We are planning our 2023 season and the trek blurbs are up on the website now but we want your feedback on what you are interested in. No images? Click here Zanskar colours Hi Everyone We have had the most fabulous trekking year so far. While Pakistan was washed away, we had fine and warm weather in Ladakh-Zanskar, only a single evening of rain. It was deliciously warm and so I should change some gear recommendations sometime. Last week, we are just back from Upper Mustang and while we couldn't fly and so jeeped up, once in the region the weather was perfect, and it really is the most amazing, concentrated hoodoo and canyon scenery on the planet. (And we have a fixed departure trek next Sept with Gelu, the same superb guide). I've updated the website with trek ideas for 2023 although these are very much a work in progress as I will only update the itineraries and details in December. Below are slightly deeper discussions on the trips I am contemplating. If you are interested in any of the treks below or have another idea, please do email me (jamie8848@gmail.com). I won't be taking bookings until sometime around Christmas, perhaps, which might give time for the USD to drop a little too. It has been a buzz catching up with friends in Kathmandu but myself and the recently arrived Middle Dolpo team have some challenges ahead as there has been very heavy rain and snow in the region, probably blocking high passes and there are lots of landslides so while fine weather is predicted, we likely will need to adapt. It is an exploratory trip anyway! Happy, safe trails - Jamie A Manaslu gorge Tsum Triple 8kFor our main October 2023 trek, beginning with Tsum Valley, then we join the Manaslu Circuit with Annapurna then finish with the intimidating Around Dhaulagiri trek, so passing three 8000m peaks (triple 8k). Recently I met a guide from Tsum and she described a new trail in Tsum which I liked the sound of, and additionally the shortcut trail that we have taken twice has been upgraded. The first time I swore we wouldn't take it again, then forgot for the second time, although everything turned out OK in the end. It really is spectacular and a great trekking route that avoids roads, especially with an upgraded trail... Does road construction affect the Tsum trek in other areas? I am not yet sure but will adapt around that. For Tsum and Manaslu, we will be trekking at the best, most popular time, late October. So, we will trek with a full crew and mule support and therefore will be able to camp in some more out of the way spots. We finish the Manaslu Circuit at Dharapani and then my idea is the mules end there and some of the crew will return to Pokhara and resupply while we continue around Annapurna very light with just a few porters. The lodges are good. This assumes we cross the Thorung La, which is a dramatically scenic route, however crossing Tilicho with a night out is also an option. Once we meet a road on the other side, we'll jeep to Marpha and start the Dhaulagiri Circuit from there. Being a cool late in the season, the weather should be more stable and less rockfall, so much safer. I have yet to work out the trip length. Priority will be given to people booking the whole trek. colourful Ladakh landscape 2023 July LadakhThis will be a mix of some 2-6? day backpacking sections perhaps with some fully supported caravan trekking stages too. Currently there are 4 flexible people interested and the max team size is perhaps six or seven. The route and indeed all details are still a work in progress and slightly dependent on a possible family group who will trek with our caravan crew while we trek independently, and perhaps meet them along the way. How ambitious we are will also depend on who books, so the trip will be tailored to suit. July is warm/hot (lighter gear!) and so after acclimatizing, we will move to the higher country and perhaps nip up a 6000 metre peak too. For June, our crew are free for a private departure. Zanskar rock Zanskar KhiOn our recent Zanskar GHT I came across a curious tale. There is a disused pass across the main Great Himalayan Range above the village of Khi (mis-spelt Shing on Olizane maps). Why is it disused? This was the intriguing part. Lobsang heard a section of it was broken by the locals on the Manali side as they suffered from Zanskari cattle rustlers and several Kargyak locals agreed with this, however I was also told that the short (?) ice section dropped and so that animals can no longer cross easily. They did recall that a trader had crossed it multiple times as a shortcut (alone!) over the years, most recently perhaps a decade ago. Is it still viable? Nobody knows, however the locals were very encouraging about an attempt by us. This could conceivably become a new trekking route now that there is a road over the Shingo La and the Kang La/Poat La/Agsho La routes are intimidating and crevassed. We will take a rope and crampons, and climbers can have a ball on the surrounding peaks but you don't need climbing experience to join either. The trek will start with a couple of weeks of classic Zanskar trekking (supported by our usual crew and mules-horses) then we will explore the valley system with the pass in it, making a base camp or two. I'm going to assume we cannot cross, in which case we will return to Kargyak and then drive to Manali. However, if it is possible to cross then some of us can backpack across carrying our own gear and reach the road on the other side in 3-4 days, then drive to Manali. As we are crossing the main Himalaya, this is a Sept trek so that we have fine, clear weather (fingers crossed!) for the exploration. I must emphasize the beginning of the trek will be through Zanskar with incredible panoramas and a fantastic trek in its own right. The journey... An alternative trek for this timeframe is The Great Divide (photo below), joining the trails over a pass I have recce'ed on both sides but that we have yet to cross. This is a traverse of that amazing wilderness quarter (with 6000m option) and finishing with the Parang La and the overland drive from Kibber to Shimla and the toy train plus Himalayan Queen back to Delhi. Which trek do you prefer? Great Divide no trail trekking See the horse dots? 2024 Zanskar GHTWe just ran a 36 day Zanskar GHT trek but adapted the route as the trek was a somewhat ambitious. We could have done with a couple more rest days and a day to break the brutal (but panoramic) Kanji La first pass. So, we'll improve it and begin slightly later in the season. We were lucky with the low rivers but cannot count on that again. This is a trek of incredible variety of landscapes. 2023 fixed departure treksFor mid April-May, we plan a locally lead Kanchenjunga North-South trek with Bire guiding. While the weather can be more interesting in Spring, the warmth and greenery and fresh snow on the mountains make up for that plus the lodges are great for spending an afternoon sheltering. Upper Mustang is perhaps the best trek in Nepal and our recent trek where we jeeped a few road sections and walked the most scenic trails without roads worked really well. So, in September we are likely to run a locally lead Upper Mustang 20 day trip that hopes to fly in and out but if the flights are cancelled then there is time to bus in. The pink fields of buckwheat and gompas and traditional houses, oh! And finally in the spring, perhaps Esther and I will trek the "three passes" including visiting friends at Everest base camp. It will be a relatively leisurely lodge trek and company welcomed. "It is later than you think" |