Flying to Kathmandu

[moonrover]

Yo peeps. I've been thinking about trekking in Nepal in the coming months and can get a super cheap flight to any of the following cities: Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Peking. Have any of you flown to Kathmandu and gone through these cities? Anybody know which would be the cheaper connection, or be so fascinating that I MUST stop there if possible? Any help appreciated, as well as any tips for Nepal / SE Asia. Am planning to mainly trek (being a long trip I won't be able to carry all my climbing gear - hopefully I can find some cheap stuff there if I get the urge). Thanks!

[chelle]

check your pm's.

[dryad]

ditto

[marylou]

Isn't the political situation in Nepal kinna messed up right now?

[cj001f]

Isn't the political situation in Nepal kinna messed up right now?

Nah, having all telephone lines to the outside world severed by the king is the sign of a stable democracy.

[Dustin_B]

Standard flight to KTM is through BKK (Bangkok). There is a ton of stuff to do during a stopover in Thailand or Singapore. Try to take a week or two if you can. You won't regret it. PM me if you have any specific questions about what to do there, I just returned from there (pre-tsunami).

[Dustin_B]

All that political non-sense if over rated and over hyped by the media. I wouldn't let that stop me from going (and I'm not). Millions of people are getting along just fine.

[moonrover]

Hmm, last update was in October...

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_927.html

 

Anyone else been there recently?

Thanks all for the info!

[marylou]

I just did a little Googling around, and the King cut off phone service last weekend again. The State Department website is way out of date on things, but news articles would indicate the country is in some pretty serious turmoil right now. Besides the king stifling democracy, there are insurgent uprisings and the US Gov't is not happy about the harboring of terrorists. It looks like the possibility of civil war and/or a closing of the US Embassy, and/or some kind of military action on the part of the US gov't might be pretty real possibilities.

 

But you probably already know all of this if you are planning to go in the next couple of months. At the very least, it might not be a bad idea to register with the Embassy over there so at least they know you are there, should things go even more sideways. Seems like a tough time to go there.

[cj001f]

February 2, 2005 State Department Warning

Economist Backgrounder

 

Lonely Planet Warning

 

It may be overhyped, I dunno. For your above question India and Thailand suspended flights to Nepal. Given how fluid the situation seems to be I decided to look at other destinations. Try the Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum; there's recent information there that's much more current than what you'll find here.

[JasonG]

My wife and I spent the month of November in the Khumbu.

We went through BKK and flew Thai airways (highly recommended), and visited some southern beaches just before all hell broke loose. Nepal and KTM felt really safe, we only had a few tense run ins with Maoists on the trail (on the section from Jiri to Lukla). We paid our "donation" and were on our way . . . From what I gather, things are not terribly different today. This is the best website I've found for up to the minute information:

 

http://www.raonline.ch/pages/story/np_mao0c.html

 

Hope this helps!

[markharf]

My highly opinionated take on the situation: In a general sense, one who needs to ask advice about cheap airfares on a climbing website should probably stay clear of revolutions in progress. On the other hand, your status as a wealthy (relative to local standards), American, noncombatant tourist will usually protect you. Besides, with certain notable exceptions, civil wars are sporadic in nature: bits of fighting here and there, incidents of sabotage etc., interspersed with life more or less as usual. Local people adjust to circumstances and get by as best they can. If you're flexible, so can you.

 

Think: localized shortages of essential commodities; disruptions in transport and commercial activities; extortion by Maoists, police, soldiers, and opportunists; breakdowns in communication infrastructure. This could be great fun for you, the tourist, or a major threat to your life and limb—depending on your skill at negotiating these sorts of situations and your dumb luck. Are you ready to go hungry from time to time, talk your way through roadblocks manned by teenagers with AK-47's, keep an ear to the ground and adjust plans accordingly, suffer periods of exceptional boredom, and be satisfied in the absence of phone/email/post contact with the folks at home? If so, it's a nice country with good people, trekking and scenery, and they'll be happy to see you. If not, well, assess your risk tolerance and roll the dice. Most likely you'll be fine.

 

Hope that helps.

[Dustin_B]

check here:

 

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messag...id=0&from=1

 

and here:

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messag...id=0&from=1

 

first and last pages of a very extensive conversation...

[cj001f]

Bumptly, bump for recommended treks in Nepal?

[chelle]

The Gokyo Valley/Khumbu Valley trek is very beautiful. Allow 18+ days.

[daveLok]

The Gokyo Valley/Khumbu Valley trek is very beautiful. Allow 18+ days.

 

Is this doable in early December? I have about 3 weeks off after thanksgiving and am thinking of either heading to nepal, or to south america. I would prefer nepal if its not too late in the season.

[Mal_Con]

Yes, we did it in December and pick off Island Peak too. December is pretty dry in comparison to October.

[highclimb]

i am going on Oct. 2 tokyo to bangkok to kathmandu..that is the best way to do it. words straight from the mouth of a close family friend who has been living there since 75. i went last summer to nepal and and now going back this fall to trek/work.

 

as for the political situation:

the maoists have just annouced a 90 day cease fire. soo thats good for the upcoming trekking/climbing season. dont let the maoist detract you from going....if you have a tourist visa they wont touch you (in theory) and just carry some cash on you so if you do get stopped by them you can give them the cash as a "donation" and say its all you have.

[daveLok]

Yes, we did it in December and pick off Island Peak too. December is pretty dry in comparison to October.

 

Did you go through a guide service? Do you have any reccommendations?

 

Thanks.

[cj001f]

as for the political situation:

the maoists have just annouced a 90 day cease fire. soo thats good for the upcoming trekking/climbing season. dont let the maoist detract you from going....if you have a tourist visa they wont touch you (in theory) and just carry some cash on you so if you do get stopped by them you can give them the cash as a "donation" and say its all you have.

It's not the Maoists right now, its the mass protests and arrests in Kathmandu.

 

Anyone have a rec for a 2 week or slightly less trek?

[Mal_Con]

Yes, we did it in December and pick off Island Peak too. December is pretty dry in comparison to October.

 

Did you go through a guide service? Do you have any reccommendations?

 

Thanks.

 

We did not go through a guide service but had ran into a Sherpa Neima Tenzing who has one at REI (he is mentioned in Everest the West Ridge and knw RFK Unsold and big Jim) and brought him some thermous water bottles. He refered us to a guide who hired a few porters (they later ran off at night). We did not have a permit for the peak but things were pretty loose outside the towns.