Are you planning to shoot your travel vlog? Annapurna Circuit can be really an astonishing idea for the best destination choice. The trek to Annapurna can be the final solution to erase your thirst for having good content online. And for it, you need an active internet connection. Situated at 4,130 meters above sea level, Annapurna Circuit has more to offer when it comes to natural beauty and adventure.
Whether you prefer the snow-capped mountains or amazing rural villages and their people, you can go with anything this circuit offers. The panoramic view of Annapurna South, Annapurna I, and other peaks is an appealing entity of this trek. Besides, the heart-welcoming tradition of hospitality will be your once-in-a-lifetime experience. The charismatic and charming culture of the Magar and Gurung people will make you revisit Annapurna Circuit.
We have discussed things Annapurna Circuit offers, and visitors should keep one thing on their minds: the Internet. You might have packed all your luggage, made a perfect plan with a great routine, had a perfect budget, and had lists of activities to do. But you might miss one really simple thing that could make all your plans horrible. So redo your plans and consider the Internet on your bucket list.
The Internet can really be essential to travel vloggers since they have to score their streaming while on their journey. Being online and creating live footage is a challenging thing to do. But do not worry; we have many ways to keep you online while on the Annapurna Circuit trek. Please go through some drafts we have prepared to make you acknowledge the ways of being connected online.
Let’s dig out below!!
Preparing for the Trek – What to Do Before Going?
Top-notch preparation is mandatory since you are about to make one of your adventurous trips to Annapurna Circuit. So planning like a basic trekker will be a problem for sure.
The first and foremost thing to prepare is your mindset to be disciplined in not only planning but also the activities you do after you reach the spot. Being prepared mentally, physically, and financially are some things you should be working on.
Know yourself and analyze if you are ready to make an arduous trek to the Himalayas. Altitudes can be a problem for many visitors in Annapurna – so if you have yet to go through the difficult hikes before, train yourself to be ready to take on adventures in Annapurna. Just figure that your legs and lungs are strong enough.
The next thing you have to plan is gears and equipment – you might need several items like sleeping bags, backpacks, Hydration bladders, water bottles, clothing, toiletries, tech items, visa, first aid kits, and more. So double, check your stuff before starting your trek.
Permits are needed to trek in Nepal. So make sure to research about all the required permits for trekking in the Annapurna Circuit.
Make yourself sufficient with budgets, and be sure you have copies of the region map in your hand. That will make your trek convenient. If you are a travel vlogger and need to have internet 24/7, then you can use the portable tech items that offer the service anywhere in the world.
Internet Access In Annapurna Circuit Trek
If you want the internet services in Annapurna Circuit Trek, you must know that things might differ drastically from your expectations. So be prepared for the worst, though your trek will be one of the cherishing moments of your life.
Most lodges around Annapurna Circuit Trek are abundant with electricity access, and they feature WiFi too. So reliving a good internet connection on the spot will not be a big deal. If you want to charge your technology items and gadgets, you will have to pay specific amounts; the hotel staff will provide you with portable sockets.
But rely on something other than the hotel’s internet service fully; since there will be many users using the same service at a single time, connections can be patchy, with slow speeds and sporadic service.
While on your trek, you might face a connection problem due to the high altitude. Since there are no ISP server locations at those altitudes, having an online connection can be a problem, especially for travel vloggers.
Some tea houses at the stop feature WiFi, where you can connect online. Even if the connections are poor, you can still read your emails and send texts online, except for downloading/uploading your content.
Different Types of Connectivity During the Trek
You can get two types of connectivity during the trek; Wired and Wireless. Wired connections include ethernet and ADSL, which is available in some lodges and tea houses. This connectivity is reliable when you are in your hotel before or after the Annapurna Circuit trek.
For the internet services in the route, wireless connectivity is beneficial. There are several ways of getting wireless connectivity and being online. One of the easiest ways is using a SIM card and its online internet packages. NTC and Ncell prepaid sim cards provide multiple options of internet services with 3G/4G/5G connections, which are affordable too. You have to have an activated SIM Card – you will have to buy one at the airport, or you can buy it in gadget shops in Kathmandu or Pokhara.
You will need to provide information about yourself, including a copy of your visa, to get a sim card in Nepal. After that, you can go on full-fledged internet usage.
Another way to get internet access during your trek is using Satellite Phones and Hot Spots; however, they can’t rely on 100% since they need a clear sky to be connected, and you never know what types of climate prevail in the Himalayas; it always dynamic.
In addition, Satellite Phones are expensive in terms of other services. So pre-plan with your checklist.
Cost of Internet Access During the Annapurna Trek
The cost of the Internet differs from place to place in Nepal. And while on the trek, make sure you have separated your budget for internet connection too. While it may cost a few hundred Nepalese rupees to access the Internet in a hotel via WiFi, data packs in mobiles can be pricey. So if you are streaming your high-quality videos or making video calls, you have to consider having a proper budget plan.
Currently, two mobile service providers: NTC and Ncell, offer data packages to their users. NTC provides a 4G data pack at a reasonable cost. You can see the outlines of the service below:
4G Data Offer
- For 28 Days Service: Dial *1415# 3GB All network + 3GB 4G network
- For 7 Days Service: Dial *1415# 2GB All network + 2GB 4G network only
- For 1 Day Service: Dial *1415# 512 MB All network +512 MB 4G network only
- For 1 Day Service: Dial *1415#
The price of the data packs ranges from Rs. 15 to around 1000 according to the volume plans. Similarly, some of the Ncell data costs are listed below:
- 5GB All-Time Data for Rs. 290 – Valid for 28 Days
- 200 MB for Rs. 15 (Valid for one day)
- 1 GB for Rs. 100 (Valid for one day)
(Note: Dial *17122# to get the interface that leads you to several options of the data packages available in Ncell.)
Managing Expectations of Internet Access During the Trek
The first thing we suggest to trekkers is to expect very little to access a reliable internet connection in Annapurna Circuit since we have already listed several ideas regarding its presence in the area. Having a high expectation of streaming your footage or high-resolution pictures online can be outlawed by reality.
Second, visitors must always have alternatives to accessing the Internet. Whether it’s by using the packages of mobile service providers or using satellite phones and hot spots, always have a Plan B to keep you going ahead.
Ensure you have all your testimonials to buy a SIM card in Nepal. It might require a passport-sized photo, a copy of your visa, and around $1 charge.
Pros and Cons of Using Mobile Data Services
While you might expect a speedy internet connection during your Annapurna Circuit Trek, you might need more accurate information about the services in the area. Using mobile data services can make your connection alive since it is the only way to remain connected online, except for satellite phones and hot spots. You can spend your time texting your family, staying online on social media platforms, and uploading low-sized files on the Internet.
There are also some drawbacks to using mobile data services. You can only sometimes be sure if the SIM card network service will be online at high altitudes since there are no servers up in the nearby mountains.
Secondly, you will need a huge data pack for uploading files on the Internet or sessions like facetime. And also you never know when the network connection will stop. Getting a large amount of data on a SIM Card can be costly, so if you are short on your budget, then it might be a problem to stay online during your trek.
Nevertheless, the internet services you get from mobile data services will surely aid your trip.