Trekking to Everest Base Camp was a very long held ambition which I finally achieved three years ago. I was so blown away by my experience that, when I came back, I changed careers and joined Nepal Guide Treks & Expedition- the trekking company that I travelled with.
Now I spend my days talking to people about trekking holidays in the Himalaya, looking at photos from treks to Everest Base Camp and helping other trekkers achieve this fantastic goal. Of course, there are many other classic walks around the world but the Everest Base Camp trek remains the most iconic and desirable of all.
Now there are several variations on the classic route that can take you not only to Everest Base Camp, but also into the more remote areas of the Khumbu.
For that reason, it seemed like a good idea to set up a website to share my passion for the Everest Base Camp trek and the others in the region, along with useful information, helpful tips and some stunning images. So, now there's no reason for you not to put on those walking boots and start planning for the trek of your life.
Richard + Michele (Canada)
I had a god trip with Prakash reaching Kalapathar & EBC in 12 days with my guide & porter. My goal was achieved and I hope to trek again one day
Roger de la Cour (Jersay Cr)
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My name is Matej Vanko from Australia. I have been very impressed and excited to have met such warm and loving people. Prakash is always dressed very smart and has a warmth about his personality...
- Matej Vanko
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We have booked at this company the trek to the Everest Base camp and to Kalapatther ! it was one of my best trip I ever made !! Book with this guy's and you will have a great time in the Himalayan Mountains. ...
- Thomas + Benjamin
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I could highly recommend to this company and our guide Biraj. I didn't realize when we signed up to have a guide that we would actually get a waiter and servant as well ! ...
- Jean-Caplick
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Just spent 10 fantastic days in the Everest region hiking to EBC. Luckily I was prepared for the 5-6 hour a day hiking !!! ...
- Chhirlie
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Start/End: Kathmandu
Destination : Phoksundo Lake, shey gompa, mandala camp
Trip Duration : 26 days
Max. Altitude : 5,240 meters
Group Size : Min. 1 / Max.20
Best Season : February, March, April, May, June, September, October, November & December.
Trip Grade :
Daily walking Hour: Approx. 4-6
Upper Dolpo being one of the remotest, poorest and backward regions in whole of Nepal with its difficult terrains and extreme cold weather has been overlooked despite being a land of tourist potential and other opportunities. There are no motor able roads or airport in upper Dolpo, except the airport near district headquarter, Dunia which is several days journey from upper Dolpo. The people of upper Dolpo are deprived of fundamental rights of good education, basic medical facilities, and others such as postal and electricity services. The death toll cause by lack of basic medical facilities is quite alarming. The existing schools in upper Dolpo have only primary levels and health posts are functional only for a brief summer season. Recently some western NGOs have supported in opening up schools and health posts but due to the insurgency going on in Nepal, these NGOs are being apprehensive of fully implementing further programs. Therefore, some of the NGOs are being inconsistent in supporting their programs in upper Dolpo.
Dolpo Society continues to seek help from the govt, and I/NGOs for the development of upper Dolpo as a whole. As envision in Dolpo Society’s aims and objectives significant contribution has been made for the restoration and renovation of religious monuments, preservation of its valuable religious scriptures, artifacts and its unique monastery at Namdho monastery, Shalri monastery, Karang gonpa, Charkha Gonpa, Dho-Tarap Gonpa, Vijer Gonpa, Kupa Gonpa, Komang Gonpa, Shimong Gonpa, Nyishal Gonpa, and Tichurong Gonpa with cash or kind. Further, Dolpo Society has donated Buddhist canons text (Kagur & Tengur) to some monasteries. In an effort to improve village infrastructures, Dolpo Society has built and repaired 10 bridges at Phosumdho, Saldang and Dho-Tarap villages.
