Peru/kilamanjaro on my own- advice needed.

Andy-Pandy

Lo all,

A bit of advice needed on a holiday. Me and a few of my mates who i go walking with were planning on do a trek in the Himalayas out of Nepal towards the end of the year (sept/ october). Two things have happened, 1 is that nepal is out of the question due to the political climate and 2 the people that i was doing it with have pulled out. Ill have three weeks and i am willing to do something on my own.ill have about 2500 grand, I was thinking peru or kilamanjaro, but im worried is it sound going on my own. Any advice would be very helpfull on this.

p.s sorry if this is in the wrong forum.

Evil Phil

Dunno about kilamanjaro but you'll be fine in Peru, the Inca Trail doesn't cost much to do and you'll be with a group doing it. Have you thought about doing a sponsored walk? For instance the Irish Heart Foundation are going to Tanzania.

sillysocks

Well if you wanted to go down the Charity Trek road Threshold are doing one to kilamanjaro in Sept. The girl who organises these used to work in Dublin Simon and organised their trips - I did their Peru trek when she arranged it and it was great. Very well organised, about 40 ish people go, most of them go on their own but you'll make some great friends. When we went once you raised the sponsorship (we also just paid a portion of it ourselves) you needed very little spending money because they include all meals,accomodation etc.

http://www.threshold.ie/menu.asp?menu=87

Andy-Pandy

Sounds interesting, ill have a look into that as an idea. Thanks

Wazza

Don't be so hasty in ruling out Nepal. I was there in late 2004 early 2005 (admittedly before the latest political problems) and reckon that for tourists the place is pretty safe. Despite it being before the current problems, there were travel advisories in place at the time and the numbers were way down on previous years. A lot of people told us we shouldn't go, but we were glad we did.

Neither the government (in the form of the king) nor the Maoists are interested in tourists and the worst thing that will happen to you is that you get delayed for a day or two at the start or end of your trek due to a natioanl strike called by the Maoists. This can happen anyway because of weather so the usual buffer time of a few days either side of the trek are advisable. If you stick to Thamel, the touristy centre of Kathmandu you should be fine and your visit will be really appreciated. Tourism is all that this coutry has to keep it going. Western visitors being put off by the political problems is causing hardship to the people involved in the trekking industry, from the gateman at your Kathmandu hotel who relies on the tips to the guides and porters who have no income when there are no tourists. On the plus side to a trip to Nepal, if you go this year you'll have much of the place to yourself, something to be treasured and taken advantage of if possible. I'd say check out www.trekinfo.com and also the Thorntree thread on www.lonelyplanet.com and check out what people who are in Nepal now or have been there recently are saying. If you do decide to go to Nepal I can give you details of a great guide.

Having said all that, if you are not prepared to go to Nepal then I'd plump for Kili. I've never done Kili but I've been in that part of Africa several times and love it. You coulod combine your trek with a trip to the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater for a few days of safari you'll never forget. You could also head down to Zanzibar for some sun and beach after your trek if you're into that.

However, the Inca Trail is also excellent and the views are stunning. Of all three places though it would be my least favourite. It is easy to do although you must book in advance now as they have reduced the number of permits issued each year.

Do make sure though that you check the weather for the time you are going. My sister did the Inca Trail late last year and it was colder than at other times during the year. Doesn't take away from the walk, but you may as well go when the weather is best. PM me if you've any specific questions on any of the places.

thirtyfoot

There is no problem doing Kili if you are on your own. You must travel with a guide inside the National Park, so you won't be by yourself while climbing. We used this group, www.maranguhotel.com, its a hotel that organise climbing tours, its run by the Brice-Bennets, a english family who's mother is from Cork, and friends of ours in Africa recommended them. We found them very good and if you do wish to use them, post again as I can recommened the names of the guides we had as they were excellent, head guide was a wily old man in his 60's and the assistant was a young buck who had been to college in Europe and who's english was excellent.

The only problem may be the culture shock of Africa, if you haven't travelled there before, travelling alone may be daunting. But, a little organising can take out much of the pain. Base yourself in Arusha, from there Moshi and Kili is only 2 hrs I think(maybe less) and the bases for most of the safaris are in Arusha. Check notice boards in the cafes/delis in central Arusha for last minute special offers on safaris, otherwise they are expensive, geared towards the yanks etc.

2,500E should cover you for 3 weeks, flight maybe 650-700 to Nairobi, shuttle bus from Nairobi to Arusha is only 10USD or so, accom and living is cheap, you'll spend nothing while on Kili (park fees in the National Park have doubled since 2006 so it will be pricier now - check the websites).

On going with a charity group, if you are a serious trekker who wants to summit Uhuru, be wary as the groups are so large, group decisions get made a lot of the time and while you might be fine, the group may decide to turn back and you are left with no choice but to do the same. It can be frustrating. If you are after a bit of craic charity trips are brillant and a great way to make friends. If going solo, on the trail, you meet loads of people anyway, so you won't be alone.