Instant Everest

8 days of trekking to Dingboche
Maximum Elevation 4410 metres (14,500 feet)
If your time is limited, you can fly in to the remote mountain airstrip at Lukla and trek to the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar, the monastery at Tengpoche and the high yak pasture of Dingboche. This trek provides an overview of Sherpa culture and excellent views of the high Himalaya. 

• Day 1: Fly to Lukla, trek to Phakding
• Day 2: Phakding to Namche Bazaar
• Day 3: Namche Bazaar to Tengpoche
• Day 4: Tengpoche to Dingboche
• Day 5: Dingboche to Phunki Thangka
• Day 6: Phunki Thangka to to Chomoa
• Day 7: Chomoa to Lukla
• Day 8: Fly Lukla to Kathmandu

On to next Everest Region Trek, Trek less than 14,000 feet, Short Trek

The Khumbu Traverse

20 Days of High Altitude Trekking
Gokyo Ri and Kala Patar
Maximum Elevation 5545 metres (18,250 feet)
This trek offers an alternative to the traditional trek to Everest base camp. Climb past the Sherpa villages of Namche Bazaar and Khumjung to the Gokyo Valley and the Ngozumpa Glacier, the largest in the Nepal Himalaya. From Gokyo Ri four 8000-metre peaks (Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse and Makalu) are visible at once. Descend to Phortse, make a high traverse to the village of Pangboche and climb on towards Everest Base Camp. The return route leads through Dingboche and the monastery of Tengpoche before descending the Khumbu Valley to Lukla. 

• Day 1: Fly to Lukla, trek to Phakding
• Day 2: Phakding to Namche Bazaar
• Day 3: Acclimatisation Day in Namche
• Day 4: Namche to Phortse Thanga
• Day 5: Phortse Thanga to Dole
• Day 6: Dole to Machhermo
• Day 7: Machhermo to Gokyo
• Day 8: Gokyo
• Day 9: Gokyo to Phortse
• Day 10: Phortse to Pangboche
• Day 11: Tengpoche to Dingboche
• Day 12: Acclimatisation Day in Dingboche
• Day 13: Pheriche to Lobuje
• Day 14: Lobuje to Gorak Shep
• Day 15: Gorak Shep to Lobuje
• Day 16: Lobuje to Pheriche
• Day 17: Pheriche to Tengpoche
• Day 18: Tengpoche to Namche Bazaar
• Day 19: Namche Bazaar to Lukla
• Day 20: Fly from Lukla to Kathmandu

Restricted Areas

There are many parts of Nepal into which the entry of foreigners is strictly controlled. Many treks that may be suggested on a map are in restricted areas and you either cannot get a permit for those regions or must travel with a liaison officer and pay for a special permit. Some areas specifically closed to foreigners are: Walunchung Gola, Rolwaling and the route to Nangpa La in Khumbu. When planning your trek, assume that these areas will remain closed. Don’t count on a last-minute change in the rules. Police checkposts are numerous in the hills and police will turn you back if you try to trek into a restricted area.Officially there are no longer any restricted areas in Nepal. The immigration office rules now state that “trekkers are not allowed to trek in the notified areas previously known as restricted”. Rather than get involved in all this semantic complication, the term “restricted” is used here to refer to places that are closed to trekkers, or open to trekkers only when accompanied by a policeman (a liaison or “environmental” officer).

There are many reasons why the restricted areas exist. In most cases, it is a hangover from a time when the border with China was more sensitive than it is now. Environmental groups, particularly the Nepal Nature Conservation Society, are pressuring the government to keep some places closed for ecological reasons to avoid both cultural and environmental degradation. Because trekkers require assistance when something goes wrong (accident, illness or theft), the government restricts some areas because it doubts that it could provide the security that trekkers need. There are also political reasons for some restrictions. In the 1970s, for example, the Jomsom trek was closed because a major foreign-aided military operation had been mounted there in support of the Khampas in Tibet.

There are many influences on the decision to open or close certain parts of Nepal to foreigners. Recent changes have liberalised both trekking and climbing, and there is considerable pressure to open more areas to trekkers. You should check with a trekking agency or the central immigration office before planning an unusual trek.

Fees for treks to restricted areas range from US$70 per day (with a 10 day minimum) for Mustang to US$90 per week for Humla and Manaslu. You must also pay for a Nepal government official to accompany you throughout the trek.

