Cho La Pass Trekking - 20 Days

Moderate to fairly challenging – Chola pass is quite long trek that goes right into high mountain country so; it is physically quite tiring which involves approx 5-8 hours walking along rocky ridges. No previous experience is required, you should be moderately fit, used to some regular exercise and enjoy walking in the high altitude conditions.

The best seasons Chola Pass Trek are autumn (from mid-September till November end) and spring (from the beginning of March until May end). Temperatures will drop considerably as you trek higher every day. The nights are chilly & cold (between -20 C to 5C) but the days are sunny and hot (between 10C to 30C). The mornings are usually clear, with clouds building up during the afternoon, & disappearing at night. Trekking during the monsoon and winter is also possible; please contact us for weather condition on those months.

Outfitter Nepal provides you 2-3 star Hotel Accommodation in KTM and Lodge/Teahouse during the Chola Pass Trek and the rooms are basic, normally just a bed with a pillow and blankets. A few have electric lights and all have a spacious dining room-lounge. We will accommodate you and group in local lodge available each day. We send a porter ahead of us to book the required rooms for the group (rooms cannot be booked in advance in all places). Please remember that some of them are very basic and a sense of adventure is necessary. And there is 4-5 star luxury accommodation available in Kathmandu as well so, if you prefer to upgrade your accommodation in Kathmandu then please write us for the cost and the detail.

We will provide private vehicles for the airport transfers and sightseeing tour and flight from KTM-LUK-KTM.

There are electricity in some of the villages where you can re- charges your camera batteries and there is solar power in some villages and you can recharges your batteries in those places as well if they have enough power and we suggest you to have spare batteries as well and you will have pay some for recharging batteries.

Meals are included in our price and are taken in lodges, you will have breakfast and dinner at the lodge you stay and lunch at the lodge available along the trail. You can find a wide variety of Nepali and Western food as well as drinks (coffee, tea, milk, soft drinks, and beer) - the drinks are not included in the cost above.

We recommend you to bring water purification pills since you will have normal water for free and you have options of buying bottled water or boiled water as well.

During the Chola Pass Trek- your main luggage will be carried by porters. You simply carry a day pack with water bottle, camera, sun-screen, spare jacket, etc. - a small load that allows full enjoyment of the trek. A trek bag is ideal for your main luggage, plus a small lockable bag for travel clothes or anything that you do not need during trek which you can leave at hotel’s locker room/safe deposit box in Kathmandu for free of charge. Weight allowance at Nepal’s domestic airlines is 15 Kg; excess weight is chargeable at USD 1 or more per Kilo depending on sectors.

We provide Trained Trekking Guide (handles the logistics and guides you and your team on the trek) and a Sherpa when there are 8 or more members in the Group and porters to carry your luggage and there will be 1 porter for 2 members / a porter can carry 20-25Kg.

The Chola Pass Trek is available on both fixed departure and private basis. If you are looking for a group to join this trip please check our fixed departures Dates link for availability, dates and price. If you would like to travel independently, or with your friends, families & colleagues you are invited to choose any date at your convenient timeframe for any number of people (minimum 1 & maximum 100 at a time). If you want to do something that is not included in our Chola Pass Trek then we are ready to tailor a trip to suit your exact requirements.

Personal expenses depend largely on your habit and as all the meals are included. You only need money for table drinks (alcoholic/non alcoholic beverages), snacks while walking (some smaller shops are available along the trail in the areas), tips, souvenirs, hot shower (available in some places), if you do not drink alcohol and sopping then 12-15USD per day should be enough for the hot drinks, shower and snacks.
Tips are appreciated by your support team after the trip. The amount depends on your budget and appreciation of their work. As a suggestion, we advise you to allocate 10 - 15% of the total tour cost as tips. You can do this if you feel the services have been good.

While trekking in the remote parts of the Himalayas you may not have an access to telephone facility for some days. However, en route there may be few places where telephone facilities are available and there are internet facilities in some villages as well.

It's not necessary to spend a lot of money buying extra equipment and clothing before your trip. Majority of these gears can be bought at reasonable rates in Kathmandu.

Each morning after packing our bags and hot breakfast, we set off on the day’s walk. After walking for 3-4 hours we stop for lunch at around midday. The afternoon’s walk is generally shorter and we usually arrive at our destination in time for afternoon tea. The remainder of the afternoon can be spent exploring the village, doing a bit of washing or simply relaxing with a good book. On some days we will arrive at our destination by lunchtime and the entire afternoon will be free. After dinner, the evening will often be spent playing cards and reliving the day’s adventures, before retiring for a well-earned sleep.

