The 10 best camping treks in Nepal

It is still possible to get away from the crowded trekking trails in Nepal by selecting a camping trek that travels into a remote region of the country. 

The Mountain Company has many years of experience in organising camping treks in Nepal and I have personally led many of these so have firsthand knowledge of the trails.

Camping treks are more expensive due to a larger number of trek crew such as cooks to prepare the meals and porters to carry group kit like tents. There is also a requirement for additional trekking permits such as in Restricted Areas and for mountaineering peaks. Whereas treks in the Everest and Annapurna regions will be less expensive due to the food and accommodation being provided by a teahouse lodge.

Our choice of the 10 best camping treks in Nepal are listed below.  You can click on the links through to The Mountain Company website for the photos, itinerary Google maps, YouTube videos and other practical information. 

#1 Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT

#2 Dhaulagiri Circuit

                

#3 Kanchenjunga Circuit

#4 Kanchenjunga BC to Makalu BC GHT

#5 Naar to Upper Mustang GHT

#6 Lamjung Himal

#7 Ganesh Himal

#8 Mera Peak Expedition

#9 Makalu to Everest GHT

#10 Saribung Expedition

Please get in contact with us if you are interested in joining one of these groups or would like any further information.

Trek on!

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for Dhaulagiri Circuit (Nepal) led by Dom Rudd in October 2011

Our Dhaulagiri Circuit in October 2011 was the fifth time The Mountain Company had organised this trek, I led our first one in May 2008 then Gary Pfisterer led in October 2009, myself again in October 2010 and followed by Lee Farmer in April 2011. This time the leader for our Dhaulagiri Circuit group was Dom Rudd (International Mountain Leader) for more information on his background and experience.

The advantage of having organised this trek several times before is that we have developed cumulative experience and knowledge that our new leaders can tap into. They will have access to all previous trip reports sent to us by each leader after completion of the trek as well as the detailed Trek Leader’s notes written by us with information for each day such as timings, points of interest and any risks to be aware of along the way. 

The group arrived to Kathmandu on October 8^th, from our experience running this trek it is best to start after the first week of October to allow time for monsoon to wind down as Myagdi Valley is particularly wet place due to its north-south orientation. Clouds travel up from the south on plains of India and then at end of valley are blocked and forced to rise by Dhaulagiri resulting in high levels of precipitation. This timing worked well as on this trek there was very little rain during this trek as they approached Italian Base Camp.

Photo: Mount Dhaulagiri 7th highest in world at 8,167m

Our acclimatisation schedule for Dhaulagiri Circuit is conservative with two nights at Italian Base Camp at 3,660m, two nights at Glacier Camp at 4,200m and two nights at Dhaulagiri Base Camp at 4,700m. This itinerary worked well for the group and felt well acclimatised to safely cross French Pass into Hidden Valley. Some snow fell at Dhaulagiri Base Camp during evening of October 20^th however the day for walking to Hidden Valley on 22^nd dawned clear, crisp and cold. Dom was up early this morning to check the weather and conditions and made the decision to proceed as planned.

There was fresh snow on the trail slowing progress although the weather was good with bright sunshine and the view from the approach to French Pass back to Dhaulagiri was spectacular. Just after crossing French Pass the cloud rolled in and wind picked up causing snow to drift across the path filling footprints with soft windblown snow. The first group arrived to camp in Hidden Valley at 4pm and second group only 40 minutes behind, everyone was glad to see that camp was set up with all tents erected and a cup of tea served shortly after their arrival!

Photo: Dhaulagiri Base Camp

Our Dhaulagiri Circuit itinerary has two nights in Hidden Valley whereas most other operators only have one night here as they are not properly acclimatised so need to get down in altitude as soon as possible. Feedback from most people in our groups is that they like having a spare day in Hidden Valley as is one of the highlights of this trek. This is not only so that they can they have a well-deserved lie in after a long day crossing French Pass and wait for the sun to warm up before having breakfast but also give them a chance to explore and enjoy this beautiful valley. Some of the group attended an ecole de glace organised by Dom showing them the basic techniques for using crampons and ice axe for self arrest.

