Mt. Himlung Himal Expedition 7126m. - 34 Days

Today we will spend most of our day sightseeing around some of the world heritage sites of UNESCO inside Kathmandu valley. Most importantly we will complete all the necessary paper works and make other preparations required for Himlung Expedition.

After breakfast, we prepare for a drive from Kathmandu along the banks of Trishuli River for a couple of hours up to Dumre and then along the banks of Marsyangdi River. Our drive goes over scenic zigzag hilly roads passing through Besisahar and drive towards Chamje. Before we could drive up to Besisahar and trek from there, but now the expansion of motor road has made it possible to drive further to Chamje.

After breakfast, we start our trek on the trail that crosses a suspension bridge and then climbs steeply to reach Sattale where the valley becomes narrow. After some time of trekking, we will arrive at the village of Tal, which marks the entry to Manang district. From Tal village, our trail descends down to cross a suspension bridge over Marsyangdi river. After crossing the river our trail is a fairly moderate trek all the way to the Gurung village of Dharapani.

Today we leave Dharapani and follow the trail that is a moderate trek towards the village of Bagarchhap. After crossing the village, our trail climbs steeply through the dense forest filled with fir and pine trees as we approach Timang. Great views of Lamjung Himal can be seen from here. Our trek continues on a flat trail and then descend before climbing again to reach Thanchok. From there we will gently descend to reach Koto.

Our trail descends down to cross a suspension bridge over Naar Phu Khola and heads upstream to cross another suspension bridge over Seti Khola tributary. From there, our trail becomes steeper as the gorge closes in forming a canyon. We continue to trek with thrilling experience of crossing a wooden bridge before making a final climb to arrive at the stone huts of Singenge.

During our trek, we will get stunning views of Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal. From here we will traverse around the hillside to a board clearing of Junam Goth. Our trail from here climbs a little before dropping down to cross Mruju Khola which is the outflow of Lyapche Glacier. From there we will climb steeply and cross an eroded section of moraine to reach our campsite at Kyang.

After breakfast, we leave Kyang and follow the trail that enters a narrow gorge before descending down to the river. Once at the river bed – we will see a wooden bridge over the river. Instead of crossing the wooden bridge, we will trek along the trail that heads north. Our trail climbs steeply for some time before descending gently towards a series of deserted buildings and large chortens. From there, our trek heads for the crossing of a suspension bridge to arrive at the village of Phu.

Today we will spend our day exploring around the village of Phu. The stone village of Phu is believed to be as old as 800 years. We spend our day visiting Samdu Monastery and Choling Monastery. Walking around the small streets will give us the feeling of stepping back in time. Also, climbing up to Tashi Monastery is considered best from acclimatization point of view.

Today is a rather short day of trekking. After breakfast, we leave Phu and follow the slightly rising trail that heads all the way to a good campsite at 4842 meters. Once we reach our campsite, our climbing Sherpa crew will set up the base camp and start making preparations for setting up additional camps at higher altitudes above the base camp.

We will spend several days doing climbing training practices and take adequate days for proper acclimatization. Our Sherpa crew in the meantime will do all the hard works of setting up additional camps above the base camp, provide healthy and hygienic meals and finding routes to reach the summit of Himlung Himal. Fully equipped with all the climbing gears and taking weather conditions into consideration we follow in the footsteps of experienced climbing Sherpa guides and tackle several technical climbing sections to reach the summit. Once at the summit we are rewarded with stunning views of Manaslu & Annapurna Himalayan Ranges. We will spend short quality time at the summit and descend following the same route back to base camp.

Having achieved our target – the summit of Himlung Himal, we make a relaxed start and clean up around the base camp. After breakfast, we leave base camp and start retracing our steps on the same trail that descends down to Phu village. We will stop at Phu for our overnight stay. Enjoy the rest of the evening exploring around the small streets of Phu. The environment around here is truly magical.

After breakfast, we leave Phu village and follow the same trail that crosses a suspension bridge and goes along a series of deserted buildings and chorten. We continue to follow the trail that descends towards Kyang. From there, our trail descends and crosses an eroded section of moraine before crossing the Mruju Khola. Our trek continues with breathtaking views of Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal we will arrive at the seasonal settlement of Meta.

Our trek continues on the same trail that descends rather steeply to reach the bottom of the valley. Our trail passes through the stone huts of Singenge before descending down through densely forested section. After some time of downhill trekking, we will approach a suspension bridge over Seti Khola tributary. We will cross the bridge and then climb fo Then we cross a suspension bridge over Seti Khola tributary before climbing a short ascend to reach Koto village.