Saribung Peak Climbing - 24 Days

On arriving at the airport in Kathmandu, a representative from the Himalayan Trekkers will greet you and transfer you to the respective hotel at the city center. You will be guided till your check-in formalities and you are on your own after that.
In case of your early arrival, we will sit for a short discussion regarding your Saribung Peak Climbing. In the evening if you got extra time, you can make a short introductory stroll around the streets of the Thamel area. 
O/N at a hotel/resort.

After breakfast at the hotel, your city guide will receive you at the hotel and assist you with the Kathmandu city-guided sightseeing tour. The first sightseeing spot will be Boudhanath Stupa, which takes half an hour of drive. Boudhanath Stupa is one of the most important Buddhist sites in the world that represents Mahayana (Tibetan Buddhism). Built-in the 14th century, the stupa is the biggest one in the country and one of the biggest in South Asia. It is one of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites which was listed in 1979. 
Fifteen minutes drive from the stupa takes us to one of the four Hindu holiest sites in the world, the Pashupatinath Temple. The main temple in the complex is dedicated to the ‘God of destruction - Lord Shiva’. The temple area is flocked with pilgrims every day and is crowded during auspicious days like Shivaratri. It is also one of the oldest sacred sites believed to be built during the 4th century in pagoda style. Every evening, an arati ceremony (religious ritual of worship) is held and you can witness the open cremation of the dead bodies by the holy Bagmati River every day. 
After sightseeing, your guide will transfer you to your hotel. And the remainder of the day is on your own. You can spend the rest of the day preparing for the expedition journey that starts tomorrow. 
O/N at a hotel/resort.

We depart Kathmandu early in the morning and drive along with the stunning views of mountains, lush hills, terraced fields, small villages in the route. Not going on the Pokhara Highway, we turn right and continue our drive to Dumre and drive along the Marshyangdi River and reach Besisahar. We continue on past this town, passing a Chinese-built hydroelectric station at Bhulbule. When we reach Ngadi, we transfer from our bus to local jeeps. We continue our journey to Jagat and spend the night.
O/N at a lodge. 

After breakfast at the lodge, we leave Jagat and start our trekking journey towards Dharapani, today’s destination. We get to relish the view of the 200m waterfall at Chamje soon after we leave Jagat. Then, we descend to the river, cross the bridge and the East side of the valley. We walk past small farms and terraced fields and follow the stone stairs trail that climbs and descends the valley's spurs. The trail travels past lush jungle and massive rocks that have been thrown down from the mountains above. We reach the picturesque and colorful village of Tal and stop for lunch. 
After lunch, we walk alongside the Marsyangdi River at the base of a cliff and we cross the suspension bridge made of iron before arriving at the Gurung settlement of Dharapani.
O/N at a lodge.

Our trail leads us to the Bagarchap village from Dharapani. Then, we trek through the thick forest of pine and fir. We ascent from here and reach Timing village that offers the wonderful view of Lamjung Himal (6983m). After a lunch break at a teahouse in Timing, we descend for a bit then make ascend to reach Thanchok settlement. We follow the steep trail from here until we make up to Koto village. There are fantastic views of Annapurna II (7,937m), Lamjung Himal (6,983m), Manaslu (8,154m) and Peak 29 (Ngadi Peak/ 7833m) from Koto. 
O/N at a lodge.

We begin at a police checkpoint where our permits are checked and registrations are made before departing the Annapurna Circuit. The trail enters the Naar Khola valley, which is quieter and less used by trekkers. We walk through a pine forest and cross the Naar Khola on a bridge after a short drop. We arrive at a little clearing in the pine forests with a few tea houses after about 4 hours of walking. We proceed up the valley, passing by a waterfall. We continue for another hour up a hard trail to Meta, which is surrounded by Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal. 
Meta is also known as Methang and is used as a winter shelter by Naar locals. The views of the surrounding area are spectacular, including a vista of Mount Kang Guru (6981m).
O/N at a teahouse.

From Meta, we follow the valley's contours till we reach Kyang (3891m), passing through some abandoned villages and the Kyang Pass. Following the Layiju Khola, we continue rising the valley. To get to the gates of Phu village, we have to cross many ridges on our way in and out and pass many settlements such as Chyakhu, Jhunam, and Khampa. We continue along the river's edge until we reach the village on the far bank. A line of beautiful chortens colors the landscape just before crossing the bridge into Phu. In the evening, we will have free time to explore this lovely village located on a hilltop. You can also take a short stroll up to the historic Tashi Lhakhang Gompa. 
O/N at a teahouse.

Acclimatization is very important when moving to higher altitudes. Today is the day for us to rest and explore the isolated area of Phu. We go for a brief walk in the morning to help us acclimate and acquire altitude. We have the option of walking towards Himlung Base Camp or the Naar Phu Pass in the opposite way. We can also explore the town's narrow alleyways where people are seen spinning yak and sheep wool, pounding mustard seeds into a paste for oil, or going about their daily activities.
O/N at a teahouse. 

