Welcome to the Himalayan country of Nepal. It’s a panoramic thrill flying into Kathmandu on a clear day. The views of snow-capped mountain peaks sprawling down below you are almost ecstatic, beginning a whole chain of memorable experiences that stay with you for a long, long time. And as your plane hits the tarmac, our waiting support team will meet and greet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel. Welcome drinks will be served and after time in getting refreshed, that evening you will be invited to a welcome dinner in a typical Nepalese restaurant in the heart of Kathmandu. You will also receive a trip briefing before retiring for the night at the hotel.

Today after breakfast we start a guided tour to several of the most historical and spiritual attractions in Kathmandu which are also listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. We visit the historic Durbar Square, the famous ‘Monkey Temple’ (Swayambhunath) the sacred Hindu temple of Pashupatinath’ and Buddhist shrine (Bouddhanath), which is also one of the largest stupas in the world. At noon, there will be a pre-trip discussion as well as provides opportunity to ask any questions you may have regarding our upcoming adventure.

On the third day, you will board a spectacular 50 min afternoon to Mahendra Airport in Nepalgunj (150m). The journey over the hills and valley is a splendid experience as you arrive in the largest city in the steamy Terai. Nepalgunj lies in the border region of western Nepal and India. Upon your arrival at the airport, a vehicle will be waiting for you to escort you through old villages and countryside to the Hotel. Since the temperature 28 degrees at night, you will sleep in the comforts of air conditions at your Hotel room.

Your day begins with a warm breakfast at your Hotel in Nepalgunj. After breakfast, a private vehicle will be waiting outside the Hotel to escort you to the airport. You will board a morning 45 minutes air journey to Simikot (2,950m) (the administrative hub of Humla). The flight is a spectacular trip as you cruise above the peaks with great views of Mountains Mt. Api (7,132m) and Mt. Saipahl (7,031m).

Your trek today starts with a short climb of about an hour to a little pass that’s just over (3,000m/9,800ft). After the pass, it’s a long and steep descent to Dharapori. Your trek today will take around 5 hours, and will take you high above the Karnali River, partly through pine forests, and pass through a few villages. Along the way, you will meet local people, both Hindu and Buddhist, who are sometimes carrying their heavy loads all the way up the steep trail. Tonight, is your first night camping, with the site located near the Karnali River.

Your walk today is rather short, giving you a chance to recover. The trail keeps on following the Karnali River, sometimes high on the slope, with the river far below you, and sometimes dipping back down so that the trail is almost level with the water. This section of the river finds its way through narrow gorges with high rocky slopes. You will walk along fields of mainly barley, buckwheat, rice, and potatoes.

In the afternoon you can relax in one of the two natural hot springs close to the village. It’s a 30-minute uphill walk, passing Kermi village. Kermi is a small agricultural village and is the first completely Buddhist village on the trail (from Kermi onwards, all the villages are Buddhist). There are two interesting monasteries close to Kermi: Laikyo Gompa, a few hundred years old, is about 45 minutes from the campsite and Lhundrup Choeling Gompa is about 30 minutes from the campsite. Both are seldom visited by tourists.

Today the trail is flat or slightly uphill, passing alongside fields planted with barley and buckwheat. When it is sunny, you might see beautiful lizards sunning themselves on rocks. After 2 hours you will cross a small pass, after which it is a steep descent of about 20 minutes until you reach a big iron suspension bridge over the Sali River.

This section of the walk goes through beautiful pine forests. Below you, you will see the emerald green Karnali River. Once and a while you might meet caravans of mules and dzopas (a crossbreed of yak and cow). The travelers are mostly villagers from Simikot and the Nyinba Valley to the east of Simikot. They are going to (or are coming back from) Taklakot, just across the border with Tibet, to buy goods for trading.

You will reach Yalbang after 6 hours of trekking. Above the village, there is a beautiful monastery: the Namkha Khyung Dzong Monastery. You will notice you are getting near the monastery by a huge stone with a Tibetan mantra carved on it. The Namkha Khyung Dzong is the biggest monastery in the region, with around 130 monks living there. A Buddhist monk will be happy to show you around, after which you will be invited for tea upstairs. At 7 am and 4 pm there is a daily puja (Buddhist prayer ceremony) that you can attend.

Leaving Yalbang, the path goes high above the Karnali River again. After about 20 minutes you will pass the little village of Yangar. The path is mostly “Nepali Flat”: flat parts, with some uphill, and some downhill. Some sections of the path are spectacularly carved out of the rocks, and you will find yourself walking in a kind of three-sided tunnel. You will notice the environment changing as it is getting rockier and the big pine trees make way for smaller bushes. You cross the Karnali River by a big wooden suspension bridge.

