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    Frequently asked questions

    Answers to the questions I get most often. If you cannot find what you are looking for, write to me and I will answer you personally.

    About the tours and the group

    Who can take part?

    The tours are designed for adults, so participants should preferably be over 18. There is no upper age limit: what matters is having the right fitness for the tour you choose and your doctor's approval, especially for the high-altitude tours.

    How many people are in a group?

    A group has between 6 and 14 participants. It is small enough for the pace to adapt to the people and big enough that you are never alone on the trail.

    Who goes with the group?

    I, Sorin Chineață, am with the group for the whole tour, as group leader. On the trail you are with the local guides of the partner agency in the destination country: an English-speaking guide and porters at Everest Base Camp, guides, cooks and porters on Kilimanjaro, a driver-guide on safari. One exception: in April 2027, after Everest Base Camp, I carry on with the Island Peak group, and those heading straight down to Lukla continue with the local guide.

    I am travelling alone. Who do I share a room with?

    Most participants come alone and leave as friends. If you come alone, you share a room with another participant who also came alone. If you would rather have a room to yourself, that is possible, with a single room supplement.

    Can I combine Kilimanjaro with the safari?

    Yes. The Kilimanjaro climb ends on 19 September 2027, and the Safari in Tanzania starts on 20 September. The combined trip joins them into one 15-day journey, for €4,200, with the night of 19 September in Arusha and the transfer from Moshi included. The €100 group discount applies separately to each tour, if that tour's group reaches 10 participants.

    Can I also climb Island Peak after Everest Base Camp?

    Yes. Everest Base Camp + Island Peak has the same first 14 days as the Everest Base Camp tour, then carries on to the camp below Island Peak, a climbing lesson and the climb to the summit, at 6,189 m, on fixed ropes and with one climbing Sherpa for every two participants. It takes 23 days, 12 April-4 May 2027, and costs €3,100. Island Peak cannot be done on its own, and up to Everest Base Camp we are one group, so the group discount is counted on the whole group too.

    Can I arrive earlier or stay longer?

    Yes. You can arrive a few days before or stay on after the tour, and the local agency we work with arranges the hotel bookings.

    Preparation

    How fit do I need to be?

    You do not need mountaineering experience, but you do need good fitness: walking 5-7 hours a day, several days in a row, with a small backpack. The best training is long mountain hikes, in the boots you will take with you. Each tour page shows how hard the route is, day by day.

    How can I tell whether I am ready?

    Do a weekend with two mountain routes, one each day, each with at least 1,000 m of ascent, ideally with 10 kg on your back. If you can walk again on the second day without being exhausted, you are on the right track. The most common mistakes are new boots, untested gear and too much gear. I have written more about training on the blog.

    What is altitude sickness and how do you prevent it?

    Above about 2,500 m the air holds less oxygen, and the body needs time to adapt. The first signs are headache, nausea, tiredness and restless sleep. Prevention is about pace: we climb gradually, we have acclimatisation days in the programme, we drink plenty of water and we say straight away if something is not right. If the symptoms get worse, the only safe treatment is to go down, and the local guide and the group leader decide together with you.

    What gear do I need?

    The full list for each tour, from boots to head torch, is on the packing list page: tick off what you have packed and see what is still missing. I am available for any question about what to buy, what to borrow and what is worth taking.

    Can I rent gear at the destination?

    Yes, gear can be rented for any of the tours. If you rent a sleeping bag, we recommend bringing your own liner (the thin inner bag) to use with it, for hygiene.

    What should I pack in my personal first-aid kit?

    Besides your usual medicines: an anti-inflammatory, a stomach-lining remedy, an anti-nausea medicine, tablets for stomach pain, an antacid and plasters. Go through the list and the doses with your doctor, especially for altitude medicines such as Diamox and for malaria prevention in Tanzania.

    Do I need vaccinations?

    Talk to a travel medicine doctor 6-8 weeks before departure. For Tanzania, malaria prophylaxis is usually recommended, and a yellow fever vaccination certificate may be required if you transit a country at risk, for example with a long stopover in Kenya or Ethiopia.

    Booking and payment

    How do I book a place?

    Write to me through the contact form or by e-mail. I send you the full programme and answer your questions, and your place is booked once we confirm availability and you pay the deposit.

    How much is the deposit and when is the balance due?

    For Everest Base Camp, the deposit is €600 at booking, and the balance is due before 1 February 2027. For Kilimanjaro and Safari in Tanzania, the deposit is €500 by 1 March 2027, and the balance is due by 1 July 2027.

    Can I pay in instalments?

