Things to know about trail running destination Nepal.

I had no idea what to expect from the destination Nepal when the first time came here in 2016. I’ve been aware of existence of few things: Everest, Yeti and Himalayas, but that was pretty much it. As a trail runner i jumped straight into trail exploring and ran numerous trekking routes and did some prolong adventures in a big mountains. Since then i learned a lot about Nepal and trail running possibilities in this high-terrain country.

Want to share with you some facts about Nepal and you can decide – is it a fun place to go or not:

THE HIMALAYAS

The mountains in Nepal is enormous. Views of the snow covered ranges are stunning and unreal. All the big peaks are gathering in this little land plot to make you feel small and be amazed by them. Watching sunrise above Everest is one of the thing you can do here. And, yes, you can run there.

Many of us love mountains because of alpine terrain, right? To get to alpine here in Himalayas you must climb more or less up to 3500 m. You always have to take an acclimatization in account if doing any big and epic high-altitude adventures. 5000m passes crossing is a standard here. So be prepared and schedule few extra days of altitude adaptation to make sure your body can handle lack of oxygen.

THE TRAILS IN HIMALAYAS

What the heck is going on, why there is so many trails?

Yes, trails are everywhere!

Back in a days villagers living in the hilly areas had only one way to commute: by foot.

Anywhere in Himalayas you will be able to find some awesome trail to run.

  • Trails in a more populated areas are very well built decades ago using stones as a paving materials to protect them from the heavy rainfalls during the rainy season. This also involved a lot of step building on a steep sections. And as you know climbing long steep steps is a great exercise to improve your leg strength and a butt shape.
  • Trekking routes trails is well maintained and marked. On a very popular routes during high tourist season you’ll feel tight as there is a tons of people and also mules and yak’s on a freight missions between the villages.
  • In a high country there is a huge variation of a shepherd’s trails which is more wild and way more technical. Its hard to find them, as they are not marked on a map and usually they can be locate only during the exploration run or by the direction given from local trail guru.
  • Exposed ridge running is a great option in a lower mountains, but not here in Himalayas, as i mentioned before alpine terrain is very high and running there is pretty hard. Walking/climbing the ridges is fun tho.

Navigation can be done by using maps, phone navigation app or GPS device.

Going with phone be aware than battery life is shorter on a higher elevation and in colder temperatures.

PEOPLE OF NEPAL

In general people are very nice, friendly and relaxed. As a tourist you are feeling very welcomed in this country and beside many other nations in Asia you are not feeling only as an money giving object for them.

Many of locals who are living in touristy/trekking areas can speak English, so communication is never a problem. Nepal is one of the poorest countries, but despite that you can feel more of the positive vibes on a streets here then anywhere else in “developed” world. I guess its related to the very close and warm relationships between members of the families and within communities. Kids since they first steps taught to become a better person and give love to all others. But there is a feeling that this “spirituality” might change very rapidly, as the country is moving towards westerner’s approach to the things, banking credit system and total smartphone canonization.

In many cases Nepali have some problems with sense of responsibility and critical thinking. If you arranging something be aware that its might not be done in time or not the way you wanted it. Accept it. If you are not planning to build space research center in Nepal and shoot few rockets into a space, you’ll be absolutely fine to survive and enjoy as a traveler here.

MOVING AROUND

You are arrived to Kathmandu (only international airport) and ready to hit the trails.

How to get there? Its depends where are you going and how big is your budget.

Yes, there is always an option to start your run straight from the airport, but if you want to get more into big mountains you probably want to get away from Kathmandu.

Option 1: By road

For example you are going to Jiri to start your Everest Base camp trek/run.

Great, its only 200 km away and its probably will take me some 3 hours by bus, right?

Wrong! Prepare yourself to face the worst roads ever and be in the washing machine for at least 8 hours. Roads are narrow, windy and rough.

Even main highway between metropolitan cities is very slow by bus.

Jeeps or taxi can take less time and feels bit more comfortable.

All this options are cheap and you are able to catch them almost anytime anywhere.

Option 2: By plane

Flying by small plane is the option if you starting your trip somewhere near local airfield.

Its super fast but super not-reliable, as the weather condition might be as bad as there will be no flights for a days.

Flights are between 80-180$ depends of the destination and time of the year.

WHERE TO STAY

Big cities like Kathmandu or Pokhara offers a wide range of accommodation. You can choose between luxury resorts and very basic hostels. Heading into the Himalayas you might not find 5 star hotels, but you will always find some place to crash after long day on a trails.

In the bigger Himalayan villages there are plenty of guest houses or motel type of accommodations. Usually very basic rooms, but with great dinning options. Most likely you’ll find an electricity, wi-fi and sometimes hot shower there.

Higher up in a more wild areas there is a huts to stay. Hundreds of them everywhere in the Himalayas offering tea, meals and bed. Electricity at some places are limited or non-exist, sometimes you might get hot water bucket to shower, food menu is very limited.

In general its a very convenient way to travel around by foot (running), as you can stop and sleep when you are feeling tired (usually no booking system). On the another hand its so frustrating to see so many buildings which does not fits in existing environment. Trekking business is growing up and the number of guest houses growing as well. People putting them randomly everywhere with a predominant blue color of the roof and walls. Shame that Nepal doesn’t have any building regulations regarding an authentic look and placing parameters of this structures.