Wilderness Prime

Planning the GHT?

dave — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Resources for people planning the Great Himalaya Trail.

The Great Himalaya Trail is the combination of several trail networks stretching the length of the Himalaya range, with sections in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. From April to September 2019 Mathi and I hiked the Nepal section from Kanchenjunga (on the Indian border in the East) to Hilsa (on the Chinese border in the West).

The concept of the high route is that it follows the highest feasible continuous route across the country, averaging 3,750m (12,000ft) of elevation, with passes reaching 6,200m (20,300ft). In total 1,400km (870 miles) over 115 days of hiking, with 120,000m (400,000ft) of elevation gain - that's an average climb of 1,000m (3,300ft) per day. Including rest days, we completed the trek in 154 days.

Although the route passes through the more popular trekking areas of Everest and Annapurna, many sections visit some of the most remote corners of Nepal. We completed trek with the minimum of support, so no guides or porters us unless absolutely necessary for safety or mandated by local law.

Latest info

After finishing the GHT, I made comprehensive trail notes and a FAQ for people planning the trail:

Frequently Asked Questions
GPS routes
Trail notes (also available without maps)
Trail notes data (spreadsheet)

Questions?

A great place to ask questions is my GHT WhatsApp group. In the group are several people who have completed the trek, and several who are planning it.

Vlog

I filmed a short vlog style video every day of the trek. You can find weekly summaries here:

Week 1: Kanchenjunga - I'm hiking up the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trail towards the far north east corner of Nepal.
Week 2: Kanchenjunga - I reached the amazing Kanchenjunga Base Camp, and started the first really remote section.
Week 3: Makalu - The trail is getting really tough as I cross the first high pass.
Week 4: Makalu - I get a helicopter rescue and finally meet my hiking buddy Mathilde.
Week 5: Everest - We cross the highest, most technical and most dangerous passes of the whole trek.
Week 6: Everest - We hike through the most spectacular scenery as we take a detour to Cho Oyu Base Camp.
Week 7: Rolwaling - More amazing scenery as we tackle yet another major pass.
Week 8: Rolwaling - We leave the high mountains and get our first taste of how hot and humid Nepal can be at the lower elevations.
Week 9: Helambu - A week of slogging through heat, humidity and leeches into the high mountains again.
Week 10: Langtang - Another huge pass with full mountaineering gear, and we take a very refreshing swim on the way down.
Week 11: Ganesh Himal - Finally monsoon hits, we both get sick and make some huge navigational blunders. A hard week!
Week 12: Manaslu - Some more pleasant trekking and spectacular views as we join the Manaslu Circuit trail.
Week 13: Annapurna - Into the Annapurna region now, so easy hiking through beautiful scenery, but a big change of plans at the end.
Week 14: Mustang - We take an unconventional exit from Annapurna, and enter the utterly spectacular Dolpa region.
Week 15: Dolpa - The scenery gets better and better as we trek through Dolpa, but will we make it out of the mountains in one piece? Major navigation and tent disasters this week.
Week 16: Dolpa - Long, hot, exhausting days across rugged terrain as we continue through Dolpa… and we're lucky to be alive after some terrible decisions.
Week 17: Rara - Baking in the sun, sinking in the mud, and we cross the final 5,000m pass of the trek.
Week 18: Humla - An emotional end to the trek as we arrive at the Chinese border.

Older info

Here's some blog posts I wrote during my preparation for the GHT. Some have post-trail updates:

Itinerary: Summary, Resupply
Navigation: Sources, Methods, GPS routes, Flashcards, Emergencies, Apps
Gear: Pack, Camping, Sleeping, Cooking, Mountaineering, Miscellaneous, Clothes
Communication
Food
Temperatures
Trash

Great Himalaya Trail - Frequently Asked Questions

dave — Sun, 08 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Questions I've been asked many times by people preparing for the trek.

Safety

First a quick note about safety. The Great Himalaya Trail is a dangerous undertaking, with sections where one trip or wrong footstep can be fatal. Towards the end of our thru-hike we got in touch with a girl named Milena Piasecka from Poland. We gave her advice on various subjects as she planned here GHT, and she started just as we were finishing. A couple of months later, in the Everest region, she was tragically killed in a fall. There were sections where this could have happened virtually every day. All it takes is a loss of concentration or a wrong turn. Be very aware of this when contemplating the Great Himalaya Trail.

What's the recommended itinerary?

Check out my trail notes. You can also get this data in spreadsheet form.

What are the most difficult / technical parts?

There's five “technical” mountaineering passes, where you will need mountaineering gear and experience: Sherpani Col (leg 28), West Col (leg 29), Amphu Labsta (leg 31), Tashi Labsta (leg 43) and Tilman's Pass (leg 61). See the descriptions in my trail notes for more details. Unless you have an experienced mountaineer in your group, you'll need to take a guide for these sections. We tried to minimize the amount of time we were with the guide, so we only trekked with him the minimum to conveniently cross the five passes:

Legs 25-31 (Makalu Base Camp to Chhukung) Sherpani Col, West Col and Amphu Labsta
Legs 40-44 (Thame to Na) Tashi Labsta
Legs 54-62 (Last Resort to Kyangjin Gompa) Tilman's Pass

Finding a guide that will take you over Tilman's Pass is rather more difficult than the other passes. The guide we took for the first four passes didn't want to take us over Tilman's Pass, and the guide we eventually found had never done it before and afterwards he said he would never do it again.

Do you need mountaineering gear for the other parts?

I started in the east in mid-April, and hugely regret not taking my crampons and ice axe. The first few high sections (Nango La, Lumbha Sumbha, Molun Pokhari) were all extremely dangerous without crampons. I would probably recommend always having crampons at the ready, but we sent ours home at the Syabru Besi resupply point (mid-July) and didn't need them for the rest of the trek.

How did you organise resupply / guides / logistics / permits

We used a trekking company called Mactrek who specialise in this sort of logistical assistance. Our point of contact, Narayan, totally understood that we wanted to use the minimum amount of on-trail assistance, and helped us with:

Advice for the pre-trek planning.
A porter for the resupply points.
The mountaineering guide for the technical passes.
All the permits.
Advice and emergency assistance (e.g. booking my helicopter rescue).

What about permits?

Depending on your exact route you'll need a bunch of permits. Some of these can only be arranged in Kathmandu and have specific dates, so these had to be arranged while we were on the trek and delivered by the resupply porter. Narayan at Mactrek will be able to take a look at your itinerary and let you know which permits are required.

Do we really need the $500 USD Upper Dolpa permit?

If you follow my itinerary, you do. I would highly recommend it too, because that had some of the most spectacular scenery of the entire trek. We were never actually stopped at any checkpoints when leaving Kagbeni (I think we just got lucky), but I would always recommend having the correct permits.

Some of the sections a guide is mandatory?

Yes, this is true. We tried to hike the entire route without a guide. This caused problems only in Manaslu where we were stopped for 24 hours and they insisted we take a local guide for three days. If you prefer not to hike with a guide, my recommendation is just to go for it. Any checkpoint that will stop you for not having a guide is highly likely to be able to arrange a local guide to take you. If you're stopped, just make it clear that you're not going to turn around, and you'll stay there until they arrange a local guide. Make sure you have flexibility in your budget to pay for the guide if this happens!

What are the best resupply points?

We used eight resupply points: Ghunsa, Makalu Base Camp, Thame, Last Resort, Syabru Besi, Muktinath, Ringmo and Gamgadhi. In hindsight we could have probably reduced this by relying more on resupplying with food along the route.

When can you resupply with camping food along the route?

The only food we found for sale along the trek that could be prepared with a backpacking stove were instant noodles. The most common brand is WaiWai (pronounced “why-why”). These can be either eaten dry or rehydrated with hot water. They are available throughout the trek anywhere you find a shop, and most of the guesthouses will sell them. However many of the small remote villages don't have shops or guesthouses. As a rule of thumb, most of the days on the trail notes where guesthouse accommodation is available should be able to also sell you instant noodles. If only homestay accommodation is available, it's less likely. Prices range from 30 rupees ($0.25 USD) in places with good road links to as much as 200 rupees ($1.70 USD) in the Everest region. Remember these are only 300 calories per pack so you'll need ~10 packs per day if you're eating nothing else.

What's the temperature like?

I made a rough estimate of the overnight temperature of each leg, by taking the average climatic temperature in Kathmandu for that month and applying the adiabatic lapse rate (e.g. 10C colder per 1000m) for the elevation of that leg. This worked reasonably well. I never actually saw my thermometer drop below -10C but it's likely it was colder in the middle of the night at high elevation camp sites. You can find the estimates on the Temperatures page, or in the “Overnight temperatures” and “Daytime temperatures” tabs of my planning sheet. Although it shows the minimum temperature dropping to -30C, that's the campsite between Sherpani Col and West Col at 6000m, which most people will skip. Obviously these are very rough estimates, and the actual temperature will depend on the local weather.

When is it best to start?

We started in mid April. This means we have to trek through monsoon. This isn't ideal, but the alternative is to start in the autumn and trek through winter. Trekking through winter has a couple of issues. The locals that live in the small villages in the high mountains usually all disappear to the lower regions during winter, so it's not uncommon to find villages that are completely deserted. Additionally the high passes are often snowbound with avalanche danger in the winter. Although trekking through monsoon sounds bad, we only get really wet every day for about a week. I'd highly recommend a good umbrella, because your gore-tex layers won't work - at the lower elevations it's so hot and humid, that within 10 minutes of hiking in waterproofs you'll be completely drenched with sweat. We bought umbrellas in a shop on the trek and they worked wonderfully to keep us dry. As soon as there was enough wind to make the umbrellas useless then it was usually the right conditions to put waterproofs on again.

I would recommend using several essential navigation sources:

Trail notes
My trail notes can be printed with or without the summary maps. I'd recommend printing them without maps, because the maps included with the trail notes aren't great. Printing them without maps and double sided will run to 43 pages.

My GPS routes
After the trek I updated and improved my GPX route files, and I would recommend using the latest version as your primary navigation route. You can download the GPX files on the GPS routes page.

Maps.me and Gaia GPS apps
See the GPS routes page for more information about my navigation app recommendations.

Paper maps
Robin Boustead created the definitive set of ten maps for the GHT and they are still very useful today. They are available as paper or high-res digital files at Robin's shop. Note that the digital files aren't geo-coded so can't be imported into mapping apps - this is a real shame because they are excellent. Also note that the paper maps ship from Nepal, and can take several weeks to arrive. We had the paper maps for each section brought with our resupply packages, since carrying 10 printed maps for the entire trek would be rather heavy.

Communications

A Garmin InReach satellite communicator device is absolutely essential. This works with the Iridium satellite network, so works anywhere in the world without needing mobile coverage. It has three essential functions:

Allows you to send and receive short text messages.
Tracks your location on a map, so your logistical helpers can keep track of you and alert the emergency services if you disappear.
An SOS button that alerts the emergency services if you get in trouble.

I use the InReach Mini which I would highly recommend. It's the smallest and lightest of the InReach devices - it does exactly what I need and nothing more.

Power

If you're relying on your phone for navigating and your InReach for emergency communications, you better be 100% sure you're not going to run out of power. Plenty of the villages you'll pass have no power, so there are stretches of many days where you will have to be energy independent. We had big problems with solar panels being too small, malfunctioning, cables breaking etc. If I was to do this trek again, I would make sure I had a foldable 28W solar panel (Anker, BigBlue etc) for each member of the group, and a 15 or 20,000 mAh power bank each. Definitely don't rely on having a single solar panel or power bank. This is not an area I would skimp on weight again. Our power needs were keeping two iPhones and one InReach Mini charged, so a group with additional gear might need more power.

How do you get back to Kathmandu from Hilsa

When we arrived (September 2019) there was a regular helicopter service ferrying locals between Simikot and Hilsa for the regular Mount Kailash pilgrimage. I've been told this doesn't run all the time though. We got lucky and there were two spaces available on the last helicopter of the day, and negotiated a price of about $100 per person. The alternative is a jeep / lorry that will take you most of the way back to Simikot, but the road was incomplete, so the jeep would have dropped us at Kermi. Kermi to Simikot is about a 6 hour hike, so realistically would have taken two days to get back.

What about mobile coverage?

Most of the trail has no mobile coverage at all, but for the places that do, I would highly recommend getting both Nepal Telecom (aka NTC or Namaste) and NCell sim cards. Nepal Telecom has coverage in many more places, but it's almost always very slow. NCell has spotty coverage but usually much faster.

How much did everything cost?

This is a very approximate cost, for two people in USD:


Logistics	$3,000	Resupply packages brought from Kathmandu to 8 points along the trail
Mountaineering guide	$2,000	To assist us over the five technical passes
Permits	$1,600	Including $500 per person for a week in the Upper Dolpa region
Food	$2,000	Backpacking food brought with us from the UK
Spending money	$6,000	To cover guest houses and food along the trek
Helicopter rescue	$3,500	Oops

We definitely could have saved money by:

Reducing the number of resupply packages (although the porter was only charging $20/day, some of the resupply packages required a 14 day round trip from and back to Kathmandu, so ended up being very expensive.
Bringing less backpacking food (we brought food for about 60 nights camping, but only camped for about 30 nights).
Not having a helicopter rescue (duh).
Budgeting more on food / accommodation during the trek.

We used a Hyperlight Mountain Gear Ultamid 4, which is a four season DCF (Dyneema Composite Fabric) pyramid tent that you erect with a single central pole (we used two hiking poles joined together with special rubber clips). Apart from a problem with the zip, it performed really well. The tent is just a pyramid of material with no inner, so we also used the full-size inner tent insert which gives you bug net and a waterproof bathtub floor. The only real downside was the space needed to set up. However, once it's set up, it's a palace for two people inside. One thing to remember is that in 80% of the campsites you won't be able to get pegs in the ground. Attaching a longer piece of cord to all the pegging points is essential, so you can wrap it around rocks. I recommend at least one meter of extra cord wherever you have a pegging point. I used this.

What about travel insurance?

The travel insurance business is highly regional, so I can only speak for companies that cover UK residents. I searched for days for a policy that would cover mountaineering above 6000m, and the only one that I found was from the BMC (their “alpine and ski” cover level). Not cheap, but nothing we did on the trek was excluded by their policy wording or small print. If I remember correctly, the only other option was Dogtag but they were even more expensive.

GPS routes

dave — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Links to my GPS routes for the Great Himalaya Trail.

GPS routes for the entire route are available here:

GPX ROUTES (recommended for most apps)

I would recommend using the GPX file above if you can, but some apps need KML format:

KML (if gpx files don't work)
KML (for the maps.me app - route descriptions aren't visible in maps.me, so I've included a waypoint with the description at the start of each leg)

The routes and waypoints in the GPS files have the text from my trail notes embedded in them, which is useful for quick reference.

I'd recommend using both the maps.me and Gaia GPS apps:

Maps.me

This doesn't have detailed topo maps but for 90% of the route it's all you need. Import my special KML file to get the route and waypoints. The offline maps are very quick to download, and you can download all the maps for the whole of Nepal.

Gaia GPS

For the 10% of the route where maps.me isn't useful, you'll need a topographic map. I would highly recommend Gaia GPS… I didn't actually discover Gaia until after our trek finished, but it is far easier to use than the alternatives. Import my standard GPX file to get the route and waypoints. There's two sets of offline maps I'd recommend:

Gaia Topo offline maps is essential, and very quick to download for the entire route. Choose the highest zoom level in the download page.
World Imagery offline satellite images. If you have time and space on your phone, I would highly recommend downloading satellite images for the entire route. I only downloaded these for about a quarter of the route, and it was very helpful when recently built roads were missing from the topo maps. It will take many hours to download the images for the entire route because each leg will have to be downloaded separately because of Gaia's limit on the number of tiles per download, but I'd highly recommend investing the time.

Great Himalaya Trail - Trail notes

dave — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Comprehensive trail notes for the Great Himalaya Trail.

This is version 11 of the trail notes. GPS routes for these trail notes are available here.

There are versions of this page with maps or with no maps, and you can find the data used to generate this page as a Google sheet.

Trail notes

Leg 1: Taplejung to Phurumbu

Easy hike along a dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 1)

L001 Phurumbu (1,680 m / 5,500 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Phurumbu.

Ratings (leg 1)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 1)


Length	9.0 km	5.6 miles
Climb / descent	310 / 990 m	1,020 / 3,240 ft

Elevation (leg 1)

Map (leg 1)

Leg 2: Phurumbu to Chiruwa

Easy hike along a dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 2)

L002 Chirwa (1,230 m / 4,030 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Chirwa.

Ratings (leg 2)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 2)


Length	17.2 km	10.7 miles
Climb / descent	1,310 / 1,750 m	4,290 / 5,740 ft

Elevation (leg 2)

Map (leg 2)

Leg 3: Chiruwa to Sukethum

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 3)

L003 Sukethum (1,570 m / 5,160 ft): Stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Sukethum.

Ratings (leg 3)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 3)


Length	10.5 km	6.5 miles
Climb / descent	990 / 640 m	3,250 / 2,110 ft

Elevation (leg 3)

Map (leg 3)

Leg 4: Sukethum to Amjilosa

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 4)

L004 Amjilosa (2,410 m / 7,890 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Amjilosa.

