Nepal’s trekking infrastructure makes it an attractive destination for independent trekkers. The trails are well laid and marked in most places. Almost all big treks have a network of tea houses, where you can stay and get fresh cooked meals. So, if you are fit and confident about directions, you can trek solo on a lot of trails, without a guide or a porter.

If you are planning a solo trek to Everest Base Camp, you need to plan your expenses carefully. The ease of access comes with the disadvantage of a lot of temptations, when it comes to food, beverages and facilities – usually at inflated costs.

This guide demystifies the expenses for this trek. We have broken down the expenses into these subheadings for each trek – travel, accommodation, food, drinking water, wifi and charging, SIM cards, guides/porters and trek permits.

Lukla is the starting point for the Everest Base Camp trek. To get here, you first need to reach Kathmandu. During the trekking season, the traditional way of taking a flight to Lukla directly is not available. 

You need to go to Ramechhap on road, and then take a flight to Lukla. 

Start your travel at 12 AM. It takes approximately 5-6 hours to reach Ramechhap. Aim to reach the airport there at 6 AM. 

It will cost you NPR 3,200 per person for the cab. It is usually a van type vehicle that can seat 8-9 people. 

It is very normal for flights between Ramechhap and Lukla to be be cancelled or rescheduled. So make sure you keep a couple of days as buffer before booking your onward journey.

Book your return flight from Lukla to Ramechhap as well. 

Tip: Do not hesitate to reschedule your return flight to Ramechhap if you finish your trek earlier than planned. Given the unpredictability of weather there, airlines do not charge for a reschedule.

You stay in tea houses on the Everest Base Camp trek. These are small lodges that can accommodate 20-30 trekkers. Fresh food is available in all tea houses.

A room in a tea house costs NPR 1500 per day (1 NPR is approximately 0.63 Indian rupees) . At higher altitudes, it can even go up to NPR 2,000 if the demand is very high. As you can see, room rates are not very high. However, you are obliged to have your meals at the same place that you are staying, especially dinner on the night you arrive and breakfast on the following morning.

Tip: Request the owner of the tea house from where you are starting to book a room for you at your next stop. Share a room to bring down the cost.

Food is perhaps the most expensive component of your trek in Nepal. You get everything from sandwiches to dal-bhaat to pizzas and desserts in the tea houses. But they all come at a cost.

Here is a comparison of the costs of meals in different places:

At Lukla, expect to pay NPR 600 per meal; taking the food cost per day to about NPR 1,800.

At Namche Bazaar, expect to pay NPR 750 per meal; taking the food cost to NPR 2,300.

However, at Gorakshep, you will pay NPR 1,200-1,400 per meal; taking the cost to NPR 4,100. 

The meals described here are simple dal-bhat. If you want to eat other items, the cost will go up accordingly. These tea houses serve a wide variety of food. 

Tip: Stick to dal-bhaat for your main meals. The food is wholesome and the servings are unlimited. Carry plenty of nuts and dry fruits to avoid buying overpriced snacks.

Inside picture of a Restaurant (Hotel Kamal) at Namche Bazar. Picture by Vijesh

Tap water is safe to drink at all tea houses. However, this is not the case at Gorakshep. Here, you need to buy drinking water at NPR 500 a litre. The water here is otherwise dirty.

Tip: If you have a water purifying bottle, use it at Gorakshep to avoid paying for drinking water.

Tea houses start charging you money from Phakding onwards. Use of charging points costs NPR 300-600 according to the device that you are charging. It will cost you NPR 300 to charge your mobile, NPR 500 to fully charge a powerbank. Each tea house will have a chart that will display the rates. These costs will go up as you go higher. 

Tea houses also charge for wifi. At Lobuche, it costs NPR 1,200 to purchase wifi for the whole day. And NPR 1,800 for 2 days. 

Tip: Namche Bazaar has restaurants that provide free wifi if you eat there. Finish all your calls and messages before starting from here.

