World ExpeditionsBig Adventures. Small Footprint.https://assets.worldexpeditions.com/BlogNeed excess baggage on your Lukla flight? We'll take care of thathttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/2454/nepal-excess-baggage-charges-coveredNepal,NewsWed, 01 Jul 2020 06:26:00 GMT<p><strong>Permanent eco-campsites, hygienically prepared meals, well-paced itineraries to maximise your chance for acclimatisation – now trekkers to Nepal have yet another reason to travel with us: we'll cover five kilos of excess baggage charges on internal Nepal flights to Lukla or Jomsom, raising your check-in allowance from 10 to 15 kilograms.</strong></p> <p>Having excess baggage allowance can be a godsend when trying to fit your trekking gear to cover two or even three weeks of travel. The task can be overwhelming when it comes down to packing your suitcase, that was allowed 20kg+ on the international flight, into a duffel bag that, until now, could only hold up to 10 kilograms due to the airline weight restrictions.</p> <p>This is currently the case for the Lukla and Jomsom sectors in Nepal where only 10 kilograms check-in baggage is allowed and exceeding this weight will cost you extra.</p> <p>“I found packing the night before a really stressful experience,” says Ayla Rowe, a Sydney staff member who travelled to Nepal last year.</p> <p>Choosing between whether to bring an extra woollen jumper or a spare pair of boots can make packing only essential items a tricky dilemma. Soon the list of items you planned to bring along are sitting outside of your suitcase as you strive to be the most minimalist traveller as possible.</p> <p><em>How can my hiking boots be this heavy? Should I really bring along three novels on this trip? How many beanies do I really need?</em></p> <p>For Ayla, she ended up filling all her pockets with lollies and snacks on the plane to try and squeeze in as much as possible – and avoid paying the excess fee.</p> <blockquote> <p>Fortunately, World Expeditions will now pay up to five kilograms of baggage excess, bringing your check-in allowance to 15 kilograms, alongside your additional five kilograms carry on.</p> </blockquote> <p>Keep in mind, however, that your provided kit bags – which include your own jacket, sleeping bag, liner, and the bag itself – comes in at around five to six kilos and should be counted in the above allowance.</p> <p>Also important, is aiming to have your gear no heavier than 15 kilograms to ensure porters are not overloaded.</p> <h2>So, how much difference can 5kg really make to your trip?</h2> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImageLimited" src="/Portals/World Expeditions/LiveBlog/WP-Images/Everest_Circuit_and_Cho_La_Pass-original-225x300.jpg" width="280" /><span class="blogImageCaption">An extra 5kgs can make your camping experiences a little more comfortable</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>1. No stress packing</strong> – Travelling light doesn’t have to be restrictive. Knowing that you can bring along more gear you thought you would’ve had to leave behind can take the stress out of packing.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>2. Extra comforts</strong> – You can bring along some comfort items that can make days on a remote trek easier. Carry a spare pair of boots or walking shoes in case your soles fall off, and there’s no harm in bringing additional layers of clothes especially when trekking in high altitudes.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>3. More clothes for longer trips</strong> – Though shorter trips are easier to pack for; longer expeditions make it much harder to squeeze all your essential items for the duration of your trek.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>4. Save on buying the items you had to leave behind</strong> – While you can purchase items at your arrival destination, often the quality of the items you buy and time spent shopping for what you need can be an unnecessary expense, especially when you know you have the items at home.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>5. Bring along your gadgets</strong> – Bring spare batteries or extra camera accessories to capture the amazing spectacle of the Himalayan peaks.</p> <h2>Packing suggestions to take advantage of your 5kg</h2> <p>We asked our team what they would have brought if they had the luxury of extra baggage at no additional cost, here’s what they had to say:</p> <blockquote> <p>“Extra room might have meant an extra pair of trek trousers. It was pretty wet and hard to dry out clothes when camping.” – Kerren Knighton</p> </blockquote> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">•   “A book, a luxury toiletry item – some nice face or hand cream, pair of thongs to get into after a long day’s trek, a nice pair of binoculars to capture the soaring eagle up on the flanks of Everest, and my favourite trail snacks. Plus, any extra clothes you thought you might have to skimp on to get your pack weight under 10kg! Extra undies, pair of socks, favourite t-shirt, pants etc” – Kate Harper</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">•   “What I left behind, but wish I had, is my solar charger. Definitely needed this but it didn’t make the cut along with: comfy track pants for the evening, my Kindle so that I had unlimited books, and a trail mix." – Ayla Rowe</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">•   “Yak Wool jumpers with fleece on the inside, which can be bought in Kathmandu ($20) and weigh at least 2-3kgs. Amazingly warm and perfect for nights at altitude! I have five or so at home." – Josh Montag</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">•   "I wouldn’t have had to wear my boots on the flight, could have just packed them instead" – Scott Pinnegar</p> <p><em><strong>If you had extra baggage allowance what would you bring along to your trek?</strong></em></p> 2454Lukla update: Flight changes when heading to the Everest regionhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3133/lukla-update-flight-changes-everest-regionDestinations,Himalaya,Nepal,NewsMon, 17 Feb 2020 01:09:00 GMT<p>Flights between Kathmandu and Lukla have been suspended for international travellers, but fear not, we have you covered on how to get to Lukla with ease.