Everyone enjoyed their rest day in Hidden Valley and felt rested for the final leg of the trek crossing Dhampus Pass and descending into Kali Gandaki Valley. On October 24^th the group left camp at 7.40am on a very cold morning, it took the group two hours to reach the summit of Dhampus walking on snow in good condition with no ice. There was very little snow coming down from the pass and then everyone made good progress on the snowy traverse taking four hours before making the descent to Yak Kharka and down to Alu Bari camp. This year crampons were not required for this day’s walk from Hidden Valley however it is essential to bring in day pack as sometimes there are sections of ice. In fact the traverse tends to be icier in May as our groups have always needed to use crampons at this time of year whereas in October it is usually fine without crampons. This group made good time with last members arrived to Alu Bari at 3.15pm.

On the next day the walk down to Marpha village was spectacular and on arrival the group visited the monastery and after a glass of apple juice continued to Jomsom. After handing out tips to the crew the group had a special dinner of fresh chicken, roasted potatoes and a tasty cake cooked by Saila to celebrate the end of the trek. The next day the flight to Pokhara flew on schedule at 9.15am with spectacular views over to Dhaulagiri and down the Kali Gandaki gorge, then on arrival to Pokhara the group flew back to Kathmandu.

Photo: Chonbarden gorge

The group had a final dinner at Kilroy’s restaurant in Kathmandu and by chance I was around as just got back from my Lunana Snowman trek in Bhutan so I came along too, it was great to meet everyone and hear how the trek went and get feedback from the group.

I would like to thank Dom for doing a superb job leading this group. The local crew worked hard throughout this challenging trek so thanks to Lhakpa Rita Sherpa (Sirdar), Saila Tamang (cook) and Sherpas: Prem, Sangram and Sonam as well as of course all of the porters.

The Mountain Company is organising two Dhaulagiri Circuit treks in 2012, the first one in April will be led by Jill Lawson and second trek will be in October. Please get in touch with us soon if you would like to join one of these groups.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for recce trek to Kopra Ridge (Nepal) using community lodges

By chance when I was leading our Mera Peak Expedition in November I met Mick Chapman at Khare, in fact we also nearly met in Spring as he was also leading a group on Makalu Base Camp to Everest only a few days behind my group. Over a cup of tea in Khare Mick asked what my plans were after Mera Peak and I replied was interested in having a look at some community lodges in the Annapurna I had vaguely heard about. Mick quickly explained that he had helped set up these community lodges so I was speaking to the right person!

The concept behind the community lodges is the ownership of each lodge belongs to a village rather than individuals with profits contributing to community projects such as funding local schools. This pioneering project was started by Mahabir Pun a social worker from this area as well as Nima Lama and Mick Chapman from UK. Funds to build these lodges were raised by local villages, donations from businesses in Kathmandu and friends of Nepal from overseas. A training program has been provided to the local villagers who run each lodge covering food preparation and lodge management.

In Kathmandu earlier this year I met several people who had recently done Kopra Ridge trek and after seeing their photos I decided this was a trek I would like to do. From these photos and hearing about Kopra Ridge I had no doubt our clients at The Mountain Company would be interested in walking this trail in the future. The mountain views from Kopra Ridge include Mount Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Fang and Nilgiri and also from Ghandruk one can see Mount Machhapuchhre (also known as Fishtail) and Mount Hiunchuli. I heard that the best part of the Kopra Ridge trek experience is how quiet the trail is with few other trekkers around as this network of community lodges is quite new (completed March '09) so at least for the moment it is not very well known.

Photo: Ghandruk village

Photo: traditional house in Ghandruk

After my Mera Peak group left Kathmandu I took the bus to Pokhara and on November 29th took a taxi to Nayapool to reach the roadhead. On my first day I followed Modi Khola river and walked up to Ghandruk village (2,012m). Ghandruk is a mountain village inhabited mainly by the ethnic caste of Gurungs, this village is famous for being a major recruiting source of Ghurka soldiers for both British and Indian army. There are several Victoria Cross holders still living here. Most of the houses are of traditional design however there are now a few newer concrete buildings being constructed these days. There are fine views of Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Machhapuchhre and Hiunchuli from the village.

