Khopra Ridge Community Trek Faqs

Khopra Ridge Community trek is a unique trek that is perfect and a great choice for a week-long trek in the land of the Himalayas. Khopra is the name of a ridge where trekkers will walk for two whole days with big mountains on either side of the ridge. It is unique in the sense of changing sceneries, mountain views and a spectacular sunrise view from the top of the ridge. You can spot up to 23 major Himalayan peaks from the top while the trail on the trek leads through alpine meadows, dense forests, and pristine villages comprising rural communities and homestays. This trek is definitely a perfect choice if you are looking for an offbeat trekking trail in Nepal amid beautiful landscapes. Some days during this trek requires more hours of walk than you can anticipate. Lodges, homestays or teahouses on the trail are very basic. As long as you are physically fit, there is nothing to worry about including acute mountain sickness (AMS). Khopra trek is a moderate grade trek that demands a good fitness level because the route has a fair share of ascends and descends.

Like most of the popular treks in Nepal, Khopra Ridge trek during the spring (March to May) and fall (September to November) is considered the best time around with moderate temperature and clean weather. During the hot pre-monsoon season in late May-June, things get uncomfortable and humid. The trails become muddy and slippery and the landscapes are distorted by thick fogs. Winter season during the months between mid-November and February can get really cold with heavy snowfall.

Yes, absolutely! Under normal circumstances, all our booked trips are guaranteed to run. Please note that you will still be doing your Annapurna Base Camp trek even if other hikers cancel their trip. This is one significant reason why Himalayan Glacier is different from other operators, who usually cancel their whole trip a month or even a week before the actual trip date.  We are a specialized tailor-made company, so the number of participants does not stop any of our trips. Remember to find us in case your trip has been canceled by your operator and you are in a last-minute stress so that we can assist in sorting out your trip decisions. Unless there is a situation which is out of our control such as a political riot, natural disaster, pandemic, epidemic or weather catastrophes, our trips are 100% guaranteed to run.

Himalayan Glacier offers a lifetime deposit policy which allows you the flexibility to transfer your deposit to anyone or any other trip. If you wish to cancel your booked trips, certain cancelation charges apply. Please visit our booking terms and conditions for detailed information.

Rest assured that you will be in good hands with our experienced trek leaders, who have multiple years of experience trekking in Nepal. All of our guides, known as Himalayan Glacier dedicated Guides, are locals with a deep understanding of the mountain, its people, culture, health, hygiene, and most importantly, your safety. They are fluent in English and will be able to communicate effectively with you throughout the trek. Our guides are passionate about their work and will ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable trekking experience.

Accommodation in the Annapurna region is considered by far the best with upscale service than anywhere else in the upper Himalayas. It’s all up to you to decide where you want to sleep – guesthouse, hotels or resorts, or teahouses. Guesthouses vary from upmarket to the extreme low-budget with the poor quality. For having a comfy lifestyle, especially after tramping all day, there are hotels and resorts some of which boast costly amenities. These hotels or resorts may not be as much deluxe as those in the urban areas but they are definitely well off than the cheap lodges or budges guesthouses. Teahouse accommodations are the most predominant amongst hikers in the Annapurna region and they are equipped with furnished wooded bed and solar hot showers. You will have a pillow, mattress and a blanket in the two-bedded room plus western toilet facilities. As you keep ascending higher, the accommodation will be more and more basic, perhaps with shared toilets and bucket showers.

You will enjoy 3 hearty meals each day. Generally, you will have your breakfast and dinner at the same lodge you will be staying. Lunch will be provided at tea houses or small restaurants along the trail.  The meals contain fresh fruits and organic ingredients sourced from Kathmandu or local villages throughout the trek. The meals include a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats designed by the nutritionist. The chefs are trained in hygienic food preparation. If needed, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and kosher diets can be arranged with prior notice.

Sample Menu

Breakfast

• Beverage: black tea, milk tea, ginger lemon honey tea, lemon tea, hot lemon with honey, black coffee, milk coffee, hot chocolate
• Toast with jam or honey, toast omelet, pancake, Tibetan bread, porridge/ muesli
• Eggs on your choices
• American breakfast or Continental breakfast

Lunch

• Rice item: veg fried rice, egg fried rice, mixed fried rice, dal-bhaat
• Noodle item: vegetable fried noodle, mixed fried noodle
• Potato item: chips, fried potato, hash brown potato, veg fried potato, boiled potato
• Burger: veg burger, chicken burger, veg sandwich, chicken sandwich
• Pasta: spaghetti tomato sauce, macaroni cheese sauce
• Pizza: veg pizza, tomato cheese pizza, chicken pizza, mushroom pizza
• Momo (Nepali style dumplings): veg momo, chicken momo
• Meat item: chicken sizzler, chicken steak, yak steak
• Beverage: black tea, milk tea, ginger lemon honey tea, lemon tea, hot lemon with honey, black coffee, milk coffee, hot chocolate

 
Dinner

• Soups: vegetable soup, mushroom soup, chicken soup, chicken noodle soup, Rara noodle soup, French onion soup, pumpkin soup, potato soup