Permits & Formalities

A trek to a restricted area must be arranged as a fully equipped organised trek through a registered trekking agency using tents, sherpa staff, cooks and porters. The trekking agency arranges the permit through a series of applications, guarantees and letters, a process that requires about two weeks and can be started only 21 days before the arrival of the group. You may not trek alone; there must be at least two trekkers in each group. For some areas there is a limit to the number of trekkers per season. There is no system of advance reservation, and no clear indication of what will happen if the quota is reached the day before you make an application.Each group is assigned an “environmental officer” who will accompany it during the trek. Despite the fancy name, what you will get is a Nepalese policeman who you must equip, insure and take on the trek. The liaison officer is supposed to handle all the formalities with police and government offices en route.

Around Manaslu

21 Days of trekking
maximum elevation 5100 metres (16,400 feet)
This trek was officially opened to tourists in 1991, but mountaineering expeditions have long had access to the area. In 1950 a party led by H W Tilman trekked from Thonje to Bimtang and Colonel Jimmy Roberts crossed the Larkya La looking for an interesting mountain to climb. Manaslu (8156 metres) was attempted by Japanese expeditions every year from 1952 until 1956, when the first ascent was made. Having become known as a “Japanese mountain”, much of the information about the area was available only in Japanese. The Japanese continued to dominate the climbing scene on Manaslu until 1971.A few trekkers, including the peripatetic Hugh Swift, managed to obtain trekking permits for the region, but otherwise this trek has always been the domain of the mountaineering expedition.

Though the Larkya La is not a difficult pass, the trek is harder than most in Nepal. In many places the walls of the Buri Gandaki Valley are perpendicular, so you cannot walk along the bottom of the valley. There is a huge amount of wasted climbing involved during the first part of the trek as you climb up and down over ridges or onto shelves to bypass cliffs. The trail is rough and steep and it often literally hangs on a bluff high above the river. Don’t read any further if you have the slightest tendency towards acrophobia. The trek is remote and has no rescue facilities or opportunities to bail out if you are tired. There is only one facility that might conceivably be called a trekkers’ hotel, and as late as AS 1992 there was not a single English signboard between Arughat and Tilje.

The trek is geographically spectacular and culturally fascinating. The Tibetans of the upper Buri Gandaki, a region known as Nupri (”the western mountains”), are direct descendants of Tibetan immigrants. Their speech, dress and customs are almost exclusively Tibetan. There is still continuous trade between Nupri and Tibet; Chinese cigarettes, for example, are found more frequently than Nepalese cigarettes. The mountain views in Nupri are sensational, and the Larkya La is one of the most dramatic Himalayan pass crossings.

• Day 1: Kathmandu to Dhading to Kafalpani
• Day 2: Kafalpani to Arughat
• Day 3: Arughat to Sati Khola
• Day 4: Sati Khola to Labu Besi
• Day 5: Labu Besi to Doban
• Day 6: Doban to Jagat
• Day 7: Jagat to Serson
• Day 8: Serson to Deng
• Day 9: Deng to Ghap
• Day 10: Ghap to Namrung
• Day 11: Namrung to Shya
• Day 12: Shya to Sama Gompa
• Day 13: Sama Gompa to Samdo
• Day 14: Samdo to Larkya Rest House
• Day 15: Larkya Rest House to Bimtang
• Day 16: Bimtang to Gho
• Day 17: Gho to Dharapani
• Day 18: Dharapani to Syange
• Day 19: Syange to Bhulbule
• Day 20: Bhulbule to Besi Sahar
• Day 21: Drive Besi Sahar to Kathmandu

On to next Trek in Eastern Nepal, High Altitude Trek, Long Trek
Back to Nepal Trekking Home Page

Humla to Mt Kailas

21 Days of trekking
maximum elevation 5630 metres (18,475 feet)
In May 1993 the governments of Nepal and China reached an accord that allowed the first treks across the border between the two countries. While it had been a route for Nepalese pilgrims for years, foreign trekkers were never allowed to trek from Nepal into Tibet.The journey through Humla, Nepal’s highest, northernmost and most remote district, is culturally and scenically rewarding. The people of northern Humla are Bhotias whose roots are in Tibet and who still enjoy the freedom to graze their animals on the Tibetan plateau. The upper Humla Karnali Valley is also populated by Bhotias who trade extensively with Tibet in traditional ways that have totally vanished elsewhere. It is only near Simikot, the district headquarters, that you will encounter people of other ethnic groups, mostly Thakuris and Chhetris.