Ratings (leg 4)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 4)


Length	8.1 km	5.0 miles
Climb / descent	1,230 / 460 m	4,050 / 1,520 ft

Elevation (leg 4)

Map (leg 4)

Leg 5: Amjilosa to Gyabla

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 5)

L005 Gyabla (2,710 m / 8,890 ft): Stayed overnight in an excellent guesthouse in Gyabla.

Ratings (leg 5)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 5)


Length	7.5 km	4.7 miles
Climb / descent	1,040 / 790 m	3,410 / 2,590 ft

Elevation (leg 5)

Map (leg 5)

Leg 6: Gyabla to Ghunsa

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 6)

L006 Phale (3,250 m / 10,600 ft): The small village of Phale would make a great option for lunch or a homestay. I heard great things about the food.

L006 Ghunsa (3,420 m / 11,200 ft): Stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Ghunsa, which is a large village with several guesthouses and a small shop.

Ratings (leg 6)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 6)


Length	10.5 km	6.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,120 / 410 m	3,680 / 1,360 ft

Elevation (leg 6)

Map (leg 6)

Leg 7: Ghunsa to Khangpachen

Trail was occasionally tricky to follow as it traversed landslide areas.

Waypoints (leg 7)

L007 Khangpachen (4,080 m / 13,400 ft): Stayed overnight in an excellent guest house in Khangpachen.

Ratings (leg 7)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 7)


Length	10.6 km	6.6 miles
Climb / descent	950 / 290 m	3,130 / 960 ft

Elevation (leg 7)

Map (leg 7)

Leg 8: Khangpachen to Lhonak

Trail was usually easy to follow with a few tricky areas. I made a mistake and ended up higher up the bank of the river traversing across a very dangerous landslide area. In the end I managed to descend safely to the river bed but then spent an hour scrambling over large boulders before I found the trail again.

Waypoints (leg 8)

L008 Lhonak (4,750 m / 15,600 ft): Lhonak is a tiny patch of flat land between two glaciers, and has nothing apart from a few very basic guesthouses. I imagine they would be closed out of season.

Ratings (leg 8)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 8)


Length	9.9 km	6.2 miles
Climb / descent	940 / 270 m	3,070 / 870 ft

Elevation (leg 8)

Map (leg 8)

Leg 9: Lhonak to Pangpema

Trail was tricky to follow with a couple of large new landslides which meant lengthy diversions to find safe places to cross, and scrambling. Update from Kate (summer 2022): “The recent landslides Dave went through are fine”

Waypoints (leg 9)

L009 Landslide (5,060 m / 16,600 ft): This huge landslide had recently blocked the path (as of spring 2019). A lengthy detour was needed to find a safe place to cross. The route has been updated to show my detour.

L009 Pangpema (5,140 m / 16,900 ft): There was a small shack at Pangpema (aka Kanchenjunga Base Camp) which I could have stayed at, but I chose to camp. I believe the staff come from Lhonak as and when they are needed, so best to ask them if you plan to stay overnight here without camping.

Ratings (leg 9)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 3/5 (average)
Accommodation: campsite - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 9)


Length	7.9 km	4.9 miles
Climb / descent	640 / 260 m	2,090 / 840 ft

Elevation (leg 9)

Map (leg 9)

Leg 10: Pangpema to Lhonak

This is the reverse of leg 9. I hiked from base camp all the way to Kangpachen in one day so I didn't stay at Lhonak overnight.

Waypoints (leg 10)

L010 Landslide (5,070 m / 16,600 ft): See leg 9

L010 Lhonak (4,760 m / 15,600 ft): See leg 8

Ratings (leg 10)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 3/5 (average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 10)


Length	7.9 km	4.9 miles
Climb / descent	250 / 630 m	830 / 2,080 ft

Elevation (leg 10)

Map (leg 10)

Leg 11: Lhonak to Kangpachen

This is the reverse of leg 8.

Waypoints (leg 11)

L011 Khangpachen (4,090 m / 13,400 ft): See leg 7

Ratings (leg 11)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 11)


Length	9.8 km	6.1 miles
Climb / descent	260 / 930 m	870 / 3,050 ft

Elevation (leg 11)

Map (leg 11)

Leg 12: Kangpachen to Ghunsa

This is the reverse of leg 7.

Waypoints (leg 12)

L012 Ghunsa (3,420 m / 11,200 ft): See leg 6

Ratings (leg 12)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 12)


Length	10.8 km	6.7 miles
Climb / descent	290 / 970 m	960 / 3,180 ft

Elevation (leg 12)

Map (leg 12)

Leg 13: Ghunsa to Kharka

The trail was tricky trail to follow.

Waypoints (leg 13)

L013 Kharka (4,170 m / 13,700 ft): This camp site is brand new (as of spring 2019), with large flattened platforms and water nearby.

Ratings (leg 13)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 13)


Length	5.5 km	3.4 miles
Climb / descent	990 / 250 m	3,240 / 800 ft

Elevation (leg 13)

Map (leg 13)

Leg 14: Kharka to Yangjong Kharka

Trail was almost non existent and obscured with snow for much of the day. However above the tree line the terrain was open so the route was easy to follow without a trail on the ground.

Waypoints (leg 14)

L014 Nango La (4,770 m / 15,700 ft): The first high pass of the trek.

L014 Yangjong Kharka (3,740 m / 12,300 ft): On the descent down from Nango La you will find a basic shelter at Yangjong Kharka. You should stay here overnight because after the shelter the trail deviates significantly from the description in the guidebook and paper maps. The guidebook and paper maps have you camping at the Yangma Khola bridge but I found no trail on the ground going this way, and I didn't see any more good camping options until Olangchun Gola. The shelter is almost brand new and very clean (as of spring 2019).

Ratings (leg 14)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: shelter - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 14)


Length	8.6 km	5.4 miles
Climb / descent	630 / 1,060 m	2,070 / 3,460 ft

Elevation (leg 14)

Map (leg 14)

Leg 15: Yangjong Kharka to Olangchun Gola

Tricky trail to follow, especially the first half before the new bridge. I suspect this trial will be changing regularly, because it was relatively new (spring 2019). Update from Kate (summer 2022): “Deviation - the new trail Dave took is no longer visible. We took the old trail further north. Very overgrown and difficult to follow. The ‘new’ bridge is still there, but we could not find any trail on the east side of the river. Bridge on the route I took is further upstream than the river crossing shown on GPS.” I've added a new waypoint “North Bridge” showing where Kate found the bridge.

Waypoints (leg 15)

L015 Deviation (3,610 m / 11,800 ft): After the shelter, the trail deviates significantly from the guidebook and paper maps. The digital maps still show the old trail (as of spring 2019). I have updated the route to follow the new trail, which takes a more southerly path to a new bridge.

L015 Bridge (3,220 m / 10,600 ft): This is the new bridge over the Yangma Khola (as of spring 2019). After the bridge, the trail follows the standard route shown on digital / paper maps.

L015 North Bridge (3,390 m / 11,100 ft): This is a new bridge that Kate found (summer 2022).

L015 Olangchun Gola (3,190 m / 10,500 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Olangchun Gola.

Ratings (leg 15)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 15)


Length	11.5 km	7.1 miles
Climb / descent	860 / 1,410 m	2,830 / 4,640 ft

Elevation (leg 15)

Map (leg 15)

Leg 16: Olangchun Gola to Pass Camp

After a simple section along a dirt road, the trail became much more difficult to follow. In the upper elevations the trail was completely obscured by deep snow.

Waypoints (leg 16)

L016 Pass Camp (4,850 m / 15,900 ft): This camp site was covered in deep snow when I stayed here.

Ratings (leg 16)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: campsite - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 16)


Length	15.0 km	9.3 miles
Climb / descent	1,780 / 120 m	5,830 / 390 ft

Elevation (leg 16)

Map (leg 16)

Leg 17: Pass Camp to Thudam

In the upper elevations the trail was completely obscured by deep snow, but I believe the route follows a reasonable path across the pass.

Waypoints (leg 17)

L017 Lumbha Sumbha (5,150 m / 16,900 ft): The Lumbha Sumbha pass is really two passes joined by a steep traverse. This is the final pass before the descent towards Thudam.

L017 Thudam (3,550 m / 11,700 ft): Thudam is a very poor village. I stayed overnight in a very basic homestay.

Ratings (leg 17)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: homestay - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 17)


Length	13.7 km	8.5 miles
Climb / descent	390 / 1,690 m	1,280 / 5,540 ft

Elevation (leg 17)

Map (leg 17)

Leg 18: Thudam to Jijibuk

The trail traverses a steep hillside, and rather dangerous in places. However, not too difficult to follow despite the warnings online of navigational blunders by previous hikers.

Waypoints (leg 18)

L018 Jijibuk (2,830 m / 9,280 ft): Jijibuk is a small clearing in the forest with a couple of very basic shacks. The yak herders living there fed me and let me sleep on the floor. The terrain in the area was so steep and the forest so dense that I didn't find any other camping options nearby.

Ratings (leg 18)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 3/5 (average)
Accommodation: homestay - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 18)


Length	9.3 km	5.8 miles
Climb / descent	720 / 1,480 m	2,380 / 4,850 ft

Elevation (leg 18)

Map (leg 18)

Leg 19: Jijibuk to Lingham

The trail was relatively well maintained and easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 19)

L019 Chyamtang (2,230 m / 7,320 ft): Chyamtang is a large village and is the recommended overnight stop in the guidebook and paper maps, however despite some searching I didn't find a guesthouse. I was directed to Lingham which is a couple of hours further and has an excellent guesthouse.

L019 Lingham (2,190 m / 7,180 ft): Stayed overnight in an excellent guesthouse in Lingham.

Ratings (leg 19)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 19)


Length	11.9 km	7.4 miles
Climb / descent	1,200 / 1,670 m	3,940 / 5,480 ft

Elevation (leg 19)

Map (leg 19)

Leg 20: Lingham to Hongon

The trail was mostly well maintained and easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 20)

L020 Hongon (2,330 m / 7,630 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Hongon.

Ratings (leg 20)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 20)


Length	9.1 km	5.7 miles
Climb / descent	1,160 / 1,050 m	3,800 / 3,430 ft

Elevation (leg 20)

Map (leg 20)

Leg 21: Hongon to Molun Pokhari

The trail was tricky to follow, and obscured by snow at higher elevations. The upper part of the valley that leads to the lake, and the traverse around the lake are extremely dangerous when covered in snow. I didn't have crampons which made matters worse.

Waypoints (leg 21)

L021 Molun Pokhari (3,960 m / 13,000 ft): The campsite is on the opposite side of the Molun Pokhari lake to where the trail arrives. You will have to traverse around the north side of the lake. The campsite was covered in deep snow when I stayed there, but it looked flat and sheltered.

Ratings (leg 21)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 3/5 (average)
Accommodation: campsite - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 21)


Length	8.2 km	5.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,750 / 130 m	5,740 / 410 ft

Elevation (leg 21)

Map (leg 21)

Leg 22: Molun Pokhari to Clearing Camp

Robin's guidebook explains how to find a bridge over the Kholakharka Khola, but despite hours of searching I didn't manage to find it. I eventually stayed overnight in the shelter at the source of the river, where it's easy to cross. The next day I tried to follow the river downstream on the east bank, but found no trail and dense undergrowth. I gave up and called a helicopter. Craig (2019) got further by scrambling over rocks in the river gully, only to find the pass impossible the next day - he too ended up calling a helicopter. Suvi (2019) managed to find a way across the river, and I've added a waypoint with her approximate crossing point… However I'd only recommend crossing the river if there's a bridge. I have update this route from Mike (2025) with his accurate track. He didn't find a way across the river, and crossed at the source like I did. He managed to find a way down on the other side. It seems most people are doing this route, so I'd recommend following this option unless you can find an obvious way across the river lower down.

Waypoints (leg 22)

L022 Cliffs (4,110 m / 13,500 ft): Ensure you traverse below these cliffs, not above. I made the mistake of traversing steep snow directly above the cliffs where a slip could have meant a nasty fall. There is no need to traverse above the cliffs.

L022 Dhungge Khola (3,620 m / 11,900 ft): The bridge over the Dhungge Khola was just two planks of wood (spring 2019). The guidebook mentions it is often washed away.

L022 Kholakharka Khola (3,010 m / 9,870 ft): The guidebook explains how to find a bridge over the Kholakharka Khola that is located somewhere around this waypoint. However despite hours of searching, I could not find the bridge. However Suvi (2019) found the bridge and I've estimated it's position with a waypoint.

L022 Shelter (3,190 m / 10,500 ft): There is a large flat kharka at the source of the Kholakharka Khola, and a reasonably clean shelter where I stayed overnight. The river is easily crossed at this location, and there was a log bridge (spring 2019).

L022 Suvi Crossed (3,020 m / 9,900 ft): Suvi (2019) managed to cross the river here, but I wouldn't recommend this unless there is a bridge or it is safe.

L022 Clearing Camp (3,000 m / 9,830 ft): Suvi (2019): “There was a little grassy clearing and some locals had stayed there earlier because there was a fire place and some wooden structures. It was quite dirty with Yak poop though.”

Ratings (leg 22)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 22)


Length	12.1 km	7.5 miles
Climb / descent	600 / 1,570 m	1,970 / 5,140 ft

Elevation (leg 22)

Map (leg 22)

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Leg 23: Clearing Camp to Kalo Pokhari

I skipped this section. I've updated this route from Mike (2025) with his accurate track. Suvi (2019) reported that the trail is extremely tricky to follow with steep sections and sections of bushwhacking.

Waypoints (leg 23)

L023 Cave Camp (3,190 m / 10,500 ft): Mike (2025): “Cliff Camp is under a big cliff on the left side of the trail. Room for half a dozen tents tents along the cliff face.”

L023 Kalo Pokhari (4,190 m / 13,700 ft): Suvi (2019): “We camped at a nice flat area near to the lake here.”

Ratings (leg 23)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 23)


Length	6.5 km	4.0 miles
Climb / descent	1,540 / 260 m	5,060 / 860 ft

Elevation (leg 23)

Map (leg 23)

Leg 24: Kalo Pokhari to Yangla Kharka

I skipped the first half of this section. I've updated this route from Mike (2025) with his accurate track. Mike added that there are several sets of steep stone steps going down from passes after Kalo Pokhari and in April/May they may be very snowy/icy. Micro spikes required at a minimum. Suvi (2019) reported that the trail is extremely tricky to follow with sections of bushwhacking. The second half of this leg (starting when you reach the Barun Nadi river) is reasonably easy to folow.

Waypoints (leg 24)

L024 Shelter (4,090 m / 13,400 ft): Mike (2025): “The shelter was almost brand new with a fire pit inside.”

L024 Yangla Kharka (3,760 m / 12,300 ft): We stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse at Yangla Kharka. If you have time, continue to Langmale Kharka which is a nicer guesthouse.

Ratings (leg 24)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 24)


Length	13.7 km	8.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,040 / 1,470 m	3,420 / 4,810 ft

Elevation (leg 24)

Map (leg 24)

Leg 25: Yangla Kharka to Makalu Base Camp

The trail was reasonably easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 25)

L025 Langmale Kharka (4,450 m / 14,600 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice guesthouse in Langmale Kharka.

L025 Makalu Base Camp (4,840 m / 15,900 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice, but very expensive guesthouse at Makalu Base Camp.

Ratings (leg 25)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 25)


Length	13.9 km	8.7 miles
Climb / descent	1,390 / 310 m	4,560 / 1,010 ft

Elevation (leg 25)

Map (leg 25)

Leg 26: Makalu Base Camp to Swiss Base Camp

The trail was tricky to follow. For some sections we were scrambling over glacial moraine, following occasional cairns.

Waypoints (leg 26)

L026 Swiss Base Camp (5,200 m / 17,100 ft): We camped overnight at Swiss Base Camp. The campsite was challenging - we managed to find just about enough flat ground to pitch the tent in between boulders, but it was by no means perfect. The location is relatively sheltered, with fresh water nearby.

Ratings (leg 26)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 26)


Length	4.5 km	2.8 miles
Climb / descent	460 / 100 m	1,510 / 310 ft

Elevation (leg 26)

Map (leg 26)

Leg 27: Swiss Base Camp to Sherpani Col Base Camp

The route follows steep glacial moraine all day. Very difficult and dangerous, sometimes climbing over precariously balanced boulders the size of cars. We were following occasional cairns to navigate - there was no trail on the ground.

Waypoints (leg 27)

L027 Sherpani Col Base Camp (5,700 m / 18,700 ft): We camped overnight at Sherpani Col Base Camp. This camp was significantly better than the previous night, with more space flatter ground.

Ratings (leg 27)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 27)


Length	3.4 km	2.1 miles
Climb / descent	600 / 110 m	1,970 / 350 ft

Elevation (leg 27)

Map (leg 27)

Leg 28: Sherpani Col Base Camp to Advanced Base Camp

The route is on crevassed, glaciated terrain all day. The safest route across the glacier and over Sherpani Col may change year-to-year so an experienced mountaineer in the group is absolutely essential. Full mountaineering gear is required for this leg.

Waypoints (leg 28)

L028 Sherpani Col (6,160 m / 20,200 ft): Crossing Sherpani Col involves a 100m climb, then a 100m down climb on the other side. We were able to clip into a fixed safety wire for the climb and descent, but a fall would still be extremely dangerous. At the bottom of the down-climb there was a small bergschrund before we reached the crevassed glacial plateau that separates Sherpani Col and West Col.

