Group Size
Min. 2 Pax
Trip Grade
Strenuous
Best Season
March, April,May, June, July, August, September, October and November
Accommodation
Hotel/Lodge/Camping
Max Elevation
4949m, Nyalu La
Meals
Full Board on Trek
Transportation
Private Vehicle/Car/Jeep/Flight
Trip Route: Simikot - Yalbang - Nara La - Hilsa - Jang - Nyalu La - Kermi - Simikot
Trip Overview
- Magnificent view of mountains, landscapes and nature throughout this rarely traveled trail in the Himalayas.
- Local culture in the hills of lower Humla region alongside hill culture and traditions.
- Monasteries, Chortens, Shrines and Gompas in the way, reflecting the influence of Tibetan culture in these areas.
- Alpine, Cold, and sub-tropical vegetation with wildlife seeing adventure.
- Beautiful sunrise and sunsets from most promising Natural viewpoints in the earth.
- Yak and Chauri products as well as Himalayan cuisine exploring.
- Authentic trekking experience with overnights in the local teahouse/lodge/Camping.
- Views of the mountains in the Tibetan and Nepali sides with some of the high passes in the trail
The Simikot Limi Valley is one of the few remaining trekking routes of Nepal, giving you the trekking experiences of wilderness nearing the Tibetan border. One can witness a step back in time like feeling walking in the trails leading to this isolated valley of upper Humla region. Scenic Landscape, the Buddhist tradition, and authentic Himalayan culture are some of the main reasons to do this thrilling trek. A route to the holiest mountain Mt.Kailash and Manasarovar begins from Humla too via Tibet. Opened just recently to the outer world, you will need to have a special permit for doing this trek with some supplementary norms and regulations. Every day in this trek is full of surprises so if you fancy some untold adventure, in the western Himalayas this trek is one for you.
Starting from the hills of Simikot, we will dive deep into the villages and settlements of Humla, explore the culture and learn about their lifestyle before heading towards the Limi Valley regions. The natural beauty of Humla, the smile of the people, and fresh apples make your stay memorable. Walking beside the Karnali River, we will have some of the magical landscape views from this section of the trek. We will experience the diverse culture and tradition of people of many different ethnic groups in the lower Humla. Following the ancient salt trading routes used by locals to reach Tibet, we will reach the beautiful Limi valley near the Nepal-China border. From the High passes in this trek, you can view some of the highest mountains of Tibet alongside Saipal, Kanjirowa, Gorakh, Kanti, and Rishi Himalayan range of Nepal. The best season to do the Simikot Limi valley trek is from May to October and with the aid of Himalayan Pic Du Midi you can enjoy the untarnished shades of this amazing trek.
Outline Itinerary
Day 01: Arrival at TIA Kathmandu & Transfer to Hotel
Day 02: Kathmandu Heritage Tour and Prepration for the Trek
Day 03: Fly from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj
Day 04: Fly from Nepalgunj to Simikot (2950 m)
Day 05: Simikot to Dharapuri (2300 m)
Day 06: Dharapuri to Kermi (2670m)
Day 07: Kermi to Yalbang (3020m)
Day 08: Yalbang to Muchu/Tarkot 3120m or Tumkot (3380m)
Day 09: Tumkot to Thado Dunga (3750m)
Day 10: Thado Dunga - Crossing Nara La (4620m) to Hilsa (3720m)
Day 11: Hilsa to Kharka (3990m)
Day 12: Kharka to Jang (4030m)
Day 13: Jang to Ghyangbalung (3930m)
Day 14: Ghyangbalung to Kharka (4600m)
Day 15: Kharka to Tibet border and back to Ghyangbalung (3930m)
Day 16: Ghyangbalung to Talung (4370m)
Day 17: Talung - Crossing the Nyalu La (4949m) to Shinjungma (3620m)
Day 18: Shinjungma to Kermi (2670m)
Day 19: Kermi to Simikot (2950m)
Day 20: Fly Back to Nepalgunj and Kathmandu
Day 21: Bhaktapur Cultural Tour
Day 22: Departure
Day to Day Itinerary
You will meet and introduce to our representative from Himalayan Pic Du Midi today after your arrival in TIA, Kathmandu. He/ She will approach you in the arrival section with a placard with your name. After some formal welcoming, you will head towards your hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu. Freshen up, and after some snacks, we will do a quick orientation session about the Simikot Limi valley trek in our office. Here you will also meet your guide for the journey. After that, you will be transferred back to your hotel. In the evening, you can wander around the sites nearby and peek into the Newari culture. Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.
