TREK ITINERARY
SOLU DISTRICT AND PIKE PEAK TREK - Nov 01 to 16, 2020
This trek is in the district called Solu. Linked with the Everest region as the Solu Khumbu. We will be mostly around 2000 – 3000 metres – not so high, not so cold. The itinerary has worked really well three times now but this season we are heading out about ten days earlier to catch a bit more of the autumn sunshine. It was crystal clear at this time in 2018 and we saw Everest, and the rest, almost every day; sometimes all day.
This area is, till now, not very well-known so you will not meet many fellow trekkers until we join the traditional Jiri to Everest Base Camp trail just above Jumbesi. Because it is a less well-travelled region some of the lodges are fairly basic but you will always be warm, dry, secure and well-fed – but do bring your warm down sleeping bag and jacket with you. The peak sounds ominous but is in fact a 4200 metre summit, an hour or so above our lodge at Diary. Slogging up to the top is optional.
The trip starts with a couple of nights in Kathmandu. We will check your gear and help you find what you may need. We will show you some of the sights and make sure you are fully briefed on what to expect ‘out there’. There may even be time for some good dining.
We take our own jeeps up to Pattale. It takes all day but the road is quite good these days. Pattale is our guide Dorje’s home village. There is a small community clinic here funded by our friends in Australia. We will spend 2 nights here since we arrive at the end of the day. Good for acclimatisation as this is over 2800 metres. Dorje, Akal, Rames, Ram - lots of our guys come from in or near this village.
Heading out on Day 3 of your trek you should see Everest within minutes. The views are stupendous. The trekking here is relatively easy – not too steep, not too far each day and no serious altitude.
After a couple more nights – Japhre and Lamouje (Kancha’s place) we will arrive at Diary now known as Pike Peak Base Camp. I have been informed that there is a beaut new lodge here which is welcome news indeed. You can reach the summit in an hour or so after lunch. It has stunningly beautiful 360 degree views. The Himalayas from distant
Anapurnas in the West, maybe even Daulaghiri, all the way over the Ganesh Himal, the Langtang range to Everest and beyond to Kanchenjunga on the Indian border. Hope it is just as clear this season.
The trekking is a bit more demanding now for a couple of days but still not difficult. For the less able trekker I could easily arrange a retreat on our ascent trail and a jeep to meet us in Jumbesi. Just an idea. The trail takes us up, then down, then up again and then a long way down, sometimes over rocky hillsides of stunted juniper, sometimes through rhododendron forests.
Jumbesi is a lovely historic old village and we will stay there for two nights. Have a rest? Or, perhaps, walk up to the 500-year-old ani gompa at Thubten Cholung. The next few days are lovely through dense thickets of bambu and towering pines to open sunny hillsides at Everest View – the name says it all. We will probably stay at Ringmu, as on previous treks, but we can decide at the time. Taksundo La may be a day-trek, or the next night’s destination. TBA.
The last day is gently downhill all the way on a jeep road with very little traffic. It can be a bit warm and dusty towards the bottom but after the mountains it can be nice to trek in the sunshine. Flights out of Phaphlu have been totally unreliable in the past three years to we plan to jeep back down the next day.
So here is our proposed itinerary. As ever, it is not written in stone. We will make sure you have a great time up here. If you let yourself enjoy each long lovely day as it unfolds I am sure you will have a terrific holiday. Yes, it is a holiday. Slowtrekking.com.
