Helambu Circuit Trek is among the perfect rarely crowded
short trek which is closest and most accessible unspoilt trek from Kathmandu
and is for the forest and rural Nepal experience lover. This trek starts with
flora and fauna of the lush tropical thick rhododendron forest of Shivapuri
Nagarjun National Park, which is bordered with Kathmandu valley. The trek
passes through the beautiful rice terraces carefully carved and splendid oldest
Buddhist monasteries along the views of mountains that include the Langtang
range, Annapurna range, Manaslu range and even Everest range on a clear day.
It’s a low altitude trek with mixed ability trekkers to reach highest point of
Tharepati La pass (3600m) and famous for its pleasant climate mostly situated in
the southern buffer of the Langtang National Park which also makes it a
possibility to encounter wildlife along with the most popular Red Panda. The
inhabitant of an indigenous high mountain people called Yolmo who
refers themselves as the “Yolmopa”, are the native residents of the region and
practice similarities to both the Tibetan and Nepali Culture and yet is unique
in its own way. They are often referred to as “Sherpas” but does not resemble
to the Sherpas from Everest regions either in their languages and customs or to
their clan structure. Others are the Tamang peoples who maintain a rich
cultural heritage, celebrations, lively dances and hospitality with own
tradition. DA would like to take you to an amazing spiritual place with
cultural exchange experience in this trek.
Arrive at Kathmandu Airport with the
beautiful views of the valley, Himalaya and the terraced fields below. Meet
& be greeted by Donkeys Adventures’ (DA) airport
representative in the arrival section who will be holding the name card of the
group leader. He / She will guide you through the initial cultural shock of
Kathmandu narrow streets, cultures, people around and transfer to hotel. Then
DA will organize to meet in a
traditional Nepalese restaurant for a welcome dinner where we will have introduction
to DA staffs who will be directly involve during your stay in Nepal. For the
late night arrivals, we will either meet in the hotel lobby or during lunch the
next day. Overnight in the hotel.
Meals: D
After breakfast, drive to the golden spire of
the 5th-century Swayambhunath Stupa which is adorned
with a colorful fluttering of prayer flags; it crowns a hill overlooking the
Kathmandu Valley and offers fantastic views over the city of Kathmandu. The
stupa consists of a dome at the base which represent the entire world, above
which is a cubical structure painted with eyes of Buddha looking in all four
directions and between them, the number one in Nepali is painted in the fashion
of a nose which meant to be unity. Swayambhunath is also known commonly as the Monkey
Temple as there are holy monkeys living in the north-west parts of the
temple. The
Swayambhunath Stupa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of
the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal.
Then, drive to Patan Durbar Square one of the three royal cities in the
Kathmandu Valley which has a rich cultural heritage known for its fine crafts,
evident in the elaborate architecture, stone carvings, and metal statues found
all over the city. A center of both Buddhist and Hindu culture, Patan is home
to more than 1,200 monuments. One of the most stunning is the Krishna Mandir, a
stone temple with magnificent friezes built in the 16th century. Patan Durbar
Square is also a good place to see beautiful examples of palaces, temples and
shrines, and the stunning stone carvings in the Sundari Courtyards. Nearby is the Patan
Museum which displays the traditional sacred arts of Nepal in an
illustrious architectural setting. Its home is an old residential court of
Patan Durbar, one of the royal palaces of former Malla Kings of the Kathmandu
Valley. Its gilded door and window face one of the most beautiful squares in
the world. The Museum’s exhibits cover
along span of Nepal’s cultural history and some rare objects are among its
treasures. Their meaning and context within the living traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism are explained. The entire city of Patan was designated a UNESCO
World Heritage Site in 1979.
After lunch, drive to Pashupatinath which is one of
the most significant Hindu Temple of Lord Shiva in the world, located on the
banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu. Pashupatinath
Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu its existence dates back to 400
B.C. One of the major Festivals of the
temple is Maha Shivaratri on which day over 800,000 devotees
visit here. Open air cremation is
done in the holy Bagmati River at Pashupatinath area. The temple is
listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Drive back to hotel.
