Chulu East Peak Climbing

Namaste, welcome to the Himalayan country. When the weather is clear, one can enjoy a gorgeous view of the white-topped towering summits. Upon landing at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, proceed for customs formalities. Our ECO Holidays representative will greet you on arrival and warmly welcome you.

We shall drop you at your respective hotels. After some snacks and drinks, you may go to our offices and walk around Thamel – a buzzing tourist hotspot in Kathmandu. Take an evening walk around the market with your tour guide. Similarly, Relish an authentic Nepali dinner by late evening.

The temples and the Historic Landmarks in Kathmandu have made the city popular. Enjoy visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites in the city. Visit old Katmandu Durbar Square to see the temples’ architecture and the ancient times of the ancient realm. Afterward, move to Pashupatinath – the most popular and revered Hindu temple. Later, drive towards Swayambhunath/ Monkey Temple, one of the most sacred stupas for many pilgrims worldwide. Get some dinner and sleep since it will be a long trip tomorrow.

You will have an early breakfast and proceed on a scenic drive to the Pokhara highway. Such an enjoyable drive goes through the mountains that encircle the Kathmandu valley. The driving journey turns northwards from Dumre town in just a few hours.

Besi Sahar, the district headquarters of Lamjung, is where we will stay overnight. The town sits at an altitude of 823 meters above sea level, and it is one of the major attractions en route. Along the way, there are small villages between green hills, and you will not get bored. The village of Syange is located about an hour away from Besisahar. The Lamjung, Machhapuchhre mountains, and Annapurna II offer you breathtaking views.

Trekking begins with a scenic view of gorges, mountains, waterfalls, and snow-capped peaks at Besisahar. It is a steep trail taking you to lush farm terraces and fields for half an hour. You will move through and finally reach the peak of a ridge where you will see waterfalls in the distance. You will walk via local villages and terrace farms to reach Chamje village.

The other steep climb will take you from Chamje to Tal across a bridge. The village is located on a gorge valley beside Marsyangdi. As you leave Tal, the hiking path becomes easier with a gentle approach to the big bridge. Once you cross the bridge, you will get to Dharapani village, where you will spend the night.

The vegetation changes from Dharapani, the air gets cooler, and the surrounding landscape changes, too. Trek through forests until you reach the Bagarchhap village, characterised by Tibetan houses. Following a pleasant morning’s walk, you will ascend slowly to reach Dhanaqi –the apple land. You will move along the farm area with orange groves and a pine forest, having sight of Lamjung and Annapurna II peaks from Dhanaqi. After this, the trail moves upstream of the Marsyangdi River through the villages of Ratamanang and Koto. A half-hour light walk leads from Koto to the village town of Chame for an overnight stay.

The 6th day of this trek will involve hiking from Chame to Pisang. About five and a half hours are needed for you to reach Pising from Chame.

The trail crosses the pine forest, a few small villages, and gentle ups and downs to reach Bratang after leaving Chame. Finally, along this gently sloping trail, you reach a bridge. A short, steep ascent towards the pine forest takes us over a ridge of village Pisang from the bridge. Walking past the tree lines, you can view magnificent sights like Pisang Peak and Chulu Peak. A gradual, an hour-long descent will take you to the windy town of Pisang.

We shall hike to Julu Village at 3,900m this day, which takes about 6 hours. Two routes are going straight from Pisang. One leads to Chulu Base Camp and another to Manang village. The trail diverges from the outskirts of Pisang village towards the Marsyangdi River. The two routes may be different, but each option offers spectacular landscapes.

In the end, the paths merge towards Nagawa village. It moves northwestwards across a dry landscape of ridges and valleys, eventually ending at the tiny settlement of Jhulu.

At this point, the air begins to thin, causing the likelihood of altitude sickness to increase. Therefore, we would take a day of rest to be well-prepared for the climb. For a memorable day, let us take a little stroll and visit some villages.

This will help our body adjust to the weather changes and avoid the impacts of high altitude. Therefore, we will walk leisurely through the riverbeds between the forested mountains and the green valleys immediately after breakfast. The walk is stunning, with mountains, landscapes, and wildlife.

Thus, after being thoroughly acclimatized and refreshed, we must go to the trail.

Once we leave the village, we ascend uphill on the path that takes us to Chulu Far East Base Camp. As one walks along these rocky landforms, the trail starts to slide, which makes walking very hard. Hence, we shall slow hiking speed and lean against the backrest so as not to exhaust. We will follow these trails for around 3 hours until we reach Chulu East Base Camp. For the evening, we will pitch camp at the Base Camp.

After a short rest at Chulu East Peak BC, We trek uphill towards Chulu East Highest Camp. It then passes through the snowy peaks (which are traversed using crampons). The journey is quite tiresome but rewarding. As we move ahead, we also get to see the beautiful sceneries of Chulu West, Annapurna Massif, and Pisang Peak. Spending time at the high camp, where one enjoys amazing views of valleys and landscapes of colors down below, is awesome. Our expedition group will set up the camp and prepare for Chulu East peak climbing.

