Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek - 22 days

Introduction 

Dhaulagiri name is derived from Sanskrit “dhavala- means white” and giri is mountain – The White Mountain. Dhaulagiri is an exceptional area to trek in western Nepal. It has 8 summits surpassing 8000m each. Separated from the Annapurna region by the Kali Gandaki River, the range of 6 Dhaulagiri (7,268 to 8,167m) massifs include more than 30 peaks between 6000 and 8000m. It was closed to trekkers for sometime but now the region has reopened.  We approach the Dhaulagiri range by Tansen, capital of the Magar people, an ethnic group of Nepal before the unification in 1742.

The panorama to the ranges of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna are indeed exceptional as a balcony which we follow during this trip. High grassland and the descents to forested rhododendron follow the trail to Myagdi Khola. Throughout the trek, you are surrounded by the colossal peaks of the north face of the Dhauladiri I.  Much of the route is on snow and glaciers as it crosses French Pass (5,360m), traverses the head of hidden valley and crosses Thapa pass (5,244m), it is a challenging walk on an icy track.

Journey:

Dhaulagiri round trek begin in the antique city of Kathmandu, from where you will board a bus to Beni. You will spend the first few days of your trek walking through cultivated fields connected to some of the mountain villages while enjoying the shops, teahouses, and lifestyle of the Gurung, Chhetri and Magar people. During these days you will walk along cobblestone paths, over suspension bridges and through dense forests, enjoying the vistas of some of the worlds most beautiful mountains. The climb begins to get tougher after Dobang, as you ascend to the Italian Base Camp with impressive views of Dhaulagiri I, II, III, IV, V & VI; taking a day to rest and acclimatize, explore and fully absorb the beauty of surrounding peaks. You will then make your way to Dhaulagiri North Base Camp. The trek then continues on to the Iced French and Thapa Passes which have to be scaled before you descend down a winding trail to Yak Kharka. Once again you will find yourself among mountain people and their villages. After long descend you will arrive in Marpha, popular city of Mustang district. You follow the Annapurna classical trek and pass the world’s deepest gorge. The hot springs at Tatopani offer an excellent retreat after a strenuous trek surrounded by the majestic peak of Annapurna and Machhapuchhare. From Tatopani you make your way back to Pokhara, visiting on the way, several monasteries and sites of religious importance. 

TRIP HIGHTLIGHTS

• Mt. Dhaulagiri (8,167m)
• Dhaulagir II (7,751m)
• Dhaulagir III (7,715m)
• Dhaulagir IV (7,661m)
• Dhaulagir V (7,618m) & Dhaulagir VI (7,268m)
• French Pass (5,360m) & Thapa Pass (5,244m)

Fitness
This kind of trek is challenging and tough. So if you have any previous experiences will be key factor to complete the trek successfullybutnot mandatoryof previous trekking and mountaineering experiences and also doesn’t require any technical experience. Your tough level of fitness is really important for this trek which is a must. Therefore we strongly suggest preparing yourself in good physical condition. You need to be trained at least for about 4 to 6 months to prepare yourself as strong candidate. You can go to fitness center every morning for about 1.5 hours, do hiking every weekend with increasing weights on your pack, participating in marathon helps you a lot to check level of fitness by yourself. Manage some time for cycling for couple of hours for 3 or 4 times a week. Howeverat the high altitude, there might be little symptoms of altitude illness like mild headache, fatigue etc. but take it as normal and just drink plenty of water (4 – 5 liters) every day. On this trek, youneed to be able to hike 6 – 10 hours over hilly terrain up to 6,000m of altitude with daypack. 
 
Experience
If you have any previous experiences of similar grade trek or our challenging grade trek would be helpful and key factor to successfully complete the trek. This trek will introduce you about high altitude trekking in the Himalayas and also about the local cultures, traditions and local people. Even if you are around the age of 60 years, you can be a candidate for this trek.