The Great Himalaya Trail : Adventurous Trekking in Nepal

    The great himalaya trail consists of :

• THE FAR WEST
• HUMLA
• RARA, JUMLA & MUGU
• DOLPA
• ANNAPURNA & MUSTANG
• GANESH HIMAL & MANASLU
• LANGTANG & HELAMBU
• EVEREST & ROLWALING
• MAKALU BARUN
• KANCHENJUNGA

The Great Himalaya Trail is a network of existing treks and trails which together form one of the longest and highest walking trails in the world.

Winding beneath the world’s highest peaks and visiting some of the most remote communities on earth, it passes through lush green valleys, arid high plateaus and incredible landscapes. Nepal’s GHT has10 sections comprising a network of upper and lower routes (see this map of Nepal), each offering you something different, be it adventure and exploration, authentic cultural experiences, or simply spectacular Himalayan nature.

FIG : Great Himalaya Trail stylised route overview map

Download fullscreen PDF of this map poster (1.1MB)

The trekking route in Nepal

The 1,700 km Nepal section of the trail begins near Kanchenjunga on the eastern border and heads west navigating the domains of eight of the world’s 8000m peaks, from the beautiful but lesser-known Makalu to the famous Everest. It is not the easiest nor most direct route across Nepal, rather a route through the Greater Himalaya. The Nepal section ends in Humla on the Tibetan border.

The route offers an incredible diversity in terms of landscapes, flora & fauna, people and culture: from snow leopards to red pandas; from sub-tropical jungle to fragile high-altitude eco-systems; from the famous Sherpas, to Shamanism, to the ancient Bön Buddhist culture found still in Dolpa.

National Geographic Adventure Magazine‘s Jame’s Vlahos observes, “Nepal’s mountains are minimally developed, but they offer a wealth of trade and pilgrimage routes. The GHT elegantly connects these existing paths without blazing a single new trail.”

The Nepal section is part of a longer alpine adventure traversing the spine of the Himalaya from Bhutan to Pakistan. These sections are currently being researched, trekked and documented. There still is a a lot of Great Himalaya Trail exploring yet to be done!

Making a difference

Nepal is a poor country and tourism contributes an important 4% of GDP. However this is concentrated, as far as trekking is concerned, in the 3 most popular areas of Solo Khumbu (Everest) region, Annapurna region and Langtang.

By trekking off the the beaten track, you will making a direct difference to communities in these areas by spending money on food, accommodation or services such as guides, porters and cooks. And you’ll be getting to some incredible places, meeting people following ancient cultures and having unique experiences.

Many people come to Nepal to get away from the crowds and to seek challenge and adventure, and equally vibrant nature or solitude. That is more than possible in Nepal.

Few will have the time to attempt the whole route, so it is broken up into sections and short treks along the trail. There are many more places to visit in Nepal than just Annapurna, Everest or Langtang, beautiful as they are! Take with Dolpa for instance.