independent trekking?

[Daniel]

I guess, especially if you want to go to more remote areas, you would need a good guide. Please have a look at a couple of pages which might help you make a decison.

This first one will perhaps clarify the issues around hiring a guide independently or through an agency
http://www.nepal-dia.de/int__England/EV_porter/ev_porter.html

The second one has the contacts of a number of recommended guides
http://www.geocities.com/porterguides/contact.htm

Still, going to remote areas, whatever that means to you, you might consider issues of insurance for guides/porters. Please see the first site anyway. It might clarify things.

[Stephen]

The reality is if you are going for that long a guide is both unnecessary and will be expemsive.

There are others who will have more experience but I was in Khumbu in March for 3 weeks (Gokyo Ri/kalaPattar/Chukung Ri. I too had to weigh up about using guides or not. The reality is the Khumbu like Annapurna is a very well trekked region. A guide is not necessary especialy if you are experinced. There are many om the trails. I found the sherpa guides with other groups very helpful !! They are more than willing to share information if you need it. You can find guides at Lukla and Jiri. If you do go that way take you time shop around and perhaps even put a proviso on it because whilst there are many good guides you wont know what to look for when you first get there.

I found Jamie McGuinness Trekking In The Everest region very helpful. It has routes off the beaten track although I didbt use them and stuck to the main routes.
You will find that there are often others doing something similar, at least in Nepal.
Cant comment about Tibet.

[Andrees]

Hi, for the classical trekking areas of Nepal E.G Everest, Annapurna and Helambu/Langtang you dont need guide, still it can be very rewarding, as he will tell you lot of interesting thing. But you will alwas find the trail and meet a lot of people who you can ask questions. If one has enough time, he can see a lot on these main Trekks! There are lot of little side valleys, monasterys an wonderfull little villages wich most people will bypass. Walking trough a village with just a tea stop is fundmentaly a different thing than staying for one or two days in it. So even a trek in the Annapuran area can be like a trek in a remote place.
The problem is that the more remote areas of Nepal are either closed for individuals ore actually in areas, where there could be fighting between Maiost and the army.
For many of the not so classical areas you need the assistance of a registered nepales trekking agency, otherwise you dont get the trekking permit. This is for Round Daulagiri, Manaslu, kanchenjunga, Dolpo, Mustang ect.

The situation in Tibet is changing all the time. It is pretty difficult to get in as an individual, somtime you can get a short package of § days, but with a longer visa.
Inside Tibet you might have to go again by an offical agency if you want go outside of Lhasa. Basically the rules are changing very often just according to the actuall political mood of the chinese.

10 years ago, I used the excellent book: Trekking in Tibet from Gary McCue, ISBN 0-89886-239-6, but I dont know, if you still can buy it.
Greeting andrées