After a quick breakfast, you will head towards a culture-packed tour of the Kathmandu valley. Our first site for today is the Basantapur Durbar square. The palace lies near your hotel and was the royal palace of former Malla kings of the valley. After a brief tour of the palace, head towards the Buddhist shrine of Swyambhunath. This stupa complex provides a great view of Kathmandu valley. Swyambhunath or “The Monkey Temple," because of the abundance of monkeys habituating the hill is one of the oldest temples in Nepal. After that, we will head towards the Hindu shrine of Pashupatinath, and the Tibetan styled Stupa of Boudhanath in quick succession. Return to your hotel and prepare for the trek with the aid of your guide. You can get all the necessary gears and equipment for this trek in Thamel. Rest and prepare to leave Kathmandu early tomorrow. Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.
After your breakfast, you can visit some of the nearby temples in your spare time. We will drive you to TIA and board a domestic flight to Nepalgunj. Nepalgunj is an important commercial center in the mid-western Terai of Nepal. You will head straight to your hotel and rest for a while after arrival. Here, you can experience a different blend of culture and lifestyle here with a bit rise in the temperature. You can go for a rickshaw/cab ride here and visit the local markets of Nepalgunj. Overnight at a hotel in Nepalgunj.
You will take a scenic flight today to the Simikot airport of the Humla district in Nepal. The trip gives you a fantastic view of the landscape and the snow-capped Himalayas in clear weather. After landing,we will rest for a while and visit some of the nearby attractions of Simikot. We will rest for the day here in a lodge. Overnight at Simikot.
Our trek from Simikot starts with a small climb to a little pass and continues to its next side. From here we will have a gradual descent to the dharapuri village of about 4 hours. We will be walking through the sparse pine forest with a great landscape view from some of the vantage points in between. The Latter half of our trek is beside the Karnali River nearing the Dharapuri village. Overnight at Dharapuri village.
We have a short and more relaxed walk today to the Kermi village today. After breakfast, we will follow the slopes of Karnali and reach the open plains nearing Kermi. Our trail is through some barley, buckwheat, and potato fields nearing Kermi. We will reach Kermi in the afternoon. Later you can hike for some time to the hot springs near the village and relax there. Overnight at Kermi.
After our breakfast, we will visit the Laiko and Lhundrup Choeling Gompa near the village. We will then continue our trek to the village of Yalbang. After a couple of hours, we will do a small pass and take a steep descent to the Suspension bridge over Sali River. Our trail then goes through pine forests and joins a much popular trail amongst the locals to and from Tibet. After walking for some hours, we will reach Yalbang village. We will visit the beautiful Namkha Khyung Dzong Monastery above the village and rest for the day. Overnight at Yalbang.
Leaving the village of Yalbang, our trail goes high above Karnali and passes the village of Yangar. Our trek from here is mostly in flatlands beside the steep rocky hills. After a couple of hours, we will have a rockier ascending path through the pine forest and cross the Karnali river by a big Wooden bridge. We will walk above the deep gorge of Karnali sharing the trail with local yaks and sheep and reach the charming village of Muchu. About 20 minutes of walk from here will take you to the Tumkot village. Overnight at Tumkot.
We will climb slowly and steadily, leaving Tumkot to the village of Pani Palwang. During this section, there are some steep segments in between where you can encounter some beautiful wildflowers. From Pani Palwang it's about one and half hour of a trek to Yari. Overnight at Yari.
