Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek – 22 Days

After you arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, you will have to go through custom formalities. You will be greeted by our representative who will be anxiously waiting for you with a placard displaying your name in his hand. You will be transferred to the 3-Star category hotel in a private vehicle. Once you get refreshed, you will get briefing regarding the itinerary and you will also be introduced with your crewmembers and other trekkers who are going to join you on the trip. Enjoy welcome dinner in the evening where you can taste authentic Nepali dinner. Stay overnight in a hotel.

In the morning after breakfast, we will organize half day sightseeing tour during which you will be taken on memorable UNESCO Heritage Tour. Tour begins with visit to Nepal’s holiest Pashupatinath Temple Complex and takes us through Nepal’s largest Bouddhanath Stupa and 2500 years old Swoyambhunath Stupa. We will return to hotel in the afternoon and time for shopping of any missing items, packing and getting ready for the trip.

9hours of journey from Kathmandu takes us to Beni which is separated from Kathmandu by 282km distance. We will leave Kathmandu and follow Prithvi Highway.The trail is scenic with views of Trishuli River and Marsyandi River. We will drive along terraced fields and hill towns to Seti River from where we will reach Pokhara. The road from Pokhara to Beni is bumpy. We will drive through the zigzag road to Naudanda. That greets us with view of Annapurna South Mountain, Fish tail Mountain and other peaks and mountains. Driving along the bank of Mardi River, we will reach Beni where we will stay overnight.

Dhaulagiri Circuit Trekking starts from Beni. We will walk past Beni Mangalghat toJyanmarafrom where we will follow a level path toSinga. Singa is a tiny settlement consisting of shops and teahouses. Journey continues along MyagdiRiver to hot spring known as Tatopani. After brief walk, we will cross a suspension bridge to the right edge and walk past Bholamzavillage to the suspension bridge. Moving further, we will reach Simarchorfrom where we will head through the relatively easy path to NewaleRiver. The trail stretches further throughtiny villages of Shisman and Talkot to Babiyachour where we will stay overnight.

Leaving Babiyachour, we will follow the escalating path uphill through terraced hills to the stone paved Shahasdara village. We will cross DudhRiver and move along paddy fields tothe teahouse settlement of Ratorunga. Walking along the river, we will reach Bodeni from where we will proceed to Chachare. The trail continues through the narrow valley. Crossing the suspension bridge over Rectum River, we will head towards Darbang village from where we will choose the descending trail to Phedi. Crossing Dang River, we will choose ascending trail to the ridge before walking through the pine forest to MyagdiRiver. Crossing the river, we will reach Dharapani where we will stay overnight.

We will follow the ascending path from Dharapaniand arrive at small Takum village from where we will follow the stone path to Phalli Gaun. We will walk through the terraced field to cross Dharakholathrough a suspension bridge. Following the steep path that takes usbelow Dharavillage, we will go through series of ups and downs to reach Myagdi River. The path is scenic with spectacular views of Dhaulagiri I (8167m) and GurjaMountain (7193m). Following the river, we will reach Magar village of Muri where we will stay overnight.

After having a cup of tea, we will leave Muri and follow the descending path to river. We need to cross that river before walking through crop field in local settlements to reach the base of pass. We will ascend this pass which greets us with enticing view of Ghustung Mountain. After spending some time at the pass, we will descend to Myagdi River. The trail continues along Myagdi River to Naura village and passes through meadow. Walking through the forest area, we will reach Boghara. Stay overnight at Boghara.

Early in the morning, we will leave Boghara and move through crop fields. In couple of hours, we will reach to the ridge. Walking through the bamboo forest, we will arrive atJyardin which is the final permanent village of that area. The trail contours down to Lipshe and continues through forest area to LapcheKharka. From the meadow in LapcheKharka, we will head towards Doban where we will stay overnight.

The trek on this day begins as we cross the bridge over River. We will follow the scenic path with close-up view of Dhaulagiri I mountain all the way down to Myagdi River. Crossing the river, we will move towards pretty settlement of Chartare from the path continues to Choriban River. We will reach Chhonbarban glacier from where we can get close-up view of Tukche Peak. Moving further along slippery glaciers, we will reach Italian Base Camp. Stay overnight at Italian Base Camp. Enjoy the panoramic views of Dhaulagiri II Mountain, Dhaulagiri III Mountain and Dhaulagiri V Mountain.

