Ganesh Himal Trek

Flying into Kathmandu on a clear day is in itself an unforgettable experience. The Himalayan peaks are only a short distance north of the capital of Nepal as seen from the plane. After customs, you will pass into the passenger pick-up area outside the building. You will see a Mountain Company signboard. Our representative will be waiting to welcome you to Nepal. After transferring to your hotel we will give you a full trek briefing. The rest of the day will be yours to explore Kathmandu and to make final preparations for the trek. You will hear the Nepalese word for hello ‘Namaste’, you will never forget that word after this holiday.

This is a one day guided sightseeing tour of the Kathmandu Valley. We visit three out of the seven World Heritage Sites. You start off by visiting Patan Durbar Square. Afterwards you drive to the Buddhist stupa at Boudhanath. The last stop of the day at the Hindu shrine of Pashupatinath. The tour is likely to finish around 4pm and the rest of the day is free to further explore Kathmandu.

Three major towns in the valley, Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. Each place has great artistic and architectural traditions. Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city in the country. Patan, the second largest separated from Kathmandu by Bagmati river. Bhaktapur, the third largest, is towards the eastern end of the valley. Its relative isolation reflected in its slower pace and more medieval atmosphere. In Kathmandu there is a bustle of activity especially in the bazaars and markets. While the city has expanded over the last 10 years it is still possible to see traditional buildings and temples.

We leave Kathmandu early in the morning by private bus. It is a scenic drive with occasional glimpses of mountain peaks. After exiting the Kathmandu valley we drive along the Pokhara road. We turn off to head North following Buri Gandaki to Arughat Bazaar. After Dhading Besi the road is not hard topped. It is likely to be quite dusty in the bus so it is a good idea to bring a buff or scarf along with you.

Our trek starts at Arughat and heads north upstream along the Budhi Gandaki river. After about two hours we arrive at Arkhet where we turn off Manaslu Circuit trail.  We cross the suspension bridge over the river. After the bridge the trail ascends through woodland and terraced fields. We pass through the small settlements of Baseri and Lapudanda. After about four hours walking we arrive at Manbu where we camp for the night. From the village we see Budhi Gandaki and to the North  is the Shingri Himal mountain.

From Manbu the trail traverses and ascends to Dunchet village where we are likely to have lunch. Dunchet village is a large village with traditional stone houses.  It has a village square in the centre where they have meetings and socialise. After the village the trail climbs on stone steps through fields to enter the forest. We walk towards a large rock called Lamodungha. We will camp in a clearing near this rock. From here there are views of the eastern face of Himalchuli.

From camp the trail ascends through a forest of bamboo, larch and rhododendron. After crossing several streams we enter a clearing at a place called Nauban Kharka. We camp here for the night. There are views of Annapurna South and Annapurna 2, Fishtail and Himalchuli.

After about an hour from camp we reach Myangal Bhanjang. This pass is at an altitude of 2,975m. We descend through forest and enter Myangal Kharka. We get views of Ganesh Himal range and Paldor to the East. We also see these mountains from the second pass called Magne Goth at an altitude of 2,800m. From here we descend through forest and clearings down to Khading village.

From Khading we descend to the river and cross a suspension bridge to the other side of the valley. After the bridge we have a short climb followed by contouring on a path above the river. We pass through Lapchet village and then descend to another river. After crossing the suspension bridge we walk up to Rachyet village.

From Rachyet we ascend the trail through forest to the school at Timla. As we cross the ridge there are good views of Ganesh Himal mountains. The trail traverses high above the river and passes through Tirigaon. Beyond this village the trail is on a stone path along the steep mountain side as we head North to Neber. This village is a friendly place where we stay two nights with time tomorrow to explore the area.

Today there are several options for day walks to explore the area. We can go for a walk across the valley to visit Hindung village. The other option is to follow the trail north up the valley beyond Neber for good views of Ganesh Himal.

We say our goodbyes to the villagers of Neber. On leaving we descend to Tatopani where it is well worth having a dip in the hot springs. From Tikka Danda we descend to the suspension bridge and then ascend to Chalis village. The April 2015 earthquake damaged many of the villages in this region. The Mountain Company and our supporters have helped in a project to rebuild the school in Chalis. After a visit to the school we ascend on stone steps to Shertung where we camp for the night.

From Shertung the trail descends to cross Adho Khola followed by a steep ascent to Kamigaon. After this village we pass through Tipling and ascend to Laptung. We follow the trail on stone steps through forest and we camp at one of the clearings at Marmelung Kharka.

From camp the trail continues through beautiful forest. After a couple of hours we arrive at the cheese factory. We pass through a kani stone entrance with several chortens and this marks the summit of Pangsang La. There are several buildings at the pass including a porter shelter. We will camp here and in the afternoon explore the area.

On a clear day there are panoramic views from Pansang La. It is well worth walking to the viewpoint located about 150m above the pass. The view sweeps from Langtang in the East to Ganesh Himal to the North and Annapurnas and Manaslu to the West. After returning back to camp we start the descent of the pass through forest and arrive at Somdang.

After Somdang we have one more pass to cross called Kurphudanda at 3,710m. From here we descend on a trail and a jeep track to the large village of Gatlang.

It is a short walk to the roadhead at Chillime and then we drive to Syabru Besi where we stay in a lodge for the night.

After breakfast we leave Syabru Besi by private vehicle. This is a long drive although these days the road is hard topped all the way to Kathmandu. We pass through the rural landscape of villages and locals working in the fields. We follow the Trishuli river to the south and pass through Dhunche. We descend to Trishuli river and drive onto Trishuli Bazaar. As this is at a low elevation of 540m it will be hot and humid. We enter the Kathmandu valley to the North past Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park.