We will trek to the Hilsa village near the Nepal-China border via Nara La pass today. The trek is a bit challenging and provides us some of the astounding landscape. It is about a couple of hours of a climb from the Thado Dhunga village, and it might take three for some of us. We will spend some time here in the Pass and start our descent to the Yara village. The drop is long, scenic, and gradual to Hilsa. The significant Tibetan influence in settlement of Yara will give us the feeling of being in Tibet here. We will rest for the day after viewing a beautiful sunset from the village. Overnight at a lodge in Hilsa.
Hilsa is one of the popular villages of the region as it is the closest one from the Tibetan border. The Karnali River flows from the boundary to Nepal and besides the villages to lower plains. We will be trekking to Kharka or Yak Kharka today from the Hilsa village. After breakfast, begin the walk and cross the suspension bridge over Humla Karnali and head towards the Limi Valley. From this portion of the walking trail, we will get unique opportunities to spot rare Snow Leopard and Bharals. We will camp today at the place called Kharka. Overnight at Kharka.
We will be heading towards the heart of Limi Valley today. Starting at the trek, we will cross the Tagtsi River and follow it from the other bank to reach the village of Til. This will take about 3 hours of descent from our tent in Kharka. We will spend some time exploring the village and head out for our next destination for today, ie. To Halji. Halji is our second village in Limi valley and is the biggest amongst the three villages. After some exploring and rest at Jang, we will follow the Tagsti River and head towards Jang. The third village of Limi valley is about 1.5 hours from the Halji village. We will rest for the day at a lodge here. Overnight at Jang.
We can hike to the Chagzur (Tashi Thang) Hot springs today, before starting our walk to Ghyangbalung. The walk is slow and gradually ascending to Ghyangbalung. In our trek of today, we can have a great view of hills and mountains and in clear weather the mountains in the Tibetan side too. We will reach Ghyangbalung in the late afternoon and rest for the day here. Overnight at Ghyangbalung.
Our hike today is short and scenic leading us to Kharka near Tibetan Border. While ascending, we will have plenty of time to enjoy nature and view surrounding us. Different varieties of mountain flowers lighten up the path to Kharka as well. After a couple of rocky trail segments, we will reach Kharka and set up our camp there. Overnight at Kharka.
We will hike today for about a couple of hours and reach the Tibetan border from Kharka. You can see some locals from the villages on both sides carrying out some of their daily trade activities with the help of Yaks here. From the border, you can witness the similarity of the people, landscape, and nature of both these places. From the top of a ridge in the trail, we can also view the mountains and rocky hills up to a great extent in both sides of the border. After some time here we will return back to Ghyangbalung. Overnight at Ghyangbalung.
Today might be one of the most beautiful and picturesque days of this whole trek as we walk from Ghyangbalung towards the valley of Talung. Our trail follows the crystal clear water of Nyingchhu River which enters to the Tshongmo Lake. From the path, we can view the old abandoned villages of Limi known as Tshamdo or the ruined village of Lama Pyala. From here it is about a couple of hours of walk crossing the river and through some meadows to Jade. We will set up our camp near the Nyalu Base camp and rest for the day. Overnight at Talung.
We will start early and reach the highest point of the trek, Nyalu La pass. After two to three hours of steep ascending, we will reach the Pass. From the top, the majestic view of the landscape, lakes valleys and nature is pristine. We will spend some time in the Pass and start our descent to the pastureland of Sheng Jungma (Shinjungma). In the way, we can spend some time in the beautiful Sheliman Lake. We will walk through the Tshongsa meadow and pass by the rhododendron villages to reach Sheng Jungma. Overnight at Shinjungma.
We will start our trek early and join the trail leading to the village of Kermi. We will lose more than a thousand meters in altitude today, so the latter half is a bit relaxed and comfortable. From the trail, we can see astonishing landscape views and if lucky some of the beautiful mountain birds and animals too. We will stop briefly in the teahouses midway and take our lunch before continuing to Kermi. After arriving in Kermi, you can revisit the monastery nearby or go to the relaxing hot spring nearby here. Overnight at Kermi.