A trip to Mt Kailas has always been regarded as a pilgrimage. It satisfies the romantic in us that the pilgrimage to Kailas is a difficult one. Whether you drive for seven days or walk for six days, it is still not possible to make a quick, easy visit to Kailas and Manasarovar. You cannot yet travel all the way to Kailas by helicopter or airplane. This is certainly as it should be.

• Day 1: Fly to Nepalgunj
• Day 2: Fly Nepalgunj to Simikot
• Day 3: Simikot to Tuling
• Day 4: Tuling to Kermi
• Day 5: Kermi to Yangar
• Day 6: Yangar to Torea
• Day 7: Torea to Sipsip
• Day 8: Cross the border, Drive Sipsip to Taklakot
• Day 9: Drive Taklakot to Darchan
• Day 10: Darchan to Damding Donkhang
• Day 11: Damding Donkhang to Jarok Donkhang
• Day 12: Jarok Donkhang to Zutul-puk
• Day 13: Zutul-puk to Darchan
• Day 14: Drive Taklakot to Sipsip, cross the border
• Day 15: Sipsip to Torea
• Day 16: Torea to Yangar
• Day 17: Yangar to Kermi
• Day 18: Kermi to Tuling
• Day 19: Tuling to Simikot
• Day 20: Fly Simikot to Nepalgunj
• Day 21: Fly Nepalgunj to Kathmandu

Western Nepal

Many people describe western Nepal as “unexplored”, but Westerners have a bad habit of assuming that what is unknown to them is unknown to everyone. Western Nepal has a large population of both Hindus and Buddhists, and the countryside is crisscrossed by trails in all directions. It is remote and unknown from the Western viewpoint because of its relative inaccessibility and its distance from Kathmandu. Regular flights to Jumla and several other airstrips in the west reduce this remoteness somewhat, but add considerably to the cost and to the logistical problems. Another factor that discourages trekkers in western Nepal is that many of the culturally and scenically exotic regions are in restricted areas with high permit fees. Many of the trails in the west continue to the northern side of the Himalayan ranges of Nampa, Saipal and Kanjiroba, making it easy for trekkers to zip up trails along river valleys and into Tibet – a practice that both the Nepalese and Chinese would like to discourage. Some of these treks, including Shey Gompa to the north of Phoksumdo Lake and Humla to the north-west of Jumla are described in the section on Restricted Areas.The history and anthropology of western Nepal is complex and fascinating. The region is predominantly Hindu. Tibetans make up only a small part of the population, yet they have had a significant influence on the area through trading. Most of the homes are Tibetan style. Their flat roofs covered with packed earth are well suited to the semiarid conditions of the region behind Dhaulagiri. In many villages the houses are packed closely together one atop another, climbing up the hillside and sharing common roofs. There are few stairs inside the dwellings. Instead, people climb from one level to another on carved log ladders outside the house. This is the only place in Nepal where Hindus live in such obviously Tibetan-style houses.

Cultural roots extend north into Tibet and west to Kumaon in India. Until Jumla was conquered by the army of Bahadur Shah in 1788, the people of western Nepal had very little reliance on Kathmandu. The Chhetris of western Nepal are categorised into three groups: Thakuris, who are the aristocracy; normal Chhetris as found throughout Nepal; and Matwali Chhetris, “those who drink liquor”. The status of Matwali Chhetris is fascinating because many Tibetan immigrants long ago masqueraded as Chhetris. For many generations they have evolved their own form of religion that is a peculiar combination of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Trekking Season

Most of western Nepal is either outside of the monsoon’s influence or else in the rain shadow of Dhaulagiri Himal. Summers tend to be dry and there are few leeches. The best time for trekking is from late August to September when the wildflowers are in bloom. Winters are cold and there is a considerable amount of snow – so much, in fact, that there is some potential for skiing in parts of western Nepal. The trekking season, therefore, is from late spring and throughout the summer until late October. One problem with summer treks in the west is the inordinate number of flies that gather on food and inside tents.Back to Eastern Nepal, Suggested Treks

