The 10 sections
The Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal has been split into 10 sections to reflect the diversity of landscapes and cultures as you move from East to West through Nepal. It also offers a manageable way to approach walking the Great Himalaya Trail as individual treks.
The Far West
The Far West is one of the least explored areas of Nepal. Its area is bounded to the east by mighty, turquoise Karnali river which flows from Tibet’s sacred Mount Kailash.
Myth and superstition remain part of the fabric of life here. Though the Nepali language originated here, it seems a distant world from ‘modern’ Nepal.One Nepali Visitor described his visit as “fascinating, like travelling back to the 18th century.”
Along the trails you may meet a turbaned Dhami, a shaman, with silver-bangled limbs and gold-ringed ears, who are still depended on for treating sickness.
Organised tourism has so far been limited to Khaptad National Park, the only national park in the mid-hills of Nepal and held dearly by conservationists. Gentle hills, pristine forests and abundant wildlife with a snow-covered backdrop of the Nampa, Api and Saipal peaks make for beautiful trekking.
It’s also a holy place associated with Khaptad Swami, a great ascetic who was renowned for his wisdom. He lived to be 110 and people travelled from far to receive blessings from him in his cave dwelling.
The Jestha Purnima (June full-moon) festival attracts thousands to Tribeni, at the confluence of three rivers, to worship at Shiva’s shrine.
The lower route of the GHT passes just to the north here and it will one day connect Rara with the trail in India. Trekking here is less easy than elsewhere – porters are difficult to find and current maps lack detail. With patience however, and a sense of adventure, you’ll find your journey into this forgotten world to be an experience you’ll never forget.
The Chamar’s Dashain
During the Dashain festival, bull fighting, sadey judhai, takes place with the animals fuelled with rice-wine and cannabis sativa. The loser becomes dinner and the winner enjoys a year with the cows. You’ll see only the Chamar people celebrate Dashain in this way close to the border with Humla.
Ramaroshan
Lord Krishna once grazed his cows in nearby Ramaroshan, an area of lakes and lush green pastures, known as Patans. His cows were provided with very comfortable shelters. People who later came to live here and moved the cows out and lived in their shelters. The cows became wild, stopped giving milk and the people were cursed. To this day, some cow shelters are grander than people’s houses.
Humla section of the Great Himalaya Trail
This is the wild, wild west. This is about as far as you can get from the ‘madding crowd’ of Kathmandu and still be in Nepal. This region is remote and few foreigners other than development workers visit, so outside the small hill station capital of Simikot it has next to no tourism infrastructure and you will need to be self reliant while travelling in this incredible western land.
The west of Humla, the gateway to Mount Kailash, is currently the best finishing post to the Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal. One day, after a great deal more adventurous route finding, the trail will continue slightly south and west into India. At the current time however, this is not really feasible.
The area is generally accessed by flying into Simikot, or flying to Jumla (or Gamgadi) and walking in. Few westerners have walked in from equally remote Mugu in the eastern side but this trekking region, while calling for excellent organisation because of the remoteness and chronic food shortages, is immensely rewarding for the unique cultures you encounter and the frontier feeling of the immense western landscape. You are truly aware of how this wild region connects via ancient trade routes and cultural linkages to the Kailash/ Manasarovar area of Tibet, Uttar Pradesh of India and the vast, fertile plains of the south.
The Humla landscape is defined by the magnificent Karnali River gorge, the vast, high plateaus and the fascinating medieval villages where hardy mountain families survive (and some certainly prosper) on trade and what they can manage to grow in this harsh climate. Karnali means ‘pulse of the earth’ and trekking alongside this magnificent river, with its stunning turquoise water highlighted by the white froth of the rapids and busy carving its way for centuries through the deep Karnali Gorge on its way to the plains, brings you deep appreciation of how this powerful river gives life and connects people.