Overnight in the hotel.
Meals: B
After breakfast in the hotel, we will begin our trek with
the first hour and half in a drive to reach Sundarijal (1460m). The
trail leads us up to the concrete steps beside the pipeline which supply
drinking water for the valley. No sooner we will leave the pipeline from the
dam and we will enter through the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park to climb to
the top of the Shivapuri ridge. We will further continue up the hill through
the forest to meet the Mulkharka Village (1855m) with the
inhabitants of Tamang people. We will take our lunch here with the After lunch
we will climb on the forest of rhododendron and oaks to reach Borlang
Bhanjyang (2430m) than the trail goes downhill to Chisopani (2165m), from
where you will be greeted by stunning skyline filled with snow-capped
mountains’. Overnight in the lodge.
Meals: B / L / D
Today we will enjoy the beautiful sunrise over the mountains
of Chisapani skyline and after breakfast leave Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park
to follow the descending trail towards Pati Bhanjyang (1830m) which is inhabitants
of Hindu Brahman and Chhetris. From there we will start a level trail and pass
through beautiful villages like Thulobhanjyang and then to Thankune
Bhanjyang (1820m) and climb a bit to reach Chipling village (2170m).
From
here, we will make another steep climb on a stone staircase that takes you to Jogini
Danda and then to Thotungdanda (2470m) which than drops
us down through the rhododendron forests and continue to trek along the
forested ridge before arriving in the Tamang village of Gul Bhanjyang (2130m).
The trail than climbs to the ridge and then to another pass at 2620m through
the oak forest with excellent views of the mountains and Helambu valley. From there we will slightly descend through the fir
and rhododendron forests along with few shepherds’ huts and reach Kutumsang
(2470m), the village of Yolmo. Overnight in the lodge.
Meals: B / L / D
After breakfast we will begin
our trek in the ascending trail and no sooner meet the intersection of three
trails, we will choose the middle main trail and further continue to climb up
to Pangbo
Danda (3348m) from where we will descend a bit to cross Kyuola
Bhanjyang (3280m). Than we will gradually climb up to reach Mangengoth
village (3420m) from where views of Langtang and Gosaikunda Peaks are
magnificent. We will take a much needed lunch and rest in the village. Than we
will continue to climb steeply at first and then gradually trek ups and downs
passing through the dense fir and rhododendron forest and crossing small
streams with no permanent settlements close by. After taking some elevation we
can see the village of Thadepati Bhanjyang (3690m) with fluttering
white prayer flags at the hilltop, offering a perfect panorama of the Langtang Himal
range, Naya Kanga and Dorje Lakpa. Overnight in the lodge.
Meals: B / L / D
After breakfast, we will leave
the north west trail which leads to Gosaikunda trek and take the east side
trail dropping rapidly down to the ridge. The trail passes through pine and
rhododendron forest rich with bird life with an excellent view of Helambu
valley downwards to reach Bolgaon. After further descend we
will cross the suspension bridge and make a short climb to reach the Hyolmo
village of Melamchi Gaon (2530m). This village is surrounded by forests
and is mostly inhabited by Sherpa people with their unique culture and Tibetan
Buddhist monastery brightly painted walls statues of Guru Rimpoche. We will
take our lunch there and continue our trail which drops down into the forest to
reach a clear stream called Melamchi Khola. En route, we will pass through many
Sherpa settlements scattered on the hillside. After crossing the bridge of
Melamchi Khola we will climb steeply up to the valley of Nakote Gaon, and then to Tochham
village and reach beautiful village with narrow cobbled lanes and
tightly packed houses of Tarkeghyang (2600m) also known as
Helambu, since most of the inhabitants belong to the Hyolmo community. We can visit
one of the biggest and oldest monasteries of the region, Gekye Gompa, with the
backdrop of Dorje Lakpa (6966m) and Naya Kanga (5844m). Overnight in the
lodge.
