Upper Mustang Trek

• Nepal visa Fee 
• International airfare to and from Kathmandu.
• Extra Hotel nights and meals in Kathmandu
• Guided sightseeing tour, entrance fees in Kathmandu
• Any sort of Personal expenses, Alcoholic beverages, bottled mineral water, soft drinks, and snack foods during the trek and in Kathmandu
• Any personal medical or evacuation expenses. Strongly recommend International Travel insurance which includes Helicopter rescues.
• Extra costs occurred due to Force Majeure or unexpected events like natural disasters which is beyond of Kaitu Expedition.
• Personal tips for local support staff which is strongly recommended and highly appreciated. 

A Nepal (multiple-entry) Visa can be obtained on arrival at Kathmandu Airport. The visa fee should be paid in cash in US Dollars or equivalent to Pounds Sterling or Euros The current visa cost is $30 for a 15-day visa $50 for a 30-day visa  $125 for 90 days. 

However, to avoid the long queues at Immigration, it's best if you pre-apply online Nepal Visa Form: https://nepaliport.immigration.gov.np/on-arrival/IO01

Also, your passport needs to be valid for at least six (6) months after your journey ends and should have a minimum of one (1) blank visa page for entry and exit stamps.

For your own personal health; it is strongly recommended that travelers are covered against the following diseases; Poliomyelitis (childhood booster), Tetanus (childhood booster), Typhoid (food and water-borne disease), and Hepatitis A (food and water-borne disease). For those undertaking a longer more rural trip to Nepal, other vaccinations may need to be considered including Hepatitis B, Rabies, Japanese B, and Meningitis. There are seasonal outbreaks of dengue fever / Malaria, especially in the southeast of Nepal, but cases have been reported across much of the country. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for Dengue, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten.

Most of our trips to Nepal go to high altitudes, where there is a risk of being affected by Acute Mountain Sickness. Our itineraries are designed to enable everyone to acclimatize to these altitudes, but you should be aware that it is still possible for you to be affected.

Approximately $300 (or Euros, Pounds, etc) changed into local currency, should be allowed for miscellaneous expenses including porter and trek crew tips, drinks, snacks etc.

Credit/Debit Cards are functional, we suggest you carry at least two different credit cards, such as Visa and Mastercard, so you have a backup if one of your cards is not accepted or lost. Access to ATMs is available in Kathmandu but is limited to none in rural areas. Contact your bank and credit card companies to let them know where and when you’ll be traveling, as well as confirm any foreign transaction fees.

When carrying cash, try to travel only with recently issued currency in smaller denominations; wrinkled or torn bills are not accepted. Only exchange currency at authorized outlets such as currency exchanges, ATMs or hotels and save receipts as they may be required for exit. 

Our multi-day adventure trek involves going to 5000m elevation. During the trip, you will be spending at least one night above 4000 meters and/or trekking to 5000 meters or above. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes, but we must follow some simple rules to acclimatize successfully. 

Traveling to high altitudes requires a reasonable standard of fitness. Prior experience of travelling to high altitude is not mandatory but it’s beneficial. The itinerary and per day elevation gain are within recommended safe practice to avoid high altitude illness and hiking hours are based on a slow steady walking pace. A simple benchmark, for example, would be the ability to climb and descend Mount Snowden in 4 – 5 hours. 

The terrain will often be rugged and some walks may be exploratory, venturing far off the beaten track. Weather conditions may be harsh sometimes, and you must be comfortable trekking in adverse weather conditions. Remote areas are sometimes unpredictable and itineraries may be altered. To get the most out of your adventure you must be flexible, positive, and eager to take on all the challenges that arise.

Booking confirmation must be done 30 days before the arrival date in Kathmandu. A non-refundable 30% advance payment must be made after signing the Service Agreement between the two parties 30 days before the trip date. A confidential health questionnaire/Booking Form will be required from each individual before starting the trek. We recommend that each participant seeks pre-travel health advice from their GP or recognized travel clinic Clients must provide a Medical Report signed by a physician stating otherwise healthy and fit. 

We will be staying in one of the best available local lodges during the trek. The lodges are equipped with basic facilities like unheated bedrooms with wooden beds & foam mattresses (Sleeping bag is a “must”), with sharing toilets, amenities get scarce as we head to higher elevations. Accommodation is generally arranged on a twin-sharing basis and if you are travelling by yourself, you will usually be paired up with someone of the same sex. Please note that at one or two of the higher lodges, we may be forced to use multi-bedded rooms. The lodges have shared washing and toilet facilities. Some lodges have solar powered showers (charged at $4 - $5 per shower) and battery charging facilities (also charged at a rate per hour).

Food will be of the highest standard possible, given the remoteness of the situation. We will take meals (breakfast, Lunch & Dinner) in lodges/teahouses along the trail and most of them have almost identical menus. If you have any special dietary requirements please let us know in advance and preparations shall be made accordingly. Although meat is available in the teahouses, we advise NOT eating it on the trek. The meat has often been carried in the heat from lower altitudes for several days before reaching the lodges and can cause stomach upsets or illness.

We strongly recommend you have a valid Travel + Medical insurance policy to cover the cost of medical treatment, and emergency helicopter evacuation and to protect the value of your holiday in the event of cancellation. When taking out insurance please ensure the policy you choose covers you for the activities and altitude included in your itinerary.

Your main item of luggage should be a sturdy kit bag, duffle bag, or similar which will be carried during the trek by porters and should weigh no more than 15kg. You should also take on your holiday a daypack of approximately 40 liters capacity.

For all STOL flights in Nepal, the normal allowance for holding baggage AND hand baggage combined is 15kg. Please be aware that you will have to pay any charges for excess personal baggage above this allowance at check-in, and that excess baggage may have to be flown separately.

It is possible to leave items not required on the trek at the hotel in Kathmandu. 

For your international flights, please check the baggage allowance with your airline.

Tipping is the accepted way of saying thank you for good service. As a guideline, we recommend that each group member contribute around $150 to these tips. At the end of their trek, many people also like to donate various items of equipment to the porters and trek staff. Boots, gloves, hats, scarves and even socks are always warmly received by the porters, whilst technical clothing and equipment such as head torches and trekking poles are highly prized by the Sherpa team. Your tour leader will make arrangements for a fair distribution (possibly by raffle) amongst the trek crew.

We believe in delivering the highest standard of client care before and after the completion of the trip. A team of dedicated and experienced Guide, helpers, and porters will support you during the trek.

The best period for trekking/peak climbing in Nepal is categorized into the Autumn (Mid-Sept to Nov) & Spring (Mar to May) seasons when daytime temperatures at most altitudes are generally comfortable for walking, the sky is clear much of the time, and rain and snow are occasional occurrences. Daytime temperature ranges from 20ºC to 10ºC whereas in the evening around 5ºC. Sometimes if there is rain/snowfall, the temperature drops below -10ºC

Please remember that in any mountain area, the weather is never wholly predictable and you should be prepared and equipped to deal with any differences in weather beyond the conditions described above.

A Group member may then cancel their participation on the following basis: 

• Cancellation outside of 45 days will result in the loss of the trip deposit.
• Cancellation made within 30 days of the trip commencement date, we reserve the right to retain 30% of the balance payment fee.
• Cancellation within 15 days of the departure date, a cancellation fee of 50% of the trip cost applies.
• Cancellation within 7 days of the departure date, a cancellation fee of 100% of the trip cost applies.

We strongly recommend you take out a proper Insurance policy if you wish to be covered against flight or trip cancellation due to medical or personal reasons.