Roberto Cabarcos was a complete trekking novice when he decided to conquer the Himalayas

We decided to trek in the Langtan National Park in North Nepal, a slightly less travelled route compared to the Everest or Annapurna National Parks. Also it starts from a lower base and ascended slower, allowing us to acclimatise and avoid Altitude sickness.

I had never done any mountain trekking in my life, and I am excited about it, but at the same time concerned. We are doing it independently, with no porters or guides.

The road from Katmandu to the Himalayas zig zags the steep slopes, part blocked by the landslides from last year's monsoon, eventually reaching Syabrubesi. The landscape, even there at a lower altitude, is stunning. Syabrubesi is a little town nestled among mountains and acts as the main gateway into the National Park.

On our first day we have decide to walk for only two hours, to give me time to adapt to the altitude and also to get used to carrying the bag that weighs 15 kilos. After two hours I was certain I was going to die, breathless, with my heart racing faster than ever. To ascend 100 metres you had to go up 300 and then down 200. You don't just go up - it is up and down, then down, and up again, in an ever so steep path.

Our second day is definitely much better. One mistake I had made the previous day was to try to race to the top, but, by now, I have learnt that in mountain trekking you need to find your own pace, and I have - it is extra slow. I slow down to a tortoise pace, but start to enjoy the landscape - it is majestic, awe inspiring.

The best thing about Langtan is that as you go up from such a low base in terms of altitude the landscape changes at an amazing pace. At the beginning the forest is subtropical, the air is thick, hot and humid. On our second day the forest has changed to decacious with moss covering the oaks, birch and langur monkeys observing us from the trees.

To ensure that we acclimatise properly, and to avoid altitude sickness, we have decided to sleep at 2800 metres for our second night. By now I am used to carrying my bag, I have found my pace and, most importantly, I have decided that coming had been the best idea in the world.

It is our third day and the valley opens up a little and the path follows the river in a more straight direction, a gentle pace upwards. The path is so easy to follow, very clearly marked, with no real need for a guide, unless you want to look for particular wildlife, like snow leopards.

The tree cover gets thinner, having turn to conifers, these give way to shrubs and then dissolve into alpine grassland meadows where yaks come to feed when snow covers the grasslands at higher altitudes.

We have now reached our destination, Kyanjin Gompa, that stands at 3800 meters and can be used as a base camp to climb or trek to several mountains around here. We have decided to tackle Tsergo Ri, which stands at 4984 meters and gives an amazing view over the Langtan Valley.

After a hearty breakfast we take off at 5.30am. It is a bitterly cold morning and the soil is still frozen. I am wearing four layers of clothing, including a polar fleece, and am still feeling cold, but we need to get to the top before the sun comes out and the heat becomes unbearable.

As everything up to now has gone well I was hoping that this was going to be an easy ride. However, I soon discovered that I am being a bit optimistic. The walk proves to be very steep, and I feel out of my depth.

However, once again, everything is forgotten when i reach the top. The view is amazing beyond expectations, the sky is of an unbelievable shade of blue.

Langtan offers the possibility of enjoying a great trek, amazing wildlife, and a glimpse into Tibetan culture. There are also very few things in life better than waking up under the shadow of a 7,500 metre mountain.

You don't need to be especially fit to trek in the Himalayas, and you can always arrange for a porter to help with bags.

Only the final trek to reach the top of Tsergo Ri may need you to be of a certain fitness level.

Porters can be arranged with agencies back in Kathmandu, but if you want to leave more money in the local community you should arrange them in Syabrubesi.