Mt. Gyachung Kang, Dhaulagiri VII

01 / THE EXPERIENCE

Discover the journey

On the border between Nepal and Tibet, in the Mahalangur Himal region of the Himalayas, lies a high peak known as Mt. Gyachung Kang. With a height of 7,952 meters (26,089 feet), it ranks as the fifteenth-highest mountain in the world. A Japanese expedition team made the first ascent in 1964. The mountain is well-known for its difficult terrain, which makes it a well-liked destination for seasoned mountaineers. Elevation: 7,952 meters (26,089 feet) Location: The mountain is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet, in the Mahalangur Himal section of the Himalayas. Best time to climb: The best time to climb Mt. Gyachung Khang is during the spring (April to May) and fall (September to November) seasons. Climbing duration: The climbing duration varies depending on the route taken, but typically takes around 6-8 weeks. Difficulty level: The mountain is considered one of the most challenging 8,000-meter peaks to climb, with a difficulty level of 5 (out of 5). Permit required: Climbing permits are required to climb Mt. Gyachung Khang, which can be obtained through the Nepal Mountaineering Association. Route: There are several routes to climb Mt. Gyachung Khang, including the South Ridge, West Ridge, and Southwest Face. The South Ridge is the most popular route, and is considered the safest and easiest route. Equipment required: Climbers are required to bring their own equipment, including mountaineering boots, crampons, ice axes, ropes, and tents. Guided expedition: It is highly recommended to climb Mt. Gyachung Khang with a guided expedition, as the mountain is extremely challenging and requires advanced mountaineering skills.

