Lonely Planet Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya, Seventh Edition

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Summary: Lonely Planet Treks Across Nepal
Review: A trek is the traditional way to experience the spectacular Nepal Himalaya and its rich blend of people and cultures - it will take you through a country that has captured the imagination of mountaineers and explorers for more than 100 years. The new edition of Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya describes both the most popular routes and off-the-beaten-track alternatives, provides details on how to plan your trek, hire guides and porters and includes ways to beat altitude sickness. Author Stan Armington has been organizing and leading treks in Nepal for over 25 years and provides vital and comprehensive information for both trekkers with little or no experience and for those who have walked the Himalayas dozens of times before.

Nuts & Bolts: • 38 maps, all redrawn and improved, including a color country map • tips on how to organize your own trek or how to choose a trekking company • advice on how to be culturally and environmentally sensitive • authoritative health and safety section • comprehensive Nepali language section and glossary • detailed equipment checklist

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Summary: The greatest trekking guide to Nepal
Review: I bought it when I was planning to travel to Nepal. Unfortunately, I couldn't go, but the informations on the book helped me a lot to get in contact with nepali culture and details about trekking in this interesting country.

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Summary: Nice only for the armchair traveller.
Review: I've used this book for 2 treks in Nepal and it was a disappoinment (the book, not the treks). As mentioned above, the book provides a plethora of trekking essentials (preparation, etc.) and background info. To use it as a guide on the actual trail is altogether another matter.

The maps are too general and is NOT suitable for actual guidance. The suggested itinerary varies too greatly for the average trekker. Some suggested trekking days that are way too difficult to complete or way too short. Things are changing quickly in Nepal...and the book does not keep up with this adequately.

I've meet many people on the trail that were also dissapointed in the misinformation regarding festival dates. The Nepalese use a lunar calendar so it is easy to see why the dates can be off from year to year. It is unfortunate if someone plans their vacation by this. There are too many misleading information here...and for a foreigner/tourist/traveller/trekker, this can prove disappointing and costly.

Take it from someone who's been there, use this book to entertain yourself, not to trek with.

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Summary: very good guidebook, but don't make it your trekking bible..
Review: this book was a great help in introducing me to the world of trekking, in terms of all the equipment i would need and the things i could expect while on a trek in nepal... it made the idea of trekking in nepal very feasible to me, and gave me confidence... but once i started trekking in nepal, i only used it as a light reference, mainly to look at the maps and see how far along i was on the trek, and perhaps to gain some information about the areas i was going through... as the author states, the suggested itineraries are not absolute, and, according to how much time and money you have, should only be used as a reference; some suggested days were too long for my group, and on other days we trekked longer distances than suggested... it's not every year you get to go to a place like nepal, so i suggest you give yourself plenty of time to enjoy your trek, take some extra rest days, and not make your trek a race...i needed more money than what this book suggested i would need; prices change... and also, especially on the annapurna trekking route, many lodges are being built every year and it's impossible for guidebooks such as this to keep up; i often thought it unfair for books like this to name specific lodges, while other lodges, some of them new, with better food and people, go unmentioned; talking with guides, porters, or other trekkers would be a good way of finding quality lodges... i think this book does a very good job of preparing you for a trek in nepal, but once you're there, keep your mind open for other sources of information, and use this book as a reference guide and not your one and only trekking "bible"... you'll get more out of your experience in nepal that way...

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Summary: What the Nepal trekker needs to know: it's all here.
Review: This latest edition of Stan Armington's guide to trekking in the Nepal Himalaya (note the lack of an "s", as in "Sierra") provides a panoply of information for both the trekker and the armchair traveler. First traveling to Nepal in the mid-sixties, Mr. Armington has lived there since 1971. He has been in the business of organizing treks longer than almost anyone. He knows the country and the people and writes from a wealth of first-hand knowledge.

Whether one treks solo (not recommended, really, but certainly possible) or with a trekking company, this informative book provides ALL the information one needs to have a successful, delightful, and authentic trekking experience in this ancient and remote kingdom. (Nepal is a Hindu kingdom, with a Hindu king.)

As Mr. Armington acknowledges, trekking is neither a walk in the country nor a climbing experience. Hence, he goes into great detail to prepare the adventurer for what will for most people be one of the major vacationing events of their lives.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. A visitor must know how to take care of oneself and also how to have a minimal impact on the environment and social structure. Mr. Armington covers all these matters excellently.

The trekking routes are there, too, almost all of them walked--and measured (with a GPS)--by the author to ensure complete accuracy.

Armchair travelers will enjoy the color pictures and the descriptions of the land and its people. Travelers and trekkers will want to devour the information, basically cover-to-cover.

For someone planning a trek to the Nepal Himalaya, this book is an absolute essential. It should be used through all stages of planning and carried in the rucksack on the trek. It's that good, and that necessary, and that complete--a distillation of a adult lifetime of experience in the region by a world-reknown travel professional--in a word, a real bargain.

Michael Slaughter Pacifica, Calif., USA