The Dhaulagiri Circuit trek is an exciting adventure through high alpine pastures, desolate valleys, and windswept hills.
Crossing two major mountains – the French Pass at 5,360 meters with pristine views of Tukuche Peak (6,990m) and the Dhampus Pass at 4,720 meters with extensive cultivated terraced hillsides. It is a challenging route that requires good fitness but also basic trekking skills if you want to reap the rewards of stunning scenery like no other!
What could be more magnificent than mountains? The circuit path winds past communities and terraced farmland, as well as through rivers and canyons. With plenty of time to acclimate before climbing high passes, you'll have lots of opportunities to explore this amazing region with friends or family!
The Dhaulagiri Circuit trip is difficult and exciting for experienced hikers aiming for an expedition-like experience. This circuit walk is spectacular and fascinating at every level, bringing you from agricultural towns in the Himalayan foothills to high alpine meadows, desolate valleys, and close-up views of numerous peaks above 8,000 meters.
Program ( 20 days )
On the first day, a Creative Adventure Nepal representative will pick you up from the airport as soon as you arrive. Then, you will be transferred to a hotel in Kathmandu. Meanwhile, our representative will brief you about the trip.
Today we travel from Kathmandu to Pokhara over Nepal's largest Prithivi Highway, enjoying scenic sights of luscious hills and the blissful Trishuli River. Pokhara is a tourist's paradise with natural and cultural heritage attractions, including lakes, caves, and Buddhist and Hindu temples surrounded by mountains. The city lies at the foot of the Annapurna and Fishtail mountain ranges.
After breakfast, we will take you to Beni through the Pokhara Baglung Highway. Beni serves as the starting place for our Dhaulagiri high trek. We begin our journey down the Myagdi River's bed, passing through exquisite cultural and traditional towns until arriving in Tatopani.
We leave Tatopani and continue down the Myagdi River, passing through various towns, terraces, and farmlands. Along the way, we may learn about the traditional lifestyles of the nearby Gurung and Chhetris tribes. Our trek continues to a tiny suspension bridge when the route abruptly begins to ascend towards Dharapani.
After Dharapani, we take a path that leads to Muri. We travel past rice terraces, paddy and wheat farms, and lovely villages. We can get vistas of the Himalayas from certain points on the trip to Muri. After crossing a suspension bridge just over Dhara Khola, our trip begins to ascend till we reach the Magar community Village – Muri. In the evening, we visit the hamlet and learn about their traditional and cultural ways of life.
We begin our journey to Boghara after breakfast. We descend steep slopes till we reach the Muri brook suspension bridge. Then, after passing through gorgeous bamboo woods and farmhouses, we take a northern path into an open valley before arriving at the Boghara campground.
Leaving Boghara, we begin our trek to Dobang by walking along the west bank of the Myagdi River, passing through rich subtropical woods. We carry on after Lipshe, going through towns, forests, and various farm terraces. We eventually arrive at Dorbang, which has several tea places and decent camping spots.
We go through thick rhododendron and bamboo forests on a route. And, we go to the east side of the Myagdi River after passing a suspension bridge. Also, we may travel through lovely green woodlands till we reach the Sallaghari campground.
After breakfast, we begin our adventure on a hard rising track through deep rhododendron forests, pine forests, and birch trees. On this day, we encounter glaciers and moraine. Mt. Dhaulagiri, the world's sixth highest peak, can be viewed from Italian Base Camp.
We need to be more concentrated because the Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek is a demanding trekking adventure. Acclimatization is essential for staying fit at high elevations. We take a well-deserved break and explore the surroundings.
After breakfast, we begin our descend down narrow falling slopes towards the glacier. Between Italian Base Camp and Dhaulagiri Base Camp is Glacier Camp. We'll have to navigate glaciers, gorges, moraine, and various tight slopes. We gradually approach Glacier Camp after crossing the Glacier to the left of Chinbarden Gorge.
We spend our second acclimatization day at Glacier Camp. We need this rest day since we are already at high altitudes and need to gain additional altitude to complete the journey. To get from Glacier Camp (4200 meters) to Dhaulagiri Base Camp (4700 meters), we need to be healthy and physically strong.
The trek to Dhaulagiri Base Camp is incredibly tricky. As we progress up the route, it becomes increasingly difficult and demands careful attention from all of us to ensure that no one is injured along the way!
We spend another day at Base Camp acclimating. We get a fantastic view of Mt. Dhaulagiri 8167m, Dhaulagiri II 7751m, Dhaulagiri IV 7618m, Tukuche Peak 6920m, and other high peaks in the area.
The route follows the left side of the upper Chhonbarden glacier in the early morning. We make our way up severe lateral moraine ridge ascents. The main highlight of the day is crossing the hazardous French pass 5360m, which offers spectacular views of Mt. Dhaulagiri 8167m, Dhaulagiri I, Tukuche Peak 6920m, Mukut Himal 5970m, Sita Chuchura 6611m, Tashi Kang 6386m, and many more snow-capped summits. After passing the mountain, the trail begins a stunning descent with moderate gradients, eventually terminating at the magnificent Hidden Valley.
We spend a rest day in Hidden Valley exploring it. We may go up to the western ridge, from where we can see Mt. Dhaulagiri, Mt. Annapurna, Mt. Nilgiri, and many more snow-covered Himalayan mountains. In addition, Hidden Valley serves as the starting place for the Dhampus Peak Climbing excursion.
After an early breakfast, we depart Hidden Valley on an uphill path to Dhampus Pass (5240 m). After passing through the Dhampus Pass, our walk descends into the Kali Gandaki Valley. We continue downward till we reach Yak Kharka.
We begin our day with a steady downhill trek from Yak Kharka to Marpha Village. Marpha hamlet is widely renowned for its lovely apple garden, where visitors may sample local whiskey produced from local apples. Then we return to Jomsom on a pleasant trail.
If you're searching for a day of adventure and discovery, Pokhara is the best place. The city has numerous attractions to offer, including stunning mountains on all sides and intriguing temples or monuments depending on your preferences! Fewa Lake also has boating, which provides wonderful vistas while people enjoy their leisurely time floating; paragliding provides a spectacular viewpoint from above ground level while flying over this natural wonderland.
Finally, we travel from Pokhara to Kathmandu for the day, which takes around four to five hours. We go down the Prithivi Highway, which features magnificent steep roads along the banks of the Trishuli River.
It's time to say goodbye following a fantastic trip to the Dhaulagiri circuit. Our agent will drop you off at the International Airport at the end of this voyage.