Photo: Common Langur monkey near Tadapani

The next day I walked for three hours or so to Tadapani following the main trail although at the junction I turned off and took the quieter trail to Kopra Ridge rather than continuing to Ghorepani. In fact as soon as we left Tadapani, Tekar my guide pointed out a Common Langur monkey swinging in the trees and then shortly after leopard pugmark and scraping. This section is a lovely walk through rhododendron and oak forest and follows a trail originally used by villagers from Ghandruk to take their buffaloes, sheep and goats to the higher pastures in the summer months.

Photo: Mount Dhaulagiri from Bayeli Community lodge

The trail starts to ascend above the tree line and follows a ridge to Deurali (small pass) and then continues up to Bayeli Kharka (3,420m) where the first community lodge is located. From the lodge the view to west is dominated by Mount Dhaulagiri and at 8,167m is the seventh highest mountain in the world. Several places along the way we saw the colourful Danphe pheasant the national bird of Nepal.

Photo: dzo near Kopra Community lodge

In the morning I walked a short way above the lodge for sunrise, this was well worth doing to see the colours change on the south west face of Dhaulagiri and then back to the lodge for a cup of tea before having breakfast. Shortly after leaving the lodge we saw a Himalayan tahr standing high up on the grassy ridge above us looking down as we walked by. This section of the trail is on a grassy slope and traverses through pasture with a number of herders huts and near Kopra lodge we saw a herd of dzo (crossbred cow and yak).

On approaching Kopra Ridge one sees the tip of Annapurna South however it is only on arrival at Kopra Community lodge the full panorama is revealed: Mount Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, Fang and Annapurna South can all be seen from the lodge. After lunch we went for a short walk down Kopra Ridge to a viewpoint overlooking Kali Gandaki river far below in this deep valley.

Photo: view of Dhaulagiri from Kopra Ridge

Photo: view of Annapurna South from Kopra Ridge

Photo: sunrise view of Dhaulagiri and Kopra Community lodge

The plan for next day was to walk to Ghorepani, after an hour of descent we reached Upper Chistibung community lodge and after a cup of tea we carried on down to Swanta village for lunch. Along the way we got more great views of Dhaulagiri with this mountain providing a lovely backdrop to the terraced fields and traditional houses in the nearby villages. At Swanta village we had lunch at the Swanta Community lodge and then visited Swanta Primary school. There are two teachers in this school funded by the profits from community lodges. In the afternoon after an hour or so walking we joined the main trail to Ghorepani where there are of course far more others trekkers making one appreciate the quieter days walking on Kopra Ridge.

Photo: Upper Chistibung Community lodge

Photo: dining room at Upper Chistibung Community lodge

Photo: Mount Dhaulgiri and Swanta village

Photo: Swanta Community lodge

Photo: Swanta Primary School

After having now walked the Kopra Ridge there is no doubt in my mind this is one of the best short treks in Nepal. This trek contains all of the elements of a classic Nepal trekking experience including villages, wildlife, panoramic mountain views and range of landscape from forest to high alpine. And of course at the same time you are contributing to the local community and supporting the various projects funded by profits from these community lodges.

The Mountain Company plans to start organising treks on Kopra Ridge from Spring 2012, shortly we will have a trek webpage set up for Kopra Ridge with Trip Dossier on our website however in the meantime please get in touch if you are interested in joining this trek.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for Dhaulagiri Circuit in April 2011 led by Lee Farmer

Photo: Mount Dhaulagiri see from French Pass

In April this year The Mountain Company organised our fourth trek around Dhaulagiri Circuit. I led our first Dhaulagiri Circuit group in May 2008 then Gary Pfisterer was the leader in October 2009 and I led another group in October 2010. I have copied the links below to previous trip reports written on this blog:

Dhaulagiri Circuit trek in May 2008 led by Roland Hunter

Dhaulagiri Circuit trek in October 20010 led by Roland Hunter

In April we had nine people in our Dhaulagiri Circuit group and this trip was led by Lee Farmer and their Nepalese Sirdar was Jhire Rai. Lee is an Everest summitter and also a qualified International Mountain Leader.