The river valleys have for centuries provided the easiest access for trade routes and you will also follow these ancient paths on your way to the far western end of the Great Himalayan Trail. Your trail ranges from the deep gorge of the Karnali, resounding with the sound of the pulse of the earth, to high and wide open river valleys such as the Limi Valley with its fascinating culture and trade history, to the high and desolate but incredibly beautiful plateaus and passes where you can peer into Tibet to Mt Kailash and Lake Manasarovar.
The highest mountains of the region are Mt Api (7132m) and Mount Saipal (7031m) which lie on the southern side of the main Humla region. In the north you travel through part of a sacred Buddhist mandala, which has its centre at Mt Kailash and points in the surrounding landscape, stretching for hundreds of kilometres, corresponding to spiritual concepts. One of these points is Mt Shelmogang, or Mt Crystal Peak and the Raling Gompa located near this mountain is the site of religious festivals, truly unique to this area and attended by Buddhists, Hindus and Shamans alike.
Rara, Mugu & Jumla section of the Great Himalaya Trail
Mugu is the most remote and least visited of the regions on the Great Himalayan Trail. Nepal’s largest lake, Rara Lake and the Rara National Park are located in the southern section of the region and this area is reasonably well known to trekkers, however the higher reaches of the north are visited by very few travellers and remains little known to most foreigners in Nepal and even to many Nepali people. This area is the last developed in Nepal, with roads only accessed by three days walk (at the locals’ pace!) from the District Headquarters at Gamghadi.
Mugu was once part of the Malla Kingdom of the Karnali River basin which reigned in the 12th to 14th centuries. The region is literally scattered with artefacts of this kingdom, particularly along the old ‘royal highway’ from the Inner Terai, through Jumla and up into Tibet. You may see ancient shrines to the local deity ‘Masta’ as well as carved wooden effigies of spirits festooned with bells, flowers and cloth. At Rara Lake you can find ‘Malla stones’ which are pillars of rock with Devanagari inscriptions and figures of sun and moon.
As with the Dolpo region to the east and the Humla region to the west, northern Mugu lies in the vast rain shadow behind the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna Himal (ranges) and is arid, less intensively farmed and sparsely populated with people of Tibetan origin. The southern section has rugged ranges forested with ancient blue pine, spruce and cedar and villages of Chhetri, Brahmin and Thakuris, the high caste Hindus interspersed with Bhotias. A fascinating aspect of travel in this region is the ‘blurring’ between Hindu, Buddhist and ancient shamanic practices, styles of living as seen in dress, house styles and cultural practices.
The Mugu region is, like other regions in the rain shadow areas, a food deficit area. You must be highly self sufficient to travel in this region and food is often unavailable at any price so you must bring everything you need with you. Porters are also hard to find at the lower regions as the high caste Hindus are not particularly interested in working as porters, just as they are not keen on having casteless foreigners stay in their houses, although you may be able to sleep on the flat roof of their Tibetan style houses.
Dolpa section of the Great Himalaya Trail
Legend says Dolpa is a Beyul, one of the “hidden valleys” created by Guru Rinpoche as a refuge for devout Buddhists and those of exceptionally pure mind. It is said that the hidden land of Dolpa, was first settled by Rokpa farmers and Drokpa nomads from Tibet and it is now one of the highest inhabited places on earth, with scattered fortress-like villages and monasteries nestling amongst mountains of stark, ascetic beauty.
Though part of Nepal today, Dolpa remains culturally and economically tied to Tibet, as the people of this desolate area are cut of from their southern neighbours by snow-covered passes for much of the year. Their world is bounded in the east and south by Dhaulagiri and Churen Himal ranges and in the west by the Mugu district. Dolpa has been bypassed by development and was only opened to foreigners in 1989, when southern parts of Dolpa were opened to organised trekking groups.
Peter Matthiessen’s The snow Leopard and David Snellgrove’s Himalayan Pilgrimage have contributed to the mystique and attraction of Dolpa, along with the stunning French/Nepali film Himalaya/Caravan directed by Eric Valli.
