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Everest Base Camp Trek? Buy a 400 quid plane ticket to
Kathmandu, take the bus to Jiri for a fiver then spend 10
quid a day staying in tea houses for three weeks. Total,
plus the flight back from Lukla and some added costs, erm,
let's say £750. More if you hire a local porter/guide.
Alternatively, you can spend around twice that and go
with an organised trekking company.
On the face of it, there's no contest. Same mountains,
same scenery, same trail, but half the price... Except it's
not quite that clear cut. Quite a few independent trekkers
look down on organised groups, but there are pros and cons
to both approaches...
Organised Treks
There are hundreds of trekking operators around,
some good some bad, though a lot will always come down to
leadership and organisation on the ground. Ask around for
personal recommendations, peruse our travel section and
forum, look at the different options and check carefully
what's included and what isn't.
The big names aren't necessarily better, you may find a
more personal and efficient service from a small, specialist
operator who just deals with one particular area. Last but
not least, make sure you know where you stand as far as
insurance goes. The Khumbu valley is no place to discover
that you're not quite as covered as you thought.
Organised Trekking - The
Pluses
• You've worked all year and now you're on
holiday. Letting someone else sort out all the transport and
administration, worry about the acclimatisation, book the
flights, bring you tea in your tent in the morning, load
your bag onto a yak and do the cooking does, however much of
a purist you are, have its attractions. All you have to do
is turn up and step onto the trekking conveyor belt. Minimal
planning needed.
• You're also benefiting, or should be, from the
local expertise of your tour leader. As an independent, you
can miss out on a lot of fascinating insights into the
culture and environment you're passing through.
• Porter-based trekking employs local people and
puts money into the local economy, though maybe not as much
as it should.
• If the worst happens and something goes wrong, a
good leader should be in control of the situation. For some
people that's important.
• You have a ready-made group of companions. There's
no guarantee that you'll like them, but the group is there
if you want it.
• You get tea in bed in the morning...
And The Minuses...
• You're moving as part of a group so you have less
individual freedom to stop for a day or two if the mood
takes you. In effect someone else is making the decisions
for you, though a good leader will make you feel that you
have some influence.
• If you hate your fellow trekkers, you're stuck
with them and the inward focus of some trekking groups means
you're less likely to strike up 'trail friendships' with
other, trekkers from outside the group.
• It costs considerably more than independent
trekking
• You don't have the same exhilarating feeling of
sudden immersion that you get trekking alone. Some
independent argue that groups are always one step away from
the local reality, but that's really down to you.
• Macho independent trekkers will think you're a
wuss.
Independent Trekking
The first time will feel daunting, but it's
really much easier than you might imagine. Buy a flight,
sort your vaccinations and insurance, pack a rucksack and
go. You'll need to do your own research, but the wealth of
information available on the web and from specialised
guidebooks makes that much easier than it used to be.
Popular treks in the Himalayas are now very well
developed with 'tea houses' or 'lodges' meaning you can
carry just clothing and sleeping bag and buy food en route,
in more remote areas, you're looking at backpacking, which
is tougher, but satisfying.
Independent Trekking - The
Pluses
• You're more self reliant and not tied to any
particular schedule or group.
• You're making your own decisions, so you're
learning as you go as well.
• You can eat what you want, but no bed tea unless
you hire your own porter.
• You can put money directly into the local
economy.
• You can refer to organised groups as a bunch of
wusses, but they'll have the last laugh when the bed tea
arrives.
• Generally cheaper.
The Minuses
• No bed tea.
• You are 100 per-cent responsible for your own
insurance, health, safety, navigation, research etc, which
means more time spent planning.
• You won't have a cultural guide - unless you hire
one independently - so it's easier to miss those cultural
nuances out on the trail.
• You can sometimes feel exposed and lonely without
the safety blanket of being part of a group, but hey, that's
the price you pay...
• No bed tea - actually I lied, in Nepal you an
always hire a local porter guide and enjoy some of the
pluses without being subsumed in a group.
The Answer
It sounds glib, but really it's down to you. The reason
that organised treks exist is simple - there's a big demand
for them. The Himalayas or Andes simply feel more daunting
than UK or European mountains and even experienced mountain
walkers often choose an organised trip, at least for their
first time.
The good news is that trekking independently is nothing
like as scary as some people will try to tell you and often,
the actual walking is no harder than in the UK. It's just a
question of taking a deep breath and jumping in.
But however you go, it'll be great.
• All photos by Simon Kirwan www.the-lightbox.com
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