L028 Advanced Base Camp (6,110 m / 20,000 ft): Although the itinerary proposes an overnight stay here at Advanced Base Camp I would highly recommend not camping here. Most groups continue over West Col and complete legs 28 and 29 in one long day, as we did. The plateau is at 6000m and extremely exposed, so camping here should only be attempted in an emergency.

Ratings (leg 28)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 28)


Length	3.7 km	2.3 miles
Climb / descent	500 / 90 m	1,650 / 290 ft

Elevation (leg 28)

Map (leg 28)

Leg 29: Advanced Base Camp to Barnutse Base Camp

The route is on crevassed, glaciated terrain all day. The safest route across the plateau and over West Col may change year-to-year so an experienced mountaineer in the group is absolutely essential. Full mountaineering gear is required for this leg.

Waypoints (leg 29)

L029 West Col (6,120 m / 20,100 ft): Crossing West Col involves a short 20m climb, then a 200m rappel down over vertical rocks and blue ice. Make sure you bring a 200m rope for the rappel and do not rely on ropes left behind by previous teams, which are often unsafe.

L029 Barnutse Base Camp (5,440 m / 17,800 ft): We stayed overnight at the spectacular Barnutse Base Camp. Plenty of flat ground and right next to a beautiful lake.

Ratings (leg 29)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 29)


Length	5.4 km	3.4 miles
Climb / descent	50 / 720 m	150 / 2,370 ft

Elevation (leg 29)

Map (leg 29)

Leg 30: Barnutse Base Camp to Amphu Labsta Base Camp

We didn't hike most of this leg, having followed a different path, so the ratings for route and trail are just for the last part of this leg. The part of the trail we did hike was tricky to follow and frequently involved scrambling over glacial moraine.

Waypoints (leg 30)

L030 Rejoin (5,470 m / 17,900 ft): One of our party fell ill, so we took an extra rest day at a lower campsite, and an alternative route from Barnutse Base Camp to Amphu Labsta Base Camp. We rejoined the trail at this waypoint. The route before this is marked as a trail on digital maps, but we didn't actually hike it.

L030 Amphu Labsta Base Camp (5,510 m / 18,100 ft): We found an adequate camp site about 150m earlier than the location of the base camp marked on digital maps. It was relatively sheltered, but not particularly flat. You might do better investigating the location marked on the digital maps.

Ratings (leg 30)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 30)


Length	5.5 km	3.4 miles
Climb / descent	300 / 230 m	1,000 / 740 ft

Elevation (leg 30)

Map (leg 30)

Leg 31: Amphu Labsta Base Camp to Chhukung

Amphu Labsta is one of the most dangerous passes in Nepal, and the route climbs technical terrain to reach the pass. The safest route may change year-to-year so an experienced mountaineer in the group is absolutely essential. Full mountaineering gear is required for this leg.

Waypoints (leg 31)

L031 Amphu Labsta (5,830 m / 19,100 ft): The access to Amphu Labsta is via a huge ice fall, with platforms of snow and ice to navigate. Our route differs significantly from that marked on digital maps, but I'm sure the safest route is different every year. Parts of the ascent we were able to clip into a safety wire, but there were parts where it was hidden under impenetrable ice. After the pass a 30m rappel is needed. The hike down into the basin below is extremely dangerous, with very loose rocks on a high gradient.

L031 Chhukung (4,730 m / 15,500 ft): We stayed at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Chhukung.

Ratings (leg 31)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 31)


Length	10.5 km	6.5 miles
Climb / descent	400 / 1,090 m	1,320 / 3,570 ft

Elevation (leg 31)

Map (leg 31)

Leg 32: Chhukung to Dingboche

The trail was well maintained and easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 32)

L032 Dingboche (4,350 m / 14,300 ft): We stayed at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Dingboche.

Ratings (leg 32)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 32)


Length	4.5 km	2.8 miles
Climb / descent	30 / 410 m	90 / 1,350 ft

Elevation (leg 32)

Map (leg 32)

Leg 33: Dingboche to Lobuche

We skipped the Everest Base Camp side-trek and hiked directly to Dzongla (leg 36). However, all the main trails in the Everest region are likely to be well maintained. The guesthouses are usually excellent but expensive.

Waypoints (leg 33)

L033 Lobuche (4,930 m / 16,200 ft): We skipped this section, however the guesthouses in the Everest region are usually excellent but expensive.

Ratings (leg 33)

Trail: (unknown)
Route: (unknown)
Accommodation: guesthouse - (unknown)

Stats (leg 33)


Length	7.7 km	4.8 miles
Climb / descent	770 / 200 m	2,530 / 650 ft

Elevation (leg 33)

Map (leg 33)

Leg 34: Lobuche to Gorak Shep

See leg 33

Waypoints (leg 34)

L034 Kala Patthar (5,580 m / 18,300 ft): We skipped this section, but Kala Patthar is a popular viewpoint of the Everest mountain range.

L034 Gorak Shep (5,160 m / 16,900 ft): We skipped this section, however the guesthouses in the Everest region are usually excellent but expensive.

Ratings (leg 34)

Trail: (unknown)
Route: (unknown)
Accommodation: guesthouse - (unknown)

Stats (leg 34)


Length	8.0 km	4.9 miles
Climb / descent	770 / 540 m	2,540 / 1,780 ft

Elevation (leg 34)

Map (leg 34)

Leg 35: Gorak Shep to Lobuche

See leg 33

Waypoints (leg 35)

L035 Everest Base Camp (5,320 m / 17,400 ft): We skipped this section, but Everest Base Camp is a popular tourist attraction.

L035 Lobuche (4,920 m / 16,100 ft): We skipped this section, however the guesthouses in the Everest region are usually excellent but expensive.

Ratings (leg 35)

Trail: (unknown)
Route: (unknown)
Accommodation: guesthouse - (unknown)

Stats (leg 35)


Length	14.2 km	8.8 miles
Climb / descent	480 / 730 m	1,590 / 2,400 ft

Elevation (leg 35)

Map (leg 35)

Leg 36: Lobuche to Dzongla

The trail was well maintained and easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 36)

L036 Dzongla (4,830 m / 15,800 ft): We stayed at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Dzongla.

Ratings (leg 36)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 36)


Length	6.4 km	4.0 miles
Climb / descent	230 / 320 m	760 / 1,060 ft

Elevation (leg 36)

Map (leg 36)

Leg 37: Dzongla to Dragnag

The trail was tricky to follow and sometimes obscured by snow in the higher elevations.

Waypoints (leg 37)

L037 Cho La (5,370 m / 17,600 ft): The approach to Cho La involved some scrambling and a short hike across a relatively flat section of glacier. It was free of crevasses and crampons were not needed when we crossed, however if conditions were bad this section could be problematic. The descent on the other side was steep, but a safety cable was fixed on the dangerous sections.

L037 Dragnag (4,680 m / 15,400 ft): We completed legs 37 and 38 in one day, so we didn't stay overnight at Dragnag, but there are several guesthouses.

Ratings (leg 37)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 37)


Length	8.0 km	5.0 miles
Climb / descent	660 / 730 m	2,180 / 2,390 ft

Elevation (leg 37)

Map (leg 37)

Leg 38: Dragnag to Gokyo

The trail crosses an enormous glacier, which is constantly eroding and changing. The path is marked by cairns but these seem to be placed all over the place and don't really mark out a single trail. We took many wrong turns and had to backtrack several times.

Waypoints (leg 38)

L038 Gokyo (4,760 m / 15,600 ft): We stayed at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Gokyo.

L038 Gokyo Ri (5,340 m / 17,500 ft): The route includes the side-trek up to the Gokyo Ri view point and back but we didn't hike this part.

Ratings (leg 38)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 38)


Length	7.5 km	4.7 miles
Climb / descent	780 / 720 m	2,570 / 2,350 ft

Elevation (leg 38)

Map (leg 38)

Leg 39: Gokyo to Lumde

The trail was mostly easy to follow, becoming tricky in the higher elevations on the approach to the pass, and improving again on the descent down to Lumde.

Waypoints (leg 39)

L039 Renjo La (5,390 m / 17,700 ft): The approach to Renjo La was a relatively easy hike - not as technical as Cho La. The down climb on the other side was very steep but the trail was mostly well maintained stone steps which made descending easy. If snow obscures the path, this down climb could become very dangerous.

L039 Lumde (4,360 m / 14,300 ft): We stayed at an excellent guesthouse in Lumde.

Ratings (leg 39)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 39)


Length	12.4 km	7.7 miles
Climb / descent	840 / 1,230 m	2,750 / 4,030 ft

Elevation (leg 39)

Map (leg 39)

Leg 40: Lumde to Thame

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 40)

L040 Thame (3,790 m / 12,400 ft): We stayed at an excellent guesthouse in Thame.

Ratings (leg 40)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 40)


Length	9.5 km	5.9 miles
Climb / descent	180 / 750 m	570 / 2,460 ft

Elevation (leg 40)

Map (leg 40)

Leg 41: Thame to Thyangbo

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 41)

L041 Thyangbo (4,310 m / 14,100 ft): We stayed at a basic guesthouse in Thyangbo. I believe this guesthouse is not open all the time, and it was the only option when we stayed here, so best to enquire in Thame if you plan to stay here.

Ratings (leg 41)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 41)


Length	5.0 km	3.1 miles
Climb / descent	610 / 90 m	1,990 / 300 ft

Elevation (leg 41)

Map (leg 41)

Leg 42: Thyangbo to Tashi Labsta Camp

The trail started off easy to follow, but because progressively harder as the day went on. The final part to the campsite was a scramble up a steep rocky slope.

Waypoints (leg 42)

L042 Shelter (4,870 m / 16,000 ft): This is a nice, clean shelter. It seems to be relatively new as of spring 2019.

L042 Tashi Labsta Camp (5,220 m / 17,100 ft): We stayed overnight at this very exposed, windy, rocky camp site. This was one of the worst camp sites of the trek. If conditions aren't perfect, I would recommend considering staying overnight at the shelter. If you do this, be sure to leave early the next day because it adds 1.2km and a 330m climb to the day.

Ratings (leg 42)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 42)


Length	5.5 km	3.4 miles
Climb / descent	1,000 / 90 m	3,270 / 290 ft

Elevation (leg 42)

Map (leg 42)

Leg 43: Tashi Labsta Camp to Glacier Camp

The route is on crevassed, glaciated terrain for most of the day. Although not as technical as Amphu Labsta, the same warnings apply. The safest route across Tashi Labsta may change year-to-year so an experienced mountaineer in the group is absolutely essential. Full mountaineering gear is required for this leg.

Waypoints (leg 43)

L043 Tashi Labsta (5,770 m / 18,900 ft): The approach to Tashi Labsta is up a huge steep pile of glacial moraine with constant danger of rocks slipping. We then climbed a very steep snow bank, which required ropes and crampons. The final section across the glacier and up to the pass was under cliffs with constant danger of rock fall from above. The first half of the descent down from the pass was extremely difficult, following the glacier with many crevasses to cross. The final part of the descent was even worse where we had to climb down a stream gully with water splashing all over us.

L043 Glacier Camp (4,880 m / 16,000 ft): We stayed overnight at this very rocky area on the glacier. I suspect that a better site could be found given more time but the sun was going down so we took the first opportunity to pitch the tent.

Ratings (leg 43)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 43)


Length	8.4 km	5.2 miles
Climb / descent	770 / 1,110 m	2,530 / 3,630 ft

Elevation (leg 43)

Map (leg 43)

Leg 44: Glacier Camp to Na

The first half of this leg follows the glacier, a huge boulder field. An altogether unpleasant experience. There is a trail along the top of the lateral moraine on the left side, and I believe it starts earlier than we picked it up, so I would recommend trying to climb the moraine before our route does. The second half of the day was an easy to follow trail down the Na. I've updated this route from Shelly (2026) with her more accurate track.

Waypoints (leg 44)

L044 Na (4,180 m / 13,700 ft): We stayed at an excellent guesthouse in Na.

Ratings (leg 44)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 44)


Length	13.6 km	8.5 miles
Climb / descent	520 / 1,210 m	1,690 / 3,980 ft

Elevation (leg 44)

Map (leg 44)

Leg 45: Na to Beding

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 45)

L045 Beding (3,710 m / 12,200 ft): We stayed at a basic guesthouse in Beding. We hiked this section out of season, so this guesthouse was the only option. If you hike this in peak season there are many other options.

Ratings (leg 45)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 45)


Length	6.2 km	3.9 miles
Climb / descent	150 / 620 m	490 / 2,030 ft

Elevation (leg 45)

Map (leg 45)

Leg 46: Beding to Dokhang

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 46)

L046 Dokhang (2,790 m / 9,150 ft): We stayed at an excellent guesthouse in Dokhang. We had the best Dal Bhat of the entire trek here, and it was also the cheapest.

Ratings (leg 46)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 46)


Length	10.3 km	6.4 miles
Climb / descent	550 / 1,360 m	1,800 / 4,450 ft

Elevation (leg 46)

Map (leg 46)

Leg 47: Dokhang to Simigaon

Easy hike along a well maintained trail. The rating is for the guesthouse we stayed in at Gonggar. Guesthouses in Simigaon may well be better.

Waypoints (leg 47)

L047 Simigaon (1,980 m / 6,510 ft): We actually hiked past Simigaon and spent the night at Gonggar which I think was a mistake. Simigaon seemed much nicer and higher elevation so it wasn't so hot and humid.

Ratings (leg 47)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 47)


Length	9.4 km	5.8 miles
Climb / descent	670 / 1,460 m	2,190 / 4,790 ft

Elevation (leg 47)

Map (leg 47)

Leg 48: Simigaon to Orangdanda

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 48)

L048 Gonggar (1,280 m / 4,180 ft): We skipped Simigaon the previous day and spent the night at a very basic guesthouse Gonggar, which was a miserable place. It's the base station for a major hydroelectric project, so full of lorries, and much lower so very hot and humid. I would recommend staying at Simigaon.

L048 Orangdanda (1,980 m / 6,490 ft): We stayed at a basic homestay in Orangdanda. There were so many flies in the room that we erected the inner tent in the middle of the room and slept on the floor.

Ratings (leg 48)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 48)


Length	13.4 km	8.3 miles
Climb / descent	1,610 / 1,520 m	5,290 / 4,990 ft

Elevation (leg 48)

Map (leg 48)

Leg 49: Orangdanda to Laduk

Easy hike along a dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 49)

L049 Laduk (2,050 m / 6,710 ft): We stayed in a nice homestay in Laduk. There is an Eco Himal guesthouse in Laduk but it is only open in peak season so closed when we visited.

Ratings (leg 49)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 49)


Length	8.7 km	5.4 miles
Climb / descent	670 / 610 m	2,200 / 2,000 ft

Elevation (leg 49)

Map (leg 49)

Leg 50: Laduk to Loting

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 50)

L050 Loting (1,770 m / 5,790 ft): We stayed at a nice guesthouse in Loting.

Ratings (leg 50)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 50)


Length	12.5 km	7.8 miles
Climb / descent	780 / 1,010 m	2,570 / 3,330 ft

Elevation (leg 50)

Map (leg 50)

Leg 51: Loting to Bigu Gompa

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 51)

L051 Bigu Gompa (2,500 m / 8,200 ft): We stayed at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Bigu Gompa.

Ratings (leg 51)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 51)


Length	14.9 km	9.2 miles
Climb / descent	1,620 / 880 m	5,300 / 2,900 ft

Elevation (leg 51)

Map (leg 51)

Leg 52: Bigu Gompa to Tinsang Kewa

A tricky trail to follow, especially around the River waypoint. Update from Kate (2021): “Continue on the road. It switches back to the river and turns into a trail. No need for bushwhacking.”

Waypoints (leg 52)

L052 Road (2,240 m / 7,340 ft): As you leave Bigu Gompa, be sure to descend all the way down to the road marked by this waypoint. We took a footpath higher up the valley, which led up the river valley to the north. We continued for an hour before realising it was not possible to continue that way, and had to backtrack all the way to the road.

L052 River (2,490 m / 8,160 ft): We bushwhacked up a river valley for an hour here. I suspect that this was not needed, and the road maybe joins up. However looking at satellite pictures of the area is inconclusive.

L052 Tinsang Kewa (3,280 m / 10,800 ft): We stayed at an excellent campsite at Tinsang Kewa. There was also a small building - the people inside said we could stay there but it was rather dirty and the campsite was so good we chose to camp instead.

Ratings (leg 52)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 52)


Length	12.2 km	7.6 miles
Climb / descent	1,490 / 770 m	4,900 / 2,530 ft

Elevation (leg 52)

Map (leg 52)

Leg 53: Tinsang Kewa to Sano Jyandan

The first part of this leg was a very dangerous traverse across a steep hillside above cliffs with very little in the way of a path - a slip here could have been deadly. We then had to negotiate a section of dense rhododendron bushes with many dead-ends and backtracking. Hundreds of leeches were a major annoyance. After that we found a dirt road, but a major navigational blunder meant we missed the correct trail Sano Jyandan. We didn't stay at Sano Jyandan, so the rating is for the guesthouse we stayed at in Madre. However, I have left the route going via Sano Jyandan and I would recommend you try to follow it. If anyone has successfully completed this section, please get in touch (dave@brophy.uk) because I'd love to integrate your GPS tracks into this route. Note that in the vlog I incorrectly state that we passed Sano Jyandan, in fact our track turns off well before this. Update from Kate (2021): “If you are on steep cliffs you are not high enough. We left the road from Tinsang Kewa at the high point where there are prayer flags. Followed a light animal trail that became a nice trail that continued farther up. It was to the right of your GPX track. No dangerous parts.”