You can purchase a local NCell SIM card for NPR 500 and recharge it for making telephone calls. Around 30 minutes talk time to India will cost you around NPR 50. Network is available up to Dole. Trekkers usually reach Dole on the fourth day of trekking.

Tip: The call costs less if you add 0124 to the Indian number that you dial.

You need two permits to trek to Everest Base Camp. 

Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Entry Permit: This local permit is required to enter the Khumbu region. You can refer to this as trek permit. It will cost you NPR 2,000. 

Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit: You will be trekking inside this National Part which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The cost of entering the park is NPR is NPR 1,500. 

This is the cost of permits for SAARC Nationals. 

Citizens of SAARC countries can collect this from Monjo. This is close to the entrance of Sagarmatha National Park. You can go here after you reach Phakding from Lukla. Other citizens can get this at Kathmandu. 

It is possible to hire a guide and a porter before you begin the trek. You can do this either in Kathmandu or in Lukla. Guides charge NPR 1,700 per day and porters charge NPR 1,500-1,600 per day. If they are local guides and not hired through a company, you will need to pay them in cash.

If you decide to hire a guide or a porter after reaching Lukla, ask around in hotels to find them.

Tip: It is possible to do the entire trek on your own and avoid this cost altogether. It is more expensive to hire guides and porters through a company than on your own.

However, if you have hire guides and porters, they will expect you to tip them generously at the end of the trek. Tipping is a huge culture in this region. 

How much cash should you carry on the Everest Base Camp trek?

Most places in bigger cities such as Kathmandu accept Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards. However, once you begin your trek, you will have to make all payments in cash. Tea houses do not accept cards.

Indian and international debit cards work in Nepal in select ATMs. Visa, Visa Electron, Plus, MasterCard, Maestro and Cirrus international debit cards work at SBI ATMs. Plus, Visa, Cirrus and Union Pay debit cards work at Siddhartha Bank ATMs. SCT and Visa cards work at Everest Bank ATMs.

The charge for withdrawing cash varies depending the bank. Withdrawing money from an SBI Nepal ATM using an SBI debit card from India has a transaction fee of Rs.35. You can also use your credit card to withdraw money from ATMs. However, this is quite expensive as there is a charge of NPR 500 for every transaction. So, it is best you carry sufficient cash with you.

So for EBC Classic Trek of 12 days, you will need at least NPR 4,000 per day on average just on food for the trek. If you add on other charges like sim card, electronic charging, drinking water, etc, this cost might even go up. If you factor in the charges for trek permit and additional cash for emergency use, you will need to take at least NPR 50,000 - 60,000 in cash with you. This amount will be higher if you decide to hire a guide or a porter so plan accordingly.

If you are going with Indiahikes, stay, permits, guides charges are taken care of by Indiahikes. 

Keep in mind that in addition to this amount, you will also need to budget for at least 2 days to account for bad weather. 

We hope these budgeting tips come in handy when you plan for your trek. Do comment below with some of your own tips that could help others.

Points in this article were shared by Faizan Devdi and Rishivar Mukherji who led EBC batches in the year 2024. 

This article has been last updated by the Indiahikes Information team on 26th December 2024.

Cover Image of Chola Pass taken by Abhirup Paul.

1. If you want more information about this trek: Check our Everest Base Camp Trek page here with detailed information on trail routes, things to take, pictures and much more.

2. If you want to work with us: Head over to our careers page. We have lots of positions open. We also have lots of applications coming in. So the sooner you apply, the better.

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4. If you ended up here by chance and were actually looking for treks to do: Then head over to our upcoming treks page. You’ll find all our Himalayan treks there.

Trekking in Nepal can be an expensive affair. It's important to budget your trek so you reduce your expenditure at the tea houses and on the trail. This guide demystifies the expenses for this trek. We have broken down the expenses into different subheadings to make it easy for you.

How To Budget Your Everest Base Camp Trek

The past month has been fraught with snowfall. The snow is so deep that our tents are almost buried to the top. 

Take a look at this picture, for instance: 

Bhojadhadi campsite on the Kedarkantha trek. Picture by Sanjay Mistry. 

