Api Base Camp trek

Photography viewpoint

The Api base camp tour offers to capture the rare beauty of Nepal most remote and visually breathtaking landscape. Each and every day present unique visual beauty of the untamed far-western part of Nepal. The Kathmandu gives the timeless moment, cultural beauty with prayer wheels and the rituals performs along Bagmati river. The Api himal trek provide the remoteness beauty of glowing view of sunset, additional beauty of traditional mud-bricks homes and the mountains road.

The kali Gandaki lake can be observed as mirror reflection of the api himal. The visitor can capture the traditional beauty of the khaikot village and the storytelling of the mountain life, women weaving wool and children playing near the ancient water mills. The photography of the wooden architecture and culture adds the touch of traditional beauty of the Thakuri community.

The view of snowcapped and the rare wildlife is the best scene observe in the tour of Api Base Camp. The climate change is seen rapid in high altitude zone which gives the unbeliavle time-lapse of the weather pattern which add the sensational beauty in the place. The night photography under some Nepal clearest skies gives the beauty for the photographer.

The crowed temple courtyards, untouched wilderness from the lowland to the breathtaking peaks. Every traveler can catch the adventure, raw natural beauty and the culture. The api himal base camp give the best scene for photography and add the adventure in the place.

Physical fitness required

This Api Base Camp trip gives the high-altitude challenge which require excellent physical conditioning and stamina. The remote nature contains risky route for which the visitor should be prepare with their mental and physical health. The visitor should be able hike 6-8 hours daily by carrying the 10-15 kg weight.

The lungs must be strong which holds the capacity for the altitudes up to 4,200m. The people should have capability to claim decent 800-1200meter elevation in the base camp tour.

The people should have the muscular strength to visit and observe the natural beauty of the place. The legs muscles like calves, hamstring, quadriceps for the rocky train, to balance the uneven trails and river crossing.

The Api Base Camp lies in high-altitude above 3,500 meter so, altitude preparation for maintaining the steady pace with controlled breathing at high altitude. The journey required pre month training like regular hiking with weighted pack. The training required stair climbing minimum 500 meter. The visitor should walk weekly long distance of 15-20 km to build the endurance and maintain the strength training focusing on the body part like legs, core and back which make the trek easy and comfortable.

The fitness baseline must be excellent with no any health problems. The visitor must do medical check-up before going to see the beauty of western Nepal. The good health of knees for sustained downfall section while observing the snowcapped mountain and the untouched beauty.

The remote place required safety for physical and mental in-order to enhance enjoyment with the demand of Himalayan adventure.

Accommodation facilities

Api Base Camp trek offers the visitor basic teahouses, homestays and camping facilities due to its remote of far western Nepal. The trekker can except simple teahouses and homestays in the lower region of village like Ghusa, simar and khaikot where the local there are local teahouses and homestay.

They provide simple facilities with simple room with shared bathroom, basic wooden bed and thin mattress to take rest. They offer local food like dal bhat, noodle and tea prepared on local kitchen also electricity is limited so there are solar-powered and kerosene lamp.

There is camping facilities with weatherproof tents, sleeping bags and foam mats. There are dining tent with basic meals and toilet tent are set by support staff to enjoy and experience new adventure. There are different facilities and challenges in the trek with the beauty for nature and provide environment friendly. The visitor cannot perform showers at high camp they can perform wet wipes and bucket washes. There is limited connectivity no wi-fi, sporadic mobile signals in villages.

The teahouses required advance booking and can arrange the guides. The visitor can bring sleeping bag, portable charger and toilet paper to maintain the comfort. The tour doesn’t provide high facilities and gives the beauty of nature.

Safe drinking water

The api base camp is the remote place with less facility and challenges in accessing safe drinking water. The trekker can ensure hydration by minimizing health risk with water sources and risks. There are different natural sources including lakes, glacial streams and kali dhunga 4,000 meters which may contain pathogens.

The limited tea houses provide boiled water and most of the villagers rely on the mountain water. There is different purification method in this trek like boiling, portable filters, chemical tablets and UV purifiers. The most reliable method of drinking water is boiled water which kills bacteria and viruses. The visitor should carry 2-3 liter of purified water and should use electrolyte tablets to say away from dehydration in high altitudes.

The tea house sells bottle water but supplies are unreliable in remote area. The place prioritizes the water purification over the reliance on packaged water. They prefer to provide the pure water and the melted mountain water with full purification method.

Water Facilities plus Proper hydration during Api Base Camp trek

Proper hydration is important for Api Base Camp Trek. Dehydration might be a major cause of altitude sickness too and also may affect your locomotive health. You cannot drink or carry water from resources wherever you see.

