• Duration 9 Days / 8 Nights
  • Price from $589 / person
  • Difficulty Level Moderate
  • Max Altitude 4500m

This fantastic Rolwaling Valley trek, is located in the Gaurishankar Conservation Area (GCA) is a moderately difficult teahouse trek nestled between Langtang National Park and Khumbu (Mt.Everest) in Nepal. It forms part of The Great Himalaya Trail. The Rolwaling Valley trek is a comparatively less visited and quiet trekking route that runs parallel to Tibet. The Sherpa village of Beding (3 days walk from Gonghar Khola) is the largest settlement in the Rolwaling Valley. It is possible to combine this trek with Everest crossing Tashi Lapcha La (5755m), nevertheless, it requires basic climbing experience and good guides to complete this and another Pachermo  Peak Climbing permit. Tsho Rolpa (4580m) is one of the largest glacial lakes in Nepal. This is the point of turnaround if returning to Gonghar Khola.

How to get there

There are direct local buses leave from Kathmandu to Singati. Local bus departure time is only morning at 6am and 8am. Alternatively, we can take a local bus to Charikot and then catch another one to Singati . You will need to sleep in Singati and catch a bus to Gongkar Khola the following morning. Wilderness Excursion can arrange 4WD private jeeps on client’s request. The package cost we have offered includes local bus only. The beginning of the trek is Gonghar Khola, 17km north of Singati. We will have to make sure if the bus goes all the way here. The journey takes approximately 8 - 10 hours on dirt road.

Trekking Permit

Gauri Shankar Conservation GCAP Permit NPR 3000.00 per person
TIMS Card USD 10 per person though there is no check post, TIMS is recommended for you and your guide safety and security.

Eating sleeping

Most of the basic lodges and home stays offer Dal Bhat, fried rice, noodles. No fixed menus like standard Annapurna and Everest etc, which makes package cost cheaper compared to other well established major trekking routes. You won't come across many shops once you leave the road so bring adequate supplies with you. Limited lodges, teahouses and home stay are available in the area. 

Acclimatization day in Beding and explore.

Beding - Tsho Rolpa - Beding. (10-11 hours) is a long (22km) and tough day. It is possible to stay at Na on the way back which makes shorter by 4km however this might not be possible in winter as the lodges will be closed. We will have to check in Beding before heading to Tsho Rolpa.

Itinerary

Expand all + Collapse all -

This is our standard itinerary. It can be customized or slightly changed if required considering your pace and trekking habit that cause to change of day to day plan

After breakfast in Kathmandu, we take a local bus to Jagat today; it is about 196 km to east from Kathmandu, takes 9-10 hours via Lamosangu (750m.) Charikot (1980m.). Overnight in Jagat in lodge or home stay. 

This is not a very long day, but it is a hot and steep ascent. As you leave Gongar you start walking north up the new road. After about 45 minutes you'll get to Chetchet, A cluster of dwellings on the right side of the road. At this point you leave the road and follow the trail that heads down through Chetchet. After about ten minutes you'll get to the bridge that crosses the Tamakoshi River. As soon as you cross you start ascending. Follow the trail until you get to the lovely village of Simigaon. The lodges are on the ridge at the top of the village, so you still have about 40 minutes of walking the minor trails through the village until you get to the lodge. The village itself is beautiful. It is spread all over the side of the hill, and you can spend the rest of the day walking around. There is also a monastery on top of the ridge. Overnight in lodge or home stay.

As you start walking from Simigaon, you take the trail the heads out towards the other side of the ridge and up the Rolwaling river valley. Most of the day you'll be walking inside a forest, but the way is rather clear, and if you stick with the main trail there is little chance you'll get lost. After about one hour of ups and downs you'll see two small shacks. This is a good place to refill some water since from here you are only ascending and there won't be too many places to rehydrate on the way. From here you enter a Rhododendron forest and you star ascending. It is a rather steep way up and after about two and a half hours and a couple of small bridges you get to a small teahouse where you can take a break. This teahouse is not open all the time so don't count on it for food or supplies. From here you keep ascending. The higher you go the more the forest is governed by Juniper and Rhododendron. After about three hours you'll get to Gyalche. There is a lodge here, and it is possible to stop here for the night if you wish. Half an hour down the trail is Dongang, which is located on the bank of the river. There are two places to stay in Dongang, and both of them are run by very nice ladies. The one run by Zangmu Sherpa is lovely. overnight in lodge or homestay. 

