Dhaulagiri was climbed first in 1960 by an international team under the leadership of Max Eiselin, Lucerne.
Dhaulagiri is a Sanskrit word that means white mountain. It is located in the west-central part of Nepal. On the altitude scale, it is number 7 and is almost the last 8000 m mountain to be conquered. The Dhaulagiri High Trekking is to be done within the Dhaulagiri region. The trekking starts with base camp. There are two main possibilities to reach the base camp. Both ways start from the south at the small town of Beni (860 m), which can be reached by bus from Pokhara and Kathmandu.
The eastern valley is called Kali Gandaki and was chosen by the French expedition in 1950. Today there is even an airport at Jomsom (2700 m) in this valley. On the west side of this valley is Dhaulagiri, and on the east side is Annapurna. The alternative route is the Mayanghdi valley, discovered by a Swiss expedition one year later. Today there are commercial trekking tours. Among them, Dhaulagiri High Trekking is also the one that climbs on one side, reaches the base camp, and comes back through the opposite valley. But there are also organized tours that try to reach the summit.
The terrain can be complex and the days long, so the hikers on these treks should be in the good physical condition and have some previous mountain walking experience. Still, it does not require any technical experience. It may involve steep climbing, although it is never necessary to use ropes.
Program ( 18 days )
You will be transferred to hotel after arrival. You will be briefed on the trip.
Today we drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara, following the winding roads, scenic views of green hills, and serene Trishuli River along Nepal’s biggest Prithivi Highway. Pokhara is a tourist’s paradise full of natural and cultural heritage sites such as lakes, caves, and temples of Buddhists and Hindus surrounded by mountains. The city is situated on the base of the Annapurna and Fishtail mountain ranges.
After having breakfast, we drive you towards Beni, following the Pokhara Baglung Highway. Beni is the starting point of our Dhaulagiri high Trekking. We start our journey along the floor of the Myagdi River, following the trail of charming cultural and traditional villages before our stop at Tatopani.
Leaving Tatopani, we follow the comfortable trail along the Myagdi River, passing through several villages, terraces, and farmlands. Along the route, we can explore the cultural lifestyle of local inhabitants- Gurung and Chhetris tribes. Our journey continues to a small suspension bridge, and the trail suddenly climbs towards Dharapani.
After Dharapani, we follow a trail towards Muri. We pass through rice terraces and fields of paddy and wheat. We can see the Himalayas from some places. After crossing a suspension bridge above Dhara Khola, our journey starts to climb until reaching the Magar community Village. In the evening, we explore the village and experience its traditional lifestyle.
After breakfast, we start our trip to Boghara. We follow descending steep slopes until we reach the suspension bridge of Muri stream. Then, we go through beautiful bamboo forests and farmhouses that lead to a northern route towards an open valley before reaching the Boghara campsite.
Leaving Boghara, we start the journey towards Dobang, walking through the west bank of the Myagdi River and passing the lush sub-tropical forests. After reaching Lipshe, we continue passing through villages, forests, and several farm terraces. We finally reach Dorbang, where there are numerous tea houses and suitable camping sites.
We walk a trail passing through dense rhododendron and bamboo forests. After crossing a suspension bridge, we head towards the east bank of the Myagdi River. We can enjoy a walk through lush green forests, finally reaching the Sallaghari campsite
After breakfast, we start our journey on a steep climbing trail through dense rhododendron forests, pine forests, and birch trees. On this day, we pass the glaciers and moraine. There are views of the world’s sixth highest mountain – Mt. Dhaulagiri- from the Italian Base Camp.
Since the Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek is a problematic trekking experience, we need to focus more. Acclimatization is crucial in high altitudes to be fit. We take a much-needed rest and explore the surrounding area.
After breakfast, we start our journey toward the glacier. Glacier Camp is sandwiched between Italian Base Camp and Dhaulagiri Base Camp. We need to cross glaciers, gorges, moraine, and several narrow slopes. After crossing the Glacier on the left of Chinbarden gorge, we gradually head towards Glacier Camp.
We take our second acclimatization day at Glacier camp. Since we are already at high altitudes and still need to gain more altitude to complete the trek, it is essential to have this rest day. We need to be healthy and physically fit to gain more altitude from Glacier Camp 4200 meters to Dhaulagiri Base Camp 4700 meters.
After leaving Glacier Camp, we head towards Dhaulagiri Base Camp. As we gradually move up, the trail becomes challenging.
We take another acclimatization day at Base Camp. We view the incredible scenery of Mt. Dhaulagiri 8167m, Dhaulagiri II 7751m, Dhaulagiri IV 7618m, Tukuche Peak 6920m, and other surrounding high peaks.
The early morning journey follows the left side of the upper Chhonbarden glacier. We move through steep ascends of lateral moraine ridge. The main attraction of the day is to cross the adventurous French pass 5360m with great views of Mt. Dhaulagiri 8167 m, Dhaulagiri I, Tukuche Peak 6920 m, Mukut Himal 5970 m, Sita Chuchura 6611 m, Tashi Kang 6386 m and many other snow-capped peaks. After crossing the pass, the trail dramatically starts descending with moderate slopes and ending at the beautiful Hidden Valley.
We take a rest day in Hidden Valley to explore it. We can walk up to the western ridge from where great views of Mt. Dhaulagiri, Mt. Annapurna, Mt Nilgiri, and many other snow-covered Himalayan ranges can be seen. Furthermore, the Hidden valley is the starting point for the Dhampus Peak Climbing adventure.
After having an early morning breakfast, we leave Hidden valley by an ascending trail until we reach Dhampus Pass, 5240 m. After crossing the Dhampus Pass, our trekking journey starts descending into the Kali Gandaki Valley. Again, we go further downhill until we reach Yak Kharka.
From Yak Kharka, we start our day with a gradual downhill path until we reach Marpha Village. Marpha village is well known for its beautiful apple garden where one can try local whiskey made with the local apple. Then we again follow a smooth trail to reach Jomsom.
It is essential to have an early morning flight to be safe from unusual winds in the mountains. You can spend a day in Pokhara doing several fun activities. The beautiful lake city of Pokhara offers many fascinating sites such as mysterious caves, temples, monuments, boating at Fewa Lake, paragliding, bungee jumping, and many other adventurous activities.
Finally, we take a day drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu, which takes approximately four to five hours. We drive along Prithivi Highway, which offers scenic hilly roads through the banks of the Trishuli River.
Our representative will drop you at the International Airport.