This is not a mountaineering expedition. It is our easy-moderate Kedarkantha trek. While some snow will melt, we expect high snow conditions to remain until mid-April.

But the reality is this: This kind of beauty needs preparation before you step into it. 

I sat down with Ravi Ranjan, a senior member at Indiahikes, who has spent several winters in the wilderness of the Himalayas. He has some excellent tips for you to follow. Despite trekking for eight years, many of these were eye-openers for me. They are so simple to follow, yet so effective.

We’ll go from bottom to top, feet to head: the wetness-prone parts to the driest parts. 

“If only waterproof socks existed five years ago, a lot of frostbites and chilblains could have been avoided,” ruminates Ravi Ranjan, remembering the case of one of our trek leaders, who had to stop all physical activity for six months after getting a bad case of frostbite in the snow. 

We all know that trekking in the snow is fun. The not-so-fun part is when the snow gets into your shoes. In 3–4 hours of walking on snow, the water seeps in through the shoe's fabric to its inner layer, wetting your socks and, eventually, your feet. That’s when the misery starts. 

Even though modern trekking shoes are water-resistant, they do not prevent water from seeping in. Very soon, your feet get painfully cold and numb. Worse, thanks to your cold feet, your core body temperature drops even without your knowledge. When that happens, you shiver all night, cocooned in a warm sleeping bag. The next day, you are tired, unable to trek much, and your body does not cope. You wonder why. But this is the reality of trekking in snow.

This is where waterproof socks can change the way you trek in snow. They keep your feet dry. You can wear these socks and walk around in a tub of water. With these socks, you can step on wet snow without shoes (our staff do this to clear out snow at our camps). They will remain dry. Your feet won’t feel a thing.

Yet, these socks are breathable. In addition to keeping you warm, they have the same comfortable feel as standard socks and do not produce odour. 

We imported these socks last year, and trekkers have loved using them. If you’re trekking in snow, it’s a very good investment. It will last you for years. 

Put on these socks the day you touch the snow line. Keep them on until you leave the snowline. Wear these socks whenever you are in the snow.

The socks will keep your feet from getting damp, dramatically changing how you trek. Even if your shoes are soaked, your feet will stay dry (and remain warmer).

Effectively, these socks remove most chances of chilblains, frost nips, or frostbites. 

2. Carry at least one pair of sports socks for each day

If you cannot buy waterproof socks, because, I must admit, they are quite expensive, then this is a must-do: carrying many pairs of socks.

“At the end of the day’s trek, your socks will get wet despite gaiters, water-resistant shoes, and waterproof pants. So the first thing you do when you reach the campsite is change into a dry pair of socks. You must repeat this every time you get to camp on a snow trek,” stresses Ravi. 

Why is this so important? Cold weather and moisture are a nightmare combination. Your body loses heat much quicker when wet than when you are dry, accelerating the possibility of frostbite and hypothermia. 

That’s why you need to carry more socks for a snow trek than on a regular one. 

3. Carry newspaper to stuff into your shoes at night 

After a long day’s trek, shoes tend to have a good amount of moisture. This moisture usually freezes overnight inside the shoe, making it as hard as a rock in the morning. 

This is where it helps to carry newspapers, which you can stuff into your shoes at night. The newspapers absorb water, drying out your shoes as much as possible. 

While it doesn’t suck out all the moisture, it goes a long way towards keeping your shoes flexible in the mornings. 

4. Use only dry-fit layers while trekking

This goes in line with avoiding the cold and moisture-killer combination. Cotton layers tend to get wet with sweat and refuse to dry. A moisture-wicking fabric helps for both your top and bottom layers.

Use dry-fit layers or modern fabrics like merino wool, which wick moisture away when wet. 

Even then, once you reach the campsite, make it a point to change into dry clothes immediately. 

5. Use at least two layers for your lower half, even while trekking

Carrying five warm layers for the upper body is normal in Indian trekking. However, trekkers often need clarification about their bottom layers. Should I layer up? Is it required? Should I trek while wearing layers? 