This is also a day long ascent, and possibly the hardest day of this trek because of the altitude gap. Although most of the maps may suggest otherwise, since 2010 the wooden bridge crossing from Dongang is almost out of use and there is a new bridge up the valley. As you leave Dongang you head north along the main trail and past the scolding NMA sign ("no one profits from illegal mountaineering. So stop doing it right now."). After about two hours you get to a bridge and cross the Rolwaling Khola. From here the valley starts opening up a bit, and you get some nice views of Chekigo (6257m). After about one hour you cross the Themlung Khola which comes down straight from Gaurishankar, and you get a chance to look up the Themlung valley and get a close look of Gaurishankar. From you here soon enough you'll start passing some random houses, most of them probably locked and the owners are grazing their yaks somewhere higher. It is still three hours of ascent up to Beding, passing the villages of Jobalu, Nyiamare, Ramding and Chhimu Golche before reaching Beding. If you are trekking in spring, these villages will probably be empty since their residents are grazing their yaks in higher pastures or working as climbing Sherpas for the season. 40 minutes before Beding you pass the regional Lama Monastery School, and they'll want to see your permits. From here it's a rather short walk to the village. Beding itself is beautiful and the valley starts widening up at this point, giving you some fine views of the mountains surrounding it. It is also the biggest village in the Rolwaling valley. Overnight in lodge or home stay.

When not handled seriously, altitude can be a serious trek-killer. A day to acclimatize is highly recommended. Beding itself is picturesque, and there are some good acclimatization walks around the village. On the mountainside in front of the village there is a big boulder marked with prayer flags, which is a nice viewpoint offering very good views of Gaurishankar's north face and the neighboring peaks. There isn't any clear trail that goes up, and you'll have to cross some bushes to get up there. There is also a small Gompa beautifully built into the cliff above the village. Both of them are around 4000m, so they can be a good choice for acclimatization walks. *From Beding it is possible to take a side trip up to Menlung La (5616m), where you can get some superb views of Melungtse and into Tibet. Those of you who do plan to continue to Menlung La are urged to take at least one more day fully acclimatize, since the high camp before the pass is around 4900. The trail up is steep and tricky so try and find someone local to guide you.Overnight in lodge or home stay. 

This day depends a lot on how you acclimatized. If you are well acclimatized, then this walk should not be a problem. If you are not sure, or wish to make a short day, it is possible to go up to the lake the next morning and then just keep going down from Na. The trail from Beding is clear, and this part of the trek is just spectacular. As you ascend, the valley slowly opens up, and from a V-shaped valley it is gradually becoming a U-shaped valley. The sides of the valley are filled with icefalls and waterfalls, and at this point there are no trees, only grassland and some Juniper bushes here and there. After about two hours you reach the village of Na, which is situated on the north bank of the river. You can put your backpack at one of the lodges in Na, and take only water and warm clothes up to the lake. From Na you take the trail that goes north up the valley. After ten minutes you cross the Rolwaling Khola and from there you keep walking for about an hour on the right (south) bank of the river. After one hour of walking you'll get to second bridge and cross the Rolwaling Khola again - still one more hour left to get to the lake. From here you keep going on the bank of the river, until the main trail forks left and up to the lakeshore. To get back to Na you take the same trail you took on the way up. It should take about an hour and a half to reach Na. *There are two interesting side trips around Na. One is to another alpine lake called "Dudh Pokhari" (27°53'28.388"N, 86°27'57.278"E. Meaning 'milky lake'), which is located up the Ripimoshar Glacier. It is possible to do a one day round trip to both lakes from Na. This would be a long day, and you should consult locals in Na about the condition of the trail from Tso Rolpa to Dudh Pokhari, which is not very clear and is changing all the time since it is over the end of the Ripimoshar Glacier. The second is to the small monastery located about 30 minutes before Na, a bit northern to the trail. There is also a big Mani Wall and a mural on one of the big boulders.

This is the day you start descending, following the same trail that you took on the way up. Those of you who wish to go up towards Dadlung La should turn at the bridge after Niyamare.

Still on the same trail back. Ask the lodge owners to sort out your bus ticket to Kathmandu for the following morning. 

We take the local bus to Kathmandu, this is a long day ride. It could be about 11 hours bus ride to Kathmandu. 

Customized Trip

What's Included

  • A registered, experienced, English speaking local trekking guide.
  • 1 Assistant guide to support group and help the porters as per group size.
  • 1 Sharing porter between two trekker.to carry your main pack.
  • Necessary Rolwaling Valley Trekking permit.
  • Ground transportation: Public bus/local jeep to and from trek.
  • Meals: 8 Breakfasts, 9 Lunches, 8 Dinners, tea, coffee and seasonal fresh fruits.
  • Guide and porter wages with all their expenses.
  • Taxes and service charges etc.

What's Excluded

  • Transfers,accommodation and meals in Kathmandu.
  • Bar bills and beverages like coke, fanta, sprite, mineral water.
  • Personal nature expenses, toiletries, hot shower, laundry, internet and phone calls.
  • Personal travel insurance and rescue operation charge in case of emergency.
  • Expenses of extra adventure, if the trip is extended.
  • Tips for your guide and porters.

Availabilities

Wilderness Excursion (P) Ltd is a local tour operator so we guaranty small private groups departures any dates that suits your date and time.
Start Date End Date Status Note Price  
September 09, 2023 September 17, 2023 Available US$589
September 16, 2023 September 24, 2023 Available US$589
September 23, 2023 October 01, 2023 Available US$589
September 30, 2023 October 08, 2023 Available US$589

Reviews


Write a Review