Nepal. One country,
a hundred adventures.

Nepal travel guide: everything you need to plan your trek

Nepal is the trekking capital of the world — home to eight of the fourteen 8,000-metre peaks, a teahouse trail network found nowhere else on Earth, and mountain cultures that welcome walkers into their villages every single day. This guide covers where to trek, when to go, what it costs, the permits you need and how to stay safe — with links to every route so you can go deeper on the ones that catch your eye.

Where to trek in Nepal

Nepal’s trekking is organised into distinct regions, each with its own character. The Everest region is the most famous, home to Sherpa culture and the world’s highest mountain. The Annapurna region offers the greatest variety, from gentle ridge walks to high desert passes. Langtang is the closest big-mountain valley to Kathmandu, Manaslu is the connoisseur’s circuit, and Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Dolpo and the Far West are for trekkers who want the trail largely to themselves.

The classic teahouse treks

The Everest Base Camp trek is the world’s most famous walk — 14 days to the foot of Everest and back, sleeping in Sherpa-run teahouses the whole way. Its great rival is the Annapurna Base Camp trek, a shorter route into a spectacular natural amphitheatre, while the Annapurna Circuit crosses the 5,416 m Thorong La on the classic full loop. The Manaslu Circuit trek is widely considered the best all-round trek in Nepal today — quieter than Everest and Annapurna, with a genuine high pass at Larke La. Shorter options include the Langtang Valley trek, the Ghorepani Poon Hill trek for sunrise over the Annapurnas in just four days, and the Mardi Himal trek, the region’s best-kept short-trek secret. In the Everest region, the Gokyo Lakes trek swaps base camp for turquoise glacial lakes, and the Three High Passes trek links Renjo La, Cho La and Kongma La on the toughest teahouse route in Khumbu.

Off the beaten path

Restricted-area permits open up a wilder Nepal. Walk the medieval Buddhist valley of Tsum, circle the far-eastern giant on the Kanchenjunga Circuit, reach Makalu Base Camp beneath the world’s fifth-highest peak, or cross the trans-Himalayan desert of Upper Mustang, the former Kingdom of Lo. The Nar Phu Valley hides Tibetan villages a day’s walk from the Annapurna Circuit, Upper Dolpo is Nepal’s remotest inhabited corner, and Rara Lake is its most beautiful — and least visited — national park.

Best time to visit Nepal

Nepal has two peak trekking seasons. Autumn (September–November) brings the year’s most stable weather and crystal mountain views after the monsoon washes the sky clean. Spring (March–May) is warmer, with rhododendron forests in full bloom below 3,500 m. Winter (December–February) is cold but quiet and perfect for lower routes like Poon Hill, while the summer monsoon (June–August) is the season for rain-shadow regions such as Mustang and Dolpo, which sit behind the Himalayan wall and stay dry.

What trekking in Nepal costs

An all-inclusive teahouse trek with Magical Nepal typically runs from under $100 for a day tour to around $1,500 for a classic 12–14 day trek, and up to $2,500 for long restricted-area routes and climbing expeditions. Our prices include your licensed guide, all trekking permits, teahouse accommodation, three meals a day on the trail and airport transfers — the price you see is the price you pay. See individual trip pages for live pricing and departures, and our booking terms for how deposits and payments work.

Permits and the guide requirement

Most treks need a TIMS card and a national-park or conservation-area permit (roughly $30–100 in total, depending on the region), while restricted areas like Manaslu, Tsum, Upper Mustang, Nar Phu, Kanchenjunga and Dolpo require special restricted-area permits that must be arranged through a registered local agency. Since April 2023, Nepal requires a licensed guide for most trekking regions. Every Magical Nepal trip includes both the guide and every permit — we handle all of the paperwork before you arrive.

Getting there and getting around

All international flights land at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, where we meet every guest. Everest treks start with the short mountain flight to Lukla — or you can skip the fixed-wing leg entirely with a Kathmandu–Lukla helicopter flight, or see the whole Khumbu in a morning on an Everest Base Camp helicopter tour. Annapurna and Manaslu treks begin with a drive from Kathmandu or Pokhara, and Langtang’s trailhead at Syabrubesi is a day’s drive from the capital.

Beyond the trails: tours and safaris

You don’t need to trek to fall for Nepal. Spend a day among the seven UNESCO World Heritage sites of the Kathmandu Valley, track rhinos from a dugout canoe in Chitwan National Park, unwind on the lakeshore in Pokhara, or combine all three on the classic Golden Triangle tour of Nepal, which also visits Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha.

Peak climbing and expeditions

Nepal’s “trekking peaks” are the natural next step after a big trek. Island Peak (6,189 m) and Mera Peak (6,476 m) — Nepal’s highest trekking peak — are the two classics, while Lobuche East offers the finest summit view of Everest itself and Yala Peak in Langtang is the ideal first Himalayan summit. Ready for more? Step up to a full expedition on Baruntse (7,129 m) or Himlung Himal (7,126 m).

Altitude, safety and insurance

Altitude sickness is the one risk every Himalayan trekker must respect. Our itineraries build in proper acclimatisation days, our guides carry oximeters and check the whole group daily, and we never race a schedule against a summit. You’ll need travel insurance that covers emergency helicopter evacuation to your trek’s maximum altitude — for most routes that means cover to 6,000 m. Drink three litres a day, walk slowly, and tell your guide the moment you feel off: that honesty is what keeps success rates high.

Why plan your trip with Magical Nepal

We’re a Kathmandu-based team of licensed guides and trip specialists, running 600+ departures a year since 2015 — currently ranked #2 of 2,959 tour operators in Kathmandu on Tripadvisor with a 5/5 rating. Every trip is all-inclusive with no hidden costs, and a real specialist replies to every enquiry within hours. Read our story, browse all Nepal treks and tours, or get in touch — planning is free and there’s never any obligation.