Ghale Gaun Trek

5–12 Days, customizable

Arrival / Departure from Kathmandu.

Autumn / Spring

September – November / March – May

Easy trek

5–7 hours walk/day

Ghale gaun is a beautiful hamlet of Gurung people, which is located in Lamjung district of Nepal and being popular trekking destination for internal and external trekkers due to see real nature views and unique culture of Ghale Gurungs. Trek into the Ghale gaun offers to see splendid view of Lamjung Himal 6983m, Annapurna I 8091m, Annapurna II 7937m, Annapurna IV 7525m, Buddha Himal 6974m, Machhapuchhre 6993 meters high and its beautiful ranges.

Ghale gaun trek is possible to customize according to trekker’s desire, health condition, physical fitness and time frame. If trekkers have about two weeks holiday for Nepal and want to see rural life and splendid mountains view from low elevation then Pokhara to Ghale gaun trek would be the best destination because the trail passes through the remote villages and purpose to see green forest, charms landscapes, verdant paddy fields, wide river valleys, pristine lakes and panoramic view of Machhapuchhre, Lamjung Himal, south Annapurna, Mardi Himal, Hiuchuli, Baraha Shikhar and some of the top ten mountains of the world known as Manaslu 8163m, Annapurna first 8091m and Dhaulagiri 8167 meters high above the sea level.

Beyond the mountains views, the Ghale gaun trekking route offers to know about some of the ethnic groups of Nepal called Brahmans, Chhetris, Dalits, Magars and Gurungs. Normally, the Chhetris and Brahmans are known as highest castes of Nepal and following the Hinduism so during the trekking period, trekkers will explore some of the popular Hindu shrines and temples. The Gurungs and Magars are well known as Buddhist people but still some of the families following the Bon religion and shamanism too.

Apart from nature views and religious sites, the Ghale gaun trekking route commands to explore dozens of remote villages, where peoples are dwelling far from moderns life and preserving their culture, traditions, costumes, ethnicities and communal forest where can be seen some of the wild life, specially; deer, monkeys, jackals, langurs (white body with black faced monkey) and many species of birds and butterflies. If trekkers are traveling during the spring season then possible to see many kinds of blossoms such as Rhododendron, Wild roses, magnolia and many species of orchids.

Honey Hunting Festival

Gurung people celebrates a unique festival called Honey hunting festival during the April-May and October-November. It is an age-old tradition among the people of Ghale goun and Ghanapokhara village. The Honey hunters perform exceptional skills as they hang the rope on a vertical cliff and chuck the wild honeycombs to get honey. The honey is used as medicine and price is very high in the international market.

Gurung peoples – Gurungs peoples are a Tibeto-Burmese peoples(who called themselves Tamu or highlanders) originally migrated from western Tibet to central region of Nepal around 6th century and now; they  living throughout the Nepal especially Gorkha, Tanahu, Baglung and Sangkhuwa sabha district of Nepal. The Gurung peoples are known as Buddhist people but still some of the family practicing Bon faith and shamanism too. Gurung people has their own language, culture , tradition, religious rituals and festivals.Their main festival is called Lhosar which is dedicated to Tibetan new year. Apart of Lhosar festival they celebrates Rodhi (One distinctive aspect of village life is the Rodhi, a cross between a town hall and a youth center,where teenagers hang out and cooperative village task are planed.

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Tour Details

Day 01 – Arrival in Kathmandu and transfer to Hotel – we will pick you up from the Kathmandu airport upon your arrival date and transfer to Hotel. Your hotel will locate center of the Thamel, which is one of the tourist hubs of the Kathmandu city.

Day 02 – Exploration of Kathmandu valley – Sight seeing to the historical and world heritage sites of Kathmandu valley such as Pashupatinath Hindu temple, Baudhanath stupa, swayambhunath stupa and Kathmandu Durbar square.

Day 03 – fly to Pokhara and explore the Pokhara city (820m.a.s.l) – we will fly for 25 minutes to get Pokhara. During the flight we will have magnificent view of Annapurna, Manaslu and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges. After lunch in Pokhara we will explore the Fewa Lake and Lakeside; which is one of the tourist hub in Nepal.