Jumla to Rara Lake

13 days of Trekking
Trek to an isolated lake in Western Nepal
Maximum Elevation 2980 metres (9,700 feet)
Rara Lake is the focal point of Rara Lake National Park and is a good destination for a trek in western Nepal. The route is very much “off the beaten track” and affords glimpses of cultures and scenery very different from that in the rest of Nepal. Rara is a clear, high altitude lake ringed with pine, spruce and juniper forests and snowcapped Himalayan peaks. In winter there is often snow on the ridges surrounding the lake. Except for the army assigned to the park, nobody lives at the lake because the government resettled all the people of Rara and Chapra villages when the area was declared a national park. 

• Day 1: Fly to Nepalgunj
• Day 2: Fly Nepalgunj to Jumla
• Day 3: Jumla to Danphe Lagna
• Day 4: Danphe Lagna to Chautha
• Day 5: Chautha to Dhotu
• Day 6: Dhotu to Rara Lake
• Day 7: Rara Lake
• Day 8: Rara Lake to Gorosingha
• Day 9: Gorosingha to Sinja
• Day 10: Sinja to Jaljala Chaur
• Day 11: Jaljala Chaur to Jumla
• Day 12: Fly Jumla to Nepalgunj
• Day 13: Fly Nepalgunj to Kathmandu

On to next Western Nepal Trek, Trek up to 14,000 feet, on to Two Week Treks
Back to Nepal Trekking Home Page

Jumla to Dolpo

21 Days of Trekking
Maximum Elevation 5090 metres (16,700 feet)
Dolpo is a remote region of Nepal that has been bypassed by development and, until recently, by tourism. Although a few anthropologists and geographers had explored the region, the entire district was closed to trekkers until 1989 when the southern part of Dolpo was opened to organised trekking groups. This trek traverses the interesting trade route from Jumla to Dunai, then visits Phoksumdo Lake and the Tibetan style inner Dolpo region of Tarap before flying back from Dunai to Nepalgunj.Peter Matthiesen’sThe Snow Leopard and Snellgrove’sHimalayan Pilgrimage have contributed to the mystique and attraction of Dolpo. Both writers visited Shey Gompa to the north of Phoksumdo Lake. Shey Gompa is not particularly interesting, and there is a $700 permit fee levied by the Nepal government, butit’s possible to include a visit to Shey in this trek.

• Day 1: Fly to Nepalgunj
• Day 2: Fly Nepalgunj to Jumla
• Day 3: Jumla to Gothi Chaur
• Day 4: Gothi Chaur to Naphukana
• Day 5: Naphukana to Balasa
• Day 6: Balasa to a Forest Camp
• Day 7: Forest Camp to Tibrikot
• Day 8: Tibrikot to Dunai
• Day 9: Dunai to Rahagaon
• Day 10: Rahagaon to Ryajik
• Day 11: Ryajik to Phoksumdo Lake
• Day 12: Phoksumdo Lake to Baga La Phedi
• Day 13: Baga La Phedi to Numa La Phedi
• Day 14: Numa La Phedi to Tok-khyu
• Day 15: Tok-khyu to Do
• Day 16: Do to Gorge Camp
• Day 17: Gorge Camp to Khanigaon
• Day 18: Khanigaon to Namdo
• Day 19: Namdo to Dunai airport
• Day 20: Fly Dunai to Nepalgunj
• Day 21: Fly Nepalgunj to Kathmandu

On to next Western Nepal Trek, High Altitude Trek, Long Tr

Central Nepal

Langtang & Helambu

The region north of Kathmandu offers a multitude of trekking destinations, all accessible without flights. The three major areas are Langtang, Gosainkund and Helambu, which can be combined in many different ways to make treks from seven to 16 days long. Langtang is a narrow valley that lies just south of the Tibetan border. It is sandwiched between the main Himalayan range to the north and a slightly lower range of snowy peaks to the south. Langtang Lirung (7246 metres) dominates the valley to the north; Gang Chhenpo (6388 metres) and Naya Kangri (5846 metres) lie to the south; and Dorje Lakpa (6966 metres) protects the east end of the valley. The area was designated Nepal’s first Himalayan national park in 1971.This high and isolated region is inhabited by Tamangs whose religious practices, language and dress are much more similar to those of Tibet than to the traditions of their cousins in the Middle Hills. A visit to the Langtang Valley offers an opportunity to explore villages, to climb small peaks and to visit glaciers at a comfortably low elevation. According to legend, a lama following a runaway yak discovered the valley. Hence the name – lang is Tibetan for “yak” and teng (more correctly dhang) means “to follow”. Yaks still live in the valley, but they now share it with trekkers who make a seven to 11-day round trip from Kathmandu. Because there are good opportunities for moderate climbing excursions here, you should allow a few extra days for exploration of the extensive glacier system.