Main Meals

• Rice item: veg fried rice, egg fried rice, mixed fried rice, dal-bhaat
• Noodle item: vegetable fried noodle, mixed fried noodle
• Potato item: chips, fried potato, hash brown potato, veg fried potato, boiled potato
• Burger: veg burger, chicken burger, veg sandwich, chicken sandwich
• Pasta: spaghetti tomato sauce, macaroni cheese sauce
• Pizza: veg pizza, tomato cheese pizza, chicken pizza, mushroom pizza
• Momo (Nepali Dumplings): veg momo, chicken momo
• Meat item: chicken sizzler, chicken stake, yak stake
• Dessert: apple pie, chocolate cake, carrot cake, apple fritter, canned fruit
• Beverage: black tea, milk tea, ginger lemon honey tea, lemon tea, hot lemon with honey, black coffee, milk coffee, hot chocolate

Firstly, the Khopra Ridge Community Trek is slightly on the off-the-beaten path with boundless views and the least crowd within the Annapurna region. Annapurna Base Camp trek, on the other hand, is one of the most popular trekking destinations in Nepal making it one of the busiest trails, especially during the peak seasons. Khopra Ridge trek provides adventurers with authentic experiences while traversing through the ridge, quite a few typical villages, and rhododendron forests. Trails on Annapurna Base camp trek are more commercialized while Khopra trail is more on the remote side of the Annapurna region with a variety of ethno-culture, colorful festivals, temples, lakes and mixed settlement.

You will be traveling with like-minded travelers from all round the world. As such, there is no age limit for doing this trek, but we are highly concerned about your physical and mental fitness as well as your previous hiking experience. As far as possible, we try to include the same age-group persons in a group so that the hiking pace among trekkers match and it becomes easier to walk together.

Yes, cell phone networks can be found throughout the trails in the Annapurna region. Most of the small villages and the hiking trails get cell phone coverage either by NCell or NTC networks. However, in certain areas, network coverage may be very poor or not available at all.

During the peak season time which falls during the months between September to November and March and May, the weather on the trek is pretty good with clear blue skies and stunning mountain views. Like any other trek in Nepal, the weather varies differently during different seasons. Temperatures during the spring season, i.e. March and May range from 7.5 to 13ºC (45.5 to 55.4ºF) during the day and the night temperature ranges between 1.5 to 6.5ºC (34.7 to 43.7ºF). Similarly, temperatures during the fall ranges between 5.6 to 13ºC (42.1 to 55.4ºF) during the day and the night temperature ranges between 0 to 8.6ºC (32 to 47.5ºF).

Generally, the first symptoms begin to show 12-24 hours after arriving at high altitudes.  The different levels of altitude sickness have different symptoms. Symptoms of mild, short-term altitude sickness are dizziness, fatigue, loss of appetite, sleeping problems, general loss of energy, and shortness of breath. Sometimes, these symptoms may be accompanied by headache, nausea and vomiting.

The highest point on Khopra ridge trek is 4,500m (14,764ft.) and is very suitable for beginner to advanced trekkers who can walk 5 to 6 hours per day with a light backpack. Altitude sickness is exceptional and rather rare on this trek but sometimes walking at a bit higher altitude may cause unexpected illness. Although there are no major risks involved on this trek, some of the tips to overcome the altitude sickness, as recommended by our trekking leaders are as follows:

• Slow ascend with proper rest and enough acclimatization
• Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated at all times
• Eat sufficiently a healthy balanced diet during the entire trek and sleep well
• Avoid alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and tobacco products on the trek
• Be head-strong and mentally prepared
• Train your body to cope with uphill hikes with enough cardiovascular or gym workouts, at least 3 months prior to the trek

Oxygen is generally not required on this trek as most parts of the trek are below 4,000m (13,123ft.) except the highest section on the Khayer Lake (4,500m/14,764ft.) Our Khopra Ridge Community trek itinerary is designed in such a way so that it allows enough acclimatization. We provide Diamox tablets, a medication that suppresses altitude sickness symptoms, to trekkers right from the beginning of the trek to prevent from falling sick. However, in case a person shows symptoms of altitude sickness and cannot proceed further, we will descend to a lower altitude immediately.

Diamox is a medication which is generally taken as a preventive measure for altitude sickness and not to cure its symptoms. There is less risk of altitude sickness in this trek in comparison with the Everest base camp trek. However, we will give you the medication from the beginning as a precautionary step. There is nothing to worry as your trekking leaders are well equipped with first aid kits and sufficient Diamox pills. It is advisable to consult with your doctor about any allergic reactions or side-effects that the drug may have on you.

During the trek, electricity is available at all the teahouses where you will spend the night. You can recharge your phones, laptop or iPads from micro-hydropower and solar panels by paying a nominal charge. Regarding Wi-Fi, there are no free hotspots along the trekking trail, so we do not encourage carrying your laptop. Some teahouses do offer paid Wi-Fi services on hourly basis, but don’t expect high speed connectivity on the remote trails.

All the sections of the Annapurna regions are not accessible by road. However, in case of an emergency, rescue by air ambulance will be made available as long as the weather is favorable for evacuation to either Pokhara or Kathmandu. You will then be taken to an international class hospital for your rehabilitation. Our operation team will be in contact 24×7 if any such emergency occurs during the trek.

In general, crampons are not required for this trek if you are trekking during the season. But if you want to do the trek during mid-winter or monsoon season then crampons may be required. You will really not know what conditions you will encounter on the trekking trail until you get there, so it is better having your crampons and not using it rather than needing it and not having it if required.

Caffeine might contribute to altitude sickness as it could lead to dehydration triggering altitude sickness. Caffeine, on the contrary, is known to stimulate your brain, kidneys, and breathing, all of which are helpful at high altitude. For people who are into caffeinated beverages for a long time period and abruptly stopping to consume them on the trek may trigger profound headaches in them.