In such deep snow, the answer is yes. You must carry at least two layers of pants and even wear them while trekking. 

But what kind of layers should these be? 

Use light, moisture-wicking fabric even for your lower. The top layer must be good trekking pants with some level of water resistance. The inner layer can be a pair of dry-fit tights. Avoid cotton at all costs in such snowy conditions. 

To trek wearing thermals or not to? “I once trekked wearing thermals, and it was a nightmare,” recalls Ravi, recollecting his younger days. “I got severely dehydrated and struggled throughout the day.” Thermals are heavy materials that get soaked with sweat. Avoid thermals while trekking at all costs. Keep them dry and save them for the night. 

6. Wear your rain pants while sliding in snow

One of the most fun parts of snow treks is sliding on snow during your descent. However, your pants are the first to get wet. Given that you always have your rainwear with you, it’s a good idea to pull out your rain pants quickly and put them on for your slide. 

We wouldn’t recommend wearing ponchos on your slide because you could completely lose control of it, but rain pants are a good idea. 

7. Two layers of gloves are a must: first, a fitting layer and then a waterproof synthetic layer

Given that the cold affects your extremities first, it is crucial to safeguard them at all costs. This is a good practice not just to avoid cold hands but also to avoid post-trek issues like numb and painful fingers. 

Here’s where trekkers make a mistake. They know they need waterproof gloves for warmth, so they take a good pair. And that’s it. 

Yet, your hands are doing things on treks: drinking water, taking pictures on your phone, retying your shoelace, having a snack... You cannot do any of these while wearing big, bulky, waterproof gloves. 

This is why you must always have a smaller, tighter pair of gloves inside. Even when you pull off your big gloves, you have the small ones protecting your extremities from the cold. 

A small pair of fleece gloves (which cost less than Rs 300) is enough for this. They’re not sufficient on their own, but they save your body heat when you take off your big gloves. 

8. Don’t forget sunglasses and sunscreen lotion

Trekkers tend to forget about the sun when it comes to snow treks. Yet, the sun is the most comforting and harshest experience in snow. Once the sun comes out, snow begins to reflect sunlight like a mirror, so it’s like having multiple suns shine at you. 

Here, two things are important: (a) protecting your eyes and (b) protecting your skin. 

Unknown to most, our eyes are prone to sunburns as much as our skin is. The sunburn of the eye is called photokeratitis (also called snow blindness). Too much UV exposure can damage the eye’s cornea and cause a burning, gritty sensation in the eyes and temporary blindness. 

To avoid this, carry sunglasses and wear them right from the time you see snow around you until you get out of the snow zone. 

If you have a good pair of sunglasses (whether Aviators, Wayfarers, or shielded sunglasses), they will all work. The best suited to trekking are well-fitting shielded sunglasses that leave less or no gaps in your vision. 

What should you do if you wear spectacles/contact lenses? We tackle that below. 

Use sunscreen rated SPF 40 or more. If you can’t find SPF 40, go for SPF 30, but not lower than that.

Apply sunscreen to all exposed body parts 30 minutes before setting out on the trek.

No matter what rating of SPF your cream has, reapply every 2 hours.

Apply abundantly. A good layer of sunscreen is essential for its effective action, so don’t be stingy with it.

Buy a ‘broad spectrum’ sunscreen. Broad-spectrum sunscreens block out both UVA and UVB rays. They usually have the phrase ‘broad spectrum’ printed on their labels. 

9. Layer up as soon as you reach the camp, BEFORE you start feeling cold 

By now, trekkers know to carry five warm layers for such snowy settings. It has become a well-defined practice. 

But still, trekkers make a big mistake. They tend to wait until sundown to start putting on their layers. But this defies logic. Layers work by trapping your body heat and using that heat to keep you warm.

So layer up as soon as you reach the campsite, from head to toe. 

10. Keep one flask and one regular bottle

Many trekkers carry a flask and keep the water at a good drinking temperature. 