Waypoints (leg 53)

L053 Warning (3,040 m / 9,980 ft): We made a huge navigational blunder here. The dirt road follows a switchback to the left, and we assumed it followed the route towards Sano Jyandan. We were wrong and it continued in completely the wrong direction down into the basin to the south. The correct route traverses along the ridge to Sano Jyandan before descending towards the north. As we descended we slowly realised that the road would not be rejoining the correct route, but by the time we fully understood this we had lost significant elevation, and the climb back up to the ridge seemed too far. We continued descending, hoping that the road would eventually lead us west and follow the hillside around towards the north. We realise the road we were on didn't go that way, but a road below us did head that way, so we bushwhacked down to the lower road. This ended up being a major detour and we ended up staying at a homestay at Madre. I have left the route going to Sano Jyandan, but it should be noted that we didn't hike it past this waypoint. The route in the GPX file after this point is just copied from the paper maps, so should not be relied upon.

L053 Madre (2,080 m / 6,830 ft): We stayed at a basic guesthouse in Madre, which was the result of a major navigational blunder. I would recommend trying to stick to the route and find Sano Jyandan.

L053 Sano Jyandan (2,920 m / 9,570 ft): This is the approximate location of Sano Jyandan. We made a major navigational blunder and stayed at Madre instead of here.

Ratings (leg 53)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 53)


Length	7.9 km	4.9 miles
Climb / descent	420 / 790 m	1,360 / 2,580 ft

Elevation (leg 53)

Map (leg 53)

Leg 54: Sano Jyandan to Last Resort

Our navigational blunder from the previous day meant we skipped most of this leg, however I suspect the section we missed is tricky, since there is no trail shown on digital maps. Update from Kate (2021): “We did make it through to Sano Jyandan and on. There are many trails to follow so it took a lot of trial and error. The “L054 Trail” waypoint marks the beginning of the trail that is the correct route. It is a trail for a while then comes to a road. Both the road and trail go to the same place. The trail is shorter, but very slippery when muddy. There are trails that go in the direction of the GPX route, but they all turned to dead ends.”

Waypoints (leg 54)

L054 Trail (2,940 m / 9,630 ft): This is the start of the trail that Kate successfully found in 2021.

L054 Rejoin (2,100 m / 6,900 ft): We rejoined the route at this waypoint. The route in the GPX file before this point is just copied from the paper maps, so should not be relied upon.

L054 Last Resort (1,210 m / 3,980 ft): We stayed at the extremely luxurious, but very expensive eco tent resort of Last Resort, which has good road links to Kathmandu.

Ratings (leg 54)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 54)


Length	11.9 km	7.4 miles
Climb / descent	480 / 1,740 m	1,570 / 5,720 ft

Elevation (leg 54)

Map (leg 54)

Leg 55: Last Resort to Chagam

Easy hike along a dirt road. Note that the paper maps any other itineraries take a higher path via Shotang Kharka towards Kyansin. We took the lower route which seemed like a better trail via Chagam. The adventurous among you may try following the paper maps via Shotang Kharka.

Waypoints (leg 55)

L055 Chagam (2,570 m / 8,420 ft): We stayed at a nice homestay in Chagam.

Ratings (leg 55)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: homestay - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 55)


Length	11.1 km	6.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,840 / 490 m	6,040 / 1,620 ft

Elevation (leg 55)

Map (leg 55)

Leg 56: Chagam to Kyansin

The trail was very tricky to follow, with frequent sections of bushwhacking.

Waypoints (leg 56)

L056 Kyansin (2,520 m / 8,260 ft): We stayed at a basic homestay in Kyansin.

Ratings (leg 56)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 56)


Length	11.5 km	7.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,300 / 1,300 m	4,250 / 4,260 ft

Elevation (leg 56)

Map (leg 56)

Leg 57: Kyansin to Tembathang

The trail was reasonably easy to follow. We spent considerable effort trying to find a local guide to take us to Tilman's Pass. We didn't find one in the end, and it proved completely unnecessary - the GPX route is all we needed and found the pass easily.

Waypoints (leg 57)

L057 Tembathang (2,220 m / 7,280 ft): We hiked on further than Tembathang, but I'm sure a basic homestay could be found there.

Ratings (leg 57)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 57)


Length	8.7 km	5.4 miles
Climb / descent	900 / 1,160 m	2,970 / 3,810 ft

Elevation (leg 57)

Map (leg 57)

Leg 58: Tembathang to Panch Pokhari

The trail was reasonably easy to follow. Update from Kate (2021): “There is a new trail (2021) the last few k’s before Panch Pokhari that some yak herders showed us.”

Waypoints (leg 58)

L058 Thepu (2,220 m / 7,290 ft): We hiked on past Tembathang yesterday, so stayed overnight at a basic homestay in Thepu.

L058 Kharka (3,970 m / 13,000 ft): We actually split this leg over two days and camped at a nice flat kharka here. This made the second day very short so I would recommend pushing on to Panch Pokhari.

L058 Panch Pokhari (4,060 m / 13,300 ft): Panch Pokhari has several guesthouses but it was completely deserted out of season. We found one building that was open so slept in that overnight.

Ratings (leg 58)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: shelter - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 58)


Length	13.1 km	8.1 miles
Climb / descent	2,510 / 810 m	8,240 / 2,650 ft

Elevation (leg 58)

Map (leg 58)

Leg 59: Panch Pokhari to Tin Pokhari

The trail was tricky to follow at times, but the route is correct and the terrain is quite open so going in the right direction shouldn't be a problem.

Waypoints (leg 59)

L059 Tin Pokhari (4,180 m / 13,700 ft): We stayed at a nice campsite in Tin Pokhari.

Ratings (leg 59)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 59)


Length	11.1 km	6.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,110 / 1,040 m	3,630 / 3,410 ft

Elevation (leg 59)

Map (leg 59)

Leg 60: Tin Pokhari to High South Camp

The trail follows the glacier up to Tillmans Pass, and involves scrambling over glacial boulder fields for most of the day. I believe we made a mistake by following the lateral moraine on the west side of the glacier. A better option would be to get on the east side. This would mean less scrambling since you don't have to cross a second glacier that joins from the west.

Waypoints (leg 60)

L060 High South Camp (4,960 m / 16,300 ft): We stayed at a horrible rocky campsite on the glacier at High South Camp.

Ratings (leg 60)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 60)


Length	6.5 km	4.0 miles
Climb / descent	930 / 140 m	3,060 / 470 ft

Elevation (leg 60)

Map (leg 60)

Leg 61: High South Camp to High North Camp

The route crosses crevassed, glaciated terrain. Although not as technical as Tashi Labsta or Amphu Labsta, care is needed. The safest route across Tilman's Pass may change year-to-year so some mountaineering experience is recommended. Full mountaineering gear is recommended for this leg.

Waypoints (leg 61)

L061 Tilman's Pass (5,300 m / 17,400 ft): The approach to Tilman's Pass is up a steep icy glacial slope. When we crossed, crampons and ice axe were sufficient for safety but if conditions were different, ropes may have been needed. The descent was less steep but again if conditions were worse it could be more tricky.

L061 High North Camp (4,550 m / 14,900 ft): After a long scramble down the glacial boulder field we found a reasonably nice campsite here. I believe we hiked further down the glacier than is indicated on the paper maps, but I would recommend pushing on to here because it's a nice flat grassy area.

Ratings (leg 61)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 61)


Length	6.2 km	3.8 miles
Climb / descent	460 / 880 m	1,510 / 2,870 ft

Elevation (leg 61)

Map (leg 61)

Leg 62: High North Camp to Kyangjin Gompa

We had major problems here. The route before the Langtang Khola crossing is very wild - no trail on the ground and often bushwhacking through dense shrubland. Moving through this terrain is slow and frustrating. We descended the Langshisha Khola from High North Camp on the west moraine towards Langshisha Kharka. This was a bad decision because the only bridge over the Langtang Khola was on the east side of the Langshisha Khola. We spent most of the day bushwhacking back up the Langshisha Khola through dense shrubland to find a safe place to cross, only to give up and return to Langshisha Kharka to camp overnight. We continued searching early the next morning, hoping the water would be lower. It was noticeably lower but still too dangerous to cross. Our party split up, and the two others managed to cross the Langshisha Khola nearer the glacier. Mathi and I eventually made a very dangerous crossing of the Langtang Khola assisted by a rope. We were swept away by the fast flowing river and dragged to safety by the others on the opposite side. This was a really bad idea and not recommended in the slightest. I have updated the route to immediately descend from High North Camp and cross the Langshisha Khola as soon as possible. Be very careful descending from High North Camp towards the Langshisha Khola - in October 2021 Eyal experienced very difficult terrain and dangerous avalanche conditions here and had a bad fall. Take your time and be prepared to backtrack to find a safer route. Once you're across the Langshisha Khola, the route continues down on the east side to the bridge. Be aware that this was the situation in spring 2019, and the bridge may have been changed (update in October 2021: the bridge is still there). Also with less water in the river this could have been a completely different experience. After you cross the Langtang Khola to the north bank you pick up the Langtang trail which is well maintained and easy to follow. Update from Kate (2021): “Where your GPX marks that you go down to the river has been taken out by landslides. At this part we went back up to the left parallel to the river until it flattened out a bit. We crossed one landslide gully and then followed the second one down to the river. We had no visibility so one might be able to see a better route. We had no problems on the climb down, but I imagine it is constantly changing. We were able to cross the river just upstream from where we reached the river and had no problems on the east side.”

Waypoints (leg 62)

L062 Cross (4,410 m / 14,500 ft): Although we didn't hike this way, my advice is to cross the Langshisha Khola approximately here, as high as possible.

L062 Bridge (4,120 m / 13,500 ft): There was a bridge over the Langtang Khola here (spring 2019).

L062 Langshisha Khola (4,240 m / 13,900 ft): The Langshisha Khola is the drainage river of the Langshisha Glacier that yesterday's route follows. My advice is to cross this as soon as possible and descend on the east bank.

L062 Langtang Khola (4,090 m / 13,400 ft): The Langtang Khola is a large river that flows down the Langtang valley. The only bridge we found over this river was to the east of the confluence with the Langshisha Khola.

L062 Langshisha Kharka (4,130 m / 13,600 ft): We camped here overnight. I would not recommend going here.

L062 Kyangjin Gompa (3,870 m / 12,700 ft): Stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Kyangjin Gompa.

Ratings (leg 62)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 62)


Length	15.7 km	9.8 miles
Climb / descent	420 / 1,100 m	1,370 / 3,610 ft

Elevation (leg 62)

Map (leg 62)

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Leg 63: Kyangjin Gompa to Changdam

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 63)

L063 Changdam (2,470 m / 8,100 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Changdam.

Ratings (leg 63)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 63)


Length	18.6 km	11.5 miles
Climb / descent	600 / 2,000 m	1,980 / 6,560 ft

Elevation (leg 63)

Map (leg 63)

Leg 64: Changdam to Syabru Besi

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 64)

L064 Syabru Besi (1,460 m / 4,790 ft): Stayed overnight in an excellent guesthouse in Syabru Besi, which is a large town with many hotels and good road links to Kathmandu.

Ratings (leg 64)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 64)


Length	11.2 km	6.9 miles
Climb / descent	540 / 1,500 m	1,770 / 4,910 ft

Elevation (leg 64)

Map (leg 64)

Leg 65: Syabru Besi to Gatlang

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 65)

L065 Gatlang (2,290 m / 7,500 ft): Stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Gatlang.

Ratings (leg 65)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 65)


Length	11.8 km	7.3 miles
Climb / descent	1,560 / 720 m	5,120 / 2,360 ft

Elevation (leg 65)

Map (leg 65)

Leg 66: Gatlang to Somdang

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 66)

L066 Somdang (3,270 m / 10,700 ft): Stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Somdang.

Ratings (leg 66)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 66)


Length	12.7 km	7.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,920 / 960 m	6,300 / 3,150 ft

Elevation (leg 66)

Map (leg 66)

Leg 67: Somdang to Tipling

Take care to find where the footpath diverges from the road. We made a navigational blunder by following the road too far. The road leads to Tipling but switchbacks mean it is 29km long instead of 14km on the footpath. In the end we bushwhacked for an hour back to the footpath. Once you're on the footpath it's relatively easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 67)

L067 Footpath (3,780 m / 12,400 ft): This is approximately where the footpath diverges from the road. Take care to find the footpath.

L067 Tipling (2,050 m / 6,720 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic homestay in Tipling.

Ratings (leg 67)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: homestay - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 67)


Length	14.1 km	8.8 miles
Climb / descent	1,050 / 1,910 m	3,440 / 6,260 ft

Elevation (leg 67)

Map (leg 67)

Leg 68: Tipling to Khading

Heavy rain in the afternoon meant we split this leg over two days and stayed overnight at Borang. The trail was relatively well maintained and easy to follow. Jeff (2025) found a better route for the next leg, so I've updated the last part of this leg to follow his track to Khading.

Waypoints (leg 68)

L068 Borang (1,580 m / 5,190 ft): Although not on the itinerary, we stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Borang.

L068 Lapagaon (1,850 m / 6,080 ft): Although not on the itinerary, we stayed overnight in a very basic guesthouse in Lapagaon.

L068 Khading (2,050 m / 6,730 ft): Jeff (2025) stayed at a basic homestay in Khading.

Ratings (leg 68)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: homestay - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 68)


Length	16.7 km	10.4 miles
Climb / descent	1,660 / 1,630 m	5,440 / 5,360 ft

Elevation (leg 68)

Map (leg 68)

Leg 69: Khading to Kashigaun

We took a different route via Dharot, but this is not recommended. Jeff (2025) found a better route so I've updated this leg to follow his track. Jeff: “The first part of the climb is on a nice new trail, then it turns to an older shepherd's Trail before hitting the pass. From the pass the nice new trail continues north and connects to Khorlabeshi. I'd recommend people take this path as it looks nicer. Probably no water until the bottom though. My track continues down the pass off trail for a few hundred meters (waypoint “L069 Jeff”) until it connects with a new road down to the hydro works. From there you can follow it to Kashigaun.”

Waypoints (leg 69)

L069 Kashigaun (1,910 m / 6,260 ft): We stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Kashigaun.

L069 Jeff (2,950 m / 9,690 ft): Jeff's track (2025) continues down the pass off trail for a few hundred meters here, but he recommends heading north instead.

Ratings (leg 69)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 69)


Length	21.6 km	13.4 miles
Climb / descent	2,370 / 2,530 m	7,790 / 8,290 ft

Elevation (leg 69)

Map (leg 69)

Leg 70: Kashigaun to Khorlabesi

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 70)

L070 Machhakhola (840 m / 2,760 ft): Our original itinerary descends directly to Machhakhola, but we were warned by the locals that the trail is dangerous. I've updated the route to end at Khorlabesi which takes a relatively good trail.

L070 Khorlabesi (880 m / 2,900 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice guesthouse in Khorlabesi.

Ratings (leg 70)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 70)


Length	12.7 km	7.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,140 / 2,170 m	3,750 / 7,100 ft

Elevation (leg 70)

Map (leg 70)

Leg 71: Khorlabesi to Jagat

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 71)

L071 Jagat (1,330 m / 4,360 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Jagat.

Ratings (leg 71)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 71)


Length	12.9 km	8.0 miles
Climb / descent	1,420 / 850 m	4,660 / 2,780 ft

Elevation (leg 71)

Map (leg 71)

Leg 72: Jagat to Deng

Easy hike along a well maintained trail. Note that the elevation profile of the GPX route is not accurate today. The trail follows a smooth gradient all day without the large climb and descent shown at the end.

Waypoints (leg 72)

L072 Deng (1,880 m / 6,170 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice guesthouse in Deng.

Ratings (leg 72)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 72)


Length	18.7 km	11.6 miles
Climb / descent	2,610 / 1,740 m	8,560 / 5,700 ft

Elevation (leg 72)

Map (leg 72)

Leg 73: Deng to Namrung

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 73)

L073 Namrung (2,610 m / 8,570 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Namgung.

Ratings (leg 73)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 73)


Length	18.1 km	11.3 miles
Climb / descent	2,710 / 1,990 m	8,870 / 6,540 ft

Elevation (leg 73)

Map (leg 73)

Leg 74: Namrung to Sama

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 74)

L074 Sama (3,520 m / 11,500 ft): We stayed overnight at a basic guesthouse in Sama. I believe better options would be available at peak season but when we stayed here (29th July) most were closed.

Ratings (leg 74)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 74)


Length	16.9 km	10.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,880 / 980 m	6,180 / 3,220 ft

Elevation (leg 74)

Map (leg 74)

Leg 75: Sama to Dharmasala

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 75)

L075 Samdo (3,860 m / 12,700 ft): We stayed overnight at a basic guesthouse in Samdo.

L075 Dharmasala (4,480 m / 14,700 ft): The guesthouses at Dharmasala were all closed when we passed, so we stayed overnight at Samdo instead. Check with the staff in Sama if you plan to stay here.

