Great Himalaya Trail – Rara Lake to Humla Simikot Trek - 28 Days

Upon your arrival in the Kathmandu airport (TIA), a representative from Himalayan trekkers and transfer to the hotel will greet you. We will be discussing the trek in details and free time of your own. Overnight at the hotel.

We will start our guided tour to several of the most historical and spiritual attractions and some of landmarks which are considered as world heritage sites including the historic Durbar Square, the sacred Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, the famous 'Monkey Temple' (Swoyambhunath) and Buddhists shrine (Boudhanath) which is one of the large Stupa in the world. In the afternoon, there will be a pre-trip discussion where we can meet our trek leader and other team members where we will discuss our trek.

We will have a scenic flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj today. Our representative will escort you towards the hotel.

Today we will enjoy the scenic flight to Jumla where we will stay for overnight. Explore Jumla after reaching that destination.

After breakfast, we will start our trek towards Nauri Ghat (2,700m) via Daphe Lekh (3900m) where we will be setting our camp for overnight stay.

Like earlier days, we will begin our trek to Jhyarigaon  (2,672m) leaving Nauri Ghat after warm breakfast. We will cross the Ghurchi Langa pass (3447m) which will grant superb views. Overnight at Jhyarigaon.

We can start today's trek lately as we will be walking for 2-3 hrs only. We will enjoy our delicious lunch after exploring Jhyarigaon and move forward to interesting destination Rara Lake where we will have our camp for overnight stay.

Rara is the biggest lake of Nepal that gives relief with its magnificent look. The lake is surrounded by forest and different kinds of flowers can be seen by the side. People can cycle around the lake. Boating facilities are also available. There is a hotel by the side but camping is also available.

Leaving our idyllic rest stop at Rara Lake we descend to Gamgadhi, where we will be resting for overnight stay.

We will leave Gamgadi after breakfast, cross the suspension bridge and climb a steep, rocky trail, trending left until we crest a ridge at 2180 meters. We descend to a small river and then another climb brings us through fields and pine forest to a ridge and then a traverse to Bam village.

We follow a trail which contours around hillsides until we reach a stream at Ghachaur. Here we begin a climb to the pass which should take approximately 3.5 hours, from the top it is an easy descent to a pretty campsite by a stream. There is a teashop close by which is 15 minutes before reaching Jogimara  (3,005m).

We make an easy short ascent from Jogimara to a ridge at 3120 meters before a longer descent of 500 meters to a small stream before climbing again, crossing a landslide area. From here we have views of the lower valley and the village of Rimi. We make a long traverse to Deuri, passing by a school before descending to Darma village. Overnight at Darma Bazar.

We continue trekking through the traditional villages of Nimagaon and Korka climbing a series of switchbacks and crossing a basin between ridges before halting at a stream for our lunch break. Climbing once again to the village of Puma we take a right fork and ascend more switchbacks in a pine forest to Apsia Lekh. Overnight.

Today we have magnificent views of Saipal and surrounding valleys as we follow a contouring trail to Kallas. From here we descend to the river and then climb an easy trail to a ridge and descend once more to the Rodikot Khola. A further east climb of 1.5 hours brings us to our campsite beside the Punkha Khola. Overnight.

We start with a big climb of 500 meters through steep switchbacks to a kharka at 3512 meters. From here we continue climbing, gaining views north to Simikot and also to the south. We climb to over 4000 meters today before a very steep descent to the Yanchu Khola. We have a few camping options today, and there will more than likely be some livestock grazing in the valley. Overnight at River Camp.

Depending on weather conditions today may be a very warm day as there is little shade along the trail. We descend for 15 minutes or so alongside the river before an easy gradient climb to Durpa village and a further descent to the pilgrimage site of Kharpunath. Continuing on another 30 minutes we turn into the Kudila Kola valley. From here we ascend to some teashops and cross a metal bridge before the final set of switchbacks which lead us to Simikot.

We travel through many villages and fields of buckwheat and potatoes, cross rivers and climb ridges. It is a particularly pretty area with many small communities dotted along our trail. The gradient levels out before Dharapuri and we finally pass through walnut and apricot groves. Overnight at Dharapuri.

Today we will walk for a short period of time just after a good breakfast. Leaving Dharapori we cross over the river and trek along the north side towards Muchu before arriving at our camp for the night at a location called Kermi. Overnight.

Today's journey will be interesting as we will be crossing the suspension bridges, pine forest and encounter some wild animals like Blue sheep and others on the way. We will also observe the monastery after reaching Yalbang where we will set our camp for overnight stay.

After grabbing good and warm breakfast prepared by the staff of Himalayan trekkers, we will follow the rough and hilly trail to Thumkot which our next destination for overnight stay. We may encounter local People who are performing their daily works which could be interesting part for you. Overnight at Thumkot.

 We will leave Thumkot, pass below the Gompa and through orchards and fields before gaining a ridge, dropping into a ravine and climbing up the other side. There are good views of the upper valley from here. We continue on descending and crossing ridges until we make a final climb to Yari. Yari is a compact settlement with a police post, which is the last in Nepal, and customs office. The main crops of this area are millet, barley, wheat, buckwheat, potatoes, and radishes. To the west of Yari is the Sarpa La, a route into Tibet. Overnight at Yari.

 Today we will cross Nara La (4620m) the highest point of this trek and continue to descend down the hill to reach Hilsa (3,720m). Overnight stay at Hilsa.

Enjoy your stay in Hilsa by capturing a photo with scenic views and beautiful environment. You can also hike down the village area and interact with local people.

We will start our trek just after grabbing our warm breakfast. We will climb-ups & downs the hills following the rough trail to return back to Thumkot where we already spent our night.

Following the route we have encountered earlier, we will return back to Kermi where we will set up our camp for overnight stay.

We retrace our steps back to Simikot from Kermi and the end of our trek in this very special part of Nepal. There are sure to be big celebrations with our crew tonight, and some well-deserved pats on the back for the Full Himalayan trekkers' group who have completed a very long walk in the Himalaya!

Today we have one and a half hour scenic flight from Simikot - Nepalgunj, and Nepalgunj - Kathmandu. Since we have different flight schedule so we need to stay some time at Nepalgunj airport for the connecting flight to Kathmandu. We will reach Kathmandu in the afternoon.

 Free time of your own. In your free time, you can visit a good spa and massage center to realize your pain. In the evening, farewell dinner with Himalayan trekkers team by enjoying a cultural show.

You can depart from Kathmandu to your home country or extend the trip and head for another trip within or outside Nepal.

Have a safe journey and please do visit Nepal on your next vacation too.