But here’s the magic trick. Fill the insulated bottle with hot, scalding water and mix it with regular mountain water. This gives you more hot water to sip on throughout the day, ensuring you hydrate more. 

Additionally, carry dry fruits like dates and raisins, which release a bit of juice and hydrate you more than nuts like peanuts or cashews. 

There are several other good practices that our trek leaders and trekkers follow. You’ll find them in these articles: 

7 Expert Camping Tips for Winter Treks from Indiahikes Trek Leaders

15 Winter Trek Tips that Experienced Trekkers Swear By

This was an expert-curated article. These days, I find too many articles people write, taking things off the internet or asking AI to write articles for them. Even in well-known publications, the articles could be better-sourced. They do not come with real experience.

Which is why this article is golden. It has real-life experience from many years seeped into every sentence. 

Please share it with anyone likely to trek in the snow, even in the summer. It may be the best advice for them. 

How to Prepare for High Snow on Treks

prepare - snow treks - high snow - preparation for snow - layering - cold - temperature - gears

The weather in the mountains can change dramatically. It doesn’t take long for a nice sunny day to turn into a nightmarish thunderstorm. Lightning as a phenomenon is not a household topic, but it claims more lives a year than floods, landslides, and cyclones. Data from the Indian Meteorological Department shows over 49,000 fatalities in the past two decades. The stakes are higher, especially when you are out in the wild, where emergency evacuations might not always be possible. “Planning ahead and preventing being caught in a storm is the best way to be safe from it,” says Arjun Majumdar, founder of IndiaHikes. This guide will help you to do just that.

What is lightning? 

The definition of lightning has stayed the same since we studied it at school. It is a bright flash of electricity produced by thunderclouds. “You can recognise approaching thunderstorms by the dark colour of the clouds, but it is not impossible for a seemingly safe white cloud to discharge lightning too,” says Nithyam Nachappa, a senior Trek Leader at IndiaHikes. You can recognise these clouds from their large, multilayered, and thick size. It is an unpredictable phenomenon that we can do little about in the wild. 

What are the dangers of lightning and aftercare?

I do not wish to scare you in this section. Many a time, we are not serious about this phenomenon because we have not experienced it. Getting directly hit by lightning is not very common. Most lightning-related injuries come as a result of receiving the ground currents as it dissipates from the object that has been hit.

Rare direct strikes are often fatal, and there is not much you can do about it. However, in cases of being struck by ground current, temporary paralysis, rupture of eardrums, confusion, disorientation, amnesia, temporary deafness, or blindness are the possible symptoms. 

Lightning injuries can harm you physically as well as mentally. “The psychological trauma one has in the aftermath of a lightning strike can be far more serious than physical harm,” says Sharwari Brahme, Head of Green Trails at IndiaHikes. Sharwari was struck twice by lightning on her recent trek to Kuari Pass and is currently recovering from it.  She says it is similar to someone fearing deep water after one has experienced drowning. One can take the help of therapy from a sports psychologist to overcome the lingering fear.

How do you prevent getting hit by lightning?

Prevention is better than cure is an overused phrase, but this is one mantra that you have to remember while trekking in adverse conditions. Our trek leaders say getting hit by lightning is not common but it is only so because the team has prepared for any unforeseen scenarios. Here are some ways that you can do this if you are trekking solo or with a group of friends: 

Rules for lightning safety before going out on a trek: 

Plan ahead by checking the local weather forecasts and patterns. The IMD website regularly gives updates about upcoming thunderstorms and areas more prone to lightning strikes. 

If trekking solo or with a group of friends, have an emergency backup plan you can follow. Make sure everyone in the group knows what to do in emergencies. Having a radio on yourself is ideal to get sudden warnings from the base camp. 

What are the safety rules for lightning?

As mentioned above, the weather in the mountains can be unpredictable. More so because of climate change. If you are caught in a sudden thunderstorm or see dark clouds approaching, get ready!

The sound of thunder is a clear sign to seek shelter. It can be heard from 15 km away on calm days. Seek shelter immediately. 

