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gompa incense in Limi*
Gratitude, kindness and respect;
Namaste and tashi delek!
Hi everyone
Are you shovelling snow or grinding at the office? Do you need a trek to look forward to? We can help, and in short, we're ready - email me. Our booking email is packed with useful info and the process.
Check out our Nepal offerings and our Ladakh-Zanskar adventures.
Despite the gloomy economic outlook, flights are booking up for the Nepal spring and it is a good time to book flights for our Indian summer adventures too.
Over the last few days I have talked with trekkers, refining and customizing itineraries. Do call me to discuss for some fast answers and a more detailed picture of the plans and possibilities. I'm on Messenger and WhatsApp +977 98021 49789.
Our main treks are all looking like small teams so far, no full treks, which suits me and the exploratory nature of some of them too. All are likely to run.
I'm in New Zealand and will be for the next couple of months. I must admit, I don't yet have details up for our main Nepal October trek but I will work on that soon.
Happy trails - Jamie
*The top pic: the incense is put into a carved wooden mould then flipped over on this mud base and then lit. It takes a day to burn, winding it winds its way around the pattern. Seen in the gompa at Halji, Humla. Impressive!
Gratitude, kindness & respect courtesy Thom Dharma Pollard @EverestMystery
The Far West
Humla High *exploratory
This May trek is a last minute addition for 2023, and came about when I realized the once impossible logistics were now manageable. I like the idea of exploring the Far West in the warmer, green spring.
Starting from Simikot, we pass through dense villages then head into wilderness surrounded by steep snow peaks then cross a pass to what is geographically the Tibetan Plateau, close enough to spy Mt Kailash and the huge 7728m Gurla Mandhata. The rarely trekked Limi Valley with Halji's 800+ year old gompa is the cultural highlight.
Here's a taster, an album of the October 2008 Limi Valley trek for Nat Geo Adventure magazine. The villages in Limi are near the end of the first page flowing onto the second. Our trek will be considerably more lush.
This will be a small team, eight or less trekkers plus myself (and probably only a handful of us). There's a 28 day plus a 42 day option. Flights to Nepal are filling, so it's better to decide soon!
Exploring in the Far West:
Wow!
Kanchenjunga North-South 6k
Our late October Kanchenjunga North-South is evolving with an additional three days, allowing for a scramble up to a 6000m viewpoint (6k !). Or just spend a little additional time around stunning Khangpachen (Khambachen) and Lhonak.
The view of Kanchenjunga from Pangpema is already stunning, and in spring trek we take a day trip there. However there are a couple of very high viewpoints above but the issue is acclimatization. For this unique itinerary, we have a couple of additional acclimatization days and also sleep at Pangpema to get a good start the next morning for that incredible, satisfying panorama.
Exploratory high country camp
Tso Zanskar
We traverse a huge high altitude wilderness that we know and love, and should be famous but is still unknown. Wild camping in comfort, have the binoculars handy for kiang, Tibetan argali and wolves and more, as we explore some alternative routes. We cross the intimidating but satisfying Pangpo La and there is also an optional walk up 6k viewpoint.
Zanskar Khi
A rumoured now disused pass over the Great Himalayan Range is begging to be explored on this 10 day (or 2 week??) addition to the trek above. We are exploring at the finest, best time.
Visa update
And bonus for the Brits, the tit for tat visa difficulties have gone and now there is an easy online visa process. Pakistan was crazy-busy in summer 2022; we are unlikely to meet other trekkers on our Zanskar journeys!
No trail trekking
click for a Flickr album
View of the Ladakh peaks
Ladakh Peaks & Passes
We start the Indian summer with this classic trek which has an optional 6000m snow peak as well. If not climbing, there is plenty to explore from the base camp.
The well-known Everest blogger Mark Horrell loved the last section of this trek particularly.
We can run this as a private trip if you would prefer. Do get in touch soon!
Summer backpacking +
Our skypacking trek has evolved into a stunning 21 day trip with a variety of landscapes (and luxe resupplies). The extension to 36 days is trekking with our full luxe caravan style as we head out in the remote wilds for some exploring, so the best of both styles. The team is small with room for a couple more.
Please contact me directly for a link.
GHT map link
Nepal GHT map
Robin Boustead (and myself and others) have been working on the latest GHT map series and low resolution versions of the maps are available for free on Flickr. Perhaps what is most interesting though, is a useful GHT map of all Nepal (and download the full 10,000px resolution version). Admittedly, this is the older map, but is still great for planning other than new roads (which are updated on the newest GHT maps).
"It is later than you think"