Here is the day by day itinerary:
| November 01: | Arrive in Kathmandu. Let us know your flight and we will meet you at the airport. Transfer to International Guesthouse with a really tranquil garden. Dinner with your new friends. |
| November 02: | We will have a look at your gear, see if you are over or under-prepared and then, if needed, guided shopping in Thamel the backpacker district. Some of the fake gear is astonishingly cheap and well-made. This is the day for banking, changing money, paying me in cash if possible and a little pocket money for yourself on trek. Pick up some snacks for the road. Meanwhile I will be finalising your trekking permits and insurance and rounding up our jeeps. Pre-trek briefing in the evening to give you as much info as we can about the trail, the lodges, the loos, trek etiquette, photography, even a few words of Nepali. Pack your bags for a very early start. |
| November 03: | 5 am would be a great time to start if we can get some breakfast that early. A long drive but fascinating. Mild temperatures and stunning views. In our own jeeps so not too crowded and we can stop when we want. Overnight Pattale 2800 m. |
| November 04: | Explore the village. The clinic, the high school, another nearby school, all the while acclimatising. Your first look at Everest. |
| November 05: | Off on trek. It is not that hard here and we may even start off walking down the road. Our first overnight is Japhre. The lodge has basic little cabins overlooking a valley full of cotton wool clouds at the end of the day. A few metres away is a lovely old gompa which we are welcome to visit. Good cooking here too! |
| November 06: | The walk today is again quite reasonable, passing by some nice old stupas and mani walls. We are trekking to Lamuje which is Kancha's lodge. Briliantly located half way between Japhre and Diary which many people still do in a day. Simple, clean, functional. Durga's cooking is super. A big wood stove in the dining room now. |
| November 07: | This day is a bit more challenging. It is a long but gradual climb to Diary (the name is a corruption of Dairy – there is a small cheese factory). The place has re-named itself as Pike Base Camp and there is a highly-recommended new lodge. We shall see. After lunch and a little rest we can climb up to the summit. It takes an hour or so and is not difficult just a bit of a slog over 4000 metres. The 360-degree views are amazing. |
| November 08: | This is another of the harder days (hence the option to backtrack and jeep to Jumbesi). However, most of our customers, not so young and not that fit have not struggled unduly. We end up in Jastabanijang. Simple, delightful, comfortable – in the middle of nowhere. Other folk lunch here and go to Jumbesi today!
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| November 09: | Another of our longer days. Downhill nearly all afternoon on some rather tricky broken trails. At Taktor the land becomes lush and soft and dotted with grazing cows. The lodges here look very basic – a big incentive to keep going to Jumbesi. |
| November 10: | A very welcome rest day. The nearby ani gompa is an interesting trek if you just can't get enough. A good time to find a hot shower, wash a few smalls or just dag around the village. Sit in the sun with book while your hair dries, listening to the local farmer singing to his oxen as they plough the field in front of the lodge. |
| November 11: | This is my favorite day on this trek. Uphill for a couple of hours through shady woods and bambu thickets to wide open grassy hillsides. EverestView for a lunch stop then a beautiful meandering trek to Ringmu. Last 20 minutes is actually up again so be prepared. |
| November 12: | We might stay at Ringmu for another night and make a day-trek to Taksundo La and beyond. To be decided. As the name suggests (La means pass) we will be on a ridge with a very old village and monastery about half an hour below and a small trail to an even higher ridge above. Choice is yours. |
| November 13: | Wherever we stayed last night we are trekking down to Phaphlu today. The way is easy and downhill. It is a jeep road but there is hardly any traffic due to the condition of the road – fine for trekkers. I jeeped up here April 2018 to reach Gokyo and I think we could have moved faster on foot. Phaphlu, 2500 metres. Warm and with a simple but friendly lodge. There is a lovely old ani gompa here too and a rather amazing but unreliable air strip. |
| November 14: | Jeep back to Kathmandu. Our International Guesthouse will seem quite luxurious now. Should be home in time for an early dinner. |
| November 15: | Last big day. Sightseeing? Shopping? Both? We will help you get organised. Over to Boudanath in the late afternoon to see the Tibetans and other Buddhists come out to circle the ancient stupa. Dinner afterwards at a Tibetan restaurant. |
| November 16: | GO HOME! If you can't get a flight for the exact arrival or departure dates, we can organise extra time for you, though it will cost extra of course. We will get you to the airport for your departure. |
This trek is now $2750 AUD. This is the all-inclusive land cost. Your international flights are for you to manage. The trek is fully-escorted. I have done this for 19 years now and I will be coming with you. Unlike many other trekking companies our guys carry just one rucksack each. You will have your own personal porter who walks and talks with you every day on trek. He will have good clothes and shoes and be well-paid and insured. You would be expected to give this guy a tip at the end. Something over $100 would be appropriate. Don’t worry if it sounds like a lot – you will feel like buying him a house! They really are THAT good.
There is loads of information on the website at www.slowtrekking.com such as ‘What to Wear’ or ‘Health Issues’. Also, read some Trek Reports from previous trips up here. There are lots of photos and you will see that many of our customers are not that young or athletic. It is called slow trekking for a reason. I am hoping to come to Melbourne at the end of March if you want to meet. Meanwhile you could reach me at teresadb@hotmail.com or vonschwichtenberg@gmail.com. There is a Facebook page called Slow Trekking.
Hope you might join us for this one.
Cheers
Teresa didi.
YOU CAN DO THIS!
