DAY 1: ARRIVE IN KATHMANDU
Upon your arrival in Kathmandu, our local team warmly welcomes you at the airport. You will then be escorted to the hotel, where you can enjoy some well-deserved relaxation. The itinerary includes a briefing about the trek's progress and presentation, followed by leisure time. If you arrive in the morning, you'll have the entire day at your disposal. This can be used for rest or for those interested, to explore the surroundings freely. It's an ideal chance to deeply experience Nepalese culture and indulge in the local culinary delights.
Transfer to hotel
Final altitude: approximately 1350 m
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: night in the hotel
DAY 2: FLIGHT KATHMANDU — NEPALGUNJ
Flight of about an hour with superb views of the Manaslu, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massifs. Nepalgunj is located in the Terai plain, not far from the Indian border. We discover a Nepal of the plains, of Hindu culture and religion. Free time on site.
by private vehicle and plane
flight: 45 minutes
Final altitude: 280m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: overnight at the hotel
DAY 3: FLIGHT NEPALGUNJ — SIMIKOT
We are happy to leave the humidity of Nepalgunj to go up the Himalayan foothills. The hills follow one another and we leave the last rice fields. A final ridge, a bend, and the Simikot airfield appear. It is in the heart of the village. The flight being early in the morning, we have part of the day to walk around and discover the surroundings. There are still some formalities to complete before reaching our campsite and enjoying a first hot tea.
About: 35 minutes
Final altitude:3000m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a lodge
DAY 4: TREKKING FROM SIMIKOT TO CHIPRA
We start with a first day of short hiking with a descending profile that allows us to get up to speed. After crossing the village of Simikot, we pass through another small village before taking the valley that leads to the Karnali River which has its source in Tibet. On the way, we observe the temple of Kharpunath.
4 hours Walking
Final altitude: 2,100m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 5: TREKKING FROM CHIPRA TO RAYA
We follow the turquoise waters of Karnali while bypassing the Chote Kang massif that we will bypass during our entire trek. At the foot of Raya, a slope over 300 meters high ends this somewhat short day. We visit beautiful villages with houses that follow the slopes and adapt to the terrain.
4 hours walking
Final altitude: 2,400m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 6: TREKKING FROM RAYA TO LAMA CHAUR
We gain altitude. Directly behind the village, the path climbs towards the Lama Chaur mountain pasture. We leave the cultivated terraces and thus pass from the inhabited area to pine forests and pastures. As we gain altitude we have beautiful views of the peaks and the Karnali Valley. Camp on the ridge or lower if there is no water.
6 hrs walking
Final altitude: 3,750m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 7: TREKKING FROM LAMA CHAUR — KHADIKHANI PASS (4,300 M) — LAMPATO
Far from the houses now, we leave for a day at altitude. Along a ridge then through successive passes, the path gradually leads us to the Khadikhani pass at 4,300 meters. The Saipal Himal at more than 7,000 meters can be seen. We admire it during the whole descent which leads us to the Khawadi valley.
7 hrs walking
Final altitude: 2,900m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 8: TREKKING FROM LAMPATO TO RANI KHARKA
Today, the long ascent of the Kawadi Khola valley, a river that originates in the eastern glacier of Saipal. The path is without difficulty on this part. We follow the river to the mountain pastures of Rani Kharka. The slope is gradual but the valley is long. Then at the end of a valley, the imposing mass of Saipal appears. Its east ridge is spectacular.
6 hrs walking
Final Altitude: 3,550m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 9: TREKKING FROM RANI KHARKA — EASTERN SAIPAL BASE CAMP — RANI KHARKA
It is a “wild” base camp because the real camp is on the other side, to the north. To be as close as possible to the glacier, we approach the summit. We are heading towards a beautiful turquoise lake, a tangible symptom of the melting of the glaciers. From there, the view of the summit is impressive. Depending on the movements of the glacier, if the path is passable, we can progress a little along the moraine on the left bank. We return to our camp at Rani Kharka.
