Daily Routine on the Trial:

The daily schedule that Rath Nepal has found to be best is to rise early each morning and after a hot drink and a snack begin the day's hike while the weather is cool and sky clear. Lunch or brunch is taken about 11 am. This enjoyable interlude affords the opportunity for photographs, bathing, journal writing, bird watching or just eating. It also allows the slower moving load carrying porters a chance to catch up. After this pause the rest of the day's hike is tackled, and the night a camp site reached usually between 3 and 4 pm.

Sometimes porters carrying the tents, bedding and duffel bags may reach camp up to an hour after you. Therefore, it is wise to carry with any essentials such as a dry shirt or extra sweater which you feel you may need after you get to the end of the day's hike.

Food:

At about 6:30 am your Sherpa will make for you a hot tea or coffee and a light meal of porridge, cereal, bread, butter, jam and crackers. The point of a light breakfast is that an early start allows you to take the most of the day on the trail. If however, after a day or two you feel you would like something more substantial then this in the early morning, please explain this to your Sherpa leader.

After three and half hours or so on trail you have a lunch of eggs, potatoes, cheese etc. After arrival in camp a light tea snacks followed by the evening meal at about 6:30, 7:30 pm when soup, a main course and sometimes a desert will be served, tea, coffee, and chocolate, will be available at all meals.

Cold Drinks:

It is difficult to obtain either good fruit drink mix powder or tinned fruit juice in Kathamndu and it would be advisable for you to bring your own mix powder for use in water bottle. Some people like to carry with them a small supply of nuts dried fruit or chocolate. If you plan to carry such munchies, please buy them Kathmandu before the trek as it is difficult to procure these things along the trial.

Water:

 Water used when hot drinks are served will have been boiled. For cold water it is best to keep your own water bottle as the main source of supply. Filling your bottle with boiled water at night in the dining tent allows time for if cool before trekking beings the following day.

Sherpas:

All our Sherpa camp staff are able to speak adequate simple English. The younger ones who have had the benefit of Sir Edmund Hillary's schools speak and write very good English. The fact the young men and boys speak much better English than their elders, creates a rather unusual problem. When there is a special need for good communication in times of difficulty and stress. It is the Sherpa leader and senior Sherpas however who make the decisions in times of difficulty. The young men may be very useful as interprets but do not let them dominate the situation. Please do not ask them for their opinion of what should be done in difficult circumstances just because you are better able to communicate with them.

Camp Etiquette : Sanitation

Large groups of trekkers pose a camp sanitation problem and as certain camp site are traditional there is a grave risk of camping places becoming badly contaminated. The Sherpas will arrange for the erection of screens and will dig toilet pits. All toilet paper should be put into the toilet pits. The Sherpas will cover the pits when strike the camp.

We try and teach our Sherpas leave camp sites cleaner than they find them. This is sometimes an uphill task. We would be very grateful if by personal examples and if necessary by direct admonishment to your Sherpas, you can help to ensure that our groups leave camp sites and meal stops clean & tidy. This is the only occasion on which we ask you to interfere with the work of your Sherpas.

Miscellaneous Matters:

Please keep an eye on your personal effects and do not leave possessions, especially anything valuable, lying around. There is not a great danger of deliberate theft. On a trek, it is better to be careful than sorry when camping near a village.

Although an occasional or special exception may be made, please do not invite guests to meals on trek.

Everybody enjoys a campfire at nights and your Sherpa will do their best to provide you with this comfort when feasible. Great tracts of Nepal have been stripped of their forests and in many areas; firewood is scare and expensive when purchased. However, in the case of campfires expense is less important than the consideration of that large bonires are inappropriate in places where the young villagers themselves are cooking over piles of twigs and dung. In addition, large campfires contribute to the already serious deforestation problem in Nepal and are forbidden in the National Parks.

Rath Nepal cannot stress enough the dangers that are very eel and ever present of sleeping bags and tents catching fire because of carelessness with lighted candles. We strongly recommend against the use of candles in tents and if tents or sleeping bags are damaged due to negligence Rath Nepal expects replacement/reimbursement from you. If you plan to write or read in the evening we suggest you to bring a flash light or head lamp with extra batteries. The dining tents are also available for use after dinner.

Non Emergencies:

Unless a charter flight is included in your trekking program and has been agreed before your departure from Kathmandu , please do not send us message asking for an air evacuation in case other than of genuine sickness or injury. See the emergency sheet for details concerning accidents. Of course, trekkers at liberty of fly out under their own arrangements and at their own expenses making use of scheduled or, non schedule, stool services bun sufficient time must be allowed for the Sherpas to walk back to Pokhara or Kathmandu . No refunds can be made on a trek cut short nor can airfares be refunded.

Financial Matters:

As with every branch of the tourist industry around the world become an accepted customs in trekking and mountaineering inNepal. Our Sherpas have come to expect some sort of tip, gratuity from our clients after a trek. It is our policy not to come between our clients and the Sherpas in this respect, however, the following observations may be useful guides.

Our Sherpas are told that they should only expect tips for very well or expectation service to our clients. They should not expect extra reward for the minimum required services. The gratuity should be paid prorate, to the concerned Sherpa staff (not porters) directly to emphasize the feeling of appreciation.

It is not expected that the porter performs some special (like finding and bringing to camp a piece of clothing or camera equipment left behind by a client and lost). Such services should be rewarded on the spot.

We used to say our Sherpa staff would be very grateful for any piece of clothing you do not want to take home at the end of the trek. Although this is still true for good items, especially boots, on the whole the Sherpas prefer a cash gratuity. You will notice that it is the porters who are in real need of clothing rather than the camp staff Sherpas. We now, advise that if you have items of clothing of little value, consider giving them to the less well clothed porters. This should be done through the Sherpa leader.

Frequently trekkers ask how much Nepalese currency they should carry. The answer is that while you have paid for all the charges connected with your trek in full-food, porters, etc it is useful to have a small amount of personal cash with you to meet small commitments and perhaps buy such things as local sweets, fruit and rice bear along the way.

Gifts:

No presents of any sort should be distributed indiscriminately along the trial (especially sweets, chewing gum and balloons to children). Simple gifts could be given however, to show your appreciation or concern. For example crayons and pictures to the village schoolmasters after a visit to his school or to the children of a house in which you have enjoyed hospitality are thoroughly appreciated gifts.

Conclusion:

The above notes have tried to deal with some of the questions that you may have about your coming trek and some of the problems which may arise along the trial. In outdoor trips of this nature it is just not possible to lay down cut and dried procedures to deal with all eventualities. Minor upsets and crises may occur as they can in any pioneering venture. Your Sherpa have been well briefed and working in close co-operation and consultation with them, we hope you will be able to solve any problems which may arise.

How to contact:

Office: Rath Nepal Tours & Travel Pvt. Ltd

P.O Box 10691 , 2 nd floor Mountain Plaza

Kantipath, Kathmandu , Nepal

Tel: 977-1-4268948, 4258141, 4264512

Fax: 977-1-4264512

Really urgent and emergency messages will usually be accepted by Nepal Government check post Radio stations for transmission to Kathmandu, being such urgent message "Rath Nepal" Telephone 4268948.

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