Besides, 55 old and new stupas were renovated and built at Shilri gonpa, Saldang gonpa, Karang gonpa, Yashir gonpa and Margum gonpa. Though modern schools are relatively new in upper Dolpo, in the early nineties, NGOs like “Friends of Nepal” opened up one school in Saldang village, and another NGO
click to enlarge image“Dolpohilphe”, Germany, started schools in Namdho and Karang villages, Dolpo Society have lent all the support needed to establish these three schools according to the wishes of donors such as donating land for the schools and by providing free labors for building construction of the schools. The centre also helps provide water supply and other help that is needed for the smooth running of the school locally. The altitude ranges from 2500m to 5070m.The best known of the many isolated high Himalayan valleys across northern Nepal, Dolpo preserves one of the last remnants of traditional Tibetan Culture. Surrounded by high mountains including the Dhaulagiri massif to the southeast and cut off by high passes closed by snow half the year, Dolpo is close to Tibet, where people emigrated from perhaps 1,000 years ago.Dolpo remains a truly isolated corner of Nepal. Time has stood still here for centuries as the inhabitants of Tibetan stock continue to live, cultivate and trade the way they have done since time immemorial.Shey-Phoksundo National Park in the core of Dolpo Region is famous for snow leopard. A great Naturalist Rodney Jackson conducted his research on snow leopards in Shey Phoksundo area. The finally preserved Eco–system encompasses a wild and wonderful variety of plants and wildlife, including the blue sheep and leopard. A trek through Dolpo is an experience not easily forgotten.
Itinerary
Day 01: Fly from Kathmandu to Nepalganj. You fly from Kathmandu to Nepalganj in the southwest part of the Terai, right on the border to India. After checking into your hotel you might go and have a look at the Bageshwari Mandir, a temple to honour Kali. But what Nepalganj is all about is just wandering around in the bazaar, which has everything on sale that one could imagine. You will see people here from every part of Nepal, people from Tibet and India; they all come here to trade.
Day 02: Fly from Nepalgunj to Dunai and trek from Juphal to Dunai. You go to the airport very early in order to get on the flight to Juphal. Dolpo flights are always early in the morning. This is because high winds in the Thulo Bheri Valley begin around 10 am, making later flights impossible. Once you have gotten all your equipment of the Twin otter in Juphal (2500m), you start out on the short walk from Juphal to Dunai. You walk downhill through meadows and past a few houses to the small hotels at Kala Gaura (2090m). From here you follow the river trail upstream to Dunai. You camp near Dunai and explore this bustling little hill town for the rest of the afternoon.
Day 03: Trek from Dunai to Chepka which takes about seven hours. You start trekking from Dunai, cross the big steel suspension bridge and turn west, following the trail past the hospital, and then it's a level walk along the bank of the Thulo Bheri to its confluence with the Suli Gaad at 2070m. You follow the new trail north up the east bank of the Suli Gaad to a collection of teashops run by the wives of army personnel in Dunai. Another hour of walking takes us to Kal Rupi and then on to Raktang (2260m). You cross to the west bank and trek past numerous goths and horses pastures over a ridge to the rough stone houses of Jyalhasa, a wintering spot for the people of Ringmo. You keep walking upstream to another bridge, cross it to the east bank, and make your way past some crude teashops and a bridge over a side stream, the Ankhe Khola, at 2460m. The trail makes some ups and downs through grass and ferns to a trail junction. The fork is the old trail leading to the army and national park post at Ankhe, and on to the old trail that passes the villages of Rahagoan and Parela, high on the ridge above.
Day 04: Trek from Chepka to Renje and it takes about six hours. You continue on the new trail, which stays near the river, climbing over a small ridge ,then crossing to the west side to avoid a large ridge and returning to the east side an hour later near a national park camping ground. Alongside the river at 2900m, the trail becomes a collection of rocks and sticks forming a dyke along the river bank. The trail makes several more ups and downs through forests of firs and larches as it continues upstream to a bridge that leads to nine houses comprising the village of Renje on the opposite side of the river at 3010m. You camp at a good camp site here or another about five minutes further on.
Day 05: Trek from Renje to Ringmo which takes about seven hours. You follow the Suli Gaad valley, which turns eastward and becomes even steeper and narrower. You then climb over a ridge and descends to a wooden bridge then continue along the ups and downs along the valley floor to the confluence of the Suli Gaad with the Pungmo Khola. From here the trail to Phoiksumdo Lake and Shey gompa follows the west bank of the river. You climb through a forest of big cedar to a good camp site and then on to Palam (3710m), a winter settlement used by the people of Ringmo village. The houses are almost burried in the sandy soil. The entrance station for Shey Phoksumdo National Park is at the south end of the village. After your park entrance ticket is examined, you may be subjected to a baggage inspection-ostensibly for drugs and stolen art objects. It's very peculiar formality in this remote locale.
