Hidden Village and Gurja Himal Trek

After having your breakfast, we will drive you to the Domestic Airport to take a 25 minutes flight to Pokhara. During the short flight, you will have majestic views of glorious Manaslu Peaks and the snow-capped Annapurna and Langtang Himalaya range. Or you can take a Tourist bus to Pokhara about 6-7 hour drive via scenic Prithvi Highway. From Pokhara take a drive to Beni with the magnificent views of Annapurna Himalayas. Beni is a bustling town on a plateau above the junction of Kali Gandaki and Myagdi rivers.

We catch a local bus up the Myagdi Khola river to Darbang (2 hours) from Beni. Buses for Darbang leave from the western edge of Beni beside a road bridge over the Myagdi Khola. There are several every day; share taxis are also available (double the price, half the time). This is a bumpy dust feeding road, sometimes teetering on the edge of landslides and precipices. If this doesn’t appeal, it is also possible to walk from Beni to Darbang (6 hours). It is a verdant scenic valley, strung with small hamlets, The original walking trail still remains in most places, though here and there you will have to walk on the dusty motor track.

In Darbang there are several basic hotels such as the Thakhali Guest House. If time, it is preferable to complete the first leg of the trek and spend the night at Dharapani or Takam. From Darbang a rudimentary bus service runs up to Sibang with 2-3 buses per day. The track however is extremely rough, often blocked by landslides; the buses are past retirement age and wait until they are full before leaving, so it is often just as quick to walk. Anyway, it would be a shame to ride this section as the mountain views are stunning and cannot be appreciated inside a cramped bus.

Keep on the jeep road – it is dusty or muddy in a few places but little traffic except for mule trains and there are stunning views of the Dhaulagiri range to compensate. It passes through woodland interspersed with terraced fields, where you will see villagers busy with different tasks depending on the agricultural season – ploughing, planting, harvesting, or threshing. In about an hour you arrive at the even more picturesque village of Takam – slate roofs, stone walls, front façades of white and ochre mud plaster, and a small pagoda temple sitting on a wide crescent of rice fields with an unbelievable backdrop of snow mountains. Just before Takam, take the lower right fork in the track (shorter, and less dusty) which leads past a stone dhara water spout. Homestay accommodation is available here as well as teashop-lodges. Continuing, follow the jeep track as it climbs to negotiate a landslide-prone cliff section and winds around to reach Sibang (1790 m) in 30 minutes. The jeep track ends here (Dec 2014). Accommodation is available in teashop-lodges. Follow the footpath which continues and in about 15 minutes take the upper fork which climbs up to pass near the lower part of Machim village (the lower fork descends to cross the river for the Dhaulagiri Circuit route) from where there are good views up the valley which leads to French Pass. From here the trail is level to the school at Phalegaon (teashops and local accommodation available.)

3 Hours walk takes us to Lulang village (2410 m) via Phalegaon. Phaegaon the path descends gently (passing below the village of Muna) to reach a bridge across the Dar Khola (tributary of the Myagdi) in less than an hour. Looking westwards upstream the villages die out and the mountains rise higher and steeper, the ridges intersecting each other like a fat braid of mountains. Across the river there is a single teashop (cannot be relied upon to be open – and it is a longish climb to the next teashop at Lulang). Just past the teashop there is a choice of trails. The lower (left) trail keeps closer to the river and climbs gently to reach Lumsung village (in Lulang VDC) while the upper right trail climbs steadily to the large and fascinating village of Lulang. The 30 30 latter is the more direct trail which you should take (unless you are heading to the Jaljalla Pass and Dhorpatan). At Lulang there is one local lodge about halfway up on the left (Rati Maya B.K. 97420380), and friendly but very simple homestay accommodation further up and further left at Kali Maya’s (9746062298) – though the room is very small the toilet is spotless. Further homestays are anticipated in the coming year. [If you are too tired to climb the steep stairs to Lulang it is possible to stay at the teashop lodge at Lumsung. The next day there is a direct path between Lumsung and Lulang.

Track any footpath up through Lulang to reach the main trail which emerges from the village on the upper left side as you look uphill. Once on the trail it is impossible to lose the way since the route is well travelled by mule trains. You are also certain to be accompanied by women heading out with empty doko on their back to gather firewood and fodder. It is a pleasant climb through oak-rhododendron forest – not too steep except for the final section. The branches and trunks are almost hidden by a thick cloak of moss, ferns, and orchids. At the pass there is a draughty teashop (tea, noodles, biscuits) and stupendous views of Gurja Himal – if you arrive before noon.

Follow the only path down the north slope of the ridge. A landslide in the monsoon of 2014 felled many of the majestic Himalayan cedar trees and destroyed sections of the path. The path has been repaired and the landslide opened up views of Gurja Himal which can be enjoyed much of the way down. In December and January you may encounter snow on this section (in 1998 our children sledged most of the way on their bottoms). After descending moderately steeply, the gradient lessens as the path heads in a more Lulang Village Lulang is an unusual village because all of its 200 households belong to the dalit caste of metal-workers (Kami). Fanned around a steep stadium of terraced fields, the village is colourful with marigold flowers, rows of pumpkins and maize drying on roofs and verandahs, the houses decorated with splashes and stripes of red, white and black muds. It is however a very poor and neglected village, with a high rate of absentee men who have gone to seek their fortune in the Gulf countries. 31 31 westerly direction for the final hour of the descent to the bridge over the Dhaula Khola. On the opposite side you will see fields and temporary dwellings of the Gurja people, who descend to live in these when snow falls up in the village. There used to be a wooden bridge spanning the narrowest point of the gorge, but in the past year a modern suspension bridge has been installed. The last leg to the village involves another climb. It is not so high but it is steep and has to be done when legs are tired. Follow the main track upwards. By this hour you are likely to encounter villagers heading home with farming tools or loads of firewood and grass on their backs, so there is no risk of getting lost. The path arrives at a flattish grassy meadow. There is a water tap and an empty building on the right, with the sheer face of Gurja Himal partially visible

above this. The village of Gurja Khani is also visible to the left and is reached on a level footpath in about 15 minutes from here. Near the village, avoid the path which forks right and rises up to the school.