    Yes, for any of the tours, if we agree in advance. For the Tanzania tours, the balance after the deposit can be paid in full or in instalments, whichever suits you.

    Is there a group discount?

    Yes. If, 60 days before departure, the group has at least 10 participants with the deposit paid, each participant gets a €100 discount. The price in the contract stays the same, and the discount comes off the last payment or instalment. If you have already paid in full, we refund the €100 by bank transfer within 14 days. The discount applies to each tour separately. The 60 days are counted from day 1 of the programme: for Everest Base Camp (12 April 2027) the check is on 11 February 2027, for Kilimanjaro on 14 July and for the Safari on 22 July 2027.

    What is not included in the price?

    International flights, the visa, travel insurance, tips for the local crew and personal expenses. The exact list of what is and is not included is on each tour page.

    What does Everest Base Camp cost in total, flights and all?

    A realistic budget starts at about €4,600 per person, from leaving home to coming back. Besides the €2,400 tour, in 2026 the return flight Bucharest-Kathmandu cost about €1,100, the visa USD 50, insurance €110, and the tip for the crew is €150. The rest depends on what you spend on the trail (showers, internet, charging) and on souvenirs. The details are in the article What Everest Base Camp really costs.

    How much do we tip the local crew?

    On the way to Everest Base Camp and on Kilimanjaro, €150 per person for the whole crew (guides, porters and, on Kilimanjaro, cooks). On Island Peak there is also €100 per person for the climbing Sherpa. On safari, USD 120 per person for the driver-guide. We collect the tips as a group at the end and share them among the crew, in euros or dollars. More in the article on tipping on the mountain.

    What happens if I have to cancel?

    The conditions for cancelling and for transferring your place to another person are in the Terms and conditions. We recommend travel insurance that also covers cancellation.

    Travel

    How do I get to the destination?

    I help you choose the flight. Ideally we leave together from Romania, but if another route suits you better, we can meet directly at the destination, no problem at all.

    Do I need travel insurance?

    Yes, and it is not included in the price. For the high-altitude tours, medical insurance covering high-altitude trekking and helicopter evacuation is required. I took mine through the Austrian Alpine Club (Österreichischer Alpenverein), covering up to 6,000 m, for €110: enough for Everest Base Camp and Kilimanjaro, but not for Island Peak, which is 6,189 m high and needs a separate mountaineering policy covering at least 6,200 m. For the safari, insurance is strongly recommended. I help you choose the right cover and buy it.

    What documents do I need?

    A passport valid for at least 6 months after your return date. For Nepal, the visa is issued on arrival (USD 50 for 30 days). For Tanzania, Romanian citizens need no visa, but since 1 October 2026 the NIC entry medical insurance is compulsory: USD 44, bought online, and you show the QR code you receive when you enter the country. The passport also needs at least one blank page. The trekking permits and park fees are handled by the local partner agency.

    I have a special diet. Is that possible?

    Yes. Meals can be prepared to suit each participant's dietary needs and restrictions: vegetarian, gluten-free, allergies. Let me know in good time, so we can pass it on to the partner agency.

    What money should I take?

    Take cash in euros or US dollars for tips, visas and personal expenses. In Nepal, on the trail you pay in Nepalese rupees, which you change in Kathmandu, and prices rise with altitude: higher up, a hot shower costs up to 1,500 rupees, Wi-Fi 1,500-2,000 and charging your phone 1,000. You will find cash machines only in towns, not on the mountain or in the parks.

    Will I have signal, internet and power on the trail?

    On the trail to Everest Base Camp, a local SIM card gives you mobile internet up to about 3,500 m. Higher up you have Wi-Fi and sockets at the guesthouses, for a fee. From 2027, the group will also bring a Starlink antenna. On Kilimanjaro, charging is limited, so take a large power bank. On safari, the lodges and camps have power and, most of the time, internet.

    What is the accommodation like on the way to Everest Base Camp?

    We sleep in teahouses, guesthouses run by local families: simple rooms with two single beds and rarely a toilet of their own. The rooms are not heated and at night it is around 0 degrees, sometimes below, so a good sleeping bag matters. In the evening we sit in the common room, by the stove. More in the article on life in the teahouses.

    Your contact person

    Want to come along?

    I am Sorin Chineață and I lead the Nomad Exped groups. Write to me with any question about the programme, gear or preparation. For other activities or dates I will put together a separate proposal, based on what you want to do and how many of you there are.

    Send a requestsorin@nomad-exped.roInstagram @sorinchineata

    Book a call

    30 minutes with Sorin, Monday to Friday, 12:00-20:00 Romanian time.

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