KateriBears: Nepal Trek Guide

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Rhenjo La Crossing | Everest Trek

The Rhenjo Pass as seen from the third lake of Gokyo

The trail to the top of Rhenjo La

Rhenjo La - The crossing of the pass from Gokyo to Thami

The Rhenjo La is one of the three high passes on the Everest trek the other two being Kongma La and the most popular one is the Cho La. The Rhenjo La can be crossed from the Gokyo side as well as from the Thami - Lungden side. However it is advisable to cross the pass from the Gokyo side as the climb from the Lungden side is extremely long and tiring.

Gokyo 4750 metres to Rhenjo La 5357 metres
We left Gokyo at around 6 15 am and headed out towards the pass on a trail that skirted the third lake and climbed gently for an hour. The trail then began to climb steeply following a series of switchbacks for another 45 minutes to one hour until it reached a flattish plateau from where there was an excellent view of Everest and the other peaks including Makalu which started peeping over a rock face. This plateau can get snowed under and there are cairns to show the way. From the plateau the trail swung to the right and began climbing again through rocks and moraine. The pass can be seen from here with a row of prayer flags strung across the rocks. The climb from the meadow to the top of the pass would be another hour.
Gokyo to the top of the pass 3 to 4 hours

View from just below the pass looking down on the plateau

Looking towards the Lungden side of the pass - the trail below can be seen

Rhenjo La 5357 metres to Lungden 4400 metres
The pass has an excellent view both to the north and to the south. From the pass a very steep stone staircase leads down to an emerald lake which can be seen from the top. Pass the lake and the trail swings left following the natural contour of the valley. In about an hour or so there is a large lake on the left side - the trail passes this lake and climbs gently until it reaches some yak herders settlements made of stone. This part of the walk can be extremely cold and windy especially if it is foggy and cloudy. From here the path heads downwards and the lodges of Lungden can be seen in the valley below around 30 to 45 minutes away. Lungden has four or five lodges now so accommodation is not usually a problem.
Rhenjo La to Lungden 2 to 3 hours

Looking back at the pass from about 20 minutes below on the trail to Lungden

The trail down past the first lake to Lungden - the second lake below on the left

The last portion of the trail down to Lungden

Lungden 4400 metres to Thami 3800 metres
It is now a pleasant stroll down the valley following the Bhote Kosi river. In around 40 minutes you reach the village of Maralung which has a couple of lodges. The trail continues to lose altitude and reaches the village of Taranga in another half hour. From here it is about 60 to 90 minutes pleasant walking to the lodges of Thami.
Lungden. To Thami 2.5 hours to 3 hours

The village of Thami

Thami 3800 metres to Namche 3450 metres 3 hours to 3.5 hours

For more information on South Col's treks do visit www.southcol.com

Pangboche to Gokyo | Everest Trek

Thamserku from the high route between upper Pangboche and Phortse

The High Route from Pangboche to Gokyo

The route between the Gokyo valley and the Khumbu valley is normally done through the high Cho La pass which connects Dzongla in the Khumbu to Thangnak in the Gokyo valley. However for those who do not want to cross this high pass there is a another alternative - using the high route from upper Pangboche to Gokyo. In October 2016 a South Col Expeditions team walked this route on our return from Kala Pattar and Everest Base Camp.

Upper Pangboche 3950m to Phortse 3880m
On returning from Kala Pattar/ EBC before Pangboche village there is a trail with a sign which leads up to Upper Pangboche. This is a beautiful village with a few lodges surrounding a monastery. After a cup of tea at one of the lodges near the monastery follow the trail to Phortse. The trail follows the side of the hill and climbs up and down often making steep ascents and descents on stone staircases some of which are quite steep. As you skirt the hill you can see below the lodges of Devoche which you would have passed on the way up to the EBC. Further south the monastery of Tengboche stands on top of a hill below the high route. This trail has brilliant views of Ama Dablam, Melangphulang, Kangtega, and Thamserku and to the north Everest and Lhotse as well.
The trail finally climbs to a small chorten from where the village of Phortse lies below.
Upper Pangboche to Phortse 2 hrs 30 minutes to 3 hours