Here, the path climbs high above the Karnali River and along the upper side of a deep gorge. Below, you’ll see the emerald green Karnali River. Along the way, you may encounter large flocks of sheep carrying salt, an old trade that still exists today. After 3/4 hours, you will arrive in the charming village of Muchu. It’s an hour walks to Tumkot the main trail doesn’t pass through Tumkot Village, but instead by some small teahouses and a campsite. The total trek today will take 5 hours.

The actual village of Tumkot is 20 minutes south of the trail. Close to the campsite and village lies the Dhungkar Choezom Monastery, one of the most important Sakya monasteries in the Tibetan region. It’s a 30-minute climb to get to the monastery, but it’s well worth the effort: this is the only Sakya Monastery in Humla, and one of the few monasteries of this lineage in Nepal.

Leaving Tumkot the trail climbs slowly but steadily, with a few steep climbs in between. Pretty soon after leaving the village, you will notice the landscape changing: it’s getting more and more rocky and desolate. The few trees left are low junipers. Part of the trail goes over the dirt road that is being built at the moment.

It is still uncertain when and if the road will ever be finished. You will cross the small village Pani Palwang a couple of teahouses along the road which makes a nice place for a cup of tea or a lunch break. It’s another 1 ½ hour to Thado Dunga, just after Yari. Your trek today will take 6 hours total, and you will camp just past the Yari village.

Today you cross the Nara La pass at (4,620m/15,157ft). It’s a long and tiring climb, but the views are your reward! As the trail climbs, the landscape gets more desolate. Trees disappear completely and the landscape looks more and more like Tibet. Sometimes you will encounter large caravans of mules or yaks (the bigger yaks are an especially impressive sight). You will pass a few teahouses at Tado Dunga, and from here the trail becomes steeper.

It’s still 2 hours climbing to the pass, and if there happens to be snow it will take a bit longer. Typically, this day’s trek takes 5/6 hours. At about half an hour from the pass you will cross a few big tents (these are tent hotels, serving foods and drinks). You can see the Nara La pass in the distance, but due to the altitude, it’s still a hard climb to get there. You will recognize the pass by the pile of stones (it brings good luck to add one!) and the strings of Tibetan prayer flags, carrying the prayers far away with the strong wind. You have breathtaking views ahead into Tibet and back towards Yari far below.

At the other side of the pass, it looks like you are in Tibet. You are surrounded by barren mountains in tones of brown, coppers, ash and dark yellows. From the pass, it’s a long descent to Hilsa, close to the border with Tibet.

Hilsa is the nearest port of Tibet- during the high season you will see thousands of Indian pilgrims crossing the border towards Mount Kailash in Tibet. After breakfast, you will cross the suspension bridge of the Humla Karnali River and immediately turn north through the newly built road towards Limi Valley, as you cannot cross the Nepal-Tibet border. This valley is famous for snow leopards and bharal, Himalayan blue sheep. After trekking for 4/5 hours, you will camp at Manipeme at an elevation of (3,990m/13,090ft). The camp gets its name from the Mani Mantra engraved on a large rock.

From Manipeme you will cross the Chenglungma caravan campsite before coming to the old cave of Cha-sa Nam-ka Dzong. It is located just up the hill, below the trail in a rocky cliff, and faces south into the sun. It’s convenient location and proximity to plentiful firewood have made it popular for retreats.

Today’s distance looks short, but the trail from Hilsa to Til is a bit tough and takes close to 7 hours. It’s dry, sloping, and goes up and down. You are walking through the Trans Himalaya Dread Path, which gets its name from the rough terrain and the heavy pack animal traffic. Tread carefully on the trail as you navigate the yaks and sheep, which are returning from the border with fully loaded trading packs.

There are three villages in the Limi valley- Til, Halji, and Jang. Til is situated at approximately (4,100m/13,500ft) and is surrounded by barley fields at the western side of the village. It is the closest village to the Tibet-China border and is the smallest village among the three settlements. There are around 30 families living here. On the right side of the village, you will find the 300-year-old monastery of Kunzum Do-Nag monastery, which is worth paying a visit.

Today’s trekking begins with a downhill walk for about an hour until you reach Tiljung. Just below Tiljung you will reach the Tagtsi Khola, the main tributary of Karnali River, which flows from the east along the Jang and Halji villages towards Til. From Tiljung, cross the suspension bridge over the river, then proceed right. Follow the Tagtsi River into the narrow valley towards the east for about two hours and you will reach another bridge over the same river. Cross the bridge and bear to the left. Then, walking northeast about half an hour, you will reach the beautiful plain area of Halji village.

