Choose a classic Everest or Annapurna itinerary if the named destination and lodge-based walking appeal to you. Choose an Indian itinerary, such as a Ladakh traverse or a West Sikkim trek, if you want the camping, the quieter trails or the seasonal fit that particular route offers. Both can be done privately, with your own team and your own pace. We run treks in both, mainly in India, and we'll happily tell you which suits you better.
Here is the comparison we give people when they ask.
Crowds and solitude
Nepal's classic treks are popular for good reason. The trails to Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Base Camp are some of the finest walks on earth, and in the main spring and autumn seasons they are busy. You share the trail, the lodges and the viewpoints with many other trekkers. For some people that's part of the fun.
The Indian Himalayas have more room. Outside a handful of well-known treks, many routes see few people, and on some you may not meet another group for days. Our own work is built around lesser-done, uncrowded routes. If solitude matters to you, India is usually the easier place to find it.
Tea houses or camping
Nepal runs on tea houses. On the classic routes, you sleep in lodges, eat from a menu and walk with a light pack. It is comfortable and simple, and a private trek there means your own guide and team, staying in tea houses.
Much of the Indian Himalayas is camping. Ladakh's high routes, West Sikkim, the glacier treks of Uttarakhand: here we carry the camp with a cook, a kitchen and a crew, and pitch it where the route needs it. Some routes, such as the Singalila Ridge in Darjeeling or the Sham Valley in Ladakh, have homestays or trekkers' huts. Camping takes more organising, which is our job, and it opens up places no lodge reaches.
Getting there
Nepal's Everest treks depend on a flight to Lukla. Lukla flights are weather-dependent, and in peak seasons your itinerary may fly from Manthali (Ramechhap) rather than Kathmandu. We confirm the operating airport and build in buffer days before your onward travel. The Annapurna side starts by road from Pokhara.
The Indian Himalayas are mostly reached by road from a domestic airport. Leh has its own airport for Ladakh. Bagdogra serves Darjeeling and Sikkim, and Dehradun serves the Garhwal side of Uttarakhand. Your quote confirms the pickup and drop-off for your itinerary.
Permits
Both have permits, and we arrange them in both.
- Nepal: requirements depend on the route. On treks such as Everest and Annapurna, you need a TIMS card issued through a registered agency and a licensed guide, plus park and local fees. Remote routes such as Kanchenjunga need a restricted-area permit. We confirm the current requirements for your route before you book.
- India: depends on the region. Ladakh's protected areas need permits for foreign nationals, and Sikkim needs a Restricted Area Permit for foreigners, plus a Protected Area Permit for West Sikkim. For Sikkim's permit routes, we need at least two travellers on foreign passports.
Seasons and altitude
| Nepal (Everest, Annapurna) | Indian Himalayas |
|---|
| Main seasons | Spring and autumn | Depends on the region; something is in season most of the year |
| Spring (Mar–May) | Yes | Darjeeling and Sikkim; Uttarakhand from April |
| Summer (Jun–Sep) | Monsoon on the main routes | Ladakh, Zanskar and Spiti, in the rain shadow |
| Autumn (late Sep–Nov) | Yes | Uttarakhand, Darjeeling and Sikkim, and Ladakh into mid-October |
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | Lower routes | The Singalila Ridge; the Chadar in Ladakh, subject to river conditions |
| Typical high points | Everest Base Camp, with higher viewpoints such as Kala Patthar on some itineraries | From 3,600 m ridge walks to passes above 5,000 m and peaks above 6,000 m |
The big difference is summer. When the monsoon reaches Nepal's main routes, Ladakh, Zanskar and Spiti are at their best. If your holiday falls in June to September, India's high desert is the obvious choice.
Peaks above 6,000 m
Both have excellent first 6,000 m peaks. In Nepal, Island Peak and Mera Peak are classics. In Ladakh, peaks like Kang Yatse 2, Mentok Kangri and UT Kangri can be climbed in summer, often with very few other teams around. We cover these in a separate article on choosing your first 6,000 m peak in India.
Which suits you?
Choose Nepal if…
- you want Everest or Annapurna, by name;
- you'd like tea houses every night and a light pack;
- you're trekking in spring or autumn and don't mind company on the trail.
Choose the Indian Himalayas if…
- you want quiet routes and real wilderness;
- you like the idea of camping with your own crew;
- your holiday is in summer (Ladakh, Zanskar, Spiti);
- you want variety: forest ridges in the east, glaciers in Uttarakhand, high desert in Ladakh.
Not sure? Tell us what you want from the trip, and we'll suggest both an Indian and a Nepali option if both fit.
Where to start
Wherever you go, it's a private trek with us: your own team, with the same safety standard in every tier. In Nepal as in India, we run the trek ourselves. Our own trek leader travels with you, and we never hand our trekkers to another agency. More on that in how we run a private trek.
In short
- Nepal: famous names, tea houses, busy in spring and autumn, Lukla flights need spare days.
- India: quieter routes, more camping, wide variety, and summer in Ladakh.
- We arrange permits in both; Sikkim needs at least two foreign travellers.
- Both have great first 6,000 m peaks.
- Private in both: your own team and pace.
Tell us your dates and what you're hoping for, and we'll suggest the right side of the border.