You need to pass on your International flight details to us for a “meeting and greeting” service at the airport. You just pass through the Customs and come out of the Terminal building where you will see someone standing with a placard with either ‘Outfitter Nepal’ or your name written on it. Our airport representative or tour officer will greet you and transfer you to the hotel.

The itinerary for the Chola Pass Trek should be taken as a guideline only. Depending on the prevailing situation, you can modify it to some extent after consulting with your guide. However, the date of trek completion should always coincide with the original itinerary. You should keep in mind that this is an adventure trip into some of the most remote regions on earth, where many unforeseen events may contribute to the need for a change in itinerary. In such cases, we or your guide will suggest the best alternative similar to your original program.

We ensure liability as per indicated itinerary and list of services. If the Chola Pass Trek is cut short or completed earlier than the projected period upon client’s wish, we shall not be responsible or make refund against unutilized days or services. Clients need to pay extra for Hotels/services incurred in Kathmandu or elsewhere in such cases.

As vaccination requirements change frequently, we suggest you to consult your doctor at least 2 months prior to the beginning of your Chola Pass Trek. We recommend protection against malaria, tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis and polio. The main health consideration in high altitude is Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). You may experience some mild symptoms initially, such as a headache, lethargy, nausea and difficulty sleeping, but these should lessen within a few days. To avoid Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), people take pills called ‘Diamox’. You can also use these pills after consulting with your doctor and purchase them in Kathmandu. Our itinerary will allow your body to acclimatize properly and to handle the low oxygen rate. For your service, out guide will have ‘Diamox’ and basic medicine as well- We do not take any medical liability since our staffs are not qualified to prescribe medicines. If you have ever suffered from altitude sickness, or have a heart or breathing complaint, we highly recommend you consult your doctor about your suitability for traveling to this area before booking. We suggest that you take some pain-killing pills with you and enough medicine for cold, diarrhea, nausea and fever. Some nasal ointment and throat-moistening pills will greatly be of help for those who are sensitive to chilly or freezing weather conditions. Please visit Acute Mountain sickness page and Health guide for more info about the sickness.

In case of a serious sickness or a casualty, which we believe will not happen; we will do everything to transfer you to the nearest hospital. Since you are entirely liable for all the expenses incurred in evacuation please make sure that it is covered by your insurance before assigning for it or be prepared to pay on your own after getting back to Kathmandu. Ensure that you’ve insured yourself before doing the trip. Common sense dictates this. It’s good for you and please visit Nepal Travel insurance page for more info about it.

The Wonderful Environment of the Himalayas is also an extremely fragile one. Increasing population density and numbers of trekkers threaten the very beauty of Nepal. At Outfitter Nepal, we are extremely conscious about the environment and aim to minimize our impact as much as possible. As deforestation is one of the greatest environmental threats we face, we do not encourage camp fires and use kerosene for cooking as an alternative fuel to wood. We also discourage trekkers from using wood-fuelled hot showers in lodges along the way. Many lodges, however, now provide solar hot showers, a far more eco-friendly alternative.
Garbage disposal is another major problem and some of the busier trails can, at times, appear strewn with litter for miles. Our staff members are well motivated towards eco-friendly practices. We carry out all our garbage, apart from that which can be safely and easily burnt at the campsite. Our aim is to help protect and preserve this beautiful environment for future generations of trekkers to enjoy and we advise the same to you to keep the garbage on proper site and take return those with you to homes which are Non- biodegradable.

In addition to Chola Pass Trek, we can organize extensions both within Nepal and other neighboring countries. You may want to try white water rafting, jungle safari, Lumbini Tour and Nepal Cultural Tour. You may as well want take a trip to Tibet and Bhutan, whichever appeals more to you.

You are required to make 20% payment in advance in order to book the Chola Pass Trek along with your passport copy and the flight Detail (Arrival Detail) and the remaining 80% balance is payable when you arrive in Nepal- and you have options of paying by bank transfer or credit card, so, do let us know which modes of payment is convenient for you then we will forward the detail.

These trip notes represent the most current information for this itinerary however there might be changed as the weather is always unpredictable for Chola Pass Trek so, Contact Us for the up to date and current information.