Ratings (leg 75)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 75)


Length	14.7 km	9.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,360 / 400 m	4,460 / 1,300 ft

Elevation (leg 75)

Map (leg 75)

Leg 76: Dharmasala to Bimtang

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 76)

L076 Larkya La (5,140 m / 16,900 ft): One of the easiest high passes of the trek. The trail was easy to follow and not steep.

L076 Bimtang (3,700 m / 12,200 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Bimtang.

Ratings (leg 76)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 76)


Length	15.9 km	9.9 miles
Climb / descent	830 / 1,600 m	2,740 / 5,250 ft

Elevation (leg 76)

Map (leg 76)

Leg 77: Bimtang to Dharapani

Easy hike along a well maintained trail. Update from Kate (summer 2022): “Bridge at Dharapani is out. Have to continue approx 1 km upstream on road for bridge.”

Waypoints (leg 77)

L077 Tilche (2,260 m / 7,420 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Tilche.

L077 Dharapani (1,880 m / 6,180 ft): We didn't stay overnight in Dharapani but there are excellent guesthouses in most of the villages along the Annapurna trail.

Ratings (leg 77)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 77)


Length	22.6 km	14.0 miles
Climb / descent	1,160 / 2,920 m	3,810 / 9,560 ft

Elevation (leg 77)

Map (leg 77)

Leg 78: Dharapani to Chame

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 78)

L078 Timang (2,600 m / 8,540 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Timang.

L078 Chame (2,670 m / 8,760 ft): We didn't stay overnight in Chame but there are excellent guesthouses in most of the villages along the Annapurna trail.

Ratings (leg 78)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 78)


Length	15.5 km	9.6 miles
Climb / descent	1,590 / 810 m	5,220 / 2,640 ft

Elevation (leg 78)

Map (leg 78)

Leg 79: Chame to Upper Pisang

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 79)

L079 Bratang (3,800 m / 12,500 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Bratang.

L079 Upper Pisang (3,300 m / 10,800 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Upper Pisang.

Ratings (leg 79)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 79)


Length	13.1 km	8.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,740 / 930 m	5,710 / 3,060 ft

Elevation (leg 79)

Map (leg 79)

Leg 80: Upper Pisang to Manang

Easy hike along a well maintained trail. We did an alternative route from the section from Manang to Kagbeni. We had both hiked the standard route via Thorong La before, so instead we hiked to Tilicho Lake and over Mesokanto La to Jomson and on to Kagbeni. This is an excellent option if you want a more remote route. It involves two nights of camping and some tricky to follow trails. I will include trail notes for this option at the end.

Waypoints (leg 80)

L080 Manang (3,550 m / 11,600 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice guesthouse in Manang.

Ratings (leg 80)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 80)


Length	19.4 km	12.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,200 / 960 m	3,940 / 3,160 ft

Elevation (leg 80)

Map (leg 80)

Leg 81: Manang to Thorong Phedi

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 81)

L081 Thorong Phedi (4,550 m / 14,900 ft): We didn't hike this section on our GHT trek, but have both hiked it before. There are nice guesthouses in Thorong Phedi. Check with the staff in Manang because these may be closed out of season.

Ratings (leg 81)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 81)


Length	16.6 km	10.3 miles
Climb / descent	1,560 / 560 m	5,110 / 1,830 ft

Elevation (leg 81)

Map (leg 81)

Leg 82: Thorong Phedi to Muktinath

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 82)

L082 Thorong La (5,410 m / 17,800 ft): We didn't hike this section on our GHT trek, but have both hiked it before. The trail over Thorong La is relatively well maintained and easy to follow.

L082 Muktinath (3,750 m / 12,300 ft): We didn't hike this section on our GHT trek, but have both hiked it before. Muktinath is a large town with many excellent guesthouses.

Ratings (leg 82)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 82)


Length	14.7 km	9.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,000 / 1,720 m	3,270 / 5,630 ft

Elevation (leg 82)

Map (leg 82)

Leg 83: Muktinath to Kagbeni

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 83)

L083 Kagbeni (2,850 m / 9,350 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Kagbeni.

Ratings (leg 83)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 83)


Length	10.3 km	6.4 miles
Climb / descent	150 / 1,050 m	490 / 3,450 ft

Elevation (leg 83)

Map (leg 83)

Leg 84: Kagbeni to Santa

The trail was occasionally tricky to follow. Be aware that from here onwards for the rest of the trek, the trails have a lot less water sources than the east of the country. There were several days where there was only one water source for the whole day. On a sunny day you may need to start with more water than you're used to.

Waypoints (leg 84)

L084 Santa (3,780 m / 12,400 ft): We stayed overnight at a basic homestay in Santa.

Ratings (leg 84)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 84)


Length	19.9 km	12.4 miles
Climb / descent	2,160 / 1,370 m	7,090 / 4,480 ft

Elevation (leg 84)

Map (leg 84)

Leg 85: Santa to Ghalden Ghuldun

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 85)

L085 Ghalden Ghuldun (4,250 m / 13,900 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent shelter in Ghalden Ghuldun.

Ratings (leg 85)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: shelter - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 85)


Length	8.8 km	5.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,210 / 750 m	3,980 / 2,470 ft

Elevation (leg 85)

Map (leg 85)

Leg 86: Ghalden Ghuldun to Nulungsumda Kharka

Very tricky to follow trail, which was steep with slippery crumbling slate fragments underfoot in places. We made a navigational blunder by following what looked like a horse track on the ground. This led in the wrong direction and we then chose a dangerous exposed traverse instead of backtracking (the route does not take this detour). Update from Kate (2021): “The shelter at Sangda Phedi has collapsed as of 2021. The river was easily crossable without needing to get wet feet. We had no navigational issues in this section as the trail was well traveled and some of it was road.”

Waypoints (leg 86)

L086 Sangda Phedi (5,150 m / 16,900 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice shelter in Sangda Phedi just before the ascent to Jungben La. If you stay overnight here, take note of the options for crossing the river in the morning. When we crossed there was a partially broken bridge, and although the river was shallow, we had to get wet feet. An early morning start at over 5,000m meant that it was well below freezing, and getting wet was very uncomfortable.

L086 Jungben La (5,550 m / 18,200 ft): From the river a very easy 400m ascent up a gravel slope leads to Jungben La.

L086 Niwas La (5,140 m / 16,900 ft): When approaching from the east, Niwas La has no real ascent, and the only real indication you've reached it is a pile of rocks with prayer flags.

L086 Nulungsumda Kharka (4,970 m / 16,300 ft): We didn't actually stay overnight here, but after the descent from Niwas La the terrain flattens out and there is a flat grassy area here. We saw some herders in tents here so you may also be able to get food.

Ratings (leg 86)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 86)


Length	13.7 km	8.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,550 / 830 m	5,090 / 2,720 ft

Elevation (leg 86)

Map (leg 86)

Leg 87: Nulungsumda Kharka to Chharka Bhot

We had a huge problem here. The trail on the east side of the Thansan Khola was blocked. We backtracked and camped overnight at Norbulung. In the morning we made a very bad decision. I believe the best way would have been to continue towards Chharka Bhot on the west bank after crossing the Thansan Khola. I would recommend doing this, and have left the route going this way to Chharka Bhot even though we didn't go this way. We made the decision to hike up the Yalku Khola, heading towards one of the passes near Chharka Bhot. The upper parts of the Yalku Khola were not passable, and the pass we were aiming for didn't look safe at all. We changed plans several times, and ended up hiking for two days over mountainous terrain with no trails on the map or the ground. The route we took skipped Chharka Bhot entirely and continued directly west across the mountains to the Chap Chu East waypoint, camping overnight at Sipalun Kharka. This part of the route was relatively easy with no particularly dangerous terrain. However, the problem is that you arrive at Chap Chu on the east side of the Bharbun Khola. There is no bridge and when we were there (August 16th) the river was far too swollen to cross. After taking advice from some Yak herders, we followed a rough trail south to Sinjik expecting the water to be lower, however this was incorrect and in fact the water was higher. Sinjik was deserted with a few derelict buildings, and as far as we could see the path finished there and we couldn't go any further south. We were out of options and about to give up when a local man appeared and led us along the most perilous trails I've ever hiked in my life. Slippery rocks with certain death falls inches away. I would highly recommend not trying to repeat this route! After a couple of hours we arrived in Thinmer where we stayed overnight in a basic homestay. Thinmer has a bridge over the Bharbun Khola, and the trail north to Chap Chu on the west side of the river was safe and well maintained. If you would like our detailed GPS tracks for this route, you can find them in our raw GPX logs (days 123-126), however be warned that the section from Sinjik to Thinmer was exceedingly dangerous and I would absolutely not repeat it myself. Update from Kate (2021): “Where you marked the trail as blocked there is actually a road on the west side of the river now. It crosses back to the east after maybe a kilometer. The rest of the way is an easy road.”

Waypoints (leg 87)

L087 Thansan Khola (4,680 m / 15,300 ft): The Thansan Khola flows north towards Chharka Bhot, and all digital / printed maps show a trail following the east bank.

L087 Cross (4,760 m / 15,600 ft): The Thansan Khola is shallow at this point and we easily crossed (August 15th). My recommendation is to cross here to the west side and continue to Chharka Bhot this way. Note we didn't hike this way, so the route is only approximate and you may need to cross the river again before reaching Chharka Bhot.

L087 Blocked (4,730 m / 15,500 ft): The trail on the east side of the Thansan Khola was blocked here. With less water in the river it may be possible to pass this point by wading in the water, but when we were here (August 15th) it was completely impossible. Note that we didn't hike past this point, but I have left the route going this way as per the digital / paper maps.

L087 Norbulung (4,760 m / 15,600 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice flat grassy campsite.

L087 Chharka Bhot (4,300 m / 14,100 ft): We didn't stay here, but I believe Chharka Bhot is a small village where you might be able to arrange a basic homestay.

L087 Yalku Khola (4,850 m / 15,900 ft): We made a bad decision to follow the Yalku Khola upstream trying to find an alternative route to Chharka Bhot.

L087 Sipalun Kharka (5,220 m / 17,100 ft): We stayed overnight at a relatively flat area here.

L087 Chap Chu East (4,260 m / 14,000 ft): This is on the opposite side of the river to Chap Chu, and we found no safe way to cross.

L087 Sinjik (4,080 m / 13,400 ft): We were expecting to be able to stay overnight in a homestay in Sinjik, but the buildings were all derelict and nobody was living there.

L087 Thinmer (4,050 m / 13,300 ft): The path we followed south from Sinjik to Thinmer was extremely dangerous and I would not repeat it. Thinmer is a small village and we stayed overnight in basic homestay. There is a bridge over the Bharbun Khola at Thinmer and the trail leading north towards Chap Chu on the west side is safe and well maintained.

L087 Bharbun Khola (4,120 m / 13,500 ft): The Bharbun Khola flows south from Chharka Bhot, past Sinjik and Thinmer. It was far too dangerous to cross when we were there (August 15th).

Ratings (leg 87)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - (unknown)

Stats (leg 87)


Length	22.0 km	13.7 miles
Climb / descent	670 / 1,330 m	2,190 / 4,370 ft

Elevation (leg 87)

Map (leg 87)

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Leg 88: Chharka Bhot to Chap Chu

Extreme care should be taken if hiking this route from Chharka Bhot to Chap Chu. We did not hike this way, and the route is just copied from the paper maps. There is no trail shown on digital maps, which usually indicates the trail on the ground is tenuous or non-existent. The guidebook mentions there are several crossings of the Bharbun Khola required with no bridge. We only saw that river south (downstream) of Chap Chu, but I would expect crossing it would have been impossible even further upstream when we were there (August 16th). The guidebook and paper maps mention an alternative trail that takes a more remote northerly route from Chharka Bhot to Dho Tarap via Mola La (5030m) and Jhyarkoi La (5360m). I suggest you talk to locals at Chharka Bhot and work out the best option considering the current conditions. It may be possible to arrange a local guide - I would highly recommend that. Again I must stress that I believe this leg would have been impossible when we were here (August 16th) due to the river being too swollen. If you find a reliable, safe route through this section, please contact me (dave@brophy.uk) because I would love to use your GPS tracks and trail notes here. Update from Kate (2012): “Most of this section is also road now. The only trail section is the last ~5k to Chap Chu. We had no dangerous river crossings and no trouble following the trail (Sept 2, 2021). Charka Bhot had a couple guesthouses, but we only stopped for lunch.”

Waypoints (leg 88)

L088 Chap Chu (4,340 m / 14,200 ft): We stayed at an excellent flat grassy campsite at Chap Chu. There were some very friendly herders living in tents that sold us instant noodles. Note that we arrived at Chap Chu via a different route from the south (see notes for leg 87).

Ratings (leg 88)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 88)


Length	13.5 km	8.4 miles
Climb / descent	750 / 710 m	2,450 / 2,340 ft

Elevation (leg 88)

Map (leg 88)

Leg 89: Chap Chu to Dho Tarap

The first half of this leg was extremely tricky, and required long sections of bushwhacking through dense shrubland. There were several crossings of a river, which was small enough that we managed to avoid getting our feet wet by hopping across rocks. As soon as we climbed above the treeline the terrain become easier to traverse and a trail on the ground became apparent. The ascent to the pass and the descent into Dho Tarap were much easier to navigate. There are several small rivers crossings with no bridges, but none were more than ankle deep (August 19th). Update from Kate (2021): “Part of this is also road. We had no navigational issues.”

Waypoints (leg 89)

L089 Chan La (5,380 m / 17,600 ft): The ascent to Chan La was relatively easy. The slope leading to the pass was steep gravel but the trail was well worn and provided good footing. Again on the descent the trail proved easy to follow and stable underfoot.

L089 Dho Tarap (4,080 m / 13,400 ft): Dho Tarap is a paradise of rolling green pastures and fields of crops. The town is very basic but there is one nice clean guesthouse where we stayed.

Ratings (leg 89)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 89)


Length	20.1 km	12.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,210 / 1,460 m	3,950 / 4,800 ft

Elevation (leg 89)

Map (leg 89)

Leg 90: Dho Tarap to Danigar

The trail out of Dho Tarap was a very easy hike along a well maintained trail. As we approached the pass the trail became less well defined but the terrain above the treeline was open and easy to traverse. Past the pass it got easier with a more well defined trail.

Waypoints (leg 90)

L090 Numa La (5,310 m / 17,400 ft): The ascent to Numa La was relatively easy. The trail on the ground was tenuous and not well marked, but the terrain was open and easy to traverse.

L090 Danigar (4,480 m / 14,700 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice flat grassy campsite. There were some herders living in tents here.

Ratings (leg 90)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 90)


Length	19.2 km	11.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,550 / 1,160 m	5,070 / 3,790 ft

Elevation (leg 90)

Map (leg 90)

Leg 91: Danigar to Ringmo

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 91)

L091 Baga La (5,170 m / 16,900 ft): The crossing of Baga La receives plenty of foot traffic from regular trips by pack animals, so was well trodden and easy to follow.

L091 Ringmo (3,630 m / 11,900 ft): Ringmo is a small town, and we were expecting luxury accommodation options. However I think out of season (August 22nd) many of the guesthouses were closed. We stayed at a nice guesthouse.

Ratings (leg 91)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 91)


Length	17.4 km	10.8 miles
Climb / descent	1,350 / 2,200 m	4,410 / 7,200 ft

Elevation (leg 91)

Map (leg 91)

Leg 92: Ringmo to Phoksundo Khola Camp

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail along the edge of the utterly spectacular Phoksundo Lake.

Waypoints (leg 92)

L092 Phoksundo Khola Camp (3,620 m / 11,900 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent flat grassy campsite at Phoksundo Khola Camp. There were some friendly herders living in tents here.

Ratings (leg 92)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: campsite - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 92)


Length	7.8 km	4.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,010 / 1,020 m	3,300 / 3,360 ft

Elevation (leg 92)

Map (leg 92)

Leg 93: Phoksundo Khola Camp to Pass Camp

The first half of this leg was a very easy hike up a wide flat river valley along a well maintained trail. As soon as we turned right up the narrow gorge it completely changed. This section was extremely technical, scrambling up 900m of elevation over large rock obstacles. It involved dangerous leaps between rocks to cross the river numerous times. There was no trail marked on the ground, and we had to backtrack several times to find safer places to cross the river. Update from Kate (2021): “The narrow gorge has a very nice trail. We had no scrambling and no dangerous leaps between rocks. There were bridges for most of the river crossings. We had to ford a couple, but it was only knee deep at most (August 28, 2021). There is a new looking shelter about 500m after Pass Camp. Locals were happy to share the space with us.”

Waypoints (leg 93)

L093 Gorge (3,740 m / 12,300 ft): This is the start of a very tricky steep gorge with scrambling and many tricky river crossings.

L093 Pass Camp (4,640 m / 15,200 ft): This was the first flat camping option we found since starting the ascent of the gorge. It was flat but very rocky.

Ratings (leg 93)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: campsite - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 93)


Length	12.7 km	7.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,390 / 360 m	4,550 / 1,190 ft

Elevation (leg 93)

Map (leg 93)

Leg 94: Pass Camp to Shey Gompa

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 94)

L094 Nagdalo La (5,340 m / 17,500 ft): The ascent was relatively easy and not particularly steep. On the descent, after a short steep section at the top, the trail was well marked and easy to follow.