Water purification is crucial while travelling through the remote trails and routes of Api Base Camp. For your safety, the tap water, lake and stream water is not healthy to drink. There are some techniques to purify the water.

• Ask for boiled water at hotels / guest houses / tea – houses, they will give it for free but some might charge you a little.
• Apply iodine, chlorine and UV treatment, use purification tablets, squeeze filters, sterilizers on the way.

Permits required

The Api base camp trek required different permits which visitor should get to enjoy their journey. The Nepal Tourism Board provide permit to visitor from Kathmandu through registered trekking agency. The TIMS card can be obtained from trekking agencies of Nepal.

• Api Nampa conservational area permit
• Trekker information management system card

There are several documents required to visit and explore western part of Nepal.

• Passport-size photos (2-4)
• Trekking itinerary details
• Passport copy having validity for at least 6 months

The api base camp region is restricted which means independent trekking is not allowed so, visitor should follow licensed guide or agency. The permits given during visit are no-refundable and non-transferable. The trekkers can gain the knowledge and know about the policy of the place.

After all the information and permits the people can enjoy the peaceful environment with the different species of plant and animal. The permits are required to support the conservational efforts in the conservational area, protecting wildlife and local ecosystems.

Flora and fauna of the Api Base Camp region

The Api base camp trek provide the breathtaking view of the western part of Nepal. The Api himal base camp tour provide visitor with the unmatchable beauty of nature and the species of wildlife. The place tells us how to conserve the flora and faunas and maintain the diversity of the western region.

Flora: plants of the Api Base Camp region

The place is full of natural beauty with green forest and the different species of plant which lies in the journey. The Nepal is rich in the greenery which add the beauty in each and every place of looks beautiful. There we can observe the rhododendron forests in lower elevation with different color like vibrant red and pink bloom which especially lies near khaikot village which shows the beauty of the national flower of Nepal.

The high-altitude place above 3,500meter shows the beauty of alpine forest near dhuli odar and kali dhunga lake where we can observe the Himalayan blue poppies, edelweiss and gentians. There are different kind of medical herbs found their which have different feature like rare yarshagumba and juniper thrive in the altitude zone which are used as traditional remedy for the disease.

Fauna: animals of the Api Base Camp region

The region is rich in wildlife there are different kind of rare species which we can observe during the journey to Api Base Camp. There are different kinds animal seen during this journey which add the beauty and adventure in the visit.

The Himalayan goat which has curved horns Himalayan tahr which is commonly observed in the rocky slopes of the Api base camp. The snow leopard is rarely spotted in the altitudes above 4000meter which are the rare animal which the lucky visitor can see. There is endangered animal known as red panda which are shy in nature and are observed in the lower elevations.

The visitor can observe the Nepal national bird in the national flower foorest which is Himalayan monal. The domestic animal which are used for transport and dairy is yak and naks which are see in the high-altitude place for the transport and daily dairy product.

Eco-friendly Trekking experience

The Api base camp provide the unique opportunity to experience sustainable and eco-friendly journey in Nepal most remote and untouched regions. The place provides different experience of the place full of beauty and teach different lesson in the journey.

The practice like leave no trace which strictly follow the waste management system which carry non-biodegradable waste, including plastic and packaging at the disposal points.

This practice is performed to keep the route clean and make the water source clean. The visitor can observe the support for the local communities which in-hance homestay, local teahouses facility and benefits to reach local villager easily. The people can get the local organic meal during the visit reducing the imported goods in the place to add local taste.

There are minimum number of infrastructures for low-impact trekking where we cannot observe luxury lodge and motorable road in Api base camp route preserving the pristine nature. The trails have narrow and unpaved route to perform trek without habitual disruption.
The Api Nampa conservational area protect endangered animal like snow leopard and Himalayan Monal. The trekker must maintain the distance with the wildlife to maintain peace and conserve the animals. The solar resource use maintains the eco-friendly experience where every visitor can observe the dependence of electricity with solar and kerosene lamp to reduce fossil fuel.

The visitor can learn the Thakuri community culture which protect the culture and tradition of the place. The eco-conscious visitor can get good chance to explore Himalayas and its beauty without leaving any harmful footprint.

Charging facility

The Api base camp trek passes through remote areas with limited electricity in lower elevation and no electricity in high-altitude making the charging electronic devices a big challenge. The visitor can get the facility to charge from teahouse and homestays in lower village offering basic charging facility but power is unreliable an intermittent. The charging facility is typically solar-powered from small hydroelectric setups available in low fee per device.

The power cut is frequent so the charging of device is slightly hard and carry spare batteries. The high-altitude place like dhuli odar and base camp has no electricity so the visitor should carry portable power banks. Some of the agencies provide portable solar charging panels for group use.