Gauge which direction the clouds are coming from. Pay attention to the wind direction and cloud’s buildup. 

Know which structures are more prone to being hit by lightning and quickly get away from them on the first signs of thunder:

A big exposed rock: People often consider big rocks safe because they think the rock will take the brunt of the lightning strike. However, side splash and ground current are equally dangerous. Hence a big rock is a no-go. 

Water bodies: Water is a great conductor of electricity regardless of its volume. Deep waters are dangerous, but you need to move away from small puddles on the trail too, especially if it is raining.

Fences: Metal fences and long metal structures attract lightning.  

Huge trees: This is common knowledge for the shepherds. They never take shelter under the tallest tree. Because of its height, a tall tree is the first to get hit.

Mountain tops, vast meadows, ridges, ledges and summits are dangerous places to be in. Any place that makes your body the highest structure is always dangerous. 

It is more likely that lightning may occur if the weather is very humid or it is raining or snowing. 

In case of thunderstorms, do not huddle with fellow trekkers or your group. The minimum distance you should maintain is 15-20 feet away from each other.

You can roughly calculate how far a lightning storm is from you by counting the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder and then dividing it by 5. Knowing this gives you the time to prepare and run to cover. A 5-second delay means the lightning is 1.6 km away from you. 15 seconds delay means 4.8 km. Any delay of less than 30 seconds means the lightning is close enough to be dangerous. Quickly use this time to find shelter or prepare accordingly.

What to do when lightning strikes near you?

What should you do when lightning strikes near you?

First of all, you must try your best to not put yourself in a situation where you have to practise the drills given below. But in the unprecedented event that you have no choice left, please remember these points:

Run! Run to the nearest forest canopy that you can see. Uniform trees on low grounds are one of the safest places to be in the absence of solid structures. 

Do not take shelter under a tall or a standalone tree. There is a high chance of ground current dissipating from the tree if it gets hit. 

Remember to switch off your electronic devices and put them in your bag. You must be ready to throw them on the ground if lightning strikes near you. 

Try to take shelter in a deep cave. It is not a good idea to be in a small cave or an overhang. 

Remember that the human body is a good conductor of electricity too. 

If your backpack has metal frames, external or internal, put them on the ground. The same goes for trekking poles and anything metallic. This matters if you are at an exposed section like a summit, ridge or meadow. 

If in a group, maintain a 20-foot distance from each other at the least and sit in a circle in a lightning position. After every round of lightning strikes, remember to call each member and check if anyone is hit by it.

Remember to maintain the lightning position for at least 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder. Lightning can strike you even after the storm has seemed to pass.  

Lightning position:

If you cannot get into safer terrain or a structure in time, you have to get into lightning position. The goal is to create the shortest connection that you can with the ground. Put your bag on the ground and squat on top of it. Raise your heels and make yourself as small as possible. Make sure that you place your heels in contact with each other. This is the best course of action that you can take. 

5 lightning Myths Busted 

Myth 1: It is unsafe to touch a lightning victim
Fact: The human body cannot store electricity. It is safe to touch a victim and provide them first-aid. 

Myth 2: Lightning never strikes the same place twice
Fact: Lightning is often observed to strike the same place twice. Especially the structures mentioned in this article, which are more prone to strikes. 

Myth 3: Lying flat on the ground protects you from being struck 
Fact: Lightning position is the only way to go. Lying flat attracts ground current. 

Myth 4: You are safe from lightning if it is not raining and clouds aren’t directly above
Fact: Rain makes lightning strikes more common, but remember that the moisture in the air can act as a medium too. Also, there are cases of dry lightning claiming lives from miles away. 

Myth 5: Lightning cannot hit you if you are in a lightning position

Fact: Lightning position does not guarantee complete safety from lightning. It is the last resort that you have. Before that, try seeking shelter in a structure or in a forest canopy. 

Conclusion

In emergencies like this, your decision-making skills will be tested to their limits. A good amount of planning and precaution, along with your knowledge, experience, and training, are what you will rely on. But do not let your fear of lightning strike stop you from going out. Just make sure you have this knowledge before embarking on an adventure in the outdoors. 