L094 Shey Gompa (4,320 m / 14,200 ft): We stayed overnight in a nice shelter in the grounds of the temple at Shey Gompa.

Ratings (leg 94)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: shelter - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 94)


Length	10.3 km	6.4 miles
Climb / descent	730 / 1,100 m	2,390 / 3,610 ft

Elevation (leg 94)

Map (leg 94)

Leg 95: Shey Gompa to Bhijer

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 95)

L095 Bhijer (3,860 m / 12,700 ft): There was one basic guesthouse in Bhijer, but the owner was out of town so we stayed overnight in a basic homestay.

Ratings (leg 95)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: homestay - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 95)


Length	18.6 km	11.6 miles
Climb / descent	1,370 / 1,840 m	4,500 / 6,020 ft

Elevation (leg 95)

Map (leg 95)

Leg 96: Bhijer to Pho

The trail was well marked and easy to follow, but very steep and perilous in places. We only found one source of fresh water on this leg, so you may be advised to start the day with more if the weather is sunny.

Waypoints (leg 96)

L096 Pho (4,090 m / 13,400 ft): We stayed at a basic homestay in Pho.

Ratings (leg 96)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 96)


Length	12.6 km	7.8 miles
Climb / descent	1,740 / 1,450 m	5,710 / 4,770 ft

Elevation (leg 96)

Map (leg 96)

Leg 97: Pho to Pung Kharka

I believe we made a navigational error when departing Pho. We headed approximately north towards the rightmost of two chortens that were visible in the distance from the village. After passing the chorten, the trail stopped and we spent the three hours bushwhacking across steep shrubland to the ridge. If I was to hike this leg again I'd try aiming for the leftmost chorten and hope that the trail continues all the way to the ridge. When we reached the ridge, we found a trail that seemed to come from the south from the general direction of Pho, so I believe this was an easier route. However the terrain was relatively open so the section of bushwhacking didn't post any significant dangers. I have left the route following our track. If you find a better route through this section, please contact me (dave@brophy.uk) because I would love to use your GPS track. Once we reached the ridge, we found a trail that was relatively easy to follow. Take note of the waypoint that marks the descent from the ridge because it may be easy to miss. Update from Kate (2021): “The trail to the left is the correct trail. Easy to follow when you’re on it.”

Waypoints (leg 97)

L097 Ridge (4,980 m / 16,300 ft): Once you reach this ridge, the ascent to the pass is relatively well trodden and easy to follow.

L097 Gyanzen La (5,530 m / 18,100 ft): The ascent to the pass, and the descent on the other side is relatively well trodden and easy to follow.

L097 Descent (5,410 m / 17,800 ft): Watch out for this waypoint, which marks where the trail leaves the ridge and descends into the valley to the north. It may be easy to miss if conditions aren't perfect.

L097 Pung Kharka (4,530 m / 14,800 ft): We stayed overnight at a flat gravely area at Pung Kharka.

Ratings (leg 97)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 97)


Length	13.7 km	8.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,740 / 1,310 m	5,720 / 4,300 ft

Elevation (leg 97)

Map (leg 97)

Leg 98: Pung Kharka to Chyandi Khola

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail, with a tricky point on the ascent to the pass (see waypoints).

Waypoints (leg 98)

L098 Climb (4,820 m / 15,800 ft): I believe we made a navigational blunder here. This waypoint marks where we started climbing up the steep grassy hill towards the pass. After half an hour of bushwhacking we came across a well trodden trail coming from the south. I believe that this trail ascends from the valley starting further south from this waypoint, and you should try to find it. The gradient was very steep on this section and a fall would have been very bad.

L098 Yala La (5,400 m / 17,700 ft): After we found the trail, the rest of the ascent and the descent on the other side of Yala La was relatively well trodden and easy to follow.

L098 Chyandi Khola (4,700 m / 15,400 ft): We stayed overnight at the best campsite of the trek at Chyandi Khola. A large flat grassy area near the river with spectacular views of the mountains.

Ratings (leg 98)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: campsite - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 98)


Length	12.3 km	7.7 miles
Climb / descent	1,040 / 870 m	3,420 / 2,840 ft

Elevation (leg 98)

Map (leg 98)

Leg 99: Chyandi Khola to Takla Khola

We made a string of bad decisions today that resulted in the most dangerous situation of the trek. We missed a trail and continued hiking down the Chyandi Khola directly next to the river. As we continued the banks became increasingly steep and we had to pass increasingly dangerous obstacles to continue following the river. As the number of perilous situations we encountered grew, the prospect of backtracking through them again seemed more and more problematic. In the end, it was impossible to continue, and we made the decision to climb out of the river gorge up a steep bank. This was utterly idiotic and could have easily cost us our lives. We had no idea what was above us, and the terrain was so steep that we were basically rock climbing with no safety equipment. When we reached the top of the ridge, we found a well trodden trail that led down to a bridge over the Kaitpuchonam Khola. Neither of us were in any mood for more adventures, so we camped as soon as we crossed the bridge. I have adjusted the route to follow where I'm guessing the trail comes from, but be aware that we completely missed it, so this is very approximate. We completed the rest of this leg to Takla Khola the next day, which was tricky to follow and very steep in places. Update from Kate (2021): “Where you marked that you missed the trail that goes up the north bank is actually about where you should cross the river to the south bank. The trail goes in and out especially at the beginning, but just follow the river. There is a bridge that crosses the Chyandi Khola right by where the other bridge crosses the Kaitpuchonam Khola. We were going west to east and tried to find a trail on the north side of the river, but everything we tried cliffed out. We could see the second bridge and decided to go for it. Had no problems following the river on the south side.”

Waypoints (leg 99)

L099 Trail (4,280 m / 14,000 ft): We missed the trail that leads higher up the north bank of the Chyandi Khola river, so I can only guess where it starts. Be thorough searching for it, because you don't want to get into the same mess that we did.

L099 Warning (4,460 m / 14,600 ft): If you find yourself still following close to the river bank at this waypoint, I would highly recommend backtracking and trying to find the trail further up the hillside to the north.

L099 Disaster (4,270 m / 14,000 ft): This is where we made the insane decision to climb out of the river gorge. Don't do this.

L099 Kaitpuchonam Khola (4,170 m / 13,700 ft): We camped here in a cramped campsite directly after a small bridge over the Kaitpuchonam Khola river.

L099 Takla Khola (3,750 m / 12,300 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent flat campsite in the woods.

Ratings (leg 99)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 99)


Length	12.0 km	7.5 miles
Climb / descent	970 / 2,110 m	3,180 / 6,930 ft

Elevation (leg 99)

Map (leg 99)

Leg 100: Takla Khola to Thajuchaur

The first part of the trail in the forest was occasionally tricky to follow. Above the treeline it got a lot easier, and the trail was relatively well trodden and easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 100)

L100 Chyargo La (5,130 m / 16,800 ft): The Chyargo La pass was relatively easy, with the trail on the ascent and descent being relatively easy to follow.

L100 Thajuchaur (4,050 m / 13,300 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice flat grassy campsite at Thajuchaur.

Ratings (leg 100)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 100)


Length	11.2 km	7.0 miles
Climb / descent	1,420 / 1,120 m	4,640 / 3,670 ft

Elevation (leg 100)

Map (leg 100)

Leg 101: Thajuchaur to Shilenchaura Kharka

The trail was reasonably easy to follow, but several sections were more tricky, and very overgrown with foliage. Care was needed to stay on the trail.

Waypoints (leg 101)

L101 Shilenchaura Kharka (2,910 m / 9,550 ft): We didn't actually stay overnight here, but we had lunch at an excellent guesthouse.

Ratings (leg 101)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 101)


Length	9.0 km	5.6 miles
Climb / descent	150 / 1,290 m	500 / 4,220 ft

Elevation (leg 101)

Map (leg 101)

Leg 102: Shilenchaura Kharka to Mangri

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 102)

L102 Bridge (2,950 m / 9,690 ft): You'll need to hike back to this bridge to cross the Mugu Khola.

L102 Chhewathan (2,240 m / 7,350 ft): We stayed overnight at a basic guesthouse in Chhewathan, which is a small village on a dirt road with shops.

L102 Mangri (2,240 m / 7,350 ft): We skipped Mangri and hiked directly to Gamgadhi. We planned to have lunch here, but there didn't seem to be any guesthouses. There were plenty of buildings, but they all looked very basic. If you plan to stay here overnight a basic homestay is probably the only option.

Ratings (leg 102)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 102)


Length	27.9 km	17.3 miles
Climb / descent	1,320 / 2,010 m	4,310 / 6,580 ft

Elevation (leg 102)

Map (leg 102)

Leg 103: Mangri to Gamgadhi

Easy hike along a dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 103)

L103 Gamgadhi (2,130 m / 6,980 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Gamgadhi, which is a major town with many shops and services.

Ratings (leg 103)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 103)


Length	18.6 km	11.6 miles
Climb / descent	1,320 / 1,430 m	4,320 / 4,690 ft

Elevation (leg 103)

Map (leg 103)

Leg 104: Gamgadhi to Rara Lake

We skipped the Rara Lake side trek, but I believe the trail is relatively major so should be a problem to follow.

Waypoints (leg 104)

L104 Rara Lake (3,000 m / 9,840 ft): We skipped the Rara Lake side trek, but I believe there are several guesthouses here.

Ratings (leg 104)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 104)


Length	8.3 km	5.2 miles
Climb / descent	1,000 / 130 m	3,290 / 410 ft

Elevation (leg 104)

Map (leg 104)

Leg 105: Rara Lake to Dharke Khola

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 105)

L105 Bam (2,650 m / 8,690 ft): Some itineraries recommend an overnight stop here in Bam, but when we passed through it was a very basic looking village. We continued to Dharke Khola where we found a guesthouse, and I have adjusted the route to skip Bam.

L105 Dharke Khola (2,740 m / 9,000 ft): We stayed overnight at a basic guesthouse in Dharke Khola.

Ratings (leg 105)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 105)


Length	21.6 km	13.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,710 / 1,910 m	5,620 / 6,270 ft

Elevation (leg 105)

Map (leg 105)

Leg 106: Dharke Khola to Rimi

The dirt road has many long switchbacks, with steep footpaths that shortcut between them. This can be tricky to follow at times. When we hiked there were several extremely muddy sections, and other trekkers have confirmed this is a common problem.

Waypoints (leg 106)

L106 Rimi (2,540 m / 8,330 ft): We stayed overnight at a basic guesthouse in Rimi.

Ratings (leg 106)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 106)


Length	15.4 km	9.6 miles
Climb / descent	1,510 / 1,580 m	4,960 / 5,200 ft

Elevation (leg 106)

Map (leg 106)

Leg 107: Rimi to Melcham

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 107)

L107 Piplan (1,730 m / 5,670 ft): Some itineraries recommend an overnight stop here in Piplan, and it would be a reasonable option. We stopped for a rest here and it looked like a large village with a basic guesthouse and some shops.

L107 Melcham (2,630 m / 8,620 ft): We stayed overnight at a basic guesthouse in Melcham.

Ratings (leg 107)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 107)


Length	11.6 km	7.2 miles
Climb / descent	1,380 / 1,030 m	4,520 / 3,360 ft

Elevation (leg 107)

Map (leg 107)

Leg 108: Melcham to Apsia Lek

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 108)

L108 Apsia Lek (3,190 m / 10,500 ft): We skipped Apsia Lek and hiked all the way to Punkha Khola in one day. Apsia Lek is a nice flat grassy campsite. There is one shack here where a basic homestay could perhaps be arranged.

Ratings (leg 108)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 108)


Length	9.2 km	5.7 miles
Climb / descent	1,290 / 670 m	4,240 / 2,190 ft

Elevation (leg 108)

Map (leg 108)

Leg 109: Apsia Lek to Punkha Khola

Take care to follow the route carefully when leaving Apsia Lek. The correct trail traverses the hillside without descending. We took two wrong trails and had to backtrack twice. Apart from this difficulty, the trail was well maintained and easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 109)

L109 Punkha Khola (2,460 m / 8,080 ft): We stayed at a very basic homestay in Punkha Khola (actually we erected the tent on the roof of their house).

Ratings (leg 109)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: homestay - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 109)


Length	10.4 km	6.5 miles
Climb / descent	670 / 1,400 m	2,190 / 4,590 ft

Elevation (leg 109)

Map (leg 109)

Leg 110: Punkha Khola to River Camp

Simple hike along a reasonably easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 110)

L110 River Camp (2,990 m / 9,800 ft): We stayed overnight at a very cramped camp site at River Camp. The only flat ground had dense green leafy plants growing all over it, so we ended up pitching the tent on top of 20cm of foliage. It wasn't actually too bad after carefully clearing it of all the sharp sticks hiding underneath.

Ratings (leg 110)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 110)


Length	13.3 km	8.3 miles
Climb / descent	1,920 / 1,390 m	6,310 / 4,570 ft

Elevation (leg 110)

Map (leg 110)

Leg 111: River Camp to Simikot

Easy hike along a well maintained trail / dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 111)

L111 Simikot (2,990 m / 9,790 ft): Simikot is a large town with an airport, many shops and many excellent guesthouses.

Ratings (leg 111)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 111)


Length	16.1 km	10.0 miles
Climb / descent	1,650 / 1,650 m	5,410 / 5,420 ft

Elevation (leg 111)

Map (leg 111)

Leg 112: Simikot to Salli

Easy hike along a well maintained trail / dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 112)

L112 Kermi (2,900 m / 9,500 ft): Some itineraries recommend an overnight stop here in Kermi, but it didn't look like there were any guesthouses here. We continued hiking to Sali, and I have adjusted the route to skip Kermi.

L112 Salli (2,970 m / 9,750 ft): We stayed overnight at a basic guesthouse in Salli.

Ratings (leg 112)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 112)


Length	23.4 km	14.5 miles
Climb / descent	2,300 / 2,360 m	7,540 / 7,750 ft

Elevation (leg 112)

Map (leg 112)

Leg 113: Salli to Thumkot

Easy hike along a well maintained trail / dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 113)

L113 Gompa (3,180 m / 10,400 ft): We hiked up to the monastery and village at this waypoint, but could find no lodgings. Camping would be an option here but we left our tent in Simikot, so we backtracked all the way back down to the bridge.

L113 Thumkot (3,000 m / 9,840 ft): There were a couple of buildings just after the bridge that offered us a basic homestay, however we made the decision to skip Thumkot and hike all the way to Yari because we were in a rush to get back to Simikot for our return flight to Kathmandu.

Ratings (leg 113)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 113)


Length	17.9 km	11.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,270 / 1,170 m	4,170 / 3,850 ft

Elevation (leg 113)

Map (leg 113)

Leg 114: Thumkot to Yari

Easy hike along a dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 114)

L114 Yari (3,780 m / 12,400 ft): We stayed at a nice guesthouse in Yari, which is a large village with several guesthouses and shops.

Ratings (leg 114)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 114)


Length	12.0 km	7.4 miles
Climb / descent	1,170 / 390 m	3,840 / 1,290 ft

Elevation (leg 114)

Map (leg 114)

Leg 115: Yari to Hilsa

Easy hike along a well maintained trail / dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 115)

L115 Hilsa (3,630 m / 11,900 ft): We didn't actually stay overnight in Hilsa but it is a small town on the Chinese border with many shops and guesthouses. There were two empty spaces on the last helicopter of the day back to Simikot so we flew back directly after arriving.

Ratings (leg 115)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 115)


Length	20.7 km	12.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,400 / 1,600 m	4,590 / 5,240 ft

Elevation (leg 115)

Map (leg 115)

Great Himalaya Trail - Trail notes (no maps)

dave — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Comprehensive trail notes for the Great Himalaya Trail (no maps).

This is version 11 of the trail notes. GPS routes for these trail notes are available here.

There are versions of this page with maps or with no maps, and you can find the data used to generate this page as a Google sheet.

Trail notes

Leg 1: Taplejung to Phurumbu

Easy hike along a dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 1)

L001 Phurumbu (1,680 m / 5,500 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Phurumbu.

Ratings (leg 1)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 1)


Length	9.0 km	5.6 miles
Climb / descent	310 / 990 m	1,020 / 3,240 ft

Elevation (leg 1)

Leg 2: Phurumbu to Chiruwa

Easy hike along a dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 2)

L002 Chirwa (1,230 m / 4,030 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Chirwa.

Ratings (leg 2)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 2)


Length	17.2 km	10.7 miles
Climb / descent	1,310 / 1,750 m	4,290 / 5,740 ft

Elevation (leg 2)

Leg 3: Chiruwa to Sukethum

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 3)

L003 Sukethum (1,570 m / 5,160 ft): Stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Sukethum.

Ratings (leg 3)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 3)


Length	10.5 km	6.5 miles
Climb / descent	990 / 640 m	3,250 / 2,110 ft

Elevation (leg 3)

Leg 4: Sukethum to Amjilosa

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 4)

L004 Amjilosa (2,410 m / 7,890 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Amjilosa.

Ratings (leg 4)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 4)


Length	8.1 km	5.0 miles
Climb / descent	1,230 / 460 m	4,050 / 1,520 ft

Elevation (leg 4)

Leg 5: Amjilosa to Gyabla

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 5)

L005 Gyabla (2,710 m / 8,890 ft): Stayed overnight in an excellent guesthouse in Gyabla.

