porters would charge roughly around INR 350/day (excluding food).

The other option is to take help of some agent in Kathmandu for providing porters on per day basis. In that case, you won't have to waste time in Tumlingtar in finding porters. Contact Tanka, he will be able to help you in this regard. If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't have taken any help from agents as the trek doesn't warrant it.

I will be starting on the first week of November from Tumlingtar. Don't think there will be snow in Makalu BC. Once, you reach Hillary BC and go beyond, you will find snow.

Hope this helps.

Hi Souvik

I'm also planning on the Mera or Island in end nov-dec. Thanks for the info Souvik, I wrote to Tanka from Pike and he seems quite helpful. He doesnt have groups but he said he would put me on another group. In fact he mentioned Priyanka too, told me to contact her.

@Priyanka, please let us know your trip details and plans as of now. Thanks.

Prav

Am starting on oct 16 from katmandu for MBC.Duration 20 days.Are your dep dates fixed.I am aware of what you advised me earlier.thanks!.It is a recce for me to know the in and outs and build info.As many sources say that part is remote trail...Are you sure that i dont get snow.Can i get a good view of makalu from Baruntse pokhari..which is 250m higher than MBC.

Hey,

Right now I am in Kathmandu. I did Dhaulagiri Base Camp/French Pass trek. Was supposed to go to Upper Mustang from Jomsom but had to return back from Kagbeni due to sprained ankle and terrible pain in knees. Probably left ankle is broken.

3 weeks back I heard that the flights to Tumlingtar are not operational due to some renovation work being done at the airport. Did you get any info about this? If it's closed then you will have to keep 3/4 days in hand to reach there from Kathmandu.

My dates are as of now fixed, probably i will come back to Kathmandu on 6th Nov, ending the trek sometime in mid December.

I am not sure whether you will get snow in MBC. From my experience, most probably not. You will get good views from base camp but if you are travelling higher then obviously it will be an icing on the cake!!

Happy trekking.

what you said was true.Tumlingtar flights were not operational.Travelling by bus is killing and requires atleast 3 - 4 days that is what i was told.As i was travelling by train from B'lore it would be more strain to my partner.keeping if mind of his good health and of time.I cancelled the trip.

Sorry to hear that mate. Better luck next time!! Hope to see you around in Leh in January.

Hi All

just wanted to bump this thread up to see if anyone else might have made similar plans. Looking for companions around that time for Island peak.

Thanks
Praveen