We leave Phu village after breakfast and climb up the valley and cross the river. Our trail becomes more remote and hard as we pass through several tiny villages populated primarily by Lama, Gurung, and Ghale ethnic groups. We follow the contours of the mountainside and pass by multiple stupas. From here, we descend into Nagarou, the valley’s last abandoned village. Many domestic yaks, as well as blue sheep, may be seen roaming the valley slopes near the town. Keep an eye out for the cave located above the village. There is a ridge below Nagarou village where we shall cross the river to the opposite side. We continue up the trail, which gradually steepens before continuing to our today’s destination, Yak Kharka or yak herder’s camping site. 
O/N at a tented camp. 

From our camp at Yak Kharka, we start ascending following the Layju Khola and arrive at a small secluded valley on the northwest. Our camp for two nights will be set 300 meters uphill at the Pokharkang Base Camp. This base camp is rarely visited as the majority of the trekkers stick to the main valley on their way to and from Saribung. Though it is a lesser-known place, it is a wonderful place with lovely surroundings. 
O/N at a tented camp.

This is an exploration day near Pokharkang Base Camp to aid our acclimatization. If we are lucky enough, we might spot the rare blue sheep grazing on the meadow. To acclimatize, we will take a short hike to the lake above our camping area. 
O/N at a tented camp.

After our breakfast, we will soon start our trek towards the Bhrikuti Base Camp and spend the remainder of the days resting and preparing for the climb. We will pass by a pass at 5190 meters today en route from the Yak Kharka to the Bhrikuti Base Camp. 
O/N at a tented camp.

Today we will move to the Saribung Base Camp from the Bhrikuti Base Camp. We will set our camps, rest, and make necessary checking of our climbing equipment. 
O/N at a tented camp.

From the base, we continue our trekking journey further one step to Saribung High Camp. The first glance of our ultimate destination, Saribung Peak comes in front of our eyes as we approach the High Camp. The day can be quite challenging as we have to walk on the icy and steep trails. We might have to use crampons if necessary. Once we reach the camping area, we take enough rest and prepare for the most-awaited day of this trip. 
O/N at a tented camp. 

The most anticipated day has arrived on the day 16th. Today, we will be conquering the summit of Saribung Peak. Our climbing journey begins early in the morning around 2 to 3 after breakfast fully acclimatized and equipped with all required climbing gear, because strong gusts after midday might make reaching the top difficult. We will climb to the peak of Saribung Peak, following the instruction and footsteps of our experienced climbing specialists. We are rewarded with wonderful views of breathtaking valleys and high peaks like Himlung, Gyajikang, and Bhrikuti as we reach the summit. We will descend and return to base camp after spending some quality time at the summit.
O/N at a tented camp. 

We hike down to Damodar Kunda from Japanese Base Camp. This is a significant Hindu pilgrimage place. According to local legend, if you dive underwater in the lake, you will be cleansed of all sin. 
O/N at a tented camp.
Note: This day could be used as a contingency day if the summit is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances such as terrible weather.

We approach French camp as we travel farther down the valley. After passing across the Upper Mustang region's first pass, we climb for roughly 3 hours on tiny trails via some landslide regions to reach 5,450m on the Batsyak Pass. From the pass, we have a fantastic view of the Upper Mustang. We continue by traversing down, followed by a final steep drop into the Bacha Khola, and set up camp close to them. 
O/N at a tented camp. 

We leave camp in the morning for another tough trek. For around 3 hours, we curve around and up towards Kyumu La from where we can see Mount Dhaulagiri clearly. After that, it's a sharp descent into the Kyumupanin Khola, followed by an hour of walking down the river to the Ghuma Thati camp. The views towards Upper Mustang are stunning from this campsite.
O/N at a tented camp.

We will be heading down to Yara today, which will be the first village we've seen in almost a week. We make our way around the mountain's edge till we reach a ridgeline. We start downhill towards Luri Gompa. Then, we will follow the Puyung Khola down to the town of Yara.
O/N at a tented camp.

As we depart Yara, we take a beautiful walk down the river valley. To get to Charang village, we will cross the Kali Gandaki (the deepest gorge) ending our trekking journey here. 
O/N at a lodge.

Lomang-thang is a popular town in Mustang. It would be exciting to visit the Lo and surrounding places, ancient monasteries, Cave, and fort since we are close after our peak climbing back trip.

With the end of walking days, we now travel by vehicle, as the new road has replaced the walking path from Yara. We pass through Chele before changing jeeps at Chusang. We carry on to Jomsom through Tangbe. We will stay at a lodge near the airport and have a succession party with the incredible crew in the evening. 
O/N at a lodge.

We fly to Pokhara early in the morning, then connect to another flight to Kathmandu. Or, you can opt to drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu on a private vehicle along the beautiful highway. 
O/N at a hotel/resort.

The day is set aside for the rest. However, you can see the world heritage sites in Kathmandu that you couldn't see during the sightseeing before. 
Otherwise, walking around Thamel's busy shopping streets in the evening is a great way to spend some quality time within Kathmandu. In the evening, we will enjoy one last meal together.
O/N at a hotel/resort.

According to your flight schedule, a Himalayan Trekker representative will drop you off at the International Airport and bid farewell.