November 4-11, 2022. Nepal is known for outdoor activity. Everest Base Camp and the Annapurna Circuit are treks I have been hearing about for years. However, after the horrible altitude sickness experience in Peru, I wasn’t quite ready to try high altitude hiking even with medication. Thankfully, the Intrepid tour I was on Epic India to Nepal, only included low altitude activities.

The tour mixed adventure activities with culture. First, we left Kathmandu and retraced our path to the Trisuli River. We had two days of rafting planned and I was nervous after seeing the river from the road. My mother forced me on a multi day raft trip in southern Oregon a few years ago. I had enjoyed it and I kept replaying that feeling as we packed our dry bags before loading the rafts.

The Trisuli River follows the highway linking Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan. Surprisingly, while on the river, noise from the road was minimal. However, it didn’t provide the remote feeling I was looking for. The guides ensured we had a good time and started multiple splash fights. No one fell out but we did get drenched going though the rapids.

Since it was a two day trip we spent the night at a river camp. There were permanent tents, toilets, and a camp fire. The guides cooked up delicious food and we feasted while listening to the river and fire (plus the occasional truck horn). I slept surprisingly well and didn’t want to leave my bed in the morning. However, we had to raft down the river a few more miles to catch the van which would take us to Pokhara.

We spent the night in Pokhara and prepared for the trek. We would be trekking in the Annapurna region for the next four days. I got a set of hiking poles, snacks and plenty of cash. We would stay and eat all our meals in tea houses.

Gandruk was the first village we stayed in. It was a beautiful historical place. The buildings are still built in the traditional manner with slate roofs. The following morning we got to learn about the Gurung culture and try on traditional clothing. This was a highlight for me. The sun came out and the mountains became visible.

We saw so many traditional activities along the trek. It was harvest time so many people were in the fields picking rice or millet. The women wear beautiful dresses as they work. These people can carry so much on their backs. We passed many people completely hidden by the size of their load. These people are so strong and tough yet somehow managed to smile and greet us with a namaste whenever we passed.

Trekking wasn’t that hard. We’d hike for a few hours in the morning, stop for a 2 hour lunch in a tea house (I’d most likely have fried noodles with egg and vegetables plus a Marsala tea), before hiking for a few more hours to reach the tea house for that evening. The weather was mild and dry. The tea houses were nicer than I was expecting and I slept well.

Our last night trekking we stayed in a homestay. The family invited a local music group to preform and we all got to dance. The men do a squatting and jumping dance. It would be an incredible dance workout. Everyone joined in the dancing including our porters. The porters carried our overnight bags for us. They were so nice and strong. We couldn’t have done the trek without them. We also had an assistant guide who was female. Intrepid is working to improve female representation in the trekking industry. We passed an Intrepid group that was completely female, guides, porters and guests. So cool!

In the morning the family saw us off with a leaving celebration. They blessed us with tikkals and garlands.

This is why I travel. Not to see the mountains or go for a hike. It’s to interact with people and learn about different cultures. I love seeing real life and going trekking let’s you see a side of the country that a basic tourist wouldn’t. This is also why I love traveling with Intrepid (not sponsored). They make a point in finding authentic experience maybe a homestay or home cooked meal or craft workshop. Something that gets you off the main streets and into how locals live. While ensuring the experience it ethical and beneficial to both locals and tourists.

I am so grateful to have these experiences. At times as I was walking I couldn’t stop grinning thinking “how in the world is this my life? How did I get so lucky? I am so blessed to dictate my life and live however I chose.” People in Nepal work so hard for what I took for granted. Children as young as 5 might have to walk miles up and down mountains to get to class each way. School doesn’t start until 10am to give them time to walk that far. Most villages only have primary schools so unless you are extremely gifted education stops around 12 years of age. I lived half a mile home from school and still asked my parents to drive me most days. I am a single, unmarried woman at 27 and I fully support myself. I got to attend university and now my work as a nurse is both lucrative and flexible which allows me to travel half the year. My life is very different that most of the women in the villages and that is okay. I would not want to swap places but I really enjoyed getting an insight into their lives.

Again, thank you to intrepid for organizing these tours. My guides have been outstanding and I love getting to share the experience with other likeminded travelers. Nepal is a fabulous country just waiting to be explored. My guide, Amit, asked me to invite everyone I know to visit 🙂