Nepal is open for the autumn season, and glad you are coming.
Everest, Annapurna and Thorong La are open. Langtang treks stay paused while the Rasuwa road is rebuilt; Mustang and Manang roads are still being repaired.
GRAYL GeoPress Purifier
710 ml, press-through purifier, ~450 g
4.6 on Amazon
The only single item here that removes viruses as well as everything else — you pay for it in weight, in cost, and in a cartridge that needs replacing every 250 litres.
Check price on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Do not buy this if: Gram-counters, or anyone on a filter-plus-tablets system that already works.
Not every route needs it. These are the ones where our guides would put it on your list.
Everything else we recommend in filters & purifiers, including the ones we think suit a different trekker.
Best overallSawyer Squeeze Water Filter
Effectively unlimited water for the cost of a couple of bottled waters, and it threads straight onto a standard bottle — it does NOT remove viruses, so pair it with chemical drops on trails below villages.
Skip it ifAnyone treating it as complete protection. Below the last village, add drops or a UV pen.
Fastest flowKatadyn BeFree 1L
The fastest flow of any soft-bottle filter and it collapses to nothing when empty — the flask is the weak point, and a pinhole in it ends the system rather than the filter.
Skip it ifRough handling in a duffel. Take the Sawyer if your kit gets thrown around.
The virus half of the answerAquatabs Water Purification Tablets
Handles the viruses a filter misses and weighs nothing, which is why we recommend carrying both — it does not touch cryptosporidium, and it makes the water taste of a swimming pool.
Skip it ifUse as your only method. Filter first, then treat — that combination covers everything.