Halji is the biggest and most important village in Limi, and its centrally located 800-year-old Rinchhen Ling Gompa monastery is a must-see. Visit the monastery and turn east, walking on the nice wide trail past the beautiful Buddhist entrance gate and Mani walls. From there, walk another hour until you reach the village of Jang at (3,930m/12,900ft), which boasts a 250-year-old monastery. From Jang, another hour trek (bringing the total for the day to 7 hours) will bring you to your welcome destination: the Chagzur hot springs.

Today is your rest day, after a long and tiring day journey. However, you have two options: either a rest day with time to do laundry and relax in the natural hot-spring baths or, if the weather is good, you will have an opportunity to see Mt. Kailash and Holy Lake Manasarovar in Tibet from Lapcha Syar (4,900m/16,000ft). For those trekkers who want to see a panoramic view of Kailash and Manasarovar, you will need to hire a truck (this can be easily arranged) as the road access from Tibet can be rough. Going up to the viewpoint and coming back to the campsite will take about 5/6 hours.

From Chagzur hot springs, as you walk towards Tagtsi, the old caravan trails of Humla-Manasorover and Humla-Limi will meet. About half an hour before reaching Tagtsi, you will reach a new settlement that has sprung up at Tugling. It has VHF telephone service and a restaurant run by Limi people.

From here to Nyalu base camp you have two options: if you cross the river there is a shorter way along a new road; a longer trail goes via Tagtsi, and is more beautiful. Just after crossing the Tagtsi bridge on your right, you will see one of the ruined villages of Limi. This ruined village used to be the oldest village in the Limi valley, known as Tshamdo or Zambuk (also known as the ruined village of Lama Palya). These days, only its ruins and the chorten (Buddhist stupa) can be seen.

From Zambuk, you need to cross Nyingchhu River, which enters to Tshomgo Lake. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Tshomgo Lake and the stream of Talung meadows. You can also see the camp of Limi and Humli shepherds and yak-herders at Jade/Nyalu base camp. Today’s journey will take approximately 7 hours.

You will leave the village of Jang after you enjoy breakfast early in the morning. The trek starts as you ascend through the steady climb uphill. The air gets thinner at a higher elevation so you will need to walk with periodic breaks. You will leave the Limi valley and hike for 8 hours to the village of Talung. You will stay for the night in Talung village (4,370m) at a tea house. The option for accommodation is to a minimum because the trail goes through remote landscapes and terrains. Therefore, you have to set camp at some destinations for the night.

On this day, you will cross the second pass of the trek, the path ahead is adventurous but yet tough and strenuous. However, the climb to the highest point of the trek at the Nyalu La (4,940m) will offer you the spectacular views of Humla Bandley and landscapes stretching to Tibet. You will hike through the steep path downwards to lake Selma (4,630m) overlooking the splendid views of Mount Kailash (6,638m) and Mt. Saipahl (7,031m). Further down the trek, you will follow the Sali river to the campsite for today at Shinjungma (3,620m). Along the way, you have many more beautiful views of Mount Saipal. After the exhausting 8 hours of hike and gradual descend, you will rest for the night at the campsite.

Today, your trek leads you back to civilization to Kermi village. For the first time on your trek, you will descend down for (3,000m) through pine and birch forests. The hike is a relatively easy walk along the beautiful Salli Khola with rocks towering on both sides of the trail. Shortly, the trail meets the Karnali river. The 7 hours to Kermi village trek will certainly exhaust you. So, you will relax your tired muscles in the hot springs in the Kermi village (2,670m). You will enjoy dinner and spend the night at a camp.

It’s 6 hours long hike to Simikot as the trail heads towards Darapuri (2,300m) at the start of the trek. Eventually, you will continue a pleasant walk towards Majgaon (2,290m) and commence an uphill climb for 2 hours waits above the Karnali River. Just after you cross a pass at over (3,000m), you will enjoy the beautiful scenery of Nyinba valley (4,050m). You will hike for 30 minutes further on the trail to reach Simikot and stop for the night.

We keep an extra day in case the flight gets canceled due to bad weather condition or delayed due to some reasons.

You will overlook a beautiful morning sunrise from your tea house at Simikot. After having breakfast, you will board a morning flight to Nepalgunj flying over the Himalayas and snow-capped peaks. Upon your arrival at Nepalgunj airport, you will shortly board a connecting flight to the beautiful city Kathmandu. You will reminisce the memorable trip of your trek as you enjoy the scenic mountain flight to Kathmandu.

Today is your last day in Kathmandu and is an opportunity to do all the bits and pieces you thought of doing over the past few weeks including any last-minute shopping, returning to places that you enjoyed or didn’t get a chance to visit before your trek. Do let us know if would like help organising anything for today.

You are saying goodbye to the mountains as your journey in Nepal comes to an end today. You are free until it is time for us to transfer you to the airport in time for your flight home. We hope you enjoyed the tour with us, and are sure you`ll be back in your trip somewhere in the Himalaya again.