Family trek

[tfrank]

Hi
Like to know if someone have any tips regarding trekking with children.
Im going there with 2 kids 7 and 10 years old. Was thinking of mayby trekking up to Tatopani with them. Or mayby flying into Jomsom and walk down to Pokhara altitude wise would it be dangerouse? Any other good trekks to dowith children?
Any hints regarding using porters/Guide. And rekommendations for some.
thanks Tommy

[yakshaver]

Flying to Jomsom and going down from there is a good idea, if trekking with your children. I don't think that landing at 2700m altitude will be that dangerous, even for kids. Maybe you can go for a short trip to the interesting village of Kagbeni, or even to Jarkhot, before heading down the Kali Gandaki valley through the beautiful villages of Marpha, Dana, Ghasa etc. The lodges are comparatively more confortable than other regions in Nepal, as these people have been inn-keepers for generations...

In terms of recommendations of guides/ porters please have a look at the Recommendaatons Endorsments section, where you can see a number of recommended guides/porters.


If you have any other questions, I am sure other trekinfo stalwarts will have something to say, answering your questions.

[tfrank]

thanks for the reply
have you done this trekk with him i meen from jomsom and down.
And also how much time would it take with children. :confused: i know impossibale question.
anyway thanks

[Sharon]

You are right, that is an impossible question. Do your kids sit at the TV and computer or do they go walking, hiking and play outsoors all the time. Just plan on a few days longer than a niormal trip pace and I am sure you will be fine.


Nepalis love children and I am sure it waill be a very memorable trip for them. If more children travelled internationally there would be more tolerant adults in the future.

[Oli]

As Yakshaver says, Jomsom is not really very high, but it is fairly high. Do you normally live at or close to sea level? If so then I'd suggest a few days acclimatisation in Kathmandu - although it is "only" ~1350m elevation that is significantly higher than Pokhara.

Children are always well received in Nepal, but as Sharon notes their reactions and enjoyment of the trek will depend on their disposition. Consider that you might need to take a little extra baggage - a couple of carefully selected toys, a book or two and a surprise treat - whatever you as parents think may be required to keep your kids happy. And considering that then maybe a porter to help carry may be a good idea.

Flying up to Jomsom and walking down is a very good plan. When you get to Tatopani you have a choice between a quick return to Pokhara via Beni, or up the hill to Ghorepani to extend your trek and return by the most scenic route.

My top tip for a place to stay in Pokhara would be the Sacred Valley Inn. Its in the quiet end of Lakeside, just opposite the (formerly Royal) palace, a very friendly and family run business. Highly recommended.

[yakshaver]

I have done Jomsom to Beni with my son, but two years ago when he was 17... These days you can do the last part of the trip on 4wd... So I would say allow 7-8 days. as you might go to Kagbani and Jarkhot (highly recommended both...), and also spend a couple of days in Marpha, Tuckuche or Dana, all nice Thakali villages.

[cyclingpaul]

Dear Frank,

My wife and I did the Ghorepani/Poon Hill trek last December with my kids 9, 7 and 5, along with another familly also with 3 kids. We trekked with Santaman and 2 of his porters, Rame and Shyam.

Tips? Well, just make sure that the kids don't have to carry too much, a small pack with some snacks and water will be enough. They will find it hard enough without having the extra weight on their backs.

I would also recommend taking the absolute minimum of gear with you. We seemed to spend a disproportionate amount of time packing/unpacking and looking for lost sunglasses etc that the kids had mislaid. If ever there was a time to travel light it is when you are with your kids!

My kids coped OK with the ups and down, but of course we didn't go particularly high. I'm sure Jomson will be OK for you. You will find that you travel very slowly and stop frequently, so be prepared to cover less than the usual distances per day.

You can make your own mind up about the need for porters and guides. I have been to Nepal 6 times and this last time was the first occasion I have used a guide and porters. All I can say is that on this trip we really appreciated the service we received and we would have struggled on the trek without the assistance we got. Santaman went out of his way to smooth our path and was an interesting and thoughtful person with whom it was a pleasure to talk. It just took the pressure off the adults a bit.

We had lots of health worries, but in fact it was the adults that got ill due to chang drinking! Kids were fine.

[cyclingpaul]

Tommy, I should clarify my previous rather hurried post. When I said in my earlier post that we had health worries, I meant before the start of the trek! When we were at home we fretted about all sorts of things, but on the trek we had no problems with the kids at all.

Regards

Paul

[snowcapped]

Hi

I would recommend Langtang trek. Perfect for kids and can do it as slowly or quickly as you like (many places to stop on the way to cater it to the kids' abilities). It's not to difficult, not too busy and truly spectacular. It can be done in 7/8 days but you could take a few extra days.

We actually spoke to our guide about doing this with children and he has taken a few families on this trek. We definitely thought it was a perfect trek for kids. If you do it, take a jeep to the starting point (not the bus). The jeep ends up taking about 5 - 6 hours from Kathmandu and is much better than the bus which takes 11 hours and is really dangerous.

The end point is about 1.5 hours' drive from Kathmandu which is great.

Have fun.

[yakshaver]

I realise I made a mistake, and others have followed suit....

Since tfrank's request was specific (about guide/porter) I provided him with specific information about this in this particular section, being in a bit of a hurry at the time... Others have done the same...

I suggest we stick to the tradition of providing recommendations for guides, porters, trekking companies in the Recommendations section (and pointing people there) or through a private message to the person requesting such information.

Else we risk the discussion forum to become a market place clamoring for business. We managed to avoid this until now, I suggest we stick with it. As Douglas Adams would conveniently say... we apologise for the inconvenience.