Ratings (leg 5)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 5)


Length	7.5 km	4.7 miles
Climb / descent	1,040 / 790 m	3,410 / 2,590 ft

Elevation (leg 5)

Leg 6: Gyabla to Ghunsa

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 6)

L006 Phale (3,250 m / 10,600 ft): The small village of Phale would make a great option for lunch or a homestay. I heard great things about the food.

L006 Ghunsa (3,420 m / 11,200 ft): Stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Ghunsa, which is a large village with several guesthouses and a small shop.

Ratings (leg 6)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 6)


Length	10.5 km	6.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,120 / 410 m	3,680 / 1,360 ft

Elevation (leg 6)

Leg 7: Ghunsa to Khangpachen

Trail was occasionally tricky to follow as it traversed landslide areas.

Waypoints (leg 7)

L007 Khangpachen (4,080 m / 13,400 ft): Stayed overnight in an excellent guest house in Khangpachen.

Ratings (leg 7)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 7)


Length	10.6 km	6.6 miles
Climb / descent	950 / 290 m	3,130 / 960 ft

Elevation (leg 7)

Leg 8: Khangpachen to Lhonak

Waypoints (leg 8)

L008 Lhonak (4,750 m / 15,600 ft): Lhonak is a tiny patch of flat land between two glaciers, and has nothing apart from a few very basic guesthouses. I imagine they would be closed out of season.

Ratings (leg 8)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 8)


Length	9.9 km	6.2 miles
Climb / descent	940 / 270 m	3,070 / 870 ft

Elevation (leg 8)

Leg 9: Lhonak to Pangpema

Waypoints (leg 9)

Ratings (leg 9)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 3/5 (average)
Accommodation: campsite - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 9)


Length	7.9 km	4.9 miles
Climb / descent	640 / 260 m	2,090 / 840 ft

Elevation (leg 9)

Leg 10: Pangpema to Lhonak

This is the reverse of leg 9. I hiked from base camp all the way to Kangpachen in one day so I didn't stay at Lhonak overnight.

Waypoints (leg 10)

L010 Landslide (5,070 m / 16,600 ft): See leg 9

L010 Lhonak (4,760 m / 15,600 ft): See leg 8

Ratings (leg 10)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 3/5 (average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 10)


Length	7.9 km	4.9 miles
Climb / descent	250 / 630 m	830 / 2,080 ft

Elevation (leg 10)

Leg 11: Lhonak to Kangpachen

This is the reverse of leg 8.

Waypoints (leg 11)

L011 Khangpachen (4,090 m / 13,400 ft): See leg 7

Ratings (leg 11)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 11)


Length	9.8 km	6.1 miles
Climb / descent	260 / 930 m	870 / 3,050 ft

Elevation (leg 11)

Leg 12: Kangpachen to Ghunsa

This is the reverse of leg 7.

Waypoints (leg 12)

L012 Ghunsa (3,420 m / 11,200 ft): See leg 6

Ratings (leg 12)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 12)


Length	10.8 km	6.7 miles
Climb / descent	290 / 970 m	960 / 3,180 ft

Elevation (leg 12)

Leg 13: Ghunsa to Kharka

The trail was tricky trail to follow.

Waypoints (leg 13)

L013 Kharka (4,170 m / 13,700 ft): This camp site is brand new (as of spring 2019), with large flattened platforms and water nearby.

Ratings (leg 13)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 13)


Length	5.5 km	3.4 miles
Climb / descent	990 / 250 m	3,240 / 800 ft

Elevation (leg 13)

Leg 14: Kharka to Yangjong Kharka

Trail was almost non existent and obscured with snow for much of the day. However above the tree line the terrain was open so the route was easy to follow without a trail on the ground.

Waypoints (leg 14)

L014 Nango La (4,770 m / 15,700 ft): The first high pass of the trek.

Ratings (leg 14)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: shelter - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 14)


Length	8.6 km	5.4 miles
Climb / descent	630 / 1,060 m	2,070 / 3,460 ft

Elevation (leg 14)

Leg 15: Yangjong Kharka to Olangchun Gola

Waypoints (leg 15)

L015 Bridge (3,220 m / 10,600 ft): This is the new bridge over the Yangma Khola (as of spring 2019). After the bridge, the trail follows the standard route shown on digital / paper maps.

L015 North Bridge (3,390 m / 11,100 ft): This is a new bridge that Kate found (summer 2022).

L015 Olangchun Gola (3,190 m / 10,500 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Olangchun Gola.

Ratings (leg 15)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 15)


Length	11.5 km	7.1 miles
Climb / descent	860 / 1,410 m	2,830 / 4,640 ft

Elevation (leg 15)

Leg 16: Olangchun Gola to Pass Camp

After a simple section along a dirt road, the trail became much more difficult to follow. In the upper elevations the trail was completely obscured by deep snow.

Waypoints (leg 16)

L016 Pass Camp (4,850 m / 15,900 ft): This camp site was covered in deep snow when I stayed here.

Ratings (leg 16)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: campsite - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 16)


Length	15.0 km	9.3 miles
Climb / descent	1,780 / 120 m	5,830 / 390 ft

Elevation (leg 16)

Leg 17: Pass Camp to Thudam

In the upper elevations the trail was completely obscured by deep snow, but I believe the route follows a reasonable path across the pass.

Waypoints (leg 17)

L017 Lumbha Sumbha (5,150 m / 16,900 ft): The Lumbha Sumbha pass is really two passes joined by a steep traverse. This is the final pass before the descent towards Thudam.

L017 Thudam (3,550 m / 11,700 ft): Thudam is a very poor village. I stayed overnight in a very basic homestay.

Ratings (leg 17)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: homestay - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 17)


Length	13.7 km	8.5 miles
Climb / descent	390 / 1,690 m	1,280 / 5,540 ft

Elevation (leg 17)

Leg 18: Thudam to Jijibuk

The trail traverses a steep hillside, and rather dangerous in places. However, not too difficult to follow despite the warnings online of navigational blunders by previous hikers.

Waypoints (leg 18)

Ratings (leg 18)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 3/5 (average)
Accommodation: homestay - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 18)


Length	9.3 km	5.8 miles
Climb / descent	720 / 1,480 m	2,380 / 4,850 ft

Elevation (leg 18)

Leg 19: Jijibuk to Lingham

The trail was relatively well maintained and easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 19)

L019 Lingham (2,190 m / 7,180 ft): Stayed overnight in an excellent guesthouse in Lingham.

Ratings (leg 19)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 19)


Length	11.9 km	7.4 miles
Climb / descent	1,200 / 1,670 m	3,940 / 5,480 ft

Elevation (leg 19)

Leg 20: Lingham to Hongon

The trail was mostly well maintained and easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 20)

L020 Hongon (2,330 m / 7,630 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Hongon.

Ratings (leg 20)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 20)


Length	9.1 km	5.7 miles
Climb / descent	1,160 / 1,050 m	3,800 / 3,430 ft

Elevation (leg 20)

Leg 21: Hongon to Molun Pokhari

Waypoints (leg 21)

Ratings (leg 21)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 3/5 (average)
Accommodation: campsite - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 21)


Length	8.2 km	5.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,750 / 130 m	5,740 / 410 ft

Elevation (leg 21)

Leg 22: Molun Pokhari to Clearing Camp

Waypoints (leg 22)

L022 Dhungge Khola (3,620 m / 11,900 ft): The bridge over the Dhungge Khola was just two planks of wood (spring 2019). The guidebook mentions it is often washed away.

L022 Suvi Crossed (3,020 m / 9,900 ft): Suvi (2019) managed to cross the river here, but I wouldn't recommend this unless there is a bridge or it is safe.

Ratings (leg 22)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 22)


Length	12.1 km	7.5 miles
Climb / descent	600 / 1,570 m	1,970 / 5,140 ft

Elevation (leg 22)

Leg 23: Clearing Camp to Kalo Pokhari

Waypoints (leg 23)

L023 Cave Camp (3,190 m / 10,500 ft): Mike (2025): “Cliff Camp is under a big cliff on the left side of the trail. Room for half a dozen tents tents along the cliff face.”

L023 Kalo Pokhari (4,190 m / 13,700 ft): Suvi (2019): “We camped at a nice flat area near to the lake here.”

Ratings (leg 23)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 23)


Length	6.5 km	4.0 miles
Climb / descent	1,540 / 260 m	5,060 / 860 ft

Elevation (leg 23)

Leg 24: Kalo Pokhari to Yangla Kharka

Waypoints (leg 24)

L024 Shelter (4,090 m / 13,400 ft): Mike (2025): “The shelter was almost brand new with a fire pit inside.”

L024 Yangla Kharka (3,760 m / 12,300 ft): We stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse at Yangla Kharka. If you have time, continue to Langmale Kharka which is a nicer guesthouse.

Ratings (leg 24)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 24)


Length	13.7 km	8.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,040 / 1,470 m	3,420 / 4,810 ft

Elevation (leg 24)

Leg 25: Yangla Kharka to Makalu Base Camp

The trail was reasonably easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 25)

L025 Langmale Kharka (4,450 m / 14,600 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice guesthouse in Langmale Kharka.

L025 Makalu Base Camp (4,840 m / 15,900 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice, but very expensive guesthouse at Makalu Base Camp.

Ratings (leg 25)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 25)


Length	13.9 km	8.7 miles
Climb / descent	1,390 / 310 m	4,560 / 1,010 ft

Elevation (leg 25)

Leg 26: Makalu Base Camp to Swiss Base Camp

The trail was tricky to follow. For some sections we were scrambling over glacial moraine, following occasional cairns.

Waypoints (leg 26)

Ratings (leg 26)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 26)


Length	4.5 km	2.8 miles
Climb / descent	460 / 100 m	1,510 / 310 ft

Elevation (leg 26)

Leg 27: Swiss Base Camp to Sherpani Col Base Camp

Waypoints (leg 27)

L027 Sherpani Col Base Camp (5,700 m / 18,700 ft): We camped overnight at Sherpani Col Base Camp. This camp was significantly better than the previous night, with more space flatter ground.

Ratings (leg 27)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 27)


Length	3.4 km	2.1 miles
Climb / descent	600 / 110 m	1,970 / 350 ft

Elevation (leg 27)

Leg 28: Sherpani Col Base Camp to Advanced Base Camp

Waypoints (leg 28)

Ratings (leg 28)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 28)


Length	3.7 km	2.3 miles
Climb / descent	500 / 90 m	1,650 / 290 ft

Elevation (leg 28)

Leg 29: Advanced Base Camp to Barnutse Base Camp

Waypoints (leg 29)

L029 Barnutse Base Camp (5,440 m / 17,800 ft): We stayed overnight at the spectacular Barnutse Base Camp. Plenty of flat ground and right next to a beautiful lake.

Ratings (leg 29)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 29)


Length	5.4 km	3.4 miles
Climb / descent	50 / 720 m	150 / 2,370 ft

Elevation (leg 29)

Leg 30: Barnutse Base Camp to Amphu Labsta Base Camp

Waypoints (leg 30)

Ratings (leg 30)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 30)


Length	5.5 km	3.4 miles
Climb / descent	300 / 230 m	1,000 / 740 ft

Elevation (leg 30)

Leg 31: Amphu Labsta Base Camp to Chhukung

Waypoints (leg 31)

L031 Chhukung (4,730 m / 15,500 ft): We stayed at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Chhukung.

Ratings (leg 31)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 31)


Length	10.5 km	6.5 miles
Climb / descent	400 / 1,090 m	1,320 / 3,570 ft

Elevation (leg 31)

Leg 32: Chhukung to Dingboche

The trail was well maintained and easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 32)

L032 Dingboche (4,350 m / 14,300 ft): We stayed at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Dingboche.

Ratings (leg 32)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 32)


Length	4.5 km	2.8 miles
Climb / descent	30 / 410 m	90 / 1,350 ft

Elevation (leg 32)

Leg 33: Dingboche to Lobuche

Waypoints (leg 33)

L033 Lobuche (4,930 m / 16,200 ft): We skipped this section, however the guesthouses in the Everest region are usually excellent but expensive.

Ratings (leg 33)

Trail: (unknown)
Route: (unknown)
Accommodation: guesthouse - (unknown)

Stats (leg 33)


Length	7.7 km	4.8 miles
Climb / descent	770 / 200 m	2,530 / 650 ft

Elevation (leg 33)

Leg 34: Lobuche to Gorak Shep

See leg 33

Waypoints (leg 34)

L034 Kala Patthar (5,580 m / 18,300 ft): We skipped this section, but Kala Patthar is a popular viewpoint of the Everest mountain range.

L034 Gorak Shep (5,160 m / 16,900 ft): We skipped this section, however the guesthouses in the Everest region are usually excellent but expensive.

Ratings (leg 34)

Trail: (unknown)
Route: (unknown)
Accommodation: guesthouse - (unknown)

Stats (leg 34)


Length	8.0 km	4.9 miles
Climb / descent	770 / 540 m	2,540 / 1,780 ft

Elevation (leg 34)

Leg 35: Gorak Shep to Lobuche

See leg 33

Waypoints (leg 35)

L035 Everest Base Camp (5,320 m / 17,400 ft): We skipped this section, but Everest Base Camp is a popular tourist attraction.

L035 Lobuche (4,920 m / 16,100 ft): We skipped this section, however the guesthouses in the Everest region are usually excellent but expensive.

Ratings (leg 35)

Trail: (unknown)
Route: (unknown)
Accommodation: guesthouse - (unknown)

Stats (leg 35)


Length	14.2 km	8.8 miles
Climb / descent	480 / 730 m	1,590 / 2,400 ft

Elevation (leg 35)

Leg 36: Lobuche to Dzongla

The trail was well maintained and easy to follow.

Waypoints (leg 36)

L036 Dzongla (4,830 m / 15,800 ft): We stayed at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Dzongla.

Ratings (leg 36)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 36)


Length	6.4 km	4.0 miles
Climb / descent	230 / 320 m	760 / 1,060 ft

Elevation (leg 36)

Leg 37: Dzongla to Dragnag

The trail was tricky to follow and sometimes obscured by snow in the higher elevations.

Waypoints (leg 37)

L037 Dragnag (4,680 m / 15,400 ft): We completed legs 37 and 38 in one day, so we didn't stay overnight at Dragnag, but there are several guesthouses.

Ratings (leg 37)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 37)


Length	8.0 km	5.0 miles
Climb / descent	660 / 730 m	2,180 / 2,390 ft

Elevation (leg 37)

Leg 38: Dragnag to Gokyo

Waypoints (leg 38)

L038 Gokyo (4,760 m / 15,600 ft): We stayed at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Gokyo.

L038 Gokyo Ri (5,340 m / 17,500 ft): The route includes the side-trek up to the Gokyo Ri view point and back but we didn't hike this part.

Ratings (leg 38)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 38)


Length	7.5 km	4.7 miles
Climb / descent	780 / 720 m	2,570 / 2,350 ft

Elevation (leg 38)

Leg 39: Gokyo to Lumde

The trail was mostly easy to follow, becoming tricky in the higher elevations on the approach to the pass, and improving again on the descent down to Lumde.

Waypoints (leg 39)

L039 Lumde (4,360 m / 14,300 ft): We stayed at an excellent guesthouse in Lumde.

Ratings (leg 39)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 39)


Length	12.4 km	7.7 miles
Climb / descent	840 / 1,230 m	2,750 / 4,030 ft

Elevation (leg 39)

Leg 40: Lumde to Thame

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 40)

L040 Thame (3,790 m / 12,400 ft): We stayed at an excellent guesthouse in Thame.

Ratings (leg 40)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 40)


Length	9.5 km	5.9 miles
Climb / descent	180 / 750 m	570 / 2,460 ft

Elevation (leg 40)

Leg 41: Thame to Thyangbo

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 41)

Ratings (leg 41)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 41)


Length	5.0 km	3.1 miles
Climb / descent	610 / 90 m	1,990 / 300 ft

Elevation (leg 41)

Leg 42: Thyangbo to Tashi Labsta Camp

The trail started off easy to follow, but because progressively harder as the day went on. The final part to the campsite was a scramble up a steep rocky slope.

Waypoints (leg 42)

L042 Shelter (4,870 m / 16,000 ft): This is a nice, clean shelter. It seems to be relatively new as of spring 2019.

Ratings (leg 42)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 42)


Length	5.5 km	3.4 miles
Climb / descent	1,000 / 90 m	3,270 / 290 ft

Elevation (leg 42)

Leg 43: Tashi Labsta Camp to Glacier Camp

Waypoints (leg 43)

Ratings (leg 43)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 43)


Length	8.4 km	5.2 miles
Climb / descent	770 / 1,110 m	2,530 / 3,630 ft

Elevation (leg 43)

Leg 44: Glacier Camp to Na

Waypoints (leg 44)

L044 Na (4,180 m / 13,700 ft): We stayed at an excellent guesthouse in Na.

Ratings (leg 44)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 44)


Length	13.6 km	8.5 miles
Climb / descent	520 / 1,210 m	1,690 / 3,980 ft

Elevation (leg 44)

Leg 45: Na to Beding

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 45)

Ratings (leg 45)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 45)


Length	6.2 km	3.9 miles
Climb / descent	150 / 620 m	490 / 2,030 ft

Elevation (leg 45)

Leg 46: Beding to Dokhang

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 46)

L046 Dokhang (2,790 m / 9,150 ft): We stayed at an excellent guesthouse in Dokhang. We had the best Dal Bhat of the entire trek here, and it was also the cheapest.

