Luggage storage in Kathmandu while you trek

The simplest way to leave luggage in Kathmandu while you trek is to ask your hotel or guesthouse when you book, pack a single locked bag with everything you will not need on the trail, photograph it, get the arrangement confirmed in writing, and carry your passport, money and documents with you. Do not leave anything you cannot replace in the stored bag, and do not leave it to the last evening to find out whether your hotel will take it. Most trekkers arrive in Nepal with more than they need for a walk of one to three weeks, and the answer is not to carry it all. This guide covers how to ask, what to put in, how to protect it, what changes if your trek ends away from Kathmandu and the problems that actually occur.

We cannot give a single rule for Kathmandu hotels or storage services, because practice differs between places, and we have no verified price list to quote. What we can give is a method that works whichever place you use.

Why you store luggage at all

On a typical Nepal trek you carry a daypack and perhaps a duffel for a porter. Our packing list suggests one trekking set and one evening set, not a suitcase of city clothes, and our guide to what not to bring explains the weight limits that decide this. The flight to Lukla has a tight allowance, and our Lukla flight guide says Tara Air publishes 10 kg checked plus 5 kg hand carry, 15 kg in total, and that you should confirm other airlines' limits and weigh your bag before you go. A rigid suitcase does not strap to a porter's load, and every extra kilo costs somebody effort. So the city clothes, the second pair of shoes and the souvenirs wait in Kathmandu.

Thamel, where many trekkers stay, is described by Wikipedia as the centre of the tourist industry in Kathmandu, full of guest houses, travel agents, gear shops and money exchange booths. The same district is where you will probably buy your permits, sort your gear and arrange transport, so storage is usually a short walk from where you already are.

Where to leave your bag

There are three common options, and the right one depends on where you start and end.

Your hotel or guesthouse. The most common arrangement. Many hotels hold a bag for guests who are coming back, in a luggage room or behind reception. Ask at booking:

• Will you store a bag while I trek, and for how long?
• Is the room locked, and who has the key?
• Is there a charge, and how is it paid?
• What happens if I am late back or want to change my room on return?
• Can you confirm it by message or in writing?

Your trekking agency or guide's office. Some agencies offer to hold bags for clients. Ask whether the office is open when your flight lands and whether the same person will be there.

A dedicated storage service. Some businesses in tourist areas hold bags for a daily fee. We cannot vouch for any, and prices vary, so ask for the rate, the insurance terms and the hours, and look at where the bags are kept.

Whichever you choose, a stored bag is not insured by default. Check what your travel insurance says about possessions left in storage, and consider leaving valuables elsewhere.

What goes in the stored bag

Put in it:

• city clothes and shoes,
• items you will use after the trek: a change of clothes, toiletries, a swimsuit,
• souvenirs and gifts you have already bought,
• books, spare electronics and cables you will not use on the trail,
• rental gear receipts and other paperwork you will not need.

Leave out:

• your passport, permits, TIMS or conservation area receipts, insurance details,
• cash and cards you will need, and a few spare copies of your passport page,
• any medication you take regularly,
• your phone, power bank and anything you will use on the trail,
• jewellery, expensive watches and anything you could not afford to lose.

Carry your documents and money in a pouch on your body, in a place you can reach at checkpoints, as our packing list advises. If you must leave valuables, ask the hotel about a safe, and take a photograph of what you leave.

How to protect it

• Lock it. A small padlock deters casual opening. Close every pocket, and cable-tie or tape the zips if you like.
• Label it. Put a tag with your name and phone number on the outside and a note with the same details and the hotel name inside.
• Photograph it. Take a photograph of the bag, its tag and its contents before you hand it over. Keep it on your phone and email it to yourself.
• Get a receipt. Ask for a written or messaged confirmation of the date, the number of bags and the hotel's name.
• Keep the claim ticket separate. If the hotel gives you one, photograph it and keep the original in your documents pouch.

When your trek does not end in Kathmandu

This is the point many trekkers miss. The region pages show how routes start and finish in different places:

• The Annapurna region page says the southern end finishes at Jomsom, from which you can fly to Pokhara with morning flights (weather permitting), take a jeep or walk on. The Circuit's exit is by jeep from Dharapani or Tilije to Besisahar and on to Kathmandu or Pokhara, according to the Manaslu page.
• The Everest Base Camp route flies to and from Lukla, so you normally return to Kathmandu.
• The Langtang Valley and Tamang Heritage routes use a road from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi and back.

If you finish an Annapurna trek in Pokhara and your flight home leaves from Kathmandu, your stored bag is in the wrong city. Options: return to Kathmandu by road or air and collect it there before your flight; ask a Pokhara hotel to store a second bag instead; or carry the items you will need after the trek with you, if the weight limit allows. For Annapurna Circuit trekkers, this is worth deciding before you leave Kathmandu, and the Annapurna region page shows the exit options. If you are weighing Kathmandu against Pokhara for gear, our guides to renting gear in Kathmandu and renting gear in Pokhara explain the shops in each.

Timing: delays and spare days

Flights to Lukla and Jomsom depend on the weather, and our route pages say to keep spare days. Tell your hotel in advance that your return date is approximate, ask what happens if you are one or two days late and whether your room will be held. If you return early, tell them, so the bag is ready. If you are cancelled and rebooked, keep the hotel informed by message. These are small courtesies that prevent big problems; a bag in a locked room for an extra week is rarely an issue if the hotel knows.

Common problems and how to avoid them

• The hotel is full when you return. Ask whether you can keep the same room or book in advance, and whether the stored bag will wait at reception.
• You need something from the bag mid-trek. You cannot get it, so plan carefully. Keep a list of what is in the bag.
• The bag is moved or lost. Photographs, a tag and a receipt are your evidence.
• Someone else collects it. Tell the hotel who may collect, and take the claim ticket yourself.
• You are travelling with a partner. Agree whether bags go together or separately, who holds the claim ticket and what happens if one person returns early. Our guide to what to agree with trekking partners before you book covers shared plans, and the Everest Base Camp partner page and Langtang Valley partner page list people planning those routes.

A short checklist for the night before you leave

1. Pack the stored bag, lock it, tag it and photograph it.
2. Remove your passport, permits, insurance, money and medication, and put them in your documents pouch.
3. Confirm the arrangement with the hotel, and ask for a receipt or message.
4. Weigh your trek bag against the flight allowance.
5. Charge your phone and power bank, and download offline maps; see offline maps, GPX and navigation.
6. Tell someone at home where you are, when you will be back and where your bag is.

For the rest of the gear checklists, return to the gear and packing hub. Storage is not exciting, but a clean arrangement made in advance removes one of the small worries that can follow you up the trail, and means that when you come down, your clean clothes are waiting.