We take a half day hike on some local trails around the Kathmandu Valley forests and hills ending up at the delightful Kapan gompa and some time for relaxing in their sumptuous gardens and a (re)introduction to Buddhist ideas. We move from here to Bhoudnath stupa. The afternoon is your to explore, relax, get a massage ….. whatever.

Dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We have a fun day in the city © Jo Chaffer

Starting the day with a stretch and strength session we then check out of the hotel to head off in our vehicles for the four-hour ish drive to the Tibet border and The Last Resort (TLR), our home for the next few days. The safari tents and rooms sit amongst lush green jungle, with many places to sit, lay and relax tucked away amongst the vibrant plants, lawns and plunge pools. After lunch we have time to explore the area and get into the gardens and villages, play some games, get hands on.

Accommodation: The Last Resort https://www.thelastresort.com.np/stay-at-the-resort/
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Helping in the village? © Jo Chaffer

We start with a stretch session. Today we have the option for some TLR soft- adventures, perhaps a short raft trip along the Bhote Khosi river or maybe a splash through some local canyons. Or we might choose to hike up to waterfalls and other quiet places. There is also plenty of opportunity to get hands on alongside the locals, whether making baskets, using a nanglo, making dhaal or any of the many daily chores that are the weft of life here in these Tamang and Rai villages. We have a trek briefing and a little time to finalise our packing ready for an early start tomorrow.

Accommodation: The Last Resort
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Playing games in the garden © Jo Chaffer

After a stretch, some core activation and a hearty breakfast we meet our trekking crew of guide, porters and cook. Setting off the trek today starts with some relatively steep steps climbing away from the river and road. The gradient soon eases as we continue our slow and steady climb up and out of the valley to the village of Anthali (4.5km and 770m elevation gain). Anthali is mainly a Sherpa village, and we’ll see tarchen and prayer flags around the houses. Breaking for lunch we trek through fields and small hamlets around and up to the neck of the valley to attain the ridge and our camp site (around 2km further on). Today we camp at around 2100m, an elevation gain of around 1000m from the riverside. Expect hot drinks and tasty snacks on arrival and a delicious home-cooked dinner.

Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We begin our trek © Jo Chaffer

We start with some gentle stretching out and an awakening of the core muscles we’ll be drawing on as we hike today. After breakfast we continue up the ridge, now into dense rhododendron glades, with some red birch starting to appear. We wend our way up through several kharkas (pastures) encountering the huts of seasonal cow herders and cheesemakers, dipping back into the magical old forests again. We’ll camp somewhere between 7 and 8km from our start point and have the remainder of the afternoon to explore, maybe to sit in the camp kitchen and help preparing the evening meal. Camp height will be around 3100m meaning another full 1000m of altitude gain.

Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Trekking through forest glades © Jo Chaffer

By now we’re getting into our morning routine finding what we need to do to prepare our minds and bodies for the day. The morning trails hold around 4km of ‘tirse’ (Nepali flat) hiking along some of the new trails hovering around the 3200m mark as we contour along the East side of the ridge. With luck we’ll have more fabulous views of the shining white peaks of Gaurishankar and the other Rolwaling Himal. Leaving the new trails we climb steadily to a height of around 3400m on stunning alpine trails high above the blue roofs of Dolangsa hamlet. A slight descent brings us to the high pastures of the Tingsang La (pass) and our camp for the night. Camp height is around 3200m. This is a shorter day (7-8km) allowing time to explore the small lodges below at Tingsang, to relax or maybe learn to make momos with our fabulous cook team.

Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we really are on the ridgeline © Jo Chaffer

Today’s trekking has steep short climbs and descent, incredible airy contours through alpine scrub, weaving around small rocky faces and streams, gentle wide tracks, majestic rhododendron forests and still upland pools. If we’re lucky we may even see a yak or its cousin the dzo! This wild ridgeline brings us up to the Kali shrine, our highest point at 3780m. Breathtaking! Whilst the shrine is only around 500m higher than our previous camp, the ridge has a couple of small peaks that we need to ascend and descend, hence our total climbing for the day across the 11km is almost double this at between 900 and 1000m.

From the shrine we make the short descent to the kharkas near the village Kuri and our tents. Camp height around 3400m

Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Shiva tridents at Kalinchowk © Jo Chaffer

Many pilgrims ascend the ridge from Kuri to pay devotions to the supremely powerful goddess, Kali. The pujas and devotions generally happen in the early morning. It’s a fascinating experience to join the families and friend groups as they light incense, ring bells and take tikka. There are often shamen and other powerful figures here too. We therefore encourage you to head back up to the shrine area and just absorb the atmosphere for an hour or two. You might even fancy taking the cable car back down to Kuri – yes, a cable car!

We have a jeep from Kuri to take us down the rocky ‘road’ to Charikot, a bustling market town and the location of our lodge for the night. For those with some trekking in their legs, a few kilometers past the bowl of the Kuri valley there are small trails that follow the old ways down through the ancient forest. Hike or hitch a ride in the jeep – it’s up to you. At Charikot we stay in the aptly named Panorama Resort – time to relax in their pretty gardens, take a dip in the pool or a sauna or simply shower and unwind. There’s also an option to hike or drive to the nearby town of Dolakha, famous for its 7th century temple dedicated to traders and travelers. Charikot Panorama is a simple and stunningly located lodge with great food and warm hospitality. The evening is all about feasting and clean sheets!

Accommodation: Charikot Panorama Resort https://www.charikotresort.net/
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Kuri Kharkha village © Jo Chaffer

If we’re lucky today’s pre-breakfast stretch and strength session will be set against the backdrop of sunrise over the mountains. Well prepared we set off on the 4-5 hour jeep ride back to the bustling city of Kathmandu. Enjoy the scenery as we drop back into the Bhote Khosi valley, through the endless folds of green hills and occasional small towns and villages. Checking in to our hotel, the afternoon is free to relax, do some final shopping or maybe get a massage at one of the many excellent spas. We take our final dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The view from Panorama resort © Jo Chaffer

The Reignition trip ends after breakfast. We provide transfers to the airport in time for your international flight.

Post-trip: (optional) a call with Jo to catch-up and keep the essence of the trip alive and buzzing!

Layers of hills in the Himalayas © Jo Chaffer