Trekking in Nepal
Nepal trekking words, explained
On the trail you will hear words that are not in any phrasebook: the names of passes, lakes and ridges, the food in the teahouse, the permits in your pocket. Here they are, simply explained, with links to the pages where they matter.
- Written by
- Rujan Neupane, trained guide
From A to Z
Place names often carry these words: Thorong La is a pass, Gokyo Ri a peak, Tilicho Tal a lake.
- ACAP
- The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit, needed for every trek in the Annapurna region. Permits for each walk.
- Acclimatisation
- Letting your body get used to thinner air by climbing slowly and resting. The most important part of any high trek. Altitude, honestly.
- AMS
- Acute mountain sickness: headache, tiredness, poor sleep and loss of appetite above about 2,500 m. Rest, don't go higher, and go down if it gets worse.
- Bazaar
- A market town on the trail, such as Namche Bazaar, where the weekly market draws people from the villages around.
- Bhanjyang
- A saddle or low pass between two hills, often with a tea shop.
- Chorten
- A small Buddhist shrine, the mountain form of a stupa. Walk past it on its left side, keeping it on your right.
- Dal bhat
- Rice with lentil soup, vegetables and pickle: the meal of Nepal, and on most treks the second helping is free.
- Danda
- A ridge, as in Khopra Danda. Ridges are where the views are.
- Deurali
- A pass on a ridge, often with a small shrine. Many places on the trails carry the name.
- Durbar
- A royal palace. Durbar Squares are the old palace squares of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. Things to do in the Kathmandu Valley.
- Dzo
- A cross between a yak and a cow, used to carry loads on the lower trails of the Everest region.
- Gompa
- A Buddhist monastery. Ask before you enter or take photographs. Visiting temples.
- HACE / HAPE
- Serious forms of altitude sickness, in the brain (HACE) or the lungs (HAPE). Both need going down at once.
- Himal
- A snow mountain or a range of them, as in Annapurna Himal or Ganesh Himal.
- Jatra
- A festival with a procession, often with a chariot, as in Indra Jatra or Bisket Jatra. Photographing festivals.
- Kharka
- A high summer pasture with stone huts, where herders bring their animals.
- Khola
- A river or stream, as in Modi Khola. Trails often follow one for days.
- Kora
- Walking around a stupa, temple or holy place, always clockwise.
- La
- A high mountain pass, as in Thorong La or Larkya La. Crossing one means an early start.
- Licensed guide
- A guide trained and licensed by the government. Required for foreign trekkers in most parks and conservation areas since 2023. The guide rule.
- Mani wall
- A long wall of stones carved with prayers. Pass it keeping it on your right.
- MCAP
- The Manaslu Conservation Area Permit, needed with the restricted-area permit for Manaslu. Restricted area treks.
- Momo
- Steamed dumplings, with vegetables, cheese or meat. Every trekker's favourite snack.
- Moraine
- A ridge of rocks and gravel left by a glacier. The last hours to many base camps walk along one.
- Nak
- A female yak. "Yak cheese" is really nak cheese.
- Namaste
- The greeting, palms together, for everyone at any time of day. First time in Kathmandu.
- Porter
- A person who carries trekkers' bags between lodges. A fair porter carries a limited load and has good gear.
- Prayer flags
- Strings of coloured flags printed with prayers, which the wind carries. Never step on them.
- Puja
- Worship or an offering, at home, at a temple or before a climb.
- RAP
- The Restricted Area Permit for valleys like Manaslu, Upper Mustang and Nar Phu, issued through a registered agency. Restricted area treks.
- Rest day
- A day without moving to a higher lodge, often with a short climb and return, to acclimatise.
- Rhododendron
- Lali gurans, Nepal's national flower: whole forests of it flower in March and April. Seasons.
- Ri
- A peak or hill, as in Gokyo Ri or Kyanjin Ri: usually the climb for the view at sunrise. Mountain view treks.
- Sherpa
- A people of the Everest region with their own language and Buddhist culture. Not every guide or porter is a Sherpa.
- Stupa
- A dome-shaped Buddhist monument holding relics, like Boudhanath and Swayambhunath. Walk around it clockwise.
- Tal / Tsho
- A lake: tal in Nepali, tsho in the Sherpa and Tibetan languages, as in Tilicho Tal or Imja Tsho.
- Teahouse
- A family lodge on the trail: simple rooms and a warm dining room. Most treks in Nepal are teahouse treks. A private teahouse trek.
- Tika
- A mark of red powder or rice on the forehead, given as a blessing, above all at Dashain.
- TIMS
- The Trekkers' Information Management System card. Whether you need one depends on the region and the year; I check it for your route. Permits for each walk.
- Tsampa
- Roasted barley flour, eaten with tea or butter in the high Tibetan Buddhist villages.
Questions people ask me
What does "la" mean in Nepal?
A high mountain pass, from the Tibetan languages: Thorong La, Larkya La, Cho La.
What is a teahouse trek?
A trek where you sleep and eat in family lodges along the trail, instead of camping. Most treks in Nepal are teahouse treks.
What is dal bhat?
Rice with lentil soup, vegetables and pickle, the everyday meal of Nepal. On the trail the second helping is usually free.
Not sure which trek suits you? Tell me your dates and what you hope for, and I will say honestly.