You continue on the route, which switchbacks steeply on a sandy trail through open country to an elevation of 3300m, then you start up another steep set of dusty switchbacks to a ridge at 3780m. From the ridge there are distant views of a spectacular 200m -high waterfall, the highest in Nepal. The trail makes a steep descent in birch forests to the upper reaches of the brilliantly clear,rushing waters of the Phoksumdo Khola, then you climb gently to Ringmo village, a picturesque settlement of flat-roofed stone houses with lots of mud -plastered chortens and maniwalls. Just below Ringmo, you cross a bridge and follow a trail north to the ranger station at Phoksumdo Lake (3641). You continue to the shores of the lake near the point where the Phoksumdo Khola flows out of the lake. There are national park camping grounds on both sides of the river on the south-east shore of the lake. Park rules prohibit us from camping in other places
Day 06: Rest and exploration. A trail leads from the lakeside through juniper trees to the white Pal Sentan Thasoon Chholing gompa, a ramshackle Bon-po gompa overlooking the lake that is said have been built 60 generations ago. There are five other private gompas in various houses of small monastic community near the lake. The insides of the temples contain dusty Buddhist paintings and statues, but the trappings also reflect the animistic elements of the Bon-po religion, so some of the chapels are reminiscent of an ancient witch's cavern. A donation to the ragtag collection of dirty monks will gain us entrance to the gompas; your sherpas will be equally fascinated by the strange iconography and practice of the Bon-po religion.
Day 07: Trek from Ringmo to Phoksumdo Khola (3750) (Camp in the jungle)
Day 08: Camp Sight (4717) – High Camp
Day 09: Mangdalo la (5350 pass) to Shey-Gompa (4160) You continue on the route that follows the upper reaches of the Phoksumdo Khola, and then you turn north towards the peak of Riwo Drugdra (Crystal Mountain). There is a choice of trails here; you follow the more scenic pilgrim route across the Sehu La to the west of Crystal Mountain, making a kora (circumambullation) of this sacred peak. The Dolma trail turns north soon after camp while the pilgrim trail starts up a steep scree slope on the opposite side of a stream that flows from the north.
After a long pull to Sehu La (also known as Mendok Ding La) at 5160m the trail descends a scree slope to a grassy meadow besides a stream valley and begins a series of long ascents and descends across ridges in and out of side valleys as it traverses around Crystal Mountain. After a steep, rough climb to a crest at 5010m and another at 4860m, you begin the descent to the Tar valley. Soon after the route reaches grassy slopes a side trail leads to Tsakang, a gompa said to be 800years that is perched dramatically on the side of a cliff. The final descent is on a wide trail to a campsite in a large meadow near a few nomads huts at 4310, just below Shey gompa.
Day 10: Rest and Exploration day. Cross the river on a log bridge and climb past a big chorten and a huge field of manistones to the Shey gompa compound at 4390m. The gompa itself is not large, and there are no artifacts or paintings of note inside. Although the building is said to be 800years old, the wall paintings are relatively recent, probably done in 1970s. The statues on the altar are of Guru Rimpoche, Sakyamuni and Milarepa. The gompa also houses an ancient Tibetan scroll that describes the myth of Crystal Mountain and Shey gompa. According to the inscription, there is a holy lake in a crater among the mountains that surrounds Shey. When a pilgrim makes nine circumambulations of this lake the water turns milk. A sip of this milk and the pilgrim can se Mt Kailash in the distance.
Day 11: Trek to Nangung 4430m (4606)On the trail again; the next few days cover some of the most culturally interesting regions of the trek, and of course the scenery is equally spectacular. We leave Shey and head east along the Sephu Khola towards the Saldang La (or Shey La), a gradual three hour hike up the valley past many ancient mani walls. A last steep climb brings us to the prayer-flag festooned summit at 5075 meters. From the windy pass, we are treated to magnificent panoramic views of the peaks surrounding Dolpo, with Mustang to the east, Tibet to the north , and Kanjiroba, Kagmara and Riu Dhukta, or the Crystal Mountain, to the West. The landscape resembles more and more the arid plateaus and canyons of neighboring Mustang as we descend through this other-worldly landscape. We descent quite steeply to a small stream, where we continue to contour around the hillsides heading towards Namgung. We'll stop for lunch at a seasonal herding settlement, and then follow our yaks to Namgung. Once around the hillsides, the ancient red and white Namgung Gompa, perched on the hill-side behind Namgung village, appears impressively below us, the older gompa built into the cliff while the newer gompa sits with the two houses of Namgung. Other ruins of ancient gompas and dwellings are built into the cliff-side near Namgung, adding to the mystique of this area. Take a walk down to the crumbling gompa,
Day 12: Trek to Saldang (3770)
A short but spectacular day along the trail towards Saldang, passing several 'doksas' en route. After a few hours of easy walking, we crest a ridge topped with prayer flags and look down on Saldang below us and the crinkle of dun-colored mountains to the north, bordering on Tibet. After much contouring, we reach 'Caravan Thinle's' house at the northern end of the village, where we will possibly stop for some salt-butter tea and a cup of Tibetan barley beer, called 'chang'Our spectacularly set campsite is at the far south of this large village, so we'll have at least half an hour to wander through this fascinating, scenic Tibetan village to reach it. We camp just above Saldang's gilded gompa.
