Avoiding the Hordes

Spent 3 weeks trekking and saw 2 other foreigners but spent lots of time with locals and sherpas in the most beautiful country in the world. Priceless.

Went for 3 days, December 22nd - 25th. Got up at 5.30a.m. to see Tongariki at sunrise. Just a couple of people there and then we walked around Ranu Raruku for 2 hours and had the WHOLE volcano and surrounding area to ourselves for 2 hours!

The management of the park and limiting numbers of places in the refugios and campsites means that the park rarely seems busy, unlike other world famous treks. For the best view of Los Cuernos, stay in Hosteria Pehoe - fairly basic but with surely one of the most dramatic views in the world, who needs a TV?!!

Visiting the salt lake in the rainy season meant we were unable to travel across the whole area, which is vast. This also meant there were a few more people around in the accessible parts than there might otherwise have been, but even then, because it is such a large area, it is easy to get away from tour groups. And it is worth going at this time for the magic of the reflections.

Getting away from the hordes in the Khumbu region gets harder every year. But if you really want to see the amazing Chomolongma (Everest), and everybody should, then consider doing a trek that goes up the vally to Gokyo and possibly over the Cho La - much quieter than the main trail.

We last visited Leh in 2004 and did the Markha valley trek. This region is much more isolated and less frequented for trekking than the well known regions of Nepal, and the Tibetan culture is fascinating. If returning to Delhi for flights, go overland on the Leh to Manali road then visit McLeod Ganj to get a full picture of Tibetan culture, past and present.

Petra is still attracting far less visitors than it deserves due to its location. This makes it possible to walk through the sique with no other tourists and it is an amazing experience. Before visiting I was told the beauty of Petra could not be over stated and having seen it, I agree. Beats the pyramids, Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat...

Ok so Angkor Wat is covered in the hordes every day, but we did manage to have Ta Prohm all to ourselves for just under an hour by visiting at 6.30am - just after sunrise but still too early for the masses! Put the buildings that are further out on your itinerary also, as they tend to be less busy. Bantay Srei is definitely worth getting up early for.