Phortse village

Phortse 3880m to Na 4400m
The trail from Phortse climbs steeply out of the village and reaches a big chorten on top of a hill at an altitude of 4270 metres. The trail then descends and ascends soon after skirting the hillside and reaches a deserted village Ghengo in around 20 minutes. From here the first lodge is the Kangtega View at Thore at a height of 4390 metres. This is good tea break. If you are walking from Upper Pangboche you could make a night stop at Thore after lunch at Phortse.
From Thore the trail drops in around 30 minutes to reach the single Tashi Friendship Lodge in Thare. From Thare, the trail drops gently first and then does a brief climb to an old mani stone whose inscriptions have all but vanished. There is a junction here please take the trail going down into the valley - it is also marked with a white arrow and you can see the single blue roof of the lodge at Na ahead in the valley. The narrow trail now meanders through rocks, scrub, and streams climbing gently up the valley. Towards the end of the walk it climb up through rocky sections and then descends to a small bridge below the single lodge at Na.
Phortse to Big Chorten 1 hr 30 min to 2 hrs
big Chorten to village of Ghengo 20 minutes
Ghengo Village to Thore Kangtega View Lodge 40 to 50 minutes
Thore to Thare 30 Minutes
Thare to Junction 45 minutes
Junction to Na 1 hour

View from the Big Chorten abover Phortse looking towards Na and Gokyo

Lookinng down at the lodges of Dole on the walk from Phortse to Na

Na 4400m to Gokyo 4750m
From the lodge at Na a small and rocky trail leads down to the river and crosses a bridge in around 30 minutes. Across the river higher up you can see the lodge of Pangka and the peak of Machermo. The trail from the bridge leads up to the main trail to Gokyo. Then comes a number of steep ascents following staircases clinging to the side of the hillside. A sharp bend to the left crosses a small bridge over a foaming stream and the first lake of Gokyo appears. Behind this lake is Kangtega and Thamserku reflected in the still waters. At the head of the valley, Cho Oyu one of the 8000 metre giants appears. The trail then climbs gently for another 30 minutes to the 2nd lake and ahead the steep climb to the Gokyo Ri can be seen. Passing the second lake the trail follows the hill and in around 45 minutes the 3rd lake and the lodges of Gokyo are visible.
Na to 1st lake of Gokyo 75 to 90 minutes
1st lake to 2nd lake 30 minutes
2nd lake to 3rd lake 45 minutes to 60 minutes

The sole lodge at Na

For more information on our Everest treks do visit www.southcol.com

Langtang Valley Trek | Lodges Reopen after the Earthquake

The Langtang trek has re- opened after the earthquake and the villagers are happy to welcome tourists once again despite the scaling down of facilities due to the devasation in April 2015. The report below gives the list of lodges which are available:

Syabrubesi
Plenty of lodges available many with wifi, hot showers, attached bathrooms.

Rimche
Both lodges in Rimche are functioning.

Lama Hotel
All the five lodges are functioning here.

Riverside and Woodlands
Both these locations after Lama Hotel had one lodge each and both the two lodges are functioning.

Ghora Tabela
This used to be a popular lunch stop - one hotel is available for lunch.

Thangsyap
Two lodges are running here - some others are under construction

Gumba before Langtang village
Two lodges have been rebuilt here - two more are in progress.

Langtang Village
Six lodges have been completed. Another four are under progress and will be done soon.

Mundu Village
Two lodges have been rebuilt

Nepali Hard Rock Cafe after Mundu Village
The tea shop is functioning.

Kyanjin Gompa
This was least affected in the earthquake and most of the lodges there are functioning. This is now the biggest settlement in the Langtang valley.

For more links on Langtang after the earthquake please do visit

http://www.worldtravelforums.net/showthread.php/9127-NEPAL-LANGTANG-VALLEY-has-opened

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-indian-subcontinent/nepal/langtang-valley-april-2016-trekking-report-including-post-earthquake-status

Do return to the Langtang valley once again and help to rehabilitate the villagers post earthquake.

