Gorakh Himal Exploratory with Tim Macartney-Snape

You will be met by a representative of World Expeditions and transferred to the Radisson hotel. Remainder of the afternoon at leisure. A pre-trek briefing will be given around 5pm where arrangements will be made for the distribution of your kit bag, sleeping bag, down/fibrefill jacket and climbing pack.

Meals:  Nil

This morning a group meeting with gear check will be held and at this time any necessary items will be hired or purchased. The remainder of the day is free for you to explore Kathmandu’s bustling streets and significant landmarks. You may wish to start by exploring the city’s two most important World Heritage Listed spiritual sites: Pashupatinath, Nepal’s most sacred Hindu temple and an important cremation site; and Boudhanath, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal and the most sacred Tibetan Buddhist shrine outside of Tibet. Alternatively you could wander through the markets and shops of the busy Thamel precinct.

Meals:  B

This morning we take a flight to Gamgadi/Talcha, close to Rara, Nepal’s largest lake surrounded by the protected forests of Rara National Park in the Karnali district. There is an abundance of wildlife in this area including musk deer, leopard, ghoral, tahr, Himalayan black bear, and the rare red panda. The flight in is impressive, first over the Terai before following the Karnali Nadi to Talcha. If the weather conditions are not favourable to fly on our scheduled day, we will drive west from Kathmandu to ensure we maximise our time on trek. We're now in the Karnali River Basin which lies between the mountain ranges of Dhaulagiri in Nepal and Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand, India. From its origins on the Tibetan plateau near Lake Mansarovar the Karnali River flows toward the Ganges, fed by an array of glaciers on the way. It is considered one of the great trans-himalayan rivers and its brilliant blue waters snaking through the mountains are a sight to behold. Our first trekking day sees us heading northward towards the stage for our exploration, the Gorakh Himal.

Meals:  B,L,D

Our route, though somewhat planned, is exploratory in nature. After five days of trekking we find ourselves in the sub-alpine zone, the valley opens out and the spectacular peaks of the Gorakh Himal begin to show themselves. We expect to cross several passes in the vicinity of 5000m as we explore. Our route will be dictated by conditions and possibilities, with much to explore in this area. Basic climbing gear such as crampons (and boots to take them), harness and ice axe will be needed on the trip for possible snowy pass crossings or should any peak not requiring a permit reveal itself. There may or may not be steep terrain to negotiate on a passes - if there is, rope will be fixed and the pass negotiated in an orderly and safe manner. Indeed we may be turned back at several points by an impasse but we will simply find another way around - there is always another way around, the trick is to find the most interesting one possible! During our explorations, our support team of porters and crew will be on hand to keep things running smoothly, with our wilderness campsites set up, equipment carried and hearty meals provided, leaving us to revel in this truly magnificent place.

Meals:  B,L,D

We plan to return from our trek to Simikot for our return flight to Kathmandu, following our magnificent traverse which has taken us on a journey through some of the most remote and untrodden trails in the Nepal Himalaya. We will spend the night in Simikot.

Meals:  B,L,D

This mornings flight will take us back via Nepalgunj to Kathmandu. On arrival to Kathmandu, we transfer to the Radisson Hotel for overnight accommodation.

Meals:  B

After breakfast arrangements cease unless further ones have been made. Those people departing by aircraft will be transferred to the airport.

Meals:  B