HELAMBU TREK

With a diverse range of brilliant green valleys, misty rhododendron forests and distant horizons of snowy peaks, Helambu is the ideal short trek. There are simple tea houses along this route, yet the area remains relatively unspoilt by tourism. You will experience the Yolmo culture of high mountain villages, marvel at vistas of lonely high mountains and watch enthralled as the farmers toil in the fields using hand-made tools and teams of water-buffalo.

Day 1 Kathmandu - Sundarijal - Chisopani
Short drive to Sundarijal. Trail climbs steeply past Tamang villages and on through rhododendron forest to Chisopani (2194m.) Excellent views over the whole Himalayan range from Manaslu to Everest.

Day 2 Chisopani - Gul Bhanjyang
Trail undulates gently through green terraced fields, tiny hamlets and stretches of grassy, open hillside, before climbing through rhododendron forest to the colourful Tamang village of Gul Bhanjyang (2130m.)

Day 3 Gul Bhanjyang - Thare Pati
A steady climb through prickly leaved oak forest with excellent views of the mountains and the Helambu valley. On up through damp, mysterious fir and rhododendron forest to the high pass of Thare Pati (3600m.) Rise early for excellent, close-up views of osainkund and surrounding high mountains.

Day 4 Thare Pati - Melamchi
Short, steep descent through mixed fir and rhododendron forest rich with bird life. Crashing waterfalls sound from the rocky gullies below as you approach Melamchi (2560m,) an immaculate Yolmo village is lying on a sheltered green plateau.

Day 4 Melamchi - Tarkeghyang
A glimpse of the neighboring village of Tarkeghyang (also 2560m) across the valley may have you praying for a bridge, but today the trail descends steeply to the valley floor. Here you can have a well-earned dip in the crystal-clear river before completing the short and mild ascent up the other side of the valley. Set into the hillside, Tarkeghyang boasts an 18th century gompa with a huge brass prayer wheel.

Day 5 to 6 Tarkeghyang - Melamchi Pul - Kathmandu
The path descends gently to the valley floor, where it winds alongside the river through fertile cultivated fields of rice and corn. You may want to spend more than one day walking at a leisurely pace through this beautiful valley to the road-head at Melamchi Pul, from where it is a 4-5 hour drive back to Kathmandu.