11 Days Alternative Annapurna Khopra Danda Trek

Nepal Trekking in Support for the Community lodges, Schools and Cottage Industries

In Singapore, we engaged the travel agent: X-Trekkers Adventure Consultant P/L which planned the entire trekking trails with the local company (Adventure Third Pole Trek). X-Trekkers also selected the entourage who went with us. It was a great team put together by the X-Trekkers. There were total 5 of us, 4 females and 1 male and we were all in our late forties, fifties and one above sixty. We had not much of an experience in mountain trekking but were really keen to start on one before we become too old for such stuff. With a well-tailored itinerary to suit our capacity, we set off to Nepal. As we are not as fit as the usual trekkers, we engage a total of 13 Nepalese to support our trek (See photos). We had a main chef, Ram Rimal with his assistants, security man, Ram (a Sherpa), also who took charge of setting up our camp and a group of porters to carry our belongings, while we carried our own backpacks for essentials like snacks, toiletries and drinks for the trails. We had an amazing guide, Adarsha (Bahadur) Mahat and he speaks really good English. He is very professional in his role, has a lot of care, patience and skills as our Trek Guide. He is constantly motivating, encouraging and supporting us (oldies) to push ourselves further. There was no stress to reach our destination; there were times for laughter, stop to admire a spot, time to take pictures, etc. The scenery along the trek was really beautiful and amazing! I was the slowest and the weakest amongst us and I received a lot of help and support from Adarsha. His simple sense of humour made the climb up and down less painful and he shared some information about Nepal's history. Ram, the Chef, was amazing with his dishes. We had Nepalese style cuisine, we had curry chicken, fried chicken, sandwiches, noodle soup, pasta, oat porridge (really yummy!), omelets, black tea, coffee, hot chocolate drink, honey-lemon-ginger drink. He is always thinking, planning and checking with us on our meals. We even had a picnic along a trek where food was prepared and cook on the spot! That was very memorable! We were served hot black tea upon waking up and a basin of hot water for our wash up every morning. When my sister experienced an altitude sickness, Ram the Chef was very calm. He advised her how to take the medication and cooked garlic soup for our meals to alleviate the sickness. At that time, Adarsha also quickly arranged a stay in the lodge instead of sleeping in the tent like the rest of us. Ram was constantly checking on my sister until her full recovery. The down-feathered sleeping bag together with the inner fleece lining makes a very warm bed during the night especially when temperature hit 3 degree Celsius! Our trek comprises mostly of camping out and a few nights in the lodges where we get to enjoy the two experiences. The entourage would reach the destination to prepare for our arrival, while Adarsha would be guiding us. From time to time, some of the Nepalese would come down to meet us to help carry our backpacks to relieve us of the load so that we could move faster towards the destination. With so much love and support, we reached our highest peak on the fourth day - Khopra Danda (3,660m). It was like a dream came true! All five of us made it and survived! So grateful to the team!

via Tripadvisor