Everyone arrived to Kathmandu on April 24th then flew to Pokhara on 25th to start the walk that afternoon after meeting the crew and having lunch in Beni. At this time of year the first few days are always hot and humid however of course the temperatures cool off at higher altitudes. We have chosen the best time in the Spring season for this trek, by starting in the last week of April means that the group will cross Dhampus pass on May 7th and French pass on May 9th. From our experience this is the optimal time to increase chances of crossing these high passes as weather is usually settled and temperatures warmer compared to March and April.

As it turned out this group experienced good weather and conditions for both days crossing French and Dhampus passes. As is usual in Spring the trail over Dhampus pass is icier and more slippery than in October, Lee decided that the group should put on crampons below Dhampus Pass and kept them on for all of the snow traverse to above Yak Kharka. In fact there was even one section of fixed rope on descent of Dhampus pass placed by a Czech team climbing on Dhampus Peak who kindly allowed our group to use for extra safety and security. This contrasts to when I led this trek in October last year when we put on crampons at top of Dhampus pass however most people took them off again shortly afterwards as were not really required for extra security on the traverse. It is essential that everyone in the group (and also crew and porters) bring crampons then make the decision whether to put them on while on trek.

We have received good feedback from the group about this trek, as explained in our Trip Dossier this is a tough and challenging trek however it is an achievable objective for fit hill walkers. One of the reasons we send a western leader for Dhaulagiri Circuit is to provide training and instruction on basic mountaineering skills as most people booked onto this trek have never used crampons and ice axe beforehand.

Lee gave an "Ecole De Glace" training session at Dhaulagiri Base Camp where he showed the group how to fix crampons to their boots properly and then demonstrated techniques for walking with crampons such as duck walking, front pointing and hybrid style. Then Lee discussed the use of an ice axe by demonstrating self belay and self arrest. After this demonstration everyone had a chance to practice these techniques. From discussion the group after this session everyone felt confident they had the right skills to safely cross the high passes on the Dhaulagiri Circuit.

This was the first time that Lee had completed the Dhaulagiri Circuit trek and his comments on the trek were as follows:

"I thoroughly enjoyed this trek- high and wild. It was a great immersion into a more remote part of Nepal. It was good working with the team I had and all worked very hard. Tulsi and Prashant in Kathmandu were excellent and very organised and the sherpa team of cooks and porters were very good and I particularly liked working with the Sirdar Jhire Rai."

As ever I would like to thank the trek crew for their work on this trek as we would not be able to visit this amazing area of Nepal without them! Of course thanks also to the leaders Lee Farmer and Jhire Rai.

The Mountain Company is organising Dhaulagiri Circuit trek in October 2011 and also April 2012 please get in touch if you would like to join one of these departures. Our October 2011 trek is now guaranteed to run and there is currently availability, this trip will be led by Dom Rudd. Our April 2012 Dhaulagiri Circuit trek will be led by regular Mountain Co leader Alan Ward.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for Dhaulagiri Circuit in October 2010

Photo: Mount Dhaulagiri as seen from French Pass

Our Dhaulagiri Circuit group arrived back to Kathmandu yesterday with everyone successfully completing this trek known as one of the most challenging (non mountaineering) in Nepal. This is the third Dhaulagiri Circuit trek that the Mountain Company has organised and the second one that I have personally led. In October 2009 Gary Pfisterer led our Dhaulagiri Circuit trek and I first completed this trek with a group in May 2008.

It was interesting to see the differences in the conditions and weather between my two treks around Dhaulagiri one in late Spring season and the other in Autumn. As is typical in May one generally gets clear mornings then cloud tends to build from mid morning then clears off again in the evening. However in October once the stable post monsoon weather has set in with high pressure across the Himalaya then one can have blue skis and views all day, this is the weather we experienced this October crossing French and Dhampus Passes. Although the weather is more stable in October the advantage of going in May there is likely to be fewer other trekkers around and also you will see mountaineering expeditions at Dhaulagiri Base Camp.

However this year there was a heavy monsoon that extended into October, and as a result we had several rainy afternoons and evenings while walking up Myagdi valley. In fact this valley is known as being wet as the orientation is north to south with clouds travelling up from India then collide with Dhaulagiri at the top of the valley causing high levels of precipitation. The Myagdi valley is clearly a rainy place with sub tropical forest up to Sallighari camp.