Meals: B / L / D
Today we will start our trek
after breakfast in a flat land and comparatively easy walk through the
beautiful lush forests and streams. We will pass by Dhupatong and Setighyang
villages with charming views of rest of Helambu region villages along with many
chortens, old monasteries and mani wall and finally Ghangyul village for our
lunch. From there we will further continue the easy trail to another beautiful
Sherpa village called Sermathang (2590m). Sermathang is famous for its ancient
monasteries and magnificent views of Jugal Himal rang, Ganesh Himal range,
Langtang, Gosainkunda, Rolwaling and even Everest in the clear day. The locals
are mostly farmers in this area and is renowned as an apple growing area in the
Helambu region. Overnight in the lodge.
Meals: B / L / D
Today will be our last day of
this trek, after breakfast we will gradually descend towards Nigale
Bhanjyang (2460m) and then descend more to reach the last Hyolmo
village at the foot of the mountain called Kakani (1996m) after passing through
several old villages and chair pine forest. We will also pass through several
monasteries and interact with local and friendly people along with the
spectacular mountain views on this trail. We will further take a steeply down
passing through Pokhari Bhajyang (1565m) and reach Melamchi Bazar (870m)
through meadows and cultivated fields which is mostly inhabited by the Sherpa ethnic
groups. After lunch, we will take a beautiful drive with panoramic views
enjoying the fresh air and forested road and reach Kathmandu (1350m). On the way there will be plenty of time to stop in
local villages and to take a look around. It is always possible to request a
stop as a sight which may seem interesting to you. Overnight
in the lodge.
Meals: B / L
After
breakfast, we will drive to Boudhanath
Stupa, which is the largest stupa in Nepal and the holiest Tibetan
Buddhist temple outside Tibet. The stupa is located in the town of Boudha, located about 11 km from the center and
northeastern outskirts of Boudhanath is a stupa. Boudhanath was probably built in the 14th
century after the Mughal invasions; various interesting legends are told
regarding the reasons for its construction. After the arrival of thousands of
Tibetans following the 1959 Chinese invasion, the temple has become one of the
most important centers of Tibetan Buddhism. It was declared World Heritage
Site by UNESCO since 1979. The Stupa is said to entomb the remains of Kassapa
Buddha.
From above, Bodnath Stupa looks
like a giant mandala, or diagram of the Buddhist cosmos. There
are other symbolic numbers here as well: the nine levels of Boudhanath Stupa
represent the mythical Mt. Meru, center of the cosmos; and the 13
rings from the base to the pinnacle symbolize the path to enlightenment,
or "Bodhi" — hence the stupa's name. At the bottom, the stupa is
surrounded by an irregular 16-sided wall, with frescoes in the niches. The
mantra of Avalokiteshvara - Om Mani Padme Hum - is carved on the prayer
wheels beside the images of Avalokiteshvara around the base of
the stupa. The base of the stupa consists of three large platforms, decreasing
in size. As at Swayambhunath, Bodnath is topped with a square tower bearing the
omnipresent Buddha eyes on all four sides. Instead of a
nose is a question-mark-type symbol that is actually the Nepali character for
the number 1, symbolizing unity and the one way to reach
enlightenment—through the Buddha's teachings. Above this is the third eye,
symbolizing the wisdom of the Buddha. The square tower is topped by a pyramid
with 13 steps, representing the ladder to enlightenment.
Than we will drive 14 km east of Kathmandu and explore the Bhaktapur
Valley. The valley is said to be
founded by King Ananda Deva in 889 AD. It is an inhabited museum of medieval
charm as it retains past glories and structures of the Malla rulers. Throughout
the city there are glorious examples of temples and pagodas dedicated to gods
and goddesses plus palaces, monuments, woodcarvings, sculptures and pottery.