Day 04 – Drive to Laxmi Bazaar – 3 hours drive – 3 hours walk – we will drive an approximately three hours to get Laxmi Bazaar via rough road, during the driving period, we will have amazing natural beauties as green forest, landscape, verdant paddy field, splendid view of Annapurna II, Lamjung Himal, south Annapurna, Hiuchuli, Machhapuchhre to the northwards and beautiful lakes called Beganas and Rupa Lake. From Laxmi Bazaar, we will start trek through the verdant paddy field to get Syauli bazaar; which is a beautiful Gurung village where we will have real hospitality of Gurung people with hygienic meals and drinks.

Day 05 – Trek to Nalma village – Begins of the trek we will walk on the flat trail for three hours with the view of verdant paddy field, gurgle sound of Madi river and charm landscape. After three hours walk appear a suspension bridge hanging over the small stream then the trail gently ascend to the Nalma village through the sub tropical forest, the two hours climb bring us to Nalma which is a beautiful village inhabitant by the Gurung, Bishwakarma, Brahmans and Chhetri people.

Day 07 – Trek to Baglung pani – Baglung pani village is not so far from Nalma, might takes an approximately three hours. The Baglung pani village is located just top of the hill and offers to see splendid view of Annapurna II, Lamjung Himal, Namun peak and its beautiful ranges. There are half dozens of guesthouse to spend a joyful night with smell of Nature.

Day 08 – Trek to Khudi – In the morning we will have fascinating view of high Himalayas and charm landscape then head towards to Khudi bazaar doing by downhill trail through the sub-tropical forest. The downhill trail takes about two hours and appears a suspension bridge. After the suspension bridge we will walk on the flat trail pass by verdant paddy field and some small villages to get Khudi bazaar which; is located in the popular Annapurna circuit trek.

Day 09 – Trek to Ghale gaun – trek from Khudi to Ghale gaun would be little bit exhausting due to climb up whole day but still the view of natural beauties help us to forget the hard climb. During the day we will have fascinating view of villages, Green forest, Marshyangdi River valleys, high Himalayan view to the northwards and many neighboring villages to the southwards. The mother group and youth club of Ghale gaun perform their culture dance to welcome the guest so we will enjoy there with warm hospitality and beauty of Nature.

Day 10 – Exploration of Ghale gaun – we will have magnificent view of High Himalayas and sunrise views at the background of mountains. After breakfast we will hang around the Ghale gaun where can be seen so many interesting things such as traditional Gurung houses which are built with mud, stone, wooden log and roof-topped by the stone slates, agricultural terraced field, hygienic vegetable garden, office for the mother group and youth club. After exploration of Ghale gaun we will have good rest with close mountain views.

Day 11 – Trek to Besisahar – begins of the trek we will trek down to Khudi Bazaar via same trail that we stepped just two days ago. After Khudi Bazaar we will walk on the road for another two hours pass by many small village with the view of Marshyangdi River.

Day 12 – 
Drive back to Kathmandu – 6 hours – we will drive an approximately 6 hours to get Kathmandu. Most of the time we will be just bank of the Marshyangdi and Trisuli river so major attraction of the day would be view of river valleys, hundreds of villages and small towns which are settled just beside the road and river.

Autumn season is considered as best season to do trekking trip in Nepal due to see magnificent Himalayan views, clear sky without any clouds and Spring season is second best season to explore Himalayas of Nepal because will be dry weather and dusty; means poorer Himalayan views but the compensations are several; fewer crowds, warm weather and spectacular Rhododendrons, magnolias and Orchids blooms.

October to November – In general the first two months of the dry season offer the best weather for trekking and the main trails are heaving with trekkers at this time, for good reason.the air is crystal clear, the mountain scenery is superb and the weather is still comfortably warm.

December to February – These months are also good time for trekking trip to higher region but the cold can be bitter and dangerous at high altitudes. Getting up to the higher region and high passes can be a real endurance test and high passes are often blocked by snow.

March to April – These months are dry weather and dusty; means poorer Himalayan views but the compensations are several; fewer crowds, warm weather and spectacular Rhododendrons, magnolias and Orchids blooms.

June to September – These months are rainy season of Nepal so monsoon rains bring landslides, slippery trails and hordes of leeches. Raging rivers often wash away bridges and stretches of trekking path.

Permits required – The Ghale gaun is one of the part of Annapurna conservation area project of Nepal so for those trekkers who would like to trek into these region then have pay 3000 Nepali rