Guide to Nepal Trek and Tour Adventures in the Himalayas

                       The khumbu valley sweeps toward pheriche between the towering shape of taboche and insignificant- looking pokalde. It’s a broad valley gently tilted with poor stunted vegetation, but as you progress through it, so its character changes. Instead of continuing in a northwesterly direction, it’s necessary to veer right and climb northeast towards the khumbu glacier. The glacier is not properly seen, but the bulldozed moraines that line it become a prominent feature of the landscape. Some way above Duglha you enter a stony section with pumori lingtren and khumbutse blocking the valley head. Along the crest that unites them runs the border with Tibet. All around huge mountains soar in a crescent of rock snow and ice. Yet mount Everest remains elusive despite its close proximity. Effectively hidden by Nuptse’s south- west face it will not be seen un...

                                         Safety on Thorung la pass   Thorung la is a high pass and crossing it is potentially dangerous. It is easiest and safest to cross thorung la from east to west as in this rote description. If you travel from west to east there are no camp sites or water sources on the west side of the pass from a meadow above Muktinath at 4100m, to a spot two to three hours past the pass on the manang side at 4510m. This means that you have to make a 1300m climb plus at least a 900m descent in a single day. This is a difficult feat for most people specially those who have not yet acclimatize to high altitude. The trails are less steep on the manang side of the pass and in the event of a problem you can call on the resources of the Himalayan Rescue rela...

                                   Tilicho lake From khangdar   This high lake filled saddle offers a little used route to jomsom that avoids the thorong la, but the risk of avalanche and frequently bitter weather dampen most notions of taking it for the recreational trekker. Crossing to jomsom this way is really the domin of well equipped mountaineers. However, it is not such an ordeal for trekkers to reach the lake from khangsar. Check that the lodges and trail options en route are open.   During the season, while good weather continues two lodges are open at tilicho base camp , making an attempt on tilicho lake feasible for wellacclimatised trekker. ( One very fit trekker did it all one day from khangsar, but normal trekkers dhould plan three orbetter four extra days for a return trip from manang...

                           Foothills of Lamjung Himal Bound by the marsyangdi River and stretching west towards pokhara is the Lamjung District, a major new area for trekking within the Annapurna region . New routes ( and dirt roads ) are being rapidly developed type of visitor. Through home stay programmers modest trekking is being combined with cultural interaction   village development. Hikers looking for a more authentic intimate experience of traditional rural Nepal will want to check out these new routes Home stays with local families are being encouraged in order to spread the visitor’s dollars into areas where until now only subsistence agriculture has sustained has way of life.  These new trails do not require quite such a high level of fitness and enable visitors to enjoy perhaps a more comfortable trekkers ghettos of the main tr...