Today will be a complete hill walking experience from the terraced farmlands and forests to the Simikot airport. We will stop for lunch in the village of Dharapuri and rest for a while here. The trail climbs up a bit, and from a low pass, we will reach Simikot today. We will rest for the day here in a lodge near the Simikot airport. You can try some local hill cuisine here too. Overnight at a lodge in Simikot.
We will take the first flight to Nepalgunj from Simikot airport today. After landing in Nepalgunj, we will take another flight back to the Tribhuwan International Airport, Kathmandu. After reaching your hotel here, rest and head out for some souvenir shopping in the streets of Thamel. You can find beautiful pictures, garments, ornaments, and handicrafts to take back as a memorandum to your home. You can also enjoy the partying nightlife in the city by entering some pub and bars here. Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.
After your breakfast today, we will drive to the city of Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur is only about 45 minutes’ drive from your hotel. The first site of today will be the Historical Bhaktapur durbar (palace) square. The Palace was the ruling palace of Malla Kings before Kathmandu city. The golden gate temple, Palace of Fifty-five windows, and the Nyatapola temple square are some of the major attractions in and around the Palace. You can visit the painting schools here, view the Thangkas, and artforms around this fantastic city. You can taste the local Newari cuisine and the famous king curd (Juju Dhau) in Bhaktapur. Return to your hotel and stroll around Thamel in your evening today. Overnight at Kathmandu.
Your last day in Nepal will be full of joy and happiness as you look back to the achievements of your Simikot Limi Valley trek in Nepal. We will have a parting breakfast with our crew and staffs, suggestions, feedbacks, and experience collection. In some of your spare time seek for some organic goods and products that you can take back home. We will transfer you to the Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) a couple of hours before your flight. We will follow up with your suggestions and push forward for even better services in the coming days.
What's Included/Excluded
Accommodation
- Four-nights Hotel in Kathmandu and One Night Hotel in Nepaljung with B/B basis
Meals
- Welcome and farewell dinner at Nepali Kitchen
- All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea/coffee) while on the trek
Transportation
- Airport pick-ups and drops in a private vehicle
- All ground transportation on a comfortable private vehicle as per the itinerary
- Kathmandu – Nepaljung - Simikot – Nepaljung – Kathmandu by Domestic Flight Tickets.
Extras
- Full day sightseeing in Kathmandu/entrance fee
- Special Humla/Limi Valley Restricted Area fee, National Park Permits/TIMS
- Professional & government licensed holder English Speaking Trekking Guide, Trekking Cook, Acc. Guide, Kitchen staff.
- Camping Equipment’s Guest Tents, Dining Tent, Kitchen Tent, Toilet Tent, Chairs and Table, Mattresses etc.
- Porter service (2 trekkers: 1 porter)
- Staff costs including their salary, insurance, equipment, food, Transportation and accommodation
- Warm clothing and other required trekking gear for staff including porters woolen hat, gloves, shocks, shoes & sunglasses etc…
- Baggage/Equipment’s /Cargo (Nepalgung – Juphal – Nepalgunj)
- Entrance fee of all Monastery & Museums in Limi Valley Region
- Hot Shower
- Trekking Map
- Medicine Box for Guide/Porters
- All government and local taxes
Not Included
- International Airfare and Nepal Visa fee
- Travel & Health Insurance
- Emergency Helicopter Rescue Insurance
- Lunch & Dinner in Kathmandu
- Any Alcoholic Drinks, Water and deserts in Trek
- Battery Charges, International call,WIFI & internet on Trek
- Unforeseen Cost such as Flight Cancellation
- Tips for guides and porters
Notes
* Your big Luggage should be 12 kg each without your Carry bag (small bag). You have to carry 4/5 kg with small bag during you walking on the Trekking. Your small bag should be over 30 to 40L.
* You have to bring personal medicine box for the mountain. You have to good physical condition is necessary to travel in Nepal. It is recommended to go to doctor for a checkup before coming to Nepal.
* The flights in the Himalayas might sometimes get delayed or canceled due to bad weather conditions. We will book the flights succeeding it immediately so keep your patience and utilize your time visiting nearby attractions.
* You are free to choose a substitute of treks in other regions if the flight cancellation hampers your Simikot Limi Valley trek significantly.