How is Hiking different from Trekking?

Hiking

Hiking is just a walk on a trail for a day with planning and organization. It is a walk from a lower elevation to a higher elevation. It is not a walk for longer days.

Hiking is generally done in the form of an exercise to promote your physical fitness. It is done for pleasure.

While hiking, you can just walk slowly and keep enjoying the natural beautiful sights around you and feel the soothing whisper of blowing wind.

For a hike, you have to choose a trail that passes through green forest, hills and lowly elevated mountains which are suitable for hiking with no chances of altitude sickness to the hikers.

The hiking gives you an opportunity to feel the peace of mind and body by clearing your mind of all undesirable thoughts. You may also engage in meditations on the way while hiking. This will improve your mental as well as physical health.

While hiking, all the hikers can feel a sense of wellbeing and togetherness. Generally, hiking is done in groups and not lonely on unknown trails. Some of the finest hiking destinations found in Nepal are given below:

• Sundarijal/Shivapuri national park hiking
• Dhulikhel hiking
• Chisapani Nagarkot hiking
• Balthali hiking
• Sarangkot hiking
• Bhaktapur hiking
• Kulekhani/Markhu hiking
• Besisahar hiking
• Kalinchowk hiking

Trekking

Trekking is generally extended hiking or walking for more than a day in a well-planned and organized manner in groups. Trekking is not going to be a slow walk through the jungles only. It may be quite challenging and strenuous walk because you will have to walk for a number of days until you reach your final destinations.

Trekking takes place usually for days and months in the mountain areas where you don’t see any means of transportations, although natural beauty will always accompany you.

Trekking is going to be not just reaching a particular destination, but a long journey itself. You may have to make long research about the places you will trek through and logistic arrangements that might be needed during the trekking.

Trekking is one of the selected choices to experience natural beautiful sights, sights of rural folk lifestyles, cultures, and majestic view of spectacular mountain peaks covered with snows.

Trekking is challenging and adventurous for adventure lovers as it is done in the risky mountains too. Trekking in Nepal can be done from three days to three months at length.

Some of the finest trekking destinations are given here.

• Everest Base Camp trek
• Manaslu circuit trek
• Annapurna base camp/circuit trek
• Gokyo valley trek
• Langtang valley trek
• Ghorepani/Ghandruk trek
• Upper Mustang trek
• Upper Dolpo trek
• Kanchenjunga base camp trek
• Rara lake trek