Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek 19 days Itinerary

A company’s representative will pick you up at Tribhuvan International Airport and transfer you to your hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu.

Today, we spend the day exploring the capital city, Kathmandu. Kathmandu is a home to seven World Heritage Sites like Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath, and Boudhanath, durbar squares in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur. Our team takes cares of all the legal documents and permits required for the trek. We also do some last minute shopping in the streets of Kathmandu before we leave for the trek.

We drive to Beni from Kathmandu moving alongside the river and enjoying the view of countryside road, snow-capped peaks, green lush forests, and amazing landscapes. You can explore the city of Beni when we reach our destination for the day. Overnight in Beni.

We take a 5-hour drive to Darbang from Beni moving alongside the Myagdi Khola relishing the view of amazing landscapes and stunning snow-capped peaks on the way. We pass along small settlements and villages like Tatopani, Babiyachaur and Rato Dhunga to finally reach Darbang.

For our first day of trekking, we trek towards Muri crossing the Dang Khola. We also pass through several villages like, and Machhim and make our way up further to the village of Muri inhabited by Magar people by crossing over Dhara Khola. We get a beautiful view of Mt. Dhaulagiri I (8,167m) as we ascend towards Muri.

Descending downhill, we cross a stream then continue walking through terraced fields. We make our way up further ascending through the ridge to reach a small pass. We descend on a downhill trail and move alongside the Myagdi Khola following a trail that passes through the dense forest and terraced fields. We will begin to see thickening settlements to finally arrive at Bagar.

We continue our trek following the trail through terraced fields and forest which leads us to Jyardan. From there, the trail also passes through the steep stone path into a dense forest of rhododendron and bamboo. We continue ahead past Simalkharka and Hot Spring before reaching to the village of Dobhan Kharka.

Today the trail takes through the densely forested area after crossing the Kunaban Khola. We then ascend to a crest where we have rewarded with the amazing view of west side of Dhaulagiri I (8,167m). We continue our trek along the river and crossing Pakite Khola, we arrive at Pina Sallaghari. 

Today we trek near the west side of Dhaulagiri, walking through rocky moraine into the forest. We may also come across many moraines and boulders on our way to Italian Base Camp which is the area is beneath the West Face of Dhaulagiri I. We can see Dhaulagiri II (7,751m), Dhaulagiri III (7,715m) and Dhaulagiri V (7,618m) to the west of the camp.

Today we take a day off from trekking to acclimatize. Acclimatization is necessary to adapt ourselves to the high altitude and thinning of air in the Himalayan atmosphere. We can take a short walk nearby the basecamp relishing the panoramic view of mountains to adjust to high altitudes. After exploring the nearby areas of the base camp, we return back for the night.

We ascend towards Japanese Basecamp through the rocky path and steep ridges. Then crossing the moraine of a glacier emerging down from Dhaulagiri peak (8,167m), we arrive at the wide grassy area in a shallow ablation valley where Japanese Base camp resides. We can get the stunning view of the west face of Dhaulagiri I (8,167m) on one side and Tsaurabong peak (6,395m) on the other side.

Today we trek towards Dhaulagiri Base Camp following the north side of the glacier through lateral moraine and rolling surface of the glacier. After a challenging walk, we finally arrive at Dhaulagiri Base Camp where we are rewarded with the extraordinary view of Dhaulagiri II (7,751m), Dhaulagiri III (7,715m), and Dhaulagiri V (7,618m) and icy winds area. We can also see the amazing icefall that descends from the col between Dhaulagiri and Tukuche Peak (6,848m).

We continue our trek on glacier moraine followed by the steep hills which leads us to French Pass (5,360m) where we get the panoramic view of different mountain ranges like Thapa Peak (6,012m), SechiLek (5,981m), Tukuche Peak, and massive Dhaulagiri I (8,167m). After spending some time we descend on the snow slope and finally reach Hidden Valley. Hidden Valley is a long and broad mountain enclave which remained hidden behind the giant Dhaulagiri until it was recently discovered.

We continue our trek descending from the hidden valley and slowly making our way up further to Thapa Pass. We can get the captivating view of Thapa Peak (6,012m) on the left and Tukuche (6,920m) on the right. We then trek towards Yak Kharka through steep slopes and rocky trails. We must be careful while following the trail as it gets dangerously steep at some places.

Today we trek towards the village of Marpha situated at the Kali Gandaki valley walking through steep zig-zag trail relishing the amazing landscape in the background. We pass through Alu Bari (3,900m) to reach Marpha. Marpha is also known as the city of Apple where we can get various food products made from apple.

Today we continue to trek northwards up the river valley before reaching the town of Jomsom. We can observe Thakali culture and traditions along the way to Jomsom. Jomsom is a beautiful place with a diverse landscape and culture. Later in the evening, we can explore Jomsom Bazaar.

We take a 20-minute morning flight to Pokhara from Jomsom enjoying the scenic view throughout the flight. We check in at a hotel in Pokhara and explore the lakeside area admiring the view of Mt. Machhapuchhre (6,997m) and Annapurna I (8,091m). We can also take a short sightseeing tour around Pokhara visiting Mahendra cave, David’s fall, Gupteswor cave, etc. 

We drive back to the capital enjoying the countryside view, daily activities of locals, green hills, and mountain peaks. We can also visit around the local places or nearby World Heritage Sites. We transfer you to the hotel in Kathmandu for an overnight stay.

We drop you at Tribhuvan International Airport approximately 3 hrs before the scheduled flight.