The visitor should carry high-capacity power bank and should use mobile in low power mode to save battery. There are no any charging ports beyond the khaikot village. The visitor should be prepared for the battery drain problem and should keep the device warm at night. The small problem of charging is challenge while other factor for the place is full of adventure and untouched.

Hiring guide and porter

The Api base camp tour provide us the beauty of the remote and challenging route making the visitor hiring the guide and porter to enjoy the high hill beauty and for safety. The guide provides the detail and help us to select the right route and know about the local culture and tradition. The guide services are available to guide the visitor the charge is 25-30$ per day including the food accommodation and insurance.

The role which guides play in the journey is they provide us the safety, navigation, provide the cultural insight, manage emergencies and assist the permits. The porter services are for those who are unable to carry their luggage during the walk and observing the natural beauty.

The guide and porter are necessary in-order to monitor altitude sickness and weather risk and also make us known about the local culture and tradition of local people living there. The services can be easily gained from the agencies with full package.

Cultural relevance

The indigenous culture, traditional belief and the spiritual tradition of the remote western Nepal is shown by Api base camp also provide us the Himalayan and ancient trade route. The place offers us the unforgettable memory of the old traditional belief and the way of living in the village. The journey passes through the village of the thakuri descendants of the medieval Hindu kings and byansi are the Tibeto-Bheman ethnic group.

There way of living reflects mix of Hindu and shamanistic traditions with differently crafted wooden homes and following the rerraced farming to provide the local food to visitor. The local rituals involve offering to the mountain deities and the lake belive to inhabit by the sprits.

The Api Base Camp region contains different monasteries and Hindu tradition temples reflecting the religious harmony of the country Nepal also show how people live by sharing culture. Villager often celebrate both festival like Dashain and losar with equal belief and harmony. The cultural ritual to protect the visitor with safety is also performed by the local during their pujas.

The Api Base Camp region practices to protect culture and protecting the biodiversity makes the place rich in all the factors. The journey is the treasure with the beauty of the Himalayan and the spiritual story of the villager which provide faith, survival and harmony in nature.

Geographical relevance

The Api base camp trek provide one of the best geographically diverse and geographical significance of the western region showing the dramatic lowland subtropical and high land snowcapped Himalayas. The trek provides us the geographical variety of the land and provide us the beautiful scene with the view oof high mountain.

The extreme topographical variation can be seen with the subtropical siwalik foothills near attariya also the deep gorge carved by the mahakali river. The trek provides the geographical features like glacial system feeding the kali river and also the tectonically active zone visible in the folded rock along the trekking route.

The place has the transboundary water source for Nepal and India and the place is hydropower potential zone with untapped resources. The climate is humid in subtropical zone and the climate change occurs frequently in the high-altitude areas. The place preserves the flora and fauna available in the region to add the beauty.

The Api Base Camp trek gives the lively provide living geography lesson and the climate interact to shape the Himalayas. The place gives us the unmatchable beauty of nature with untouched natural resources and feels like visiting the heaven.

Trek comparison

The Api base camp trek stands with remote trekking route and raw winderness offering the contrast and more commercialized trails like Everest base camp and Annapurna base camp. The Api base is least visited treks and minimal infrastructure for tourist while the Annapurna base camp is highly popular and crowded and have well developed teahouse and good networks. The Api himal focuses on the indigenous culture of the local community with traditional village untouched tourism while Annapurna base camp shows the Sherpa and Gurung dominate culture.

The Api Base Camp challenges are seen due to remote trails, crossing rivers and high-altitude camping while Annapurna moderate reliable infrastructure and have the nice route to visit. The Api base camp offers the pristine beauty of lakes, dense forest and Api himal while Annapurna shows the iconic peaks like Everest and Annapurna also provide pristine beauty of nature with different facilities.

Api base camp trek is for adventure seeking visitor with raw Himalayan beauty on the other hand Annapurna base camo trek is crowded and have well established routes and have comforts in the way.

Best season for Api base camp trek

The ideal seasons for the Api base camp trek are:

Spring Season: The time of March to May have very clear and clean weather for the trek, the weather remains good and stable most of this season in Api Himal region with forests blooming with national flower rhododendrons as well. If you want to witness beautiful rhododendron flowers, you must choose this season as it is a treat to have a glimpse of.

Autumn Season: The months from September to November do have blue skies, the weather is clear, clean and weather conditions remain stable with best visibility of picturesque scenes and the whole scenery looks so majestic and breathtaking at the same time. For best visibility and scenery, you must choose this season.