Visiting this area is your chance to see the truly spectacular beauty of Phoksumdo Lake. There is no aquatic life in the lake, which helps to make the waters a brilliantly clear turquoise and at 4.8km long, 1.8km wide and said to be 650m deep, this is a truly magnificent spectacle in such an arid landscape. According to legend, Phoksumdo Lake was formed by a spiteful female demon who flooded a village after they revealed her whereabouts to the saint Padmasambhava. It is said you can see the remains of a village below the lake’s surface.
Dolpa is Bon-po country, where people practice a shamanistic religion predating Tibetan Buddhism. You will find that much of Bon-po symbolism is the opposite of Buddhist practice. You should walk to the right of ancient mud chortens (ie keeping them on your left), which are inscribed with swastikas with their arms pointing in the opposite direction to the Buddhist’s. While Buddhists chant “om mani padme hum”, the Bon-pos chant ‘om ma tri mu ye sa le du”, which in Tibetan means “in clarity unite’.
You can trek here in the monsoon, when many areas of Nepal are not so suited for trekking. While people do not usually think of trekking in Nepal in the monsoon months, this arid landscape is not affected, being in the rain-shadow of the main Himalayan Range! After November it is very cold and can be risky as the passes are covered by snow. This area is arid, high altitude desert and you need to be extremely self reliant to trek in this harsh landscape where food shortages are common. The lower trekking areas however are much more hospitable and food and accomodation are available.
The Annapurna region is one of Nepal’s best known regions and visitor numbers here are second only to Everest. After the long stretch from the tea houses of the Everest region, this is where you again get to enjoy the delights of beds and showers along with apple pie and other bakery products and quite a lot of foreign company.
The Annapurna Himal is named after the Hindu Goddess of Grain and Abundance. The Annapurna range dominates central Nepal, with Annapurna 1 being the highest at 8091m, followed by Annapurna 2 at 7973m, Annapurna 3 at 7555 and Annapurna South at 7219m. Other high peaks in the area include Tilicho Peak at 7134m and the simply stunning, sacred Machapuchhare (Fishtail Mountain) at 6993m. To the south lie the lush valleys around Pokhara in one of Nepal’s highest rainfall areas and to the north is the high altitude desert and highly erodible ‘badlands’ of Mustang, part of the Tibetan Plateau. To the east is the Marshyangdi River and to the west lies the world’s deepest gorge, carved out by the wild waters of the Kali Gandaki River.
The Annapurna region is rich in cultural heritage and so is a great place to experience Nepal’s incredible cultural diversity. You will encounter Gurung culture in the lowlands, Thakali culture around Jomsom, Manangi culture in the east and Loba and Tibetan culture in the arid north.
This area has been enormously popular with trekkers over the years and while there are now roads along much of the previously ‘must do’ Annapurna Circuit trail this also opens up new levels of accessibility to the more remote parts.
Ganesh Himal is named after the elephant-headed Hindu God of Good Fortune, also worshipped as the ‘Remover of Barriers’. The peaks of the Ganesh Range (Yangra/Ganesh I, Ganesh Northwest/Ganesh II, Salasungo/Ganesh III and Pabil/Ganesh IV) form a stunning subsection of the Great Himalayan Trail and the name comes from a ridge on the south face of Ganesh IV tmagarhat is reminiscent of an elephant’s trunk. Although it has no peaks over 7,500m, the Ganesh Himal towers above the surrounding valleys of the Buri Gandaki in the west and Bhote Koshi in the east.
Lying across the Buri Gandaki valley, just to the west of the Ganesh Himal section is Mansiri Himal, home to one of the most beautiful peaks in the whole Himalayan Range. At 8163m, stunning Manaslu is the 8th highest peak in the world and you really feel this immensity when you trek here and see it towering over the surrounding peaks, including Himal Chuli at 7893m.
