GOKYO LAKES AND EVEREST BASE CAMP

You can find advice on foreign travel from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on their official website at diplomatie.gouv.fr under the heading “Conseils aux voyageurs”.

Information published on the website of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is subject to change and is provided for guidance only. Furthermore, please remember that no country or region of the world can be considered safe from the risk of terrorism.

Nepal has every kind of climate and the weather changes with altitude: a tropical climate in the Terai jungle, temperate in the valleys and cold in the high mountains.

Nepal’s climate varies enormously according to the region and seasons. The country’s latitude is roughly equivalent to that of Florida, with a similar tropical and subtropical climate in the Terai region. However, outside the Terai, the climate is completely different. The remarkable differences in climatic conditions are generally related to the enormous range of altitude within a short distance, from north to south.

The presence of the east-west trend and the Himalayan ranges to the north, as well as the alternating wet and dry monsoon seasons, also contribute greatly to local climatic variations.

The climate in Nepal allows for stays in all seasons. But for our trips, the recommended periods are spring and autumn.

When staying at altitude, always bring a good fleece, a down jacket for the evenings and a good sleeping bag for the night, even in summer.

The climate in Nepal month by month:

• January to February:
  It’s cool and the high mountain passes are snow-covered, but the sky is blue and with a good fleece, everything will be fine.
• March, April, May and early June:
  This is a very good time for big treks. The weather is fine, you can see the mountains and the rhododendrons are in bloom.
• Mid-June to mid-September:
  This is the monsoon season, but most of the rain comes at night. The atmosphere is very special and the light is perfect for photos. There are some fantastic big festivals in the valleys.
• Mid-September to mid-November:
  This is also a very good time for big treks.
• From mid-November to end of December:
  It’s a bit cold in December, but it never freezes in Kathmandu

Your personal belongings will be carried daily by porters, as is the tradition in Nepal.

In order to respect the recommendations of the porters’ union, the maximum load per carrier is 20kg. We provide one porter for every two participants.

Please ensure that your personal bag does not weigh more than 10 kg. Any excess weight will require the hiring of an additional porter at the expense of the participants.

We use small aircraft for the liaison between Kathmandu and Lukla. Private taxi in Kathmandu.

Airfares will be maintained until 3 months before departure and may be readjusted if necessary if you are booking less than 3 months before.

Alternating current 220 Volts, 50 Hertz. Plugs have three round pins, so it’s best to bring adapters.

Meals are at your own expense in Kathmandu and during international flights.

During the trek, we have morning and evening meals at the lodges. We organise picnic lunches or eat in lodges on the way at lunchtime. The food in Nepal is simple but good. Meals consist mostly of rice, pasta and vegetables and there is not much meat. The traditional dish is Dhal Bhat (rice and lentils) and this can be eaten anywhere in Nepal, as well as in the mountains.

Please let us know if you have any food allergies when you register for the trip.

During the trek, you will stay in lodges. These are similar to the mountain refuges in France and can be very basic. There is always a warm atmosphere.

They usually have a common room with a stove, a kitchen, usually bedrooms but sometimes dormitories. There is not always heating, and the toilets are often rudimentary and outside. Any hot showers during the trek are at your own expense and must be paid for on site. The same applies to fees for charging mobile phones.

The community lodges are run by the villagers, with the profits going to the community to maintain the schools.

Hotel in Kathmandu.

Nights at the top of the valley are spent in tents.

The Everest region and in particular the Everest Base Camp trek is certainly the most popular area for trekkers. It is a beautiful region and the world’s highest peak attracts many people who, quite rightly, wish to visit its base camp.

This results in real overcrowding during the two peak seasons in spring and autumn. This may lead to slight changes in the programme due to lodge bookings. In the worst case it may be possible to sleep in a tent.

Watse does its utmost to provide you with the best possible service, but we are dependent on the conditions in the area at certain times.

No compulsory vaccines.

However, vaccination against yellow fever becomes compulsory if you have previously stayed in or transited through a country in an endemic zone.
We strongly recommend that you make sure you are up to date with the standard vaccinations: diphtheria-tetanus-poliomyelitis, whooping cough, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, hepatitis A and B.
In the event of a prolonged stay, during the transmission period, it is advisable to be immunised against Japanese encephalitis.

Malaria is present all year round below 2,000 m (6,560 ft) altitude and especially in the rural areas of the Terai – zone 2 classification. Antimalarial treatment is necessary. Consult your GP.