Monsoon season: We suggest you to not travel or just avoid this season for Api Base Camp trek. The time of June to August, it remains very rainy, the trails are very slippery and muddy. Leeches trouble your walking. Still it has positive sides too. The clouds look fascinating, and the bloomed flowers make whole of the grasslands look so beautiful. The hills are decorated with monsoon flowers and its chilled atmosphere makes you feel serene.

Winter season: We also suggest you to not travel or just avoid this season for the Api Base Camp trek. The time of December to February, the weather remains extreme cold, snowy everywhere, the trails are very slippery due to snow. Still if you prefer snow, it is the best season. The snowy hills looks so beautiful and crystals of ices on lakes, rivers just make the trails more interesting to walk on.

Trek Difficulty of Api Base Camp Trek
This trek is considered as a challenging trek as it includes technical climbing. Very suitable for experienced trekkers also to explore the destination thoroughly. The average time of daily hiking ranges from 6 to 7/8 hours. High-altitude experience is needed and also a commendable physical and mental fitness is required.

Rooms and facilities during Api Base Camp trek

Room facilities (Accommodation)

Basic rooms with basic furnishing in the teahouses

Shared Dining room / table in the teahouses

Blankets and stove / firewood heaters available in dining room

Electricity is available as basic necessity

Some of the guest houses provide Wi-Fi connection for some fees / payments. But, the connection usually remain slow and sometimes inactive in the higher altitude.

Laundry facility is not available, if available need to pay.

Very fundamental medical facility might be available like: bandages, paracetamol, painkillers, joint spray etc. in the guest houses. Self-dependent with your regular medicines is a great aspect.

Toilets are communal at higher altitude. Toilet papers are available, but self – dependent with toilet tissues is a great aspect too.

Hotels on the city have more facilities.

Packing list for Api Base Camp trek

• Trekking bag, large enough to fit all your requirements
• Regular medicine (if prescribed by the doctor)
• A windproof jacket
• Basic toiletries such as: toilet paper, sanitizer, soap, face wash, shampoo, towels, toothpaste, toothbrush, body spray, lip care etc.
• Sunglasses and sun protection cream
• Trekking shoes with good grip and multiple pair of socks
• Raincoat is a necessity, a torch light, trekking pole, water purifiers, power bank
• Abundant inner wears.
• 4- 5 passport sized photographs
• Thermos / Water bottle ( min/max. 1 liters )
• Mini bag for daily purpose, to keep energy bars, chargers, extra batteries
• Important identifying documents
• Cash in hand

Dietary Restrictions during Api Base Camp trek

If the travelers hold any dietary restrictions like being vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or allergen to lactose, this thing is very important as trekkers to give detailed information to trek / travel agency or the guide or the cooks.

The menu has to be changed with choices. We recommend the travelers in order to carry their preferred snacks on hand to avoid such problems.

Booking Api Base Camp trek Package with us

If you ever wish to book a package of Api Base Camp trek, Info Nepal Tours and Treks has brought you with exciting offerings and services. For all trekkers and travelers who are very excited to visit and explore the sublimity of Api Himal region, we are for your service.

In the package, we provide a complete range of services you will need and want, assuring your good journey to be very smoothly operated from the starting point to the ending point, beginning with an airport arrival pick-up, or managing permits, transportations, assist in various shopping or anything to your departure drop-off, in our own style of Nepali hospitality and authentic tradition.

Commence your fantastic journey with a lot of enthralling experiences on the way, you can either drop us an email or give us a quick call at (+977) 9841936940 or Whatsapp the same number or [email protected]. The specialty of our Info Nepal Tours and Treks team is based on responding quickly to the interested trekkers and travelers.

We’ll work closely with you to tailor our services and make sure everything is customized to meet your specific needs, if you wish to extend the trip we will customize the itinerary accordingly. Our goal is to turn your vision into reality and ensure that your adventure is everything you’ve dreamed of and more. We will serve with every ability we do possess, either you are a beginner trekker or a seasoned trekker, we got you covered.

If you have any questions before making your decision, don’t hesitate to reach out. Info Nepal’s supportive staff is always available to answer queries, offer advice, and provide any additional information you might need.

Tips to Save the money

Travel in a Group to share the costs for guides, porters, and transportation.

Book the flights from Kathmandu to Dhangadhi earlier as they are cheaper when booked in advance.

Eat the affordable meals (dal bhat) compared to imported foods.

Rent Gear in Kathmandu to avoid buying expensive trek equipments.

Carry Snacks, bring energy bars and nuts from Kathmandu to avoid overpriced trail snacks.

Use Local Transport like shared jeeps which are cheaper than private vehicles for road sections.

Avoid Peak Season like (March-April, October-November).