From Japre, the trail climbs up to a grassy ridge at Bhulbhule. There’s one lodge with no name and nice views of the Everest range from here.

Soon after Bhulbhule the trail splits and we turn right to Pikey Peak. We pass some old yak herders houses and a long Mani Stone wall. The trail then contours the hillside below Taklung Danda and goes through a beautiful forested trail, with many Rhododendrons. As we leave the forest it’s not far to Pike Peak base camp, about 2 hours away.

There’s just one lodge here at 3640m, with some (draughty) rooms in a separate building, but we use the dining room as our hangout. It’s a short climb to the summit at 4092m but unless there’s an unusually clear evening it’s better to climb for sunrise.

Walking time: Approx. 6-7 hours

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Sunrise at Pikey BC © Alex Treadway

The trail to the top of Pikey Peak starts from behind the lodge and follows a gradual slope to the summit, strewn with prayer flags. It’s important to start before dawn to reach the top for sunrise as the views from the top are breathtaking. If the weather is clear we will be rewarded with views from Annapurna to Kanchenjunga, it is truly amazing!

From the top of Pikey we head north down a ridgeline which starts as quite flat and gets steeper as you go down through the forest to Jase Bhanjyang, where our crew will have breakfast ready for us. If there there is snow we will retrace our steps to Pikey BC and take a longer but less step trail around the mountain to Jase Bhanjyang. We’ll enjoy breakfast with the curious yaks at the Jase Bhanjyang yak farm and then continue our walk down to Loding.

With our legs rested and our bellies full from a hearty breakfast, well start with some steep sections through the forest, contrasted with some sections that flatten out. We’ll really take our time on the trail, stopping in at Tamakhani for a cup of tea and the friendly family who live there. Do ask if they have any fresh buttermilk for you to try, locally known as mahi. From here the trail is a more gradual slope down, all the way into Loding. At Loding we have 2 choices for accommodation, both which are very simple and charming in their own ways. The monastery has dorm-style accommodation which we’ll use for groups of 4 or more trekkers. A little further down the trail is a small homestay-style guest house by the river with a couple of rooms. The Tamang family that lives here speaks little English, but are hard-working and very welcoming!

Walking time: Approx. 1 hour (to reach Pikey Peak), Approx 6-7 hours (down to Loding)

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

View from the summit of Pikey Peak © Alex Treadway

This morning you’ve got 1 – 2 hours up to the ridge line above Loding, passing farm houses, grazing animals and numerous mani walls – piles of Buddhist prayer-inscribed stones marking the trail. You also have great views back up the valley behind you of your you walk down from Jase Bhanjyang yesterday. Your hard work getting up this hill is well worth the effort and you’re rewarded by not only another view of Mt Everest (!), but also with one of the loveliest trails in the area. Contouring around the hill the ‘Nepali flat’ (a little up and a little down) trail goes through the beautiful, dense forest. In the opposite valley you’ll see the Thubten Choling Monastery above Junbesi and its village-like surrounds, which is actually just the domestic quarters of the 500 Tibetan monks and nuns who live at the monastery. You’ll arrive at Junbesi in time for lunch.

Junbesi is a traditional Sherpa village sitting at an altitude of 2,675 m, and is the cradle of Sherpa culture and architecture. The Sherpas regard the Solu Khumbu as Beyul – a sacred valley. In this remote part of Nepal bordering Tibet, Buddhism survives with a deep faith and resonance, and is filled with Buddhist monasteries.

After lunch we head up the lovely valley northwards to Thubten Choling, one of the largest Tibetan resettlements in Nepal. The large monastery here was established by the highly esteemed Trulsik Rinpoche, who fled from the Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet in the 1950s. As one of the few remaining high lamas who was born and educated in Tibet, Trulsik Rinpoche is of immense importance to Buddhism, in particular, the Nyingma sect to which he and the Thuptencholing Monastery belong.

The monastery was built in the 1960s as a ‘temporary’ monastery until the Rinpoche could return to Tibet, however it has now been reconstructed as the permanent home of this Nyingma legacy and the Rinpoche’s reincarnate will be on this site, not in Tibet. In addition to the monastery, there is a Tibetan Medical school and hospital, so this is a great chance to learn about this ancient healing art.

In the late afternoon, we will return to Junbesi to a hearty dinner in our cozy tea house.

Walking time: Approx. 4-5 hours plus 2 hours return to Thubten Choling

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Making Tea at Thuptenchoeling © Carsten Heinze

This morning we bid farewell to Junbesi and hit the trails again, bound for Taksindu. We cross the river at the ‘bottom’ of town and climb through forest up to Salung from where we get views of Mount Everest (8848m), Chamlang (7319m) and Makalu (8481m), weather permitting.

From here we also have gorgeous views out across the valley to Chiwong Monastery and on down towards Phaplu. We continue on the trails, contouring and then dropping down to a stream before a short climb up into Ringmo, famous for its apple orchards and interesting apple products such as apple rakshi (alcohol), cider and apple pie.

From here we have a final short climb to Taksindu La, from where we again have great mountains views and then a short descend to the Taksindu Monastery and our lodge. The Taksindu Monastery was built in 1946 by the Tengboche Lama and is usually open early morning or late afternoon, please make sure to leave a donation if you visit.

Walking time: Approx. 5-6 hours

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

View above Junbesi © Carsten Heinze

Today we leave the main trekking route again and take a beautiful path down to Chiwong Gompa through the forest and along the ridgelines, a great walk. Chiwong Gompa is perched high on a cliff overlooking the valley. This monastery was founded in 1923 and has magnificent celebrations for the Mani Rimdu festival in autumn.

We will spend the night here, observing how the monastery functions and enjoying the view over Phaplu, staying at a newly build guest house right at the monastery.

Walking time: Approx. 5-6 hours

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Evening Prayers Chiwong © Elisabeth Hellenes

This morning we have a choice of setting out early to climb to the ridge all the way to Ratnagi for another chance of great mountain views, including Everest. If you have already seen plenty of mountains and want to take it a bit easier, we take a lower trail.

We head south to Chyalsa where we see the Tibetan camp and have lunch in the village. We will also see the Monastery here before returning Phapku via Sallari, which is the district headquarters and have been the bazaar town of the area for hundreds of years.

Walking time: Approx. 5-6 hours

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Numbur Himal from Ratnagi Danda © John Ehbrecht

Today we bid farewell to the mountains and take the flight back into the Kathmandu Valley. In Kathmandu, we take you to your hotel.

The rest of the day is yours to relax and enjoy the luxuries of the city (and a hot shower!), just let us know if you would like any assistance organising anything for today.

Accommodation: None
Meals included: Breakfast

Phaplu runway from above © Elisabeth Hellenes