4 hrs walking
Final altitude: 3,550m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 10: TREKKING FROM RANI KHARKA TO LEPCHE KHARKA
From the mountain pastures of Rani Kharka, we go to the sheepfolds of Lepche Kharka via Tharangi Kharka and its small shepherd's shelters. We continue due north following the Lepche River. The path climbs towards the pass that we will pass the next day.
4 hrs walking
Final Altitude: 4,450m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 11: LEPCHE KHARKA — SAKYA LAGNA (4,700 M) — CHALA
Going up to Sakya Lagna at 4,700 meters, the valley loses its vegetation with altitude. We pass the highest pass of the entire route. At the pass, we observe the Saipal which is revealed from another angle, but also a formidable view towards the summits which make the border with the Tibetan plateau. We then descend through the pastures of Kaniphuk Kharka and the confluence of the Karang and Kalungba rivers. We then go back to the village of Chala while verticality.
7hrs walking
Final altitude: 3,750m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 12: TREKKING FROM CHALA TO PUE KHARKA
From Chala, the path stays flat in Nepal above the valley you dominate. We then descend to the Kharang Khola, a narrow valley that leads us to tonight's camp.
5 hrs walking
Final altitude: 4000m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 13: TREKKING FROM PUE KHARKA TO NORTH SAIPAL BASE CAMP
A rather busy day. We go up in the narrow valley with sometimes a little stiff passage. We arrive at the north base camp near a waterfall and a glacier. Not far away, there is the high and blue turquoise lake of Kharang. The north face of Saipal loaded with snow and ice is impressive. It is from here that the rare expeditions to the summit leave. In recent years, the snow on the slopes of Saipal tends to melt phenomenally. The first known attempt to conquer Saipal dates back to 1953 with the Austrian Dr. Herbert Tichy which would have failed, mainly due to essentially logistical problems. A Japanese expedition made the first ascent in 1963. Katsutoshi Hirabayashi and Pasang Phutar reached the summit on the south side on October 21. After unsuccessful Austrian and Swiss attempts in 1987 and 1988, two teams made the first ascent of Saipal via the NE ridge in 1990. Frenchmen Jacques Montaz and Tendi Sherpa reached the summit on October 26. Two days later, the Austrian Kroll, the German Matthias Mross and Ang Choppel Sherpa experienced the same success.
7hrs walking
Final altitude: 4,800m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 14: TREKKING FROM NORTH SAIPAL BASE CAMP TO KHARANG KHOLA
We take the same path we went through narrow gorges to set up our camp at Kharang Khola.
5 hrs walking
Final altitude: 3,700m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 15: TREKKING FROM KHARANG KHOLA TO CHALA
A long day to go back to the village of Chala that we already know.
6 hrs
Final altitude: 3,750m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent
DAY 16: TREKKING FROM CHALA TO YALBANG
We climb the last pass of our route, the Syakup La at 4210 meters, which allows us to reach Yalbang. The descent into the valley of Puiya Khola is steep and in the forest. We then go up to the village of Yalbang which is now served by a track that connects Simikot and Hilsa, the Tibetan border.
7 hrs walking
Final altitude: 3,700m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent or in a lodge
DAY 17: TREKKING FROM YALBANG TO SIMIKOT
We take the track used by Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims who wish to go on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. We return to Simikot for one last evening with our team,
about 2 hours.
Final altitude: 3000m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a lodge
DAY 18: FLIGHTS SIMIKOT — NEPALGUNJ — KATHMANDU
Flight
about 1 hour 20 minutes
Meals: breakfast – free lunch (not included) – free dinner (not included)
Accommodation: overnight at the hotel
DAY 19: REST DAY IN KATHMANDU
The free day in Kathmandu also serves as a safety day in case something goes wrong while trekking. Today you have a rest day to relax or you can also go shopping in Kathmandu or you can do whatever you want by yourself.
DAY 20: FINAL DEPARTURE TO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Free time depending on the departure time of your flight and our representative will drop you at the airport, ending your journey in Nepal. We hope to be of service to you again. Thank you and safe travels.