For travelling and while in Kathmandu
Comfortable street clothes that are light.Money belt, pouch or secure pockets (passports can be safely locked in the safe in our hotel in Kathmandu)
For the trekking:
Lightweight walking boots or good solid walking shoesDay pack (at least 30 litres) containing:
Rainproof jacket *One warm jersey or polar fleece *
One thermal or Merino top
Warm hat and gloves *
Torch (or headlight) *
Sunhat *
Sunglasses *
Two 1L water bottles (or hydration pack and one water bottle) *
Water purifying tablets – at least 30 *
Two plastic bags (to keep stuff dry in your day bag in case of rain)
Toilet paper
Camera, charger/batteries and memory cards (pls don’t rely on phone for photos)
Diary, book, playing cards, pen etc
Hand sanitiser (1 small bottle, refill from Bharat's supply) *
Chap stick *
Sunscreen lotion *
Sroggen (snack food like muesli bars, glucose lollies) *
Insect repellent *
Personal first aid kit, containing:
Plasters, blister pads and strapping tape *Antiflamme cream
Gastrolyte or similar (blackcurrant is the preferred Flavour…...) *
Anti diarrhoea tablets *
Panadol, or equivalent *
Antibiotics (two types, one for general infection and another for sickness)
Any special medication that you require (eg. Asthma inhaler, antihistamine etc)
Pack liner (or large, strong plastic bag) for porters to carry your gear in containing:
Two pairs of lightweight pants, shorts or tights (jeans are not appropriate)Tracksuit pants (fat pants) *
Thermal underwear: spare long-sleeve and long-johns
Three t-shirts or active wear tops *
Three pairs of socks *
Hut shoes (sandals are fine)
Underwear (x4 is enough)
Towel (Smaller the better) *
Light sandals for the evening *
Sleeping bag (warm one with a compression bag) *
Swimming togs (for hot springs)
Toiletries – try to get small bottles of biodegradable soap and shampoo *
All items marked with a * can be purchased very cheaply in Kathmandu, Nepal. We will have time to do this before the trek.
What I forgot
- Read and prep. Be ready to do stuff myself and not rely so much on others. As a 3 trip veteran I should be leading or helping, not following.
- Maps of Kathmandu, Annapurna, Nepal. Be ready to take others on the walk from Thamel to Kathmandu Durbar Square and back. Be able to navigate on the trek and have situational awareness.
- Lonely Planet. Lots of good background in there that's not so easy to find in one place.
- Good First Aid kit with meds. Antibiotics, antiseptic cream and mosquito repellent were the things I was missing.
Supermarket bagsDry bags. They're essential for organising stuff. I discovered that dry bags are cheap in Nepal, around USD 5 each, and they're a great, permanent alternative to supermarket bags.- Gifts for kids. Grab a box of sample toothbrushes/toothpastes from your dentist. Grab pencils, pens and paper from the Warehouse. Balloons are popular too.
- Good compact camera. My phone didn't cut it but we decided the DSLR plus lenses wasn't worth the weight, and the hassle to unpack/repack and keep dry. Ideal camera would be: light, waterproof, good optical telephoto zoom, not need recharge/runs on AAs, have bluetooth.
- Hooks for over the bedroom door. Not enough hooks in the guesthouses for hanging wet stuff!
- Paracord or string - as well as duct tape for running repairs
- Power pack. We had no electricity (or wifi) for several days so both our phones ran down. So no strava, no camera, no kindle. Only a problem because of the weather, most guesthouses have solar electricity - but no sun meant no power. But also much easier to keep the power pack topped off and recharge devices in your room or backpack (while still using them).
- Local SIM? Depending on how addicted to the Internet you are! Wifi is adequate for messenger and email most places but pretty unreliable, more so the further into the mountains you get. Local mobile data is faster and more reliable. In 2022 it cost rs2500 for the month with 30GB data. But an NCell SIM didn't work well in Annapurna - go with Nepal Telecom instead.
Other Points
Talk to your doctor and get vaccinated, as well as getting any medication they think you should take with you (such as an antibiotic course).Vaccinations that you should seriously think about getting are Hep A (often comes with Typhoid as well) and Tetanus (available from local GP 3 weeks before departure). Polio can also be useful, especially if you plan to travel other developing countries in the future. Once you get a Hep A shot, go back to the Doctor in 6 months and get a booster; you will have protection for the next 20 years!
We are not trekking in Malaria areas so Malaria tablets are not necessary. There is a very minimal risk of Rabies and I feel that the cost involved makes this unnecessary.
Spending money: $350 to $400 USD cash should be enough in $100 and $50 notes (available from any bank in NZ). Nepalis prefer large bills so the larger the bill the better the rate you might get. Bring any AUD you might have kicking about too, and exact change to pay for your visa on entry to Nepal. There are money machines that dispense local currency in Kathmandu and Pokhara so take your credit/debit card.
Much of the gear above (40L day bag, good sleeping bags, t-shirts, rain coats, head torches) can be purchased cheaply in Nepal. (usually ¼ of the cost)
Got old clothes to give away? Take them to Nepal; the porters and guides as well as other charities we know will welcome them, and we should have more than enough room.
Tim's healthy practices
- Using hand sanitizer before every meal and after every ablution.
- Using tablets to sterilize water even if it has been filtered. Only exception is sealed bottled water.
- Buying/obtaining food from teahouses and restaurants known to Expansion.
