Trek together, safely

Most people you meet here are friendly travellers looking for the same thing as you. A few simple habits keep it that way.

Meet in public first

Before you agree to trek together, meet in a busy café in Thamel or Lakeside Pokhara. Spend an hour together and talk about pace, budget, guide and plans. If something feels off, it is fine to say no.

Tell someone your plans

Send a friend or family member your route, dates and the names of the people you are walking with. Check in whenever you have signal, and agree on what they should do if they don’t hear from you.

Get the right insurance

Your travel insurance must cover trekking up to the highest altitude on your route, including helicopter rescue. Many standard policies stop at 3,000 or 4,000 metres, so check the small print before you go.

Follow the guide rules

Since 2023, foreign trekkers in most of Nepal’s national parks and conservation areas need a licensed guide, and restricted areas need a special permit and a group. Rules can differ by area, so check the current rules for your trek. Sharing a guide is one of the best reasons to find partners.

Never send money to someone you haven’t met

Don’t pay deposits, “permit fees” or shared costs to another trekker before you meet in person. Book guides, permits and transport through licensed agencies or official offices, and get a receipt.

Share contact details carefully

Posts are public, so never put your phone number or email in them. Replies are only visible to signed-in members. Share WhatsApp or email there, and only with people you have a good feeling about.

Respect the altitude

Walk at the pace of the slowest person, go up slowly and plan rest days above 3,000 metres. Headache, nausea or unusual tiredness can be altitude sickness: stop going up, and go down if it gets worse. No trek is worth pushing on for.

You can always split up

Agreeing to trek together doesn’t oblige you to finish together. If the group isn’t working, if someone makes you uncomfortable or if paces don’t match, part ways at the next village. Teahouse owners and guides can help.

In an emergency

Tourist Police: 1144 (free, English spoken)
Police: 100
Ambulance: 102
Your insurance helpline: save it in your phone before you start, as they arrange helicopter rescue.

Save these numbers before you set off. Mobile signal is patchy on many trails, so a local SIM with data helps.

See something wrong? Report it

Every post, reply and trekker profile has a Report button. Use it for spam, scams, fake profiles, harassment or anything that makes you uneasy. Only the site admin sees reports, and the person won’t know who reported them.

We check reports regularly and remove content or ban accounts that break our rules. For anything urgent, email [email protected].

Find trekking partners