You can vary the trek to Langtang by returning to Kathmandu via the holy lakes of Gosainkund at 4300 metres, or you can make a short trek from Dhunche to Gosainkund. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims visit the lakes during a full moon festival in August. The lake is also sacred to Buddhists.

Helambu, about 75 km north of Kathmandu, is an area inhabited by Sherpas. You can include Helambu in a Langtang trek, either via Gosainkund or across the 5106-metre Ganja La. In winter, both of the high routes from Langtang are usually snow- covered and dangerous, difficult or impossible. The Helambu trek is popular because it is short, stays below 3500 metres and is feasible all winter. It is an easy trek to organise because transport from Kathmandu to Sundarijal, the starting point of the trek, is readily available and inexpensive.

The language, culture and dress of the Helambu Sherpas are very different from the Solu Khumbu Sherpas. The accessibility of Helambu has created an influx of tourists who have encouraged begging, the sale of “genuine antiques” aged over the family fireplace, and several incidents of thievery. It takes eight days to trek from Kathmandu to Helambu and back, or 12 to 14 days to include both Langtang and Helambu in a single trek without any backtracking.

Langtang & Gosainkund Trek

15 Days of trekking to holy lakes at Gosainkund
Maximum Elevation 4610 metres (15,125 feet)

• Day 1: Kathmandu to Dhunche via Trisuli Bazaar
• Day 2: Dhunche to Syabru
• Day 3: Syabru to Lama Hotel
• Day 4: Lama Hotel to Langtang Village
• Day 5: Langtang to Kyanjin Gompa
• Day 6: Langtang Valley
• Day 7: Kyanjin Gompa to Lama Hotel
• Day 8: Lama Hotel to Syabru
• Day 9: Syabru to Sing Gompa
• Day 10: Sing Gompa to Gosainkund
• Day 11: Gosainkund to Ghopte
• Day 12: Ghopte to Tharepati
• Day 13: Tharepati to Khutumsang
• Day 14: Khutumsang to Chisopani
• Day 15: Chisopani to Kathmandu

On to next Central Nepal Trek, Trek less than 14,000 feet, Two Week Trek

Jugal Himal

13 Days of Trekking to high lakes
Maximum Elevation 4050 metres (13,290 feet)
To the north-east of Kathmandu lies a chain of peaks called Jugal Himal, which includes Dorje Lakpa (6966 metres), Madiya (6257 metres) and Phurbi Chhyachu (6637 metres). The trek starts from the large bazaar of Chautaara (1410 metres), descends to the Balephi Khola, then follows a ridge to Bhairav Kund, a holy lake at 3500 metres. The route then makes a circuit around the head of the Balephi Khola Valley to Panch Pokhari (”five lakes”) at 3600 metres. From Panch Pokhari, the trail leads to Tarke Gyang in Helambu, then back to Kathmandu. This is a remote and unfrequented region, despite its proximity to Kathmandu. Treks in this area involve a lot of climbing on narrow trails. There are few villages and no hotels on this route and water is very scarce on the ridge. 

• Day 1: Kathmandu to Chautaara and Syaule
• Day 2: Syaule to Kamikharka Danda
• Day 3: Kamikharka Danda to Chyochyo Danda
• Day 4: Chyochyo Danda to Hile Bhanjyang
• Day 5: Hile Bhanjyang to Nasem Pati
• Day 6: Nasem Pati to Panch Pokhari
• Day 7: Panch Pokhari to Gai Kharka
• Day 8: Gai Kharka to Yarsa
• Day 9: Yarsa to Laghang Gompa
• Day 10: Laghang Gompa to Tarke Gyang
• Days 11-13: Tarke Gyang to Kathmandu

On to next Central Nepal Trek, Trek less than 14,000 feet, Long Trek