The day comes when we are about to find out whether our pain and work on the trail was worthwhile. Therefore, with the backpack loaded with tools, we will slowly walk along the path that passes through the glaciers and the moraine.

We shall conquer the extremely hard bit of the trek with the assistance of a trek guide and proceed beyond Chulu East Peak Climbing. At last, we will have scaled the mountain, spending nearly 11 hours on the trail across sheer cliffs, ice slopes, and open gully. You can gaze at the sight that reveals the Annapurna II, Dhaulagiri, and Glacier Dome from the top. Then, we will return on foot by the same pathway and walk down base camp after exploring the hidden glaciers and mountains above.

This type of ascent, particularly involving technical and alpine difficulties, requires a reserve or contingent day. Poor weather may also lead to a change of program for the climbers. If we follow the proposed plan, you will come back on time. Nevertheless, one would be safe if hikes spent an additional day in Pokhara for a possible delay resulting from the weather.

It is time to return to the trail after a fantastic expedition at Chulu East Peak. Cleaning of the base will begin immediately, and we’ll walk towards Manang.

In a mere few hours of using the trail, we’ll experience yet another beauty of the region. Trekking on the peace trail en route to Khangsar is spectacular. We shall then cross the bridge at Khangsar Khola and easily get into Khangsar village and the north of Manang in Sri Kharka.

As we advance towards Manang, Chulu East disappears in the far distance. We will reach Manag after around 4-5 hours of hiking. By now, we’ll just marvel at nature’s beauty while hurrying our steps towards the lodge. We shall spend the night there and set off another day.

Today we hike from Manang to Yak Kharka. We first cross a stream en route to Tenki village before proceeding out of Marshyangdi Valley towards the northwest of Jar Sang Khola Valley. We move up gradually on this track that lies in the northern direction.

Along the way, we will cross much of the grazing land and some juniper forest. Moreover, as we hike ahead, it shall take us through Gunsan village, which has huts with plastered mud roofs. Additionally, you can see how they raise cattle, such as yak and horses, in their pastures. We cross a small river using a wooden bridge and climb through the dramatic valley to our Yak Kharka camp in an open, tranquil meadow.

We ascend to a ridge before proceeding downwards to cross the Marsyangdi River on a wooden bridge, which starts right from Yak Kharka. We climb up the mountain with a narrow path through a hill to reach Thorung Phedi. The landscapes around here are characterized by high peaks, totally different from the green valleys that we met in the beginning. Eventually, we will hike from Thorung Phedi and reach Thorang High Camp.

We shall move from Thorang High Camp towards Muktinath temple through the tough Thorung la high pass (5,416 meters). That is the toughest stretch in our journey because Thorong La Pass is one of the highest passes in the whole world and the peak point of our expedition.

This hike starts at a cold and high altitude in the early morning. The pass itself is a beauty, and its view is spectacular. To the right is once again the opening of the Annapurnas, and beyond the left is the Himalayas.

Through the pass, we finally arrive at Muktinath, which is a sacred place for Hindus and Buddhists. The Buddhists in Tibet call this “Chumig Gyatsa” - Hundred waters.

It is also known as the “city of temples” and home to the 108 stone fountains supplying water from the Gandaki Kali River.

On the other hand, you can also notice the immortal fire that has never been extinguished since it has been burning for more than two thousand years.

We will have breakfast at the teahouse and move for a nice ride from Muktinath to Jomsom. Travelers will enjoy a beautiful view along the Nilgiri and Dhaulagiri Ranges, making the ride highly enjoyable.

We will take a rest in Jomsom, which is a tourist town and the capital of the Mustang district. There is also a small airstrip in the village across the Kaligandaki River.

This morning, we are flying again, this time from Jomsom to Pokhara.

The sight is a fabulous one, the greatest gorge on earth and looking up into the air flying across nature’s contrast: Kali Gandaki’s green riverside and golden shining tops of Annapurnas. We shall refresh ourselves in Pokhara to see the valley's attractions. The valley has numerous mysterious sites, such as the Mahendra Cave and Gupteshwor Mahadev cave shrine. The International Mountaineering Museum is endowed with information about the Himalayas, mountaineering, and the culture of this region.

After going to town, we will return to our pleasant accommodation lodge.

After an amazing trip to Pokhara Valley, we prepare for the mesmerizing journey to Kathmandu Via air. After arrival at Kathmandu, you remain overnight-free.

So take your time. You don’t have to rush around scheduling stuff, so appreciate it slowly – watch, listen to, and taste Kathmandu. We will meet later for our farewell dinner before departure.

Lastly, another Eco Holidays representative will transport you to the airport and fly you to other adventure places.