Tips to be safe from lightning, How can we protect ourselves from lightning, safety tips on lightning, dangers of lightning, dangerous objects during lightning storms, 5 (five) myths busted on lightning

Lightning safety practices: How to be safe from lightning strikes? - Everything you need to know about lightning strikes

Lightning safety tips, Lightning strike prevention, How to be safe from lightning? How to predict lightning? 

Lightning safety practices: How to be safe from lightning strikes? 

Winters in the Himalayas are brutal. Yet, it's a magical time to be on a trek.

In this season, the key to enjoying a trek is to prepare well for it. This is important because tiny slip-ups like not layering up on time, not carrying a thermos, can make you suffer. 

"I've suffered on a winter trek for little things. Like forgetting my liner gloves, or my lip balm, or -- and this is a big one -- my sunglasses!" shares Lakshmi Selvakumaran, Head of Experience at Indiahikes. 

Unfortunately, little things slip our minds easily. With our winter treks around the corner, I’m making a comprehensive guide for you on how to prepare for a Himalayan winter trek. These are the topics I’m going to cover: 

How difficult is trekking in winter going to be

How Difficult Is Trekking In Winter Going To Be

Let’s address the biggest worry first. 

How difficult is it to trek in winter in the Himalayas? “Is it too difficult for beginners?” is something we get asked almost everyday.  

The simple answer is no, it is not too difficult for beginners. But it is more difficult than non-winter seasons. 

Trekking becomes at least one grade more difficult in winter because of two added difficulties — (1) The negative temperatures (2) The presence of snow. 

The good news is that it is easy to tackle these two problems, even for beginners.

You'll find some of the great winter treks listed in this video.

The mantra is to carry enough layers. With layers, whether you’re from a sweltering Chennai or a humid Mumbai, you’ll be able to tackle a Himalayan winter. 

Here’s the trick. Carry five warm layers — a pair of thermals for the night, two sweaters, one fleece jacket and one padded jacket. Along with these you need warm accessories — a woollen cap, gloves, woollen socks (for the night) and a neck warmer.

With these, you can deal with the coldest night with no worries. (I’m going to address all of these layers in detail further down)

The infographic depicts how to layer up for a Himalayan winter trek.

At this point, it is also important to know 'when' is the right time to layer up. 

"Many trekkers make this rookie mistake of not layering up immediately after completing their day's trek," points Suhas Saya, Head of DIY Treks at Indiahikes. After the trek your body is warmed up. You are not feeling cold. But that's precisely when you need to start putting on your layers. 

"On a trek your body is exerting, it's generating heat so you don't need the layers. But after the trek, your body starts cooling down. It starts losing heat. To prevent this, you need to layer up, get into something dry quickly after you finish your day's trek. This helps in retaining your core body heat," shares Suhas. 

In most other seasons, when you trek, you walk on bare land, footstep after footstep with no worries. 

In winter though, once you reach a certain altitude (usually above 9,000 ft), there’s no more bare land. All your footsteps are in snow. 

This becomes challenging when the snow is above ankle-deep. Your foot sinks in and it takes effort to pick it up and put your next step forward. There are a few ways to tackle this presence of snow.

The layer of snow is thin during December. But as winter progresses -- in January, February and initial March -- the layer of snow thickens. During these months, it helps to keep the following things in mind. 

1. Start your trek before the sun rises. This is an age-old trick that all mountaineers and trekkers follow. Any walking in snow should be done as early in the day as possible, much before the sun rises. This is because during the night, in the negative temperatures, snow becomes hard and packed. It’s easy to walk on hard, packed snow. Your feet don’t sink.

Note: You do need equipment like microspikes attached to your shoes that help you grip the hard snow. On your Indiahikes trek, this equipment will be issued at the camp.

Preparation plays a crucial role on a winter trek. Even a small slip-up and lead to an extremely uncomfortable experience in the extreme temperatures. This blogs lists all details that are required to help you prepare well for a winter trek

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