We will take rest on this day. Taking rest at Italian Base Camp helps in proper acclimatization and it also offers much needed break from the tiring trek. Spend the day as you like. You can write a journal or play cards or read book or enjoy siesta. Upon your interest, you can hike to the nearby glacier for epic mountain views. Stay overnight at Italian Base Camp.

After a day of rest, we are good to go. Expect a long day of walk ahead of you. We will pass through Swiss base camp and reach French base camp. Moving further through desolate area that is uninhabited, we will reach to the main glacier. We will ultimately arrive at Japanese Base Camp where we will stay overnight.

Dhaulagiri Base Camp is our ultimate destination. With 8167m height, Dhaulagiri is the eighth highest mountain in the world. Our journey continues through the ruined area filled with rocks and glaciers to Dhaulagiri Base Camp. The Base Camp allows panoramic views of Dhaulagiri I Mountain, Dhaulagiri II Mountain, Dhaulagiri III Mountain and Dhaulagiri V Mountain. We can also get breath-taking view of icefall that contours down to northeast Col. Stay overnight at Dhaulagiri Base Camp.

We will take rest on this day. Taking rest helps in proper acclimatization and it also offers much needed break from the tiring trek. Spend the day as you like. You can write a journal or play cards or read book or enjoy siesta. You can explore nearby Camp for incredible mountain views. Stay overnight at Dhaulagiri Base Camp.

Leaving Dhaulagiri Base Camp, we will walk through glaciers and moraines and reach the valley. We will follow the difficult path to the French Pass. Enjoy the scenic views of Mukut Mountain, Sita Peak, Tukche and Tashi Kang Peak which secures the Hidden Valley. We will leave French Col and head towards Thapa Pass (5250m). We will reach the clear area in Hidden Valley where we will stay overnight.

The trail stretches down from Hidden Valley and leads us to Dhampus Pass (5200m). CrossingDhampus Pass, we will move throughthe pasture land to Yak Kharka. Stay overnight in Yak Kharka.

From Yak Kharka, the trail takes us to Marpha which is famous for apple production. We will walk through the Kaligandaki Valley and arrive at Japanese Friendship village that is rich in Thakali culture. We drive 2-3 horus to Tatopani (hot spring) and enjoy taking hot bath at Tato Pani., Stay overnight at Tatopani.

From today leaving behind the Dhaulagiri section, now we move towards the lower part of Annapurna Sanctuary area. We will reach the point where trail branches off. One of the paths takes us through river to Beni. We will turn left and climb uphill to the top and walk-through farms to Shika village about 4 hours walk, its small Gurung community village with beautiful view of Nilgiri and Annapurna Peaks. Stay overnight at Shikha Village.

Continue walking up hills through the rhododendron forest about 4 hours, we will reach Ghorepani. Its most popular junction these days even for the local tourist because of Poonhill and beautiful views of the mountains. Stay overnight at Ghorepani.

We will prepare for trek quite early in the morning as we do not want to miss the opportunity of capturing sunrise view from Poon hill. 40 minutes of walk uphill from Ghorepani will take us to Poon hill. We will follow the scenic path through the Rhododendron forest. The name Poon hill is named after Pun ethnics, the inhabitant of the area. We will enjoy the panoramic views of far western Himalaya of over 600km of range including Dhaulagiri Mountain, Tukuche Peak, Dhampus, Nilgiri Peak, Annapurna Mountain, Machhapuchre Mountain (Fish Tail), Hiunchuli Peak, Manaslu Mountain, LamjungHimal and other peaks and mountains. From Poon hill, we will descend to Tadapani where we will stay overnight.

From Tadapani, we will lower down to Ghandruk which is one of the largest Gurung villages in the region. Walking through dense rhododendron forest with the trail drops down from Ghandruk.Village where our adventurous Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek ends. We will catch a vehicle to ride Pokhara where we will stay in a hotel with proper hot shower.

We will explore Pokhara early in the morning. Old Bazaar, Shanti Stupa, Sarankot Hill, Seti gorge, International Mountaineering Museum, Gupteswor Cave and Mahendra Cave are places of interest in Pokhara. We will drive to Pokhara Airport and take return flight back to Kathmandu on this day.

We will transfer you to the Airport as per your scheduled flight for your onward destination. Safe journey. We hope to see you soon.