</p> <p>To reach Lukla, the gateway to the Everest trekking region, flights are now departing from and arriving at Ramechap airport, rather than Kathmandu airport. The new routing, which was introduced to reduce congestion at Kathmandu airport, is again in place from 16 March to 15 May 2020. The aviation authority have yet to determine arrangements from September to December 2020.</p> <p>The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal issued the following statement:</p> <blockquote> <p>Due to increment in traffic congestion at TIA (Tribhuvan International Airport) and increasing number of Lukla flights from TIA, an arrangement was made to operate all Lukla flights from Ramechap airport in this summer season which was accomplished successfully.</p> <p>During tourist season, Lukla is the busiest airport among STOL airfields operated from Kathmandu. Therefore, to avoid traffic congestion and minimize the load of TIA and to ease other international operation from TlA, all airlines operating in Lukla sector are required to operate from Ramechap airport henceforth you are required to manage all formalities in this regard.</p> </blockquote> <h3>Who is affected?</h3> <p>This change affects all travel companies operating tours in Nepal, and we assure you we have explored a range of alternatives, including utilizing helicopters, which has been discounted due to exorbitant costs and availability limitations.</p> <p>While there is one operational flight from Kathmandu to Lukla each day, it is reserved for Nepali locals, and airlines are restricted from selling tickets to agents or to individuals who are not Nepali citizens.</p> <h3>It’s not all bad news</h3> <p>Some operators have varied their itineraries to have clients depart Kathmandu by vehicle at 2am, to reach Ramechap in time for the first morning flights to Lukla. World Expeditions has rejected this option because it makes for a very long first day of trekking. Instead, we are taking trekkers to Ramechap for an overnight stay in our comfortable and conveniently located campsite in order to take the first morning flights to Lukla.</p> <p><img alt="Ramechap tent set-up | <i>Angela Parajo</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="524955" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/Ramechap-campsite-524955-200px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/Ramechap-campsite-524955-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>Although there are afternoon flights to Lukla from Ramechap, these are unreliable because there is a higher chance of these flights being cancelled due to weather conditions.</p> <p>We have revised our Everest itineraries in the wake of these circumstances.</p> <h3>Our modified itinerary:</h3> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Day 1</strong> – Arrival in Kathmandu. Free day.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Day 2</strong> – Overland drive to Ramechap (approximately 5 hours). You can do some last-minute gear shopping or enjoy some leisure time in the morning at Kathmandu after breakfast before we hit the road. En route we will stop for lunch and arrive at our campsite by late afternoon.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Our private Ramechap campsite</strong> is equipped with up to 30 tents, dining tents and bathroom facilities with Western-style toilets and hand basins. Our trekkers enjoy full-board camping with a hearty, three-course evening meal cooked by our trained team at the campsite, with tea and breakfast the following day.</p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><carouselsource aspectratio="4x3" data-plugin-options="{'items': 3, 'margin': 10, 'nav': true, 'dots': false}"><img alt="Ramechap campsite | <i>Angela Parajo</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="524956" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/Ramechap-campsite-524956-200px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/Ramechap-campsite-524956-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="DSC_0090" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="524958" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Bardo/Luciana-EBC-MAR-2019/DSC_0090-524958-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Bardo/Luciana-EBC-MAR-2019/DSC_0090-524958-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="DSC_0087" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="524957" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Bardo/Luciana-EBC-MAR-2019/DSC_0087-524957-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Bardo/Luciana-EBC-MAR-2019/DSC_0087-524957-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="DSC_0092" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="524960" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Bardo/Luciana-EBC-MAR-2019/DSC_0092-524960-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Bardo/Luciana-EBC-MAR-2019/DSC_0092-524960-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="DSC_0086" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="524959" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Bardo/Luciana-EBC-MAR-2019/DSC_0086-524959-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Bardo/Luciana-EBC-MAR-2019/DSC_0086-524959-###width###px.jpg" /> </carouselsource></div> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>Day 3</strong> – Early morning flight to Lukla (2800m). Our campsite is directly opposite the runway, so you’ll have first flights to Lukla! You will then commence your trek to Ghat (2530m), the walk being approximately 2-3 hours.</p> <p>World Expeditions believes the option of staying in Ramechap is vastly better than departing Kathmandu at 2am, driving approximately 5 hours to Ramechap, flying to Lukla and then commencing trekking.</p> <p>Getting a reasonable night’s sleep and being able to travel on the earliest flights from Ramechap provides the best start to the trekking day.</p> <p>At the end of your trek, you will fly from Lukla to Ramechap and drive directly to Kathmandu on the same day. The rest of the afternoon will be at your leisure, offering an opportunity to do any additional sightseeing and shopping.</p> <p><em>Updated 17 February 2020.</em></p> 3133