UKH

Thinking about a couple of weeks trekking in the Himalaya for the first time with my partner. Ideally organising a trip ourselves rather than joining a group. Any thought/recommendations on the best time of year, best routes for first timers and tips for travel/accommodation/logistics?

In reply to alastairmac:

Nepal - September to November or march April 

if you’ve not been then Everest bae camp fits a lot in short space . It a bit “ obvious “ but as an intro to the Himalaya on a short ( two weeks is only just enough ) time scale it’s unbeatable and doable . There will be lots of replies to some  about altitude /  being careful / oh my god if you go for two weeks you will surely die . But plenty of people go on organised treks to “ Ebc “ that take 10 days or so and yes it is quick and yes you sjouke take your time and be careful to do your research on altitude but it is doable . Nepal is also very easy compared to all the other Himalayan / Karakoram. Destinations   .  Very easy to rock up in lukla ( by plane ) and spend two weeks making your way to ebc and back staying in tea houses with nothing much pre arranged . 

India - the next easiest option. Best to contact to contact an agency and get them to set something up if on short time scale . If  you have a month ( and I know that’s not what you said it pretty easy to do lots of self organised back pack style treks but two weeks would not leave you much room for the unexpected faf that India is good at throwing at you . Best first destination In India would be lahdak . Lots of short easy to organise treks to do , the marka valley is the trade route but lots of options . A good agency to context is Rimo , who will do as much or as little as you want and are very good. Best months June July august September  . 

In reply to alastairmac:

Langtang and Gossainkund are easy enough from Kathmandu , Nepal for a two week trip.  You can get a normal bus from the bus station.  Maps easy to buy in Thamel.

I did that in late September 2001 after cycling there from Lhasa.  I don’t have my travel daily log book from then in front of me.  If I remember I can have a look at the timings for you, and where I started and ended my trek if you like, but won’t be before tomorrow.  

In reply to mike123:

I did Markha Valley trek as part of a three week trip to India including hanging out in Delhi and visiting the Taj. But… I have been to India a lot and done quite a bit of Himalayan and Karakoram trekking, so I know roughly how things work there. Can’t agree enough about your advice to budget for extra time. Two weeks is a very very short space of time to do much. On that trip it took my second or third flight just to get to Manali due to the weather. Then the drive to Leh was delayed due to road and traffic problems. Plus it’s always easy to lose a day or two to sickness. 
 

It is hard to appreciate how time consuming and chaotic India can be if you’ve not gone there before. Of course, that is part of why it is so brilliant.

In reply to alastairmac:

In reply to alastairmac:

Annapurna circuit was gorgeous. Also pretty easy in the end. 7/8hr walking days but we did it in 2 weeks.

Avoid spending too much time in Thamel...bit of tourist trap.

In reply to alastairmac: Thanks for all the responses. They're really helpful and give me a great starting point for pulling a trip together.