Day 13: Trek to Khomasgaon 4100m or Koma (4060)
The exploratory section of the trek begins as we head northeast from Saldang along the little-trekked route to Khomasgaon. These next few days are said to be some of the most interesting and scenic in all of Dolpo, so we look forward to a bit of adventure We start the morning heading past Saldang Gompa and Amchi (Tibetan doctor) hospital to lower Saldang, continuing along the Nagon Khola past several bustling, white-washed villages, long mani walls, painted chortens and old gompas perched high up along the mountainsides. At Chagaon, we turn left, crossing the river and heading northeast along a smaller trail. It's a good day's walk to reach Khomasgaon where we will look for a good campsite for the night.
Day 14: Mendo (3950)Day 15: Upper Dolpo & Great Himalaya Trail (4190)
Day 16: Rapka khola
Day 17: Chharkabhot (4302)
Day 18: Trek from Chharka to Norbulung and it takes about seven hours. You descend again to a river. You follow the right fork southward, climbing in and out of side valleys on a rough trail. The valley narrows, you then emerge into a big meadow and climb to your campsite at Norbulung (4750m).
Day 19: Trek from Norbulung to Sangda Phedi and it takes approximately eight hours. You begin the day climbing to a yak pasture at Molum Sumna (4860m) and on to a crest at 5130m. You then make a long traverse across meadows to the foot of the Sangda La, then a long, steep final climb to the pass at 5460m.
Day 20: Trek from Sangda Phedi to Sangda which takes about eight hours. You climb to a lower Sangda La at 4990m, and then descend through loose shale towards the village of Sangda Ghunsa (4190m). You drop to the Chalung Khola, crossing it at 3750m, and then climb steeply up the opposite bank. A long high traverse leads to a cairn at 4090m, you then come to a set of steep switchbacks descends to a stream at 3580m. You do another climb to the compact settlement of Sangda, were you end a long day at 3700m.
Day 21: Trek from Sangda to Dhagarjun and it takes about eight hours. You climb the hill behind Sangda and spent most of the day making a high traverse, crossing nine ridges to a final crest at 4280m. You then descend into the Kali Gandaki valley, traversing under high cliffs and descending to the large village of Dhagarjun (3290m).Day 22: Trek from Dhagarjun to Jomson and fly to Pokhara. You climb to a ridge at 3360m and make a final descent on a challenging trail of loose rocks to Jomsom at 2670m. You take an early flight from Jomsom to Pokhara - a fantastic way to round off the trek, flying right along the Kali Gandaki Gorge between the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. In Pokhara you check into the Hotel, get the dust of the last three weeks washed off and head out for a nice dinner..!
Day 23: Drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu by tourist mini bus that takes about seven hours. While driving from Pokhara to Kathmandu, you head up to Damauli, Dumre, Muglin and Kurintar where the Nepal's first Cable car is operated to reach to Manakamana Temple. En route, you could enjoy the mountain views, green sceneries, rice terrace fields, vegetable fields and people being engaged in their daily life activities. From Naubishe you climb up to Thankot, the gateway to capital city. You can also fly from Pokhara to Kathmandu which takes about 25 minutes.
Note: It is possible to combine with some other activities such as white water rafting and wildlife safari. The itinerary can be customized according to your duration of holiday.
Service Includes
- All meals (B/L/D) during the trekking period
- Accommodation (Tented Camp) during the trekking period
- Upper dolpo permit
- National park permit
- Domestic airfare
- Domestic airport tax
- English speaking guide
- Well trained cook (specialist of continental and nepali food).
- Highly experienced staffs
- Staffs food, clothing & salary
- Staffs insurance
- All necessary grounded transportation
- Medical supplies (first aid kit will be available).
- Airport picks up & drops
- Arrangement of Emergency Helicopter service which will be paid by your Travel insurance company.
- TIMS Card (Trekker's Information Management System)
- All Local / Government Taxes
- Personal nature expenses
- Bar bill and all kind of drinks
- Rescue & Evacuation
- Gratitude (tip) for staff