Antimalarials are not necessary for a trek in Nepal. The treks usually take place above the altitude in which the carrier mosquitos are present. At lower altitudes, at the beginning and end of the tour, the areas crossed may present some risk of transmission.

As a preventive measure, provide personal protection against mosquito bites (repellent, loose-fitting clothing).

We recommend that you have a check-up with your dentist before you leave.

For this trip, Watse offers the SOS MAM service supplied by IFREMMONT, which consists of using a satellite phone in the event of any problem to contact a French doctor specialised in altitude and remote environments. Your guide is also specially trained by IFREMMONT to deal with these situations. Your guide is the local medical correspondent for these doctors.

We will ask you to create an online medical record (http://www.teleconsultationsosmam.com), which you can also use on an everyday basis to take charge of your health. We will provide you with a code to link your file to your trip. This will give you the possibility of booking an online consultation with these mountain medicine specialists before leaving, at a cost of €46 (not reimbursed by social security). This service offers a genuine advantage in terms of preventing the risks associated with altitude and remote areas.

Please note that this service does not replace your repatriation insurance, which is compulsory in some countries.

Qualified French mountain leader for the entire trip, as well as a local team composed of a local guide, helpers and porters.

For French, Belgian, Luxembourg and Swiss nationals:

• Your passport needs to be valid for 6 months after the date of exit from Nepal, with at least one blank page;
• A tourist visa, which will be issued on arrival in Kathmandu, for a maximum of 90 days.
• Please bring a passport photo, dollars in cash (change is not given for euros), and a pen.
• The visa application form (in English) is available from the room just before the visa offices. Please check that the official on duty has glued and stamped your visa in your passport to avoid having to pay for a second visa when you leave.

Consular fees (for general guidance purposes, for a single or multiple entry visa):

$25 (or equivalent in €) for a maximum of 15 days in the country;
$40 (or equivalent in €) for a maximum of 30 days in the country;
$100 (or equivalent in €) for a maximum of 90 days in the country.
As these formalities may change, please check with the consular authorities in your country to ensure that they are accurate. Each individual traveller is responsible for complying with the entry requirements of the countries they visit. Watse cannot be held responsible for any changes in formalities.

The currency in Nepal is the Nepalese rupee.

The indicative exchange rate is: €1 = 110 rupees

Cash: you can travel with both euros and dollars. Currency exchange can be carried out in exchange offices, banks or even hotels.

A meal in a tourist restaurant in Kathmandu: between 500 and 1,000 rupees

During the trek:

• 1 beer between 300 and 500 rupees
• 1 coca cola between 150 and 300 rupees
• 1 tea between 50 and 100 rupees
• 1 hot shower 250 rupees (average price)
• 1 phone or camera battery recharge: 250 rupees (average price)

Tipping is not mandatory and should reflect your satisfaction with the team. Your guide will advise you if you wish to give a tip.

By post:

Ask us for a registration form

• By phone: +33 (0)665 932929
• Or email: contact@watse.fr

Send us your registration along with a copy of your passport, your details (postal address, phone numbers and email address) and a deposit of 30% of the cost of the trip.

Also, if you wish to take out a Comfort or Comfort Multi-risk cancellation insurance policy, this must be paid at the same time as the deposit when you register. You can consult the insurance contracts on our website.

On the internet:

Book your stay directly on our website: on the page for the trip by selecting your date and insurance options.

PLEASE NOTE: Airfares will be maintained until 3 months before departure and may be readjusted if necessary if you are booking less than 3 months before.

We strongly advise you to take out insurance for the duration of the trip.

We offer two tailored insurance policies: Comfort Cancellation and Comfort Multi-risk to be taken out when you register for the trip.

Details of this insurance cover can be provided on request or can be viewed by clicking here.

There are other insurance options available, such as Mondial Assistance, your own insurance company or the Club Alpin Français. You should check that they cover trekking.

Make sure that your insurance covers all medical costs in the event of an accident.

It is essential that you check and ensure that you have insurance cover for mountain rescue costs. If this is the case, you must provide us with the following information prior to your departure on the trek:

A certificate from the insurance company stating that mountain rescue costs are covered.

The contract number and telephone number of the assistance centre.

Be aware of the restrictive clauses contained in certain insurance policies (particularly those linked to bank cards such as Visa Premier, Gold or others), for example mountain insurance restricted to snow activities and altitude sickness not recognised as an illness requiring repatriation, resulting in refusal to repatriate.

Please check the actual content of your insurance and make the necessary arrangements where required.