03 / YOUR ROUTE

Journey at a glance

Day Day 1: Arrival at Kathmandu — Upon arrival in Kathmandu, you will be picked up by our representative at the airport and taken to the hotel. You will meet your guide, discuss the trek program, and make final preparations for the trek. If you have an early arrival, we will take you for a sightseeing trip in the UNESCO world heritage site in Kathmandu and later, in the evening, you’ll have dinner in the hotel. From 20th March 2020 due to heavy congestion, all flights to and from Lukla depart from Ramechhap airport, 130km, a 4-hour drive from Kathmandu. It means now it’ll take an extra day to get to Lukla from Kathmandu though the flight price is the same. Day Day 2: Welcome brief, Gear check and Official formalities in Kathmandu — On this day, you will go on a sightseeing tour of the city, visiting some of the popular tourist attractions. In the afternoon, you will have a pre-climbing briefing with your guide and do some final preparation. Day Day 3: Drive to Ramechhap (439m/1440.28) and Flight to Lukla (2,800m/9,186ft) — Kathmandu - Ramechhap via Road- Lukla via Air You should travel to Ramechhap from Kathmandu to catch your Lukla Flight and follow the same route for returning to Kathmandu. After having breakfast in the morning, you’ll have to take a bus ride to Ramechhap which is around 5 hours and have lunch on the way to where you can try various Nepali cuisines. After you reach Ramechhap, you’ll take a flight to Lukla from Manthali Airport which lies at an altitude of 439 m above sea level and is located at a distance of 132 km east of Kathmandu.A flight to Lukla is the most unpredictable part of Everest Three Pass trek itinerary and if the flight takes place as scheduled, you’ll reach Lukla in the evening or else you’ll need to wait for the next day to proceed to Lukla. There are several airlines operating flights to Lukla; Tara/Yeti Air, Summit Air,etc. and you can choose the one you like. Moreover, the best views of the mountains can be seen on the way to Lukla. Dinner will be ready at the hotel and your guide will give you the brief about the itinerary for following day. Distance from Kathmandu to Ramechhap - 132 km/82mi and Ramechhap to Lukla – 73.4km/45.6mi Time – 5 hrs drive, 40 min flight Day Day 4: Trek to Monjo (2,800m/9,186ft) — Lukla – Chheplung – Ghat – Phakding – Bengkar – Monjo In the early morning, you will have breakfast at the hotel and walking part of the trek begins. The trail starts from Lukla and descends to the Dudh Kosi River in Phakding and lunch will take place on the way. The first day gets difficult due to cold, high altitude and backpacks. You will get the view of picturesque sherpa villages, Tibetan Scriptures engraved Mane Walls and Chhortens and monasteries throughout the trails. Chhortens are like temples and often have relics of buddha in them. You’ll reach Phakding or Monjo exploring the trail and have dinner and overnight stay at hotel. Distance – 13 km/8 mi Time – 5-6 hours Total ascent – 530 m/1738 ft Total descent – 543 m/1781 ft Day Day 5: From Monjo, Trek to Namche Bazaar (3,440m/11,283ft) — Monjo - Jorsale - Namche Bazaar The trek from Phakding continues after breakfast, along the Dudh Kosi River, passing through pine forests and crossing several suspension bridges to Monjo. In Monjo, there is a national park checkpost. We will cross the river twice and reach Larcha Dovan, the confluence of two major rivers in Everest Valley and lunch will be in any small hotels or restaurants on the way. Here, we will cross the most iconic suspension bridge and follow a steeper trail to the historic trading town of Namche Bazaar which is surrounded by scenic mountains. From Phakding it's an 8 hrs trek and from Monjo, it's about 5-6 hrs. Dinner will be at Namche Bazar and rest for overnight. Distance – 6,5 km/4 mi Time – 4-5h. Total ascent – 662 m/2171 ft Total descent – 70 m/230 ft Day Day 6: Acclimatization Day in Namche Bazaar — Namche - Khumjung - Khunde - Namche You will take a rest day to acclimate at the high altitude. You can hike to the Everest View Hotel for a panoramic view of the Mt. Everest with delightful breakfast and tea or coffee. Then hike to the beautiful sherpa village of Khumjung and Khunde, have lunch there and return back to Namche via yak farm above Syangboche Airport. There is a newly opened Himalayan Museum and Sustainable Park in Syangboche. You can also explore the town, visit the local markets and Sherpa Cultural Museum if time permits. Make sure to charge all your electronic devices in Namche from there on you’ll have to pay extra for charging. Overnight stay at the hotel. Day Day 7: Trek to Dole (3,800m/12,467ft) — Namche Bazar -Mon La - Phortse Tenga - Dole The view is stunning as we continue on the main trail north from Namche. We have amazing views of Everest and Lhotse after a quick ascent to a ridge. Then, after continuing to follow the main track, we come to a crossroads situated high above the Dudh Koshi. Prior to arriving at Phortse Tenga, we divert from the Everest trail and rise to cross the Mon La. The trail ascends steeply through a rhododendron and birch woodland from Phortse Tenga to Dole. Distance: 11 km / 6.83 mi Trekking time: 5-6 hours Total ascent: 980 m / 3,215 ft Total descent: 320 m / 1,050 ft Day Day 8: Trek from Dole to Machermo (4,400m/14,435ft) — Dole - Machermo As we ascend from Dole along the valley's edge, rhododendron trees give place to juniper scrub as the height rises. When yaks are brought to these pastures to feed throughout the summer, they pass by several summer communities (yersa). From here, you can see Kantega, Thamserku, and Cho Oyu with great clarity. We won't spend much time hiking , and we'll be to Machermo in time for lunch. Distance: 6 km / 3.73 mi Trekking time: 3-4 hours Total ascent: 600 m / 1,969 ft Total descent: 80 m / 262 ft Day Day 9: Trek to Gokyo (4,800m/15,748ft) — Machermo - Gokyo Lake We now proceed to Gokyo's lakes. To get to Pangka, we take a very beautiful route. From there, we drop a little bit by following one of the rivers that go off the west side of the Ngozumpa Glacier. After passing the first of the holy lakes, we ascend a steep, rocky incline into the valley by the glacier. We quickly reach the second lake and proceed across the slope that leads to Cho La. The town of Gokyo is located on the eastern coast of the third lake, Dudh Pokhari. The backdrop is breathtaking as you stroll by the lakeside with the summits of Cho Oyu and Gyachung Kang. Distance: 5 km / 3.11 mi Trekking time: 3-4 hours Total ascent: 400 m / 1,312 ft Total descent: 0 m / 0 ft Day Day 10: Acclimatization, hike to Gokyo Ri and back — This day is spent acclimatizing and exploring Lake Gokyo and other lakes in Gokyo Valley. Early in the morning, you can hike to Gokyo Ri for panoramic views of Mt. Everest and the surrounding mountains. It is one of the best places to see Everest on the trek. We will wake up at 4 am and hike up to Gokyo Ri (5360 meters) and back to Gokyo Lake (4790 meters). Distance: 4 km/ 2.4 miles, Walking 3/4 hours Day Day 11: Trek from Gokyo to Ngozumba Tso(4,998m/16,397.64ft) — The trek heads to a glacial lake located in the Solukhumbu region of Nepal known as Nzogumba Tso. It lies near the border with Tibet and is the largest lake of Himalayas. Day Day 12: Trek from Ngozumba Tso to Gyachung Khang Basecamp (5,350m/17,552.49ft) — Finally, we head towards Gyachung Khang Base Camp which is the starting point to summit Gyachung Khang peak. This trek is really challenging with stunning views. There lies Mt. Gyachung Khang which is in the Mahalangur Himal section of Himalayas. Day Day 13-43: — Climbing Period [Base Camp - Summit(7,952m/26,089.24ft) - Base Camp] By the time you reach, the difficult chores, such as moving and establishing additional camps above base camp, providing hygienic meals during our climbing days, and selecting the optimum ascending route, will be handled by our strong Sherpa team. We will take enough days to acclimatize with the high altitude along with practicing climbing. We shall adhere to the guidance and directions of our skilled climbing specialists once we are fully outfitted with all the required climbing equipment. We progress towards the top of Mt. Gyachung Khang, negotiating many difficult climbing sections, and taking the weather into consideration. We will spend a short but important time at the peak before descending and returning the same way to base camp. Day Day 44: — Gokyo - Machermo - Dole Now we'll start the return journey from Gokyo to Dole. It is an intense trek of 8-9 hours and after having breakfast in the morning, we’ll descend to Dole observing the beautiful scenery and surrounding mountains. If the trek becomes tiring, you can motivate yourself by watching the mesmerizing view on the way. We will have lunch in Mechermo and continue our trek to Dole. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel. Distance: 13 km / 8.08 mi Trekking time: 6-7 hours Total ascent: 0 m / 0 ft Total descent: 1,000 m / 3,281 ft Day Day 45: Trek from Dole to Namche Bazaar(3,440m/11,283ft) — Dole - Namche Bazaar From Dole, we descend once more to Namche Bazaar by ascending through birch and rhododendron forest. We travel back to Namche from Dole by descending over the Dudh Koshi Distance: 6 km / 3.73 mi Trekking time: 3-4 hours Total ascent: 80 m / 262 ft Total descent: 1,060 m / 3,477 ft Day Day 46: Trek from Namche to Lukla — Namche - Lukla It’s a long and final day of trek back to Lukla. It is about 20 km but mostly downhill with occasional uphill climb. The last couple of hours is an uphill climb. We will retrace our steps on the left bank of Dudh Koshi river passing through lush forests and villages of lower Khumbu valley en route to Lukla. It will take about 8-9 hrs. Dinner and overnight stay at Lukla. Distance: 18-19 km /11-12 mi Time: 6-7 hours Total ascent: Minimal ascent Total descent: 900 m/2,953 ft Day Day 47: Drive to Ramechhap and fly to Kathmandu (1,400m/4,593ft) — Lukla - Ramechhap - Kathmandu You’ll need to fly back to Ramechhap and drive to Kathmandu. After reaching, we will transfer you to a hotel. In the evening, you can go shopping for souvenirs, trying Nepali or Newari Cuisine (Ethnic group and native people of Kathmandu Valley. We will organize a farewell program for you to create memories with us. Day Day 48: Leisure day at Kathmandu — This is a free day in Kathmandu. Visiting Durbar squares, temple and stupas some of which are also listed in UNESCO world heritage sites or strolling around Thamel area for some souvenir shopping are the few activities you can enjoy in Kathmandu. Try various Nepali and newari cuisines if you are a food lover and want to try something new in Nepal. On top of it, people in Nepal are really humble and hospitable. You can try talking to locals and learn a few Nepali words. In the evening, you can go to local bars or pubs if you love live music where local bands perform live every night especially on weekends. Day Day 49: Departure from Kathmandu — If your flight is in the evening, we will take you for sightseeing in one of the Buddhist stupa; Boudhanath/Swayambhunath which is also listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, Our representative will receive you from the hotel and drop you at the airport for your return journey back home.

YOUR DAY-BY-DAY ROUTE

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1Arrival at Kathmandu — Upon arrival in Kathmandu, you will be picked up by our representative at the airport and taken to the hotel. You will meet your guide, discuss the trek program, and make final preparations for the trek. If you have an early arrival, we will take you for a sightseeing trip in the UNESCO world heritage site in Kathmandu and later, in the evening, you’ll have dinner in the hotel.+