TMC
WESTERN LED TREKS FOR 2013 & 2014

 

K2 & Gondogoro La (Pakistan) GUARANTEED in August 2013 for more information on this trek

 

K2 Base Camp & Concordia (Pakistan) GUARANTEED in late August 2013 for more information on this trek
   
GUARANTEED  

 

Dhaulagiri Circuit (Nepal) TWO MORE BOOKINGS REQUIRED led Almas Khan in October 2013 for more information on this trek

 

Mera Peak Expedition (Nepal), GUARANTEED led by Chris Horobin in November 2013 for more information on this trek

  

Kanchenjunga Circuit (Nepal) GUARANTEED WITH SHERPA LEADER and to be led by Gary Pfisterer with more than six people in November 2013 for more information on this trek

 

Everest Base Camp 60th anniversary (Nepal) TWO MORE BOOKINGs REQUIRED
led by Jill Lawson mid November 2013 for more information on this trek

 

Makalu to Everest (Nepal) led by Almas Khan in April 2014

 

Upper Dolpo to Jomsom (Nepal) ONE MORE BOOKING REQUIRED led by Ade Summers May 2014
WELCOME TO OUR SPRING 2013 NEWSLETTER

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Namaste, I am writing this e-newsletter from Kathmandu as I am now in Nepal helping to organise our groups visiting during the Spring season. 
 
Spring is my favourite time of year in Nepal as there are several interesting festivals held in March such as the recent Holi and Shivaratri and overall it tends to be less busy than the peak month of October during the Autumn season. If you are thinking of trekking in Nepal it is well worth considering the months of  March or April especially if you are trekking in Annapurna, Kanchenjunga or Langtang regions where the rhododendrons will be in flower.

Yesterday I joined a group on their scenic mountain flight over Mount Everest and in fact by pure chance this was the 80th anniversary of the first flight over Everest. On April 3rd 1933, two Westland PV-3 biplanes one of them piloted by Douglas Douglas-Hamilton 14th Duke of Hamilton took off from India and managed to get 50 metres above the summit of Mount Everest. If you are coming to Nepal and do not get the opportunity to see the Big E on trek or on your tour of Nepal then I  would certainly recommend you consider take the mountain flight. For more information read my recent blog article on Everest mountain flight on 80th anniversary

 

This year there is also another important anniversary in Nepal as it is the Diamond Jubilee year following Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary's ascent of Everest on 29th May 1953. Since then many trekkers have followed in these legendary mountaineers' footsteps and trekked to Everest Base Camp.

 

Why not visit the Everest region this year and join these celebrations? In November we are organising a special 60th anniversary trek to Everest Base Camp led by Jill Lawson. We also have a wide range of other treks in the Khumbu including Everest High Passes, Everest Discovery, Everest Luxury Lodges and Luxury Everest Base Camp (with higher standard accommodation up to Pangboche).

 

If you are planning on joining one of our trips to the Himalaya or Karakoram over the Summer or Autumn seasons I suggest you think about booking your flights soon as there are some good deals around at the moment, for latest prices please take a look at flight cost comparison website SkyScanner

 

As ever please get in touch if you would like any help or advice with planning your next trip. I will be in Nepal until middle of May and then back in UK until end of June. If you can get to London then I would be delighted to meet you in May or June.


 
Roland Hunter
The Mountain Company, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 207 4980953
 
 

 

 
K2
K2 seen from Concordia
TRIPS NOW GUARANTEED TO RUN FOR SUMMER AND AUTUMN 2013

It has been a busy few months since our New Year e-newsletters went out in early January and now we have most of our western led treks guaranteed to run (see column above and left to check the current status). 