This whole area is little touched by the modern world, little visited by foreign trekkers and offers scenery as diverse as the ethnic groups you will meet along the way. When trekking in this region you will generally begin in the lush, low elevation valleys growing rice and bananas, inhabited predominantly by Hindu ethnic groups of Indo-Aryan origin. From water buffaloes and lush fields along the rivers, you ascend in elevation to the middle hills where you begin to encounter communities of Tibeto-Burmese origin who practise Hinduism, Buddhism or a mixture of both with ancient Shaman practises still remaining. The fascinating Gurung, Magar and Tamang cultures give way eventually to the Buddhist Tibetan cultures in the moon-like landscape of the north near the border with Tibet. This section of the region is actually behind the main Great Himalayan Range and part of the Tibetan Plateau.
Trekking in this region can be accessed from the high trail from the east or west; through Gorka (stopping to visit the famous Gorka Palace, ancestral home of the Kings of Nepal); or through Arughat. There are some basic tea houses on the Manaslu part of the region but not sufficient to make the region a tea house trek, you need to have good camping gear and provisions to be able to cross some high passes.
Langtang & Helambu section of Great Himalaya Trail
The Langtang region, with the stunning Helambu, Panch Pokhari and Bhairav Kund trekking areas is perhaps the most accessible trekking region in Nepal, lying just north of Kathmandu. You can walk straight from Kathmandu into this region, yet here you can still experience intact and unique cultures living in some of the most beautiful scenery in Nepal.
The area is dominated by Langtang Lirung (7246m), the highest peak in the area and is home to unique cultures and holy lakes which are the sacred pilgrimage sites of Hindus, Buddhist and Shamans. If you come from Kathmandu via Helambu you can stay with Helambu Sherpa families, of the same origin as the famous Sherpas of the Everest Region, but separated for so long that they no longer speak the same dialect. Higher up, at Panch Pokhari (Five Lakes), Bhairav Kund (Lake of Lord Bhairav) and Gosainkund you can experience ancient festivals at times of the full moon, practised by Hindus, but also sacred to Buddhists and Tamang Shamans.
The Langtang National Park is one of Nepal’s largest covering 1710 square kilometres. It is home to the Red Panda, Wild boar, Himalayan black bear, Ghoral, Grey langur monkey and Leopard. The park is also the home for Impeyan, Tragopan and kalij pheasants among others. Larch, a rare deciduous conifer, is also found in the forest of lower Langtang Valley. Further up, beyond Langshish Kharka, Himalayan thar, Musk deer and Snow leopard can be found.
If you come up to the Region from Kathmandu, then trekking here is your chance to connect with local Tamang, and Helambu Sherpa culture in Homestays and basic tea houses in the lower sections, where you get local food and great hospitality! Higher up you will be camping in stunning scenery and need to be prepared from the high passes of this section. The landscape ranges from magnificent Rhododendron forests, to alpine meadows and yak pastures, to wild rivers and throughout you have spectacular views of mountains in Tibet and the Jugal Himal section of the Himalayan Range, which includes the peaks of Dorje Lakpa (6966), Madiya (6257M) and Phurbi Ghhyachu (6637m).
Rolwaling & Mt.Everest section of the Great Himalaya Trail
This region needs very little introduction, being the most visited trekking region in Nepal. It is of course home to not only the highest peak in the world, Everest 8848m, but also to the 4th highest Lhotse, 8516m and to the 6th highest, Cho Oyu, 8201m.
The Everest region, or the Khumbu as it is locally called, is so well known and visited that it has excellent trekking infrastructure such as lodges where you can even get rooms with attached bathrooms, menus of bewildering variety and lots of company from other trekkers. By comparison, fewer people venture west of the main trails into Rolwaling Himal, so the experience to the immediate west is far more rugged although there are now some tea houses and organised camp sites along the way.
