An epic 26 days trekking in the Nepali Himalayas
Trip Start
Jun 19, 2010
1
21
38
Trip End
Oct 24, 2011
Where I stayed
Himalayan Lodge
Pokhara, Nepal
Monday, May 9, 2011
The majority of people fly into Lukla & start their trek from there but I'd heard (from a guy I met on a train in Sri Lanka back in early Dec) that one could walk in from a town called Jiri. So that's what we did! I met back up with Jenstar, D & Pete, mates I met & traveled with in India, & we had heaps of fun. So so awesome seeing these guys again.
The walk from Jiri takes 6 days & is stunning. Not only does it help a great deal with fitness (& to a lesser extent acclimatisation since the trek is very "up & down" & you actually ascend & descend over 9,000m in the 6 days) but you get a taste of rural Nepal as you're passing through heaps of towns & villages. The scenery along the way is stunning & it's also varied to what you see further up with lots of green countryside about. Finally, since far fewer people walk in, the trails are nice & quiet & you feel like you're on your own to some extent (unlike the highway further up).
From there, Jenstar, Darragh & I did what's known as the "3 Passes" Trek & it was a *PHENOMENAL* 20 days. It's hard to describe how spectacular the area is. The 3 passes we trekked were the Kongma La (5535m), Cho La (5368m) & Renjo (5360m). We also trekked up Chukkung Ri at 5,550m (this was a bitch of a climb!), Kala Pattar at 5,550m (from where we had the most gorgeous 360 panoramic Himalayan view) & Gokyo Ri (5357m). We also made it to Everest Base Camp (5,365), where I buried the traveling geo-caching cow Toby & I found whilst geo-caching in Eschwege in early September.
If I had to say, I'd say the best views were from Kala Pattar as one has a 360 view from the top with Everest & Lhotse, the world's 4th highest at 8,516m, "right there"!
There are heaps of towns along the way so there is no need to bring one's own food & tent etc & accommodation all the way up is very reasonable. Food gets a lot more expensive the higher you go but it's all super tasty & we ate HEAPS (both lunch & dinner were always 2 courses - mains & another mains). We reckon we had at least 3 eggs a day & at least one meal had potatoes in it. Not to mention at least 2 snickers/mars bars per day!
We picked up a few people along the way, said goodbye to others & had heaps of fun. Without doubt one of the best things I've done in my life.
I'm presently relaxing in the awesome & beautiful lake-side town of Pokhara where all we've done is eat & drink. We've made some great mates here & we've also bumped into ppl we've met during the travels, which is awesome. It's always so much fun catching up with people you've met along the way.
Next up I'm heading to SE Asia. 1st up - the beaches of southern Thailand. It's gonna be large!
