Natuwa ako sa comment na to: “It was COLD – The outside of my sleeping-bag often being covered in ice in the mornings when I awoke – and that was Inside the lodge!!”
Found that on some random forum.
I did a little computation and skipping HK and Macau could save me 1200USD 60k off hand (Wahoo!) but it also cuts my trip down by about a week and a half or two. Conceivably, I can make enough money by July of next year and still have a pretty good buffer of savings for when I get back home, unemployed. That's still including Everest base camp (with an Agency!)
I also have more time now so I can take a bus to Jiri and trek for a week to get to Lukla, where most people start their Everest base camp (EBC) trek. This SHOULD be cheaper than taking a plane and it will also help me acclimatize for the trek to EBC. I’ll probably stay a couple of days to a week in Lukla for a break between the week long Jiri-Lukla trek and the two week EBC trek. That means about a month spent in Nepal alone. Still better than spending 650USD = 32,500PHP just for the round trip Kathmandu-Lukla airfare. Even if I break even, I’d rather spend on experience than convenience.
Also, I bet I can make it cheaper by not hiring a porter or an agency. I hope there’s a way to only hire a personal guide. That will save me at least 200USD or 10,000PHP.
Package deals from Kathmandu to Jiri to EBC are typically 21- 24 days long. They involve flying back to Kathmandu from Lukla. I figured I’d start by finding one-way airfare rates from Lukla to Kathmandu. Unlike my other flight plans, I’ll only be able to book two (from lukla) or three weeks+++ (from kathmandu) in advance.
I will be flying during peak season so these can’t be that accurate. To simulate buying peak season tickets only 2 weeks in advance, I’ll take the rate of increase from regular fare to peak season fare and multiply it by the 2 week in advance fare. I’ll also put a buffer or 10%. Weekends are usually most expensive so I’ll book on a Friday for the most expensive scenario. Its important to note that prices are different for foreigners and locals, not just due to taxes.
FAIL!
After all my strategizing, the websites doesn’t have automated fare calculation systems. The fares are tabulated in lists (no peak season rates):
113USD = 5,458PHP Yeti Airlines (http://yetiairlines.com)
109USD Sita Air (http://www.sitaair.com.np/)
97USD Gorkha Airline (http://www.gorkhaairlines.com/)
83USD = 4,009PHP (Royal) Nepal Airlines (http://www.manang.com/international_domestic_daily_flight_schedules/domestic_flight_schedules/royal_nepal_airlines_foreign.php)
Prices are exclusive of tariff = 121USD (but the trekking websites don’t mention this. (http://www.impala.com.np/english/nepal_air.php#air)
Domestic Airport Tax is 170NPR = 3USD
Cool site with all prices
http://ammarguni.com.np/air_ticketing.html
Jiri to EBC
It turns out that my plan to book a flight 2 weeks ahead from Lukla wouldn’t have worked. Lukla is out of the way from Jiri to EBC. Trekkers don’t always pass there. I’ll have to book as soon as I’ve arranged my EBC plans. If prices don’t change though, I can just book when I get back, just in case something happens on the way. I may even decide that the Jiri to Lukla trek was so nice and cheap that I’ll trek back to Jiri.
Here’s a website I found with pretty much everything I need (for once): http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1482747&tstart=0&limit=1000
Very Rough Break Down:
Kathmandu
5USD Average Hostel Price
2500NPR = 32 USD/day (1 day) Supposedly the price of tourism per day.
10USD 12 hour Bus to Jiri
Trek
100NPR = 2USD/night Jiri to Lukla (6 nights)
200-250NPR = 4USD/night lukla-EBC-Lukla (15 nights two in EBC)
400-700NPR =5-9USD /day Food 21 days
(700NPR/day porter)
1000 NPR 13 USD each for the Sagarmatha Park admission
10USD/day = Guide
83 USD Lukla to Kathmandu Airfare
Not sure if I have to add the 121USD tariff if I'm leaving Lukla.
Kathmandu
5USD Average Hostel Price
2500NPR = 32 USD /day (1 day)
Without Tariff: 303USD
WithTariff: 424
Come to think of it, none of the trekking websites mention this Tariff at all. This might be the deciding factor as to whether or not I fly to Lukla or take Jiri.
Also, it was posted in October 2007. I’ll probably be going in 2010 or 2011.
Kathmandu Tips:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/nepal/kathmandu/transport/getting-there-away
Nepal Trekking :
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0701/trekking_the_himalayas_nepal.shtml
“Nepal has four distinct seasons. Spring, from March to May, is warm and dusty with rain showers. Summer, from June to August (GAH! MADHAV F*CKED ME AGAIN! I’ve been planning for the wrong time of year!), is the monsoon season when the hills turn lush and green. Autumn, from September to November, is cool with clear skies, and is the most popular trekking season. In winter, from December to February, it is cold at night and can be foggy in the early morning, but afternoons are usually clear and pleasant, though there is occasional snow in the mountains.”
http://www.trekinfo.com/about/whentogo.html
Wow, I know exactly when to climb now, it’s perfect but I think that deserves an entry on its own.
Apart from that, I’ll have to play everything by ear. Finding guides, buying or renting gear, getting around.