Once crossing French Pass into Hidden Valley one enters an area affected by the rain shadow of Dhaulagiri with sparse vegetation comprising isolated patches of moss and grass. Like Dolpo further to the west it is only during the monsoon season from June to September that this area gets significant amounts of rain and at this time yaks are brought up to graze in Hidden Valley.

The condition of Dhampus Pass was far easier to cross this October compared to May with a well established trail in snow with no icey sections and in fact in the end most of the group did not need to use their crampons and ice axes. However when I crossed Dhampus Pass in May there were several icey sections on the traverse after descending from the summit of the pass and with these conditions crampons were essential for trekkers and of course for all of the crew.

The other main difference I noticed compared to May 2008 was the improvement in the trail, in particular the path before Boghara village has now cut into the rock whereas before there was just a fixed rope to help climb over a rock slab! Beyond this village there are several other sections of the path that have been widened making the walk easier than before. The other challenging section is the descent down the lateral moraine from Italian Camp down onto the glacier, for the first time a trail has been cut into the moraine however we still felt a rope was necessary to secure the safe passage of the group and porters. Also several of the old log bridges have been replaced with well constructed cantilever bridges, in fact it is now possible to use mules to carry loads all of the way to Italian Base Camp.

I was surprised that most other groups on the Dhaulagiri Circuit were still ascending way too fast and breaking all of the rules of acclimatisation with most other people we met complaining of headaches and other symptoms of altitude sickness. Of course one has to consider the entire trekking team including the health of all of the porters and kitchen crew as they are the ones working hard at these altitudes! The main consideration on this trek is the risk of someone getting serious altitude sickness in Hidden Valley, if this happens then one has to ascend either French or Dhampus pass in order to descend in altitude.

Our acclimatisation schedule seemed to well by spending two nights at Italian Camp (3,660m), two nights at Glacier Camp (4,200m) and two nights at Dhaulagiri Base Camp (4,700m) then we crossed French Pass into Hidden Valley where we also spent two nights. For most people the highlight of the trek was the day exploring Hidden Valley and spending two nights here would not have been possible if the group and crew were not sufficiently acclimatised- click here for photos of our day walk in Hidden Valley.

Our October 2010 group were very lucky as the weather cleared on the morning before we walked into Hidden Valley staying sunny and clear for the rest of the trek, we experienced classic Autumn trekking with superb views of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Nilgiri, Dhampus Peak and Tukuche- click here for photos of Dhaulagiri Circuit trek from October 2010

Congratulations and well done to everyone in our October group for completing this trek! My view is that in spite of the improvements in the trail and construction of new bridges Dhaulagiri Circuit is still one of the hardest treks in Nepal and careful planning and preparations are required to ensure the safety and well being of the group and trek crew.

The Mountain Company is organising two Dhaulagiri Circuit treks in 2011, one starting in late April and the second departure starting in mid October, please get in touch if you are interested in joining one of these groups.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Photos of Dhaulagiri Circuit trek in October 2010

I have just got back to Kathmandu after leading our Dhaulagiri Circuit trek, as you can see from the photos below we had good weather and superb views for the days crossing both French and Dhampus passes. I will write a full Trip Report shortly on this blog with more details about the trek and changes experienced since I first walked this route in May 2008.

Photo: View of Sibang village with Dhaulagiri range behind

Photo: Farmhouse in Muri village

Photo: Nepali boy near Boghara village

Photo: trail along Myagdi valley

Photo: walking in Chonbarden gorge

Photo: Chonbarden gorge

Photo: group near Glacier camp on Chonbarden glacier

Photo: icefall on Tukuche Peak

Photo: lateral moraine ridge leading to French Pass

Photo: Mount Dhaulagiri as seen from French Pass

Photo: Prayer flags on French Pass

Photo: descending French Pass

Photo: Hidden Valley

Photo: Hidden Valley camp with Dhampus Peak and Pass behind

Photo: summit of Dhampus Pass

Photo: Tukuche Peak from Dhampus Pass

Photo: snow traverse after Dhampus Pass

Photo: further along traverse with Nilgiris range behind

Photo: looking down to Kali Gandaki valley after traverse

Photo: view of Nilgiri range from Alu Bari camp