For our past treks in the Langtang Valley do visit

http://sujoyrdas.blogspot.in/2013/03/the-langtang-valley-trek-in-nepal.html

http://sujoyrdas.blogspot.in/2014/01/langtang-valley-trek-photos.html

http://www.sujoydas.com/Nepal-Himalaya/Langtang/i-c8nSHK2

Nepal Himalaya - A Journey Through Time | Book Launch Kathmandu

It gives me great pleasure to inform you that my new book Nepal Himalaya - A Journey Through Time with Text by Lisa Choegyal, Drawings by Paula Sengupta and a Foreword by Reinhold Messner will be launched in Kathmandu on Sunday September 18th 2016 at the historic Dwarikas Hotel at 4 pm.
I would be delighted if some of you who are in Kathmandu could attend the launch. Lisa, Paula and I would be present. I would be making a short 20 minute presentation on the book.

Some of the recommendations of our book are below:

‘Sympathetically capturing the majestic scenery and evolving lifestyles of Nepal's mountain landscape, I applaud Sujoy Das’ extraordinary images in this glorious celebration of its resilient inhabitants. Lisa Choegyal’s text and captions add context and a personal perspective of how tourism has contributed to the country that is so much part of my life.’

Sir Chris Bonington CVO CBE DL, British mountaineer, writer and philanthropist

‘I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the mountains of Nepal. Sujoy Das' arresting black and white images capture the essence of my country and its people. Moreover Lisa Choegyal, who has long been involved with conservation and tourism development in Nepal, vibrantly describes how the country that we hold so dear first opened its door to visitors.’

Dr Hemanta R Mishra, Nepali ecologist, wildlife biologist and conservation leader

‘This captivating book by Sujoy Das and Lisa Choegyal brought back memories of my fifty five years savouring the beautiful mountains and people of Nepal.’

Captain M.S. Kohli, Indian mountaineer and author

Some of the photographs from the book are below:

Ama Dablam from Pangboche at dusk

The large mani wall above Namche Bazaar

The stupa at Bodhnath

A monastery courtyard in Kagbeni

Mingma Chopel Gurung, a resident of Nar village

Annapurna II and Gangapurna from Ngawal on the Annapurna Circuit

The details of the book is given below:

NEPAL HIMALAYA

A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

Photographs by Sujoy Das Text by Lisa Choegyal

Foreword by Reinhold Messner

Published by VAJRA BOOKS, Kathmandu, Nepal.

ISBN NO 978-9937-623-57-5

www.vajrabooks.com.np

Available at

On Amazon India

http://www.amazon.in/dp/993762357X

On Amazon USA

https://amzn.com/993762357X

Nar Phu Trek | Video from Kang La Pass (5320m)

This is a short video shot from just below the pass of Kang La which links the valley of Nar to the Annapurna circuit in Nepal.

South Col Expeditions trekked this route in October 2015.

The list of peaks from Kangla is given in this screenshot below:

For the detailed route of the Nar Phu trek do visit
http://sujoyrdas.blogspot.in/2015/12/the-nar-phu-valleys-of-nepal-i.html

For photographs of the region do visit
http://www.sujoydas.com/Nepal-Himalaya/Nar-and-Phu-Valleys-of-Nepal/

Rebuilding the Villages of Kaule and Bhangeri in Nuwakot district Nepal

A pictorial report on a survey conducted for the villages of Kaule and Bhangeri in Sundara Devi VDC, Nuwakot District, from Sept 28 - Oct 2 2015, prior to Prototype Construction Training Workshop scheduled for Oct 25 - Nov 5. Please see the link below

http://thekauleprototype.blogspot.in/

Till Now...

Recce visit by Sujoy Das and Sharan Lal
April - May 2015
I was trying to get my
trekking team back to Kathmandu through the rubble and chaos that followed the shake, when Sharan offered to help to find a design solution with a traditional approach to reconstruction.

In May 2015 Sharan and I visited Kaule and Bhangeri - villages in Nuwakot District and home to our friends, porters and guides - led by the indomitable Santaman Tamang.

In this trip, corrugated Zinc Sheets donated by the trekking community from South Col Expeditions were distributed among the villagers. These would provide temporary shelter to the villagers and see them through the monsoon.

A report filed by me on the May 2015 recce visit can be found here: http://sujoyrdas.blogspot.in/2015/05/nepal-earthquake-support-report-on.html

and another one here: http://sujoyrdas.blogspot.in/2015/06/nepal-earthquake-rebuilding-villages.html