The Everest region is accessible over the high passes from the east or, as it is more generally accessed, from the south by flying or walking in to Lukla. If accessing the area from the eastern side, you must be prepared for the high passes coming out of Makalu region and if you intend to trek west into Rolwaling Himal you must be prepared for serious mountaineering in the infamous Trashi Labsta (5760m). The Rolwaling Himal section of the Great Himalayan Trail is also easily accessible by roads heading north from Kathmandu to Bharabhise, Charikot, or Jiri.
While Everest is renowned for hospitable Sherpa culture, fewer people experience the cultural diversity of the Rowlaling section with the opportunity to meet and learn about Sherpa people outside of Everest, as well as Tamang, eastern Gurung, and the fascinating indigenous Thami culture. Rolwaling, like the other lesser visited areas of Nepal is a brilliant area to see wildlife, including red panda, leopard cat, Himalayan black bear and a multitude of bird species.
Makalu-Barun section of the Great Himalaya Trail
Located between its famous neighbours the Kanchenjunga and Mt.Everest regions, Makalu is a rarely visited gem just waiting to be explored by the intrepid trekker. While there is an established trail to the Makalu Base Camp from the south, it is considered to be one of the tougher trekking routes in Nepal although it offers stunning scenery and is certainly not overrun with other trekkers. If you intend to trek from Kanchenjunga and over to Everest you should be prepared for the extremely wild trail in from Kanchenjunga to the upper Barun Valley and then for some serious mountaineering to get over the Sherpani Col, the West Col and the Amphu Labtsa passes. With the Makalu Barun National Park and Makalu Conservation Area together covering 3160 sq km, this region has Nepal’s largest protected area. Hence, it has very special wilderness values with over 3000 species of flowering plants, including Orchids and a Whopping 25 species of Rhododendrons! In the higher areas you will trek in incredible mountain scenery with such stunning, immense glaciers and peaks that you will wonder why so few people venture in here. A visit to Makalu is also a great opportunity to meet and learn about the ethnic groups living here, including Rai, Limbu, Sherpa and Lhomi peoples, as their villages and way of life has been relatively undisturbed by outside influences.
The Makalu region is renowned for getting lots of rain and snow, so trekking here is best done in mid October and November, as monsoon is extremely wet and the high passes are closed from December through to about March.
Kanchenjunga section of the Great Himalaya Trail
Kanchenjunga (8586m), the world’s third highest mountain, lies on Nepal’s eastern border with Sikkim. It is a beautiful, unspoilt wilderness area which boasts some of the most impressive mountain scenery on Earth. The name Kanchenjunga means ‘five great treasure houses of snow’ in Tibetan which indicates the visual riches of this area.
In this region you will walk trails used only by the local people as very few trekkers take up the challenge to venture into this unspoiled wilderness area, making it an unforgettable journey into some of the most stunning landscapes on the planet. The magnificent mountain views of Kanchenjunga and surrounding mountains, traditional villages, pristine forests, cascading mountain rivers and scarcity of other trekkers combine to make trekking here a glorious and unforgettable experience.
This eastern region of the Great Himalayan Trail is a fascinating introduction to the cultural diversity of Nepal. The indigenous Rai and Limbu communities are the most populous groups in the hills of this region, with Magar in smaller numbers. In the lower valleys you find communities of Chhetri people along with a small number of Newars and in the higher reaches you meet the Buddhist communities of Sherpas, Tamang and Bhotias.
Being less travelled by foreigners, the far east of Nepal is wild and exhilarating to travel in. In the lower reaches the trails seem to disappear in the lush forest and the high rainfall of this area ensuring that the trails remain pretty rough. As you go higher the landscape opens up into immense mountains and stunning views of Kanchenjunga and the surrounding peaks, many over 7000m. While there are some very basic tea houses in the lower altitudes you need to self sufficient to trek in this area and be prepared for the high passes to proceed west to the Makalu region and onwards along this epic trail.