The central area and main attraction is Bhaktapur Durbar
Square featuring The Lion Gate (1696 A.D.) guarded by two enormous stone lions.
Then, visit to The Golden Gate, also said to be the most beautiful and richly
crafted specimen of its kind in the entire world; some have said it's the
loveliest work of art in the whole Kingdom. The Palace of Fifty-five Windows built
in 1427 of brick displays a balcony containing fifty-five windows, each a
masterpiece of woodcarving. An amazing five-storied pagoda, Nyatapola
Temple built in 1702, 108 ft., dominates the Square. It is the tallest temple
in Kathmandu Valley and stands on a series of five terraces. Likewise, visit
another two temples in Durbar Square:
the three-storied Bhairab Nath Temple and the Temple
of Dattatraya. Dattatraya temple is believed, originally was carved out of the
trunk of a tree and subsequently renovated in 1458. Many temples, bahals
(monastery courtyards), and residences, the city is still a living proof of the
highest craft standards in this part of the world. As the visitor wanders
through narrow brick paved streets, many alleys will show hidden shrines and
statues. Clay craftsmanship as well as cloth weaving is still practiced here
very much as in the past. Fourteen kilometers east of Kathmandu, this peaceful,
conservative town stands in sharp contrast to the bustle of its two adjacent
cities.
After lunch, we will drive back to Kathmandu Durbar Square,
while browse around Kathmandu
Durbar Square you will visit Hanuman Dhoka, the old and historic
palace of Kathmandu named after monkey God, Hanuman, a historic seat of
royalty. The Kings of Nepal are crowned and their coronations also held inside
the court yard here. There is a statue of King Pratap Mall sitting on the stone
pillar in the front and temple of Jagannath from mediaeval period. Within the
walking distance you will find the tall temple of Taleju from 1549 AD, the
large stone statue of Kal Bhairav, the God of destruction. The Big Bell
and Big Drum and Hindu Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati peeping from window.
Visit the temple of Kumari, the residence of Living Goddess
within the vicinity. Kumari means the virgin girl. The girl is selected from
Newar Buddhist family. The building has profusely carved wooden balconies and
window screen.
Meals: B
Today will be the last day of
our Nepal visit and we will spend today packing
and maybe catching up on some last-minute souvenir shopping for your family,
relatives and friends back home. Check out from the hotel. Meet DA airport representative for farewell
and then drop to Airport for onward journey, with the last minute mountain
views from the sky.
Meals: B
Package Types | 1 PAX | 2-3 PAX | 4-6 PAX | 7-12 PAX | 13-20 PAX | 21-35 PAX |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diamond | $ 3,142.06 | $ 1,991.11 | $ 1,746.36 | $ 1,618.95 | $ 1,525.99 | $ 1,461.67 |
Gold | $ 2,462.18 | $ 1,592.11 | $ 1,357.86 | $ 1,240.95 | $ 1,158.49 | $ 1,104.67 |
Silver | $ 2,041.31 | $ 1,345.11 | $ 1,117.36 | $ 1,006.95 | $ 930.99 | $ 883.67 |
Note:
Above prices are valid to book your holiday package until one year from the date of booking only.
Full board complementary for one Group Leader for 16 and above group.
The prices are net and all the applicable taxes are included in the above price (local taxes in Nepal).
All the above prices are subjected to change with prior notice.
Package Types:
Diamond 5 star hotels in cities like - Kathmandu / Pokhara / Chitwan / Lumbini
Gold 3 star hotels in cities like - Kathmandu / Pokhara / Chitwan / Lumbini
Silver Budget tourist standard hotels in cities like - Kathmandu / Pokhara / Chitwan / Lumbini
Pashupatinath / Swayambhunath / Boudhanath / Bhaktapur Durbar Square / Patan Durbar Square / Sundarijal / Helambu / Melamchi / Kathmandu Durbar Square /