Ratings (leg 46)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 46)


Length	10.3 km	6.4 miles
Climb / descent	550 / 1,360 m	1,800 / 4,450 ft

Elevation (leg 46)

Leg 47: Dokhang to Simigaon

Easy hike along a well maintained trail. The rating is for the guesthouse we stayed in at Gonggar. Guesthouses in Simigaon may well be better.

Waypoints (leg 47)

Ratings (leg 47)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 47)


Length	9.4 km	5.8 miles
Climb / descent	670 / 1,460 m	2,190 / 4,790 ft

Elevation (leg 47)

Leg 48: Simigaon to Orangdanda

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 48)

Ratings (leg 48)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 48)


Length	13.4 km	8.3 miles
Climb / descent	1,610 / 1,520 m	5,290 / 4,990 ft

Elevation (leg 48)

Leg 49: Orangdanda to Laduk

Easy hike along a dirt road.

Waypoints (leg 49)

L049 Laduk (2,050 m / 6,710 ft): We stayed in a nice homestay in Laduk. There is an Eco Himal guesthouse in Laduk but it is only open in peak season so closed when we visited.

Ratings (leg 49)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 49)


Length	8.7 km	5.4 miles
Climb / descent	670 / 610 m	2,200 / 2,000 ft

Elevation (leg 49)

Leg 50: Laduk to Loting

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 50)

L050 Loting (1,770 m / 5,790 ft): We stayed at a nice guesthouse in Loting.

Ratings (leg 50)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 50)


Length	12.5 km	7.8 miles
Climb / descent	780 / 1,010 m	2,570 / 3,330 ft

Elevation (leg 50)

Leg 51: Loting to Bigu Gompa

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 51)

L051 Bigu Gompa (2,500 m / 8,200 ft): We stayed at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Bigu Gompa.

Ratings (leg 51)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 51)


Length	14.9 km	9.2 miles
Climb / descent	1,620 / 880 m	5,300 / 2,900 ft

Elevation (leg 51)

Leg 52: Bigu Gompa to Tinsang Kewa

A tricky trail to follow, especially around the River waypoint. Update from Kate (2021): “Continue on the road. It switches back to the river and turns into a trail. No need for bushwhacking.”

Waypoints (leg 52)

Ratings (leg 52)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 52)


Length	12.2 km	7.6 miles
Climb / descent	1,490 / 770 m	4,900 / 2,530 ft

Elevation (leg 52)

Leg 53: Tinsang Kewa to Sano Jyandan

Waypoints (leg 53)

L053 Sano Jyandan (2,920 m / 9,570 ft): This is the approximate location of Sano Jyandan. We made a major navigational blunder and stayed at Madre instead of here.

Ratings (leg 53)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 53)


Length	7.9 km	4.9 miles
Climb / descent	420 / 790 m	1,360 / 2,580 ft

Elevation (leg 53)

Leg 54: Sano Jyandan to Last Resort

Waypoints (leg 54)

L054 Trail (2,940 m / 9,630 ft): This is the start of the trail that Kate successfully found in 2021.

L054 Rejoin (2,100 m / 6,900 ft): We rejoined the route at this waypoint. The route in the GPX file before this point is just copied from the paper maps, so should not be relied upon.

L054 Last Resort (1,210 m / 3,980 ft): We stayed at the extremely luxurious, but very expensive eco tent resort of Last Resort, which has good road links to Kathmandu.

Ratings (leg 54)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 54)


Length	11.9 km	7.4 miles
Climb / descent	480 / 1,740 m	1,570 / 5,720 ft

Elevation (leg 54)

Leg 55: Last Resort to Chagam

Waypoints (leg 55)

L055 Chagam (2,570 m / 8,420 ft): We stayed at a nice homestay in Chagam.

Ratings (leg 55)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: homestay - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 55)


Length	11.1 km	6.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,840 / 490 m	6,040 / 1,620 ft

Elevation (leg 55)

Leg 56: Chagam to Kyansin

The trail was very tricky to follow, with frequent sections of bushwhacking.

Waypoints (leg 56)

L056 Kyansin (2,520 m / 8,260 ft): We stayed at a basic homestay in Kyansin.

Ratings (leg 56)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 56)


Length	11.5 km	7.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,300 / 1,300 m	4,250 / 4,260 ft

Elevation (leg 56)

Leg 57: Kyansin to Tembathang

Waypoints (leg 57)

L057 Tembathang (2,220 m / 7,280 ft): We hiked on further than Tembathang, but I'm sure a basic homestay could be found there.

Ratings (leg 57)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 57)


Length	8.7 km	5.4 miles
Climb / descent	900 / 1,160 m	2,970 / 3,810 ft

Elevation (leg 57)

Leg 58: Tembathang to Panch Pokhari

The trail was reasonably easy to follow. Update from Kate (2021): “There is a new trail (2021) the last few k’s before Panch Pokhari that some yak herders showed us.”

Waypoints (leg 58)

L058 Thepu (2,220 m / 7,290 ft): We hiked on past Tembathang yesterday, so stayed overnight at a basic homestay in Thepu.

L058 Panch Pokhari (4,060 m / 13,300 ft): Panch Pokhari has several guesthouses but it was completely deserted out of season. We found one building that was open so slept in that overnight.

Ratings (leg 58)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: shelter - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 58)


Length	13.1 km	8.1 miles
Climb / descent	2,510 / 810 m	8,240 / 2,650 ft

Elevation (leg 58)

Leg 59: Panch Pokhari to Tin Pokhari

The trail was tricky to follow at times, but the route is correct and the terrain is quite open so going in the right direction shouldn't be a problem.

Waypoints (leg 59)

L059 Tin Pokhari (4,180 m / 13,700 ft): We stayed at a nice campsite in Tin Pokhari.

Ratings (leg 59)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 59)


Length	11.1 km	6.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,110 / 1,040 m	3,630 / 3,410 ft

Elevation (leg 59)

Leg 60: Tin Pokhari to High South Camp

Waypoints (leg 60)

L060 High South Camp (4,960 m / 16,300 ft): We stayed at a horrible rocky campsite on the glacier at High South Camp.

Ratings (leg 60)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 1/5 (awful)

Stats (leg 60)


Length	6.5 km	4.0 miles
Climb / descent	930 / 140 m	3,060 / 470 ft

Elevation (leg 60)

Leg 61: High South Camp to High North Camp

Waypoints (leg 61)

Ratings (leg 61)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: campsite - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 61)


Length	6.2 km	3.8 miles
Climb / descent	460 / 880 m	1,510 / 2,870 ft

Elevation (leg 61)

Leg 62: High North Camp to Kyangjin Gompa

Waypoints (leg 62)

L062 Cross (4,410 m / 14,500 ft): Although we didn't hike this way, my advice is to cross the Langshisha Khola approximately here, as high as possible.

L062 Bridge (4,120 m / 13,500 ft): There was a bridge over the Langtang Khola here (spring 2019).

L062 Langshisha Kharka (4,130 m / 13,600 ft): We camped here overnight. I would not recommend going here.

L062 Kyangjin Gompa (3,870 m / 12,700 ft): Stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Kyangjin Gompa.

Ratings (leg 62)

Trail: 1/5 (major problems)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 62)


Length	15.7 km	9.8 miles
Climb / descent	420 / 1,100 m	1,370 / 3,610 ft

Elevation (leg 62)

Leg 63: Kyangjin Gompa to Changdam

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 63)

L063 Changdam (2,470 m / 8,100 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Changdam.

Ratings (leg 63)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 63)


Length	18.6 km	11.5 miles
Climb / descent	600 / 2,000 m	1,980 / 6,560 ft

Elevation (leg 63)

Leg 64: Changdam to Syabru Besi

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 64)

L064 Syabru Besi (1,460 m / 4,790 ft): Stayed overnight in an excellent guesthouse in Syabru Besi, which is a large town with many hotels and good road links to Kathmandu.

Ratings (leg 64)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 64)


Length	11.2 km	6.9 miles
Climb / descent	540 / 1,500 m	1,770 / 4,910 ft

Elevation (leg 64)

Leg 65: Syabru Besi to Gatlang

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 65)

L065 Gatlang (2,290 m / 7,500 ft): Stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Gatlang.

Ratings (leg 65)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 65)


Length	11.8 km	7.3 miles
Climb / descent	1,560 / 720 m	5,120 / 2,360 ft

Elevation (leg 65)

Leg 66: Gatlang to Somdang

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 66)

L066 Somdang (3,270 m / 10,700 ft): Stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Somdang.

Ratings (leg 66)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 66)


Length	12.7 km	7.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,920 / 960 m	6,300 / 3,150 ft

Elevation (leg 66)

Leg 67: Somdang to Tipling

Waypoints (leg 67)

L067 Footpath (3,780 m / 12,400 ft): This is approximately where the footpath diverges from the road. Take care to find the footpath.

L067 Tipling (2,050 m / 6,720 ft): Stayed overnight in a basic homestay in Tipling.

Ratings (leg 67)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 1/5 (major problems)
Accommodation: homestay - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 67)


Length	14.1 km	8.8 miles
Climb / descent	1,050 / 1,910 m	3,440 / 6,260 ft

Elevation (leg 67)

Leg 68: Tipling to Khading

Waypoints (leg 68)

L068 Borang (1,580 m / 5,190 ft): Although not on the itinerary, we stayed overnight in a nice guesthouse in Borang.

L068 Lapagaon (1,850 m / 6,080 ft): Although not on the itinerary, we stayed overnight in a very basic guesthouse in Lapagaon.

L068 Khading (2,050 m / 6,730 ft): Jeff (2025) stayed at a basic homestay in Khading.

Ratings (leg 68)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: homestay - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 68)


Length	16.7 km	10.4 miles
Climb / descent	1,660 / 1,630 m	5,440 / 5,360 ft

Elevation (leg 68)

Leg 69: Khading to Kashigaun

Waypoints (leg 69)

L069 Kashigaun (1,910 m / 6,260 ft): We stayed overnight in a basic guesthouse in Kashigaun.

L069 Jeff (2,950 m / 9,690 ft): Jeff's track (2025) continues down the pass off trail for a few hundred meters here, but he recommends heading north instead.

Ratings (leg 69)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 1/5 (basic)

Stats (leg 69)


Length	21.6 km	13.4 miles
Climb / descent	2,370 / 2,530 m	7,790 / 8,290 ft

Elevation (leg 69)

Leg 70: Kashigaun to Khorlabesi

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 70)

L070 Khorlabesi (880 m / 2,900 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice guesthouse in Khorlabesi.

Ratings (leg 70)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 70)


Length	12.7 km	7.9 miles
Climb / descent	1,140 / 2,170 m	3,750 / 7,100 ft

Elevation (leg 70)

Leg 71: Khorlabesi to Jagat

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 71)

L071 Jagat (1,330 m / 4,360 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Jagat.

Ratings (leg 71)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 71)


Length	12.9 km	8.0 miles
Climb / descent	1,420 / 850 m	4,660 / 2,780 ft

Elevation (leg 71)

Leg 72: Jagat to Deng

Waypoints (leg 72)

L072 Deng (1,880 m / 6,170 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice guesthouse in Deng.

Ratings (leg 72)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 72)


Length	18.7 km	11.6 miles
Climb / descent	2,610 / 1,740 m	8,560 / 5,700 ft

Elevation (leg 72)

Leg 73: Deng to Namrung

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 73)

L073 Namrung (2,610 m / 8,570 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Namgung.

Ratings (leg 73)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 73)


Length	18.1 km	11.3 miles
Climb / descent	2,710 / 1,990 m	8,870 / 6,540 ft

Elevation (leg 73)

Leg 74: Namrung to Sama

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 74)

Ratings (leg 74)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 74)


Length	16.9 km	10.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,880 / 980 m	6,180 / 3,220 ft

Elevation (leg 74)

Leg 75: Sama to Dharmasala

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 75)

L075 Samdo (3,860 m / 12,700 ft): We stayed overnight at a basic guesthouse in Samdo.

Ratings (leg 75)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 75)


Length	14.7 km	9.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,360 / 400 m	4,460 / 1,300 ft

Elevation (leg 75)

Leg 76: Dharmasala to Bimtang

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 76)

L076 Larkya La (5,140 m / 16,900 ft): One of the easiest high passes of the trek. The trail was easy to follow and not steep.

L076 Bimtang (3,700 m / 12,200 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Bimtang.

Ratings (leg 76)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 76)


Length	15.9 km	9.9 miles
Climb / descent	830 / 1,600 m	2,740 / 5,250 ft

Elevation (leg 76)

Leg 77: Bimtang to Dharapani

Easy hike along a well maintained trail. Update from Kate (summer 2022): “Bridge at Dharapani is out. Have to continue approx 1 km upstream on road for bridge.”

Waypoints (leg 77)

L077 Tilche (2,260 m / 7,420 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Tilche.

L077 Dharapani (1,880 m / 6,180 ft): We didn't stay overnight in Dharapani but there are excellent guesthouses in most of the villages along the Annapurna trail.

Ratings (leg 77)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 77)


Length	22.6 km	14.0 miles
Climb / descent	1,160 / 2,920 m	3,810 / 9,560 ft

Elevation (leg 77)

Leg 78: Dharapani to Chame

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 78)

L078 Timang (2,600 m / 8,540 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Timang.

L078 Chame (2,670 m / 8,760 ft): We didn't stay overnight in Chame but there are excellent guesthouses in most of the villages along the Annapurna trail.

Ratings (leg 78)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 78)


Length	15.5 km	9.6 miles
Climb / descent	1,590 / 810 m	5,220 / 2,640 ft

Elevation (leg 78)

Leg 79: Chame to Upper Pisang

Easy hike along a well maintained trail.

Waypoints (leg 79)

L079 Bratang (3,800 m / 12,500 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent, but very expensive guesthouse in Bratang.

L079 Upper Pisang (3,300 m / 10,800 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Upper Pisang.

Ratings (leg 79)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 79)


Length	13.1 km	8.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,740 / 930 m	5,710 / 3,060 ft

Elevation (leg 79)

Leg 80: Upper Pisang to Manang

Waypoints (leg 80)

L080 Manang (3,550 m / 11,600 ft): We stayed overnight at a nice guesthouse in Manang.

Ratings (leg 80)

Trail: 5/5 (excellent)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 80)


Length	19.4 km	12.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,200 / 960 m	3,940 / 3,160 ft

Elevation (leg 80)

Leg 81: Manang to Thorong Phedi

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 81)

Ratings (leg 81)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 3/5 (average)

Stats (leg 81)


Length	16.6 km	10.3 miles
Climb / descent	1,560 / 560 m	5,110 / 1,830 ft

Elevation (leg 81)

Leg 82: Thorong Phedi to Muktinath

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 82)

L082 Thorong La (5,410 m / 17,800 ft): We didn't hike this section on our GHT trek, but have both hiked it before. The trail over Thorong La is relatively well maintained and easy to follow.

L082 Muktinath (3,750 m / 12,300 ft): We didn't hike this section on our GHT trek, but have both hiked it before. Muktinath is a large town with many excellent guesthouses.

Ratings (leg 82)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 82)


Length	14.7 km	9.1 miles
Climb / descent	1,000 / 1,720 m	3,270 / 5,630 ft

Elevation (leg 82)

Leg 83: Muktinath to Kagbeni

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 83)

L083 Kagbeni (2,850 m / 9,350 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent guesthouse in Kagbeni.

Ratings (leg 83)

Trail: 4/5 (above average)
Route: 5/5 (excellent)
Accommodation: guesthouse - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 83)


Length	10.3 km	6.4 miles
Climb / descent	150 / 1,050 m	490 / 3,450 ft

Elevation (leg 83)

Leg 84: Kagbeni to Santa

Waypoints (leg 84)

L084 Santa (3,780 m / 12,400 ft): We stayed overnight at a basic homestay in Santa.

Ratings (leg 84)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: homestay - 2/5 (below average)

Stats (leg 84)


Length	19.9 km	12.4 miles
Climb / descent	2,160 / 1,370 m	7,090 / 4,480 ft

Elevation (leg 84)

Leg 85: Santa to Ghalden Ghuldun

Simple hike along an easy to follow trail.

Waypoints (leg 85)

L085 Ghalden Ghuldun (4,250 m / 13,900 ft): We stayed overnight at an excellent shelter in Ghalden Ghuldun.

Ratings (leg 85)

Trail: 3/5 (average)
Route: 4/5 (above average)
Accommodation: shelter - 5/5 (excellent)

Stats (leg 85)


Length	8.8 km	5.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,210 / 750 m	3,980 / 2,470 ft

Elevation (leg 85)

Leg 86: Ghalden Ghuldun to Nulungsumda Kharka

Waypoints (leg 86)

L086 Jungben La (5,550 m / 18,200 ft): From the river a very easy 400m ascent up a gravel slope leads to Jungben La.

L086 Niwas La (5,140 m / 16,900 ft): When approaching from the east, Niwas La has no real ascent, and the only real indication you've reached it is a pile of rocks with prayer flags.

Ratings (leg 86)

Trail: 2/5 (below average)
Route: 2/5 (below average)
Accommodation: campsite - 4/5 (above average)

Stats (leg 86)


Length	13.7 km	8.5 miles
Climb / descent	1,550 / 830 m	5,090 / 2,720 ft