 

For several treks listed below we require just a few more bookings in order to confirm the departure. If you would like to join any of these groups below please get in touch with us and hopefully these trips will be guaranteed to run soon:

  

Dhaulagiri Circuit in Nepal (October 2013) led by Almas Khan

Rodung La with Merak and Sakten in Bhutan (November 2013) led by Almas Khan

60th anniversary Everest Base Camp in Nepal (November 2013) led by Jill Lawson

Kanchenjunga Circuit in Nepal (November 2013) led by Gary Pfisterer

Upper Dolpo to Jomsom in Nepal (May 2014) led by Ade Summers

Makalu to Everest in Nepal (April 2014) led by Almas Khan

 

Click here for the complete list of Western and Sherpa led treks now guaranteed to run over the Summer and Autumn

Lunana Snowman
View from Karchung La on Lunana Snowman
THE GREAT HIMALAYA TRAIL ("GHT") TREKS IN NEPAL AND BHUTAN 
In Bhutan during Autumn 2013, we have two GHT treks: in late September Lunana Snowman (now guaranteed to run) and then in late October we are excited to organise Rodung La with Merak and Sakten for the first time. Rodung La trek will be led by our Bhutan specialist Almas Khan who also led our 2012 Snowman trek.

In Nepal during Autumn 2013, we are organising one GHT trek from Kanchenjunga to Makalu (plus also shorter walk out to Tumlingtar) however this group is now full. We have experienced very high demand for our Kanchenjunga GHT trek so please get in touch soon if you would like to join this group in 2014.

In Nepal during Spring 2014, we have two GHT treks in Nepal: in mid April, Makalu to Everest crossing Sherpani pass, West Col and Amphu Laptsa passes and in May Upper Dolpo to Jomsom.
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet
LONELY PLANET RECOMMENDS BATHALI VILLAGE TREK
Lonely Planet's recent article "The world's best multi-day treks...without high altitudes" recommended the Bathali village trek in Nepal in their Top Five choices. 
 
Our new Luxury Kathmandu Valley trek set up last December includes the walk through Bathali village on this six day trek following the hills around the Kathmandu valley. This would be a good choice if you are looking for a short trek in Nepal with superb Himalayan views while staying in high standard hotels along the way including the superb Dwarikas Shangri La hotel in Dhulikel.
Porter Progress UK
Porter in Nepal
PORTERS PROGRESS (UK) 
We were pleased to be publicly thanked by Porters Progress (UK) - "PPUK"- for our help with their Porters' Need Research Survey carried out last Autumn in Nepal.
 
Interestingly their results showed porters' main requests are for more training including language skills (English and French) and for better understanding of altitude and the acclimatisation process. Perhaps it means these days trekking companies are doing a better job at providing gear as well as there being more options available for porters to borrow from lending banks such as one operated by PPUK in Lukla.
 
We supported the idea of a survey to find out what the porters really require rather than like many charities providing what they "think" might be needed by the people they are trying to help. Top marks to PPUK for their sensible approach and they will no doubt be in a better position to fund appropriate projects that will make a real difference to the porters of Nepal.
Elephant safari in Chitwan
INSPECTION VISIT TO CHITWAN NATIONAL PARK IN NEPAL
Last December I spent a week around Chitwan National Park in Nepal where I inspected and reviewed fifteen selected hotels and lodges to determine the best ones available to use for our clients. 
 
In the past we used lodges located inside the National Park however all of these properties were closed down in July 2012 because their leases were not renewed by the government. There has been on-going uncertainty about lease renewals and as far as I understand at the moment it is unlikely these will be granted in the future mainly under premises of environmental reasons. As a result over the last year there have been several new high quality lodges constructed outside the Park mainly in the area further west along Rapti River around the villages of Patihani and Jagatpur.
 
Chitwan National Park is a popular place to visit after a trek in Nepal and is also included in all of our cultural tours of Nepal. If you would like to visit Chitwan National Park please get in touch with us, we can then suggest the best lodges in Chitwan according to your budget that have all now been inspected by us.
 
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT NEPAL
Recently we have been writing some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the Nepal section of TMC website, please let me know what you think and if these are helpful for planning your trip to Nepal? Do you think there are any other questions you think should be included in this section? Your feedback is always appreciated, many thanks in advance.
If you are on Facebook please visit and join The Mountain Company's Group. There has been lots of activity in our group recently especially with some entertaining comments about "Shep" the dog that has followed all of our Dhaulagiri Circuit groups over the last five years to Italian Base Camp! Please click on the link below to see the photo of The Mountain Company's adopted dog....

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We hope you enjoyed reading our newsletter for any further information, help and advice, please don't hesitate to contact us.
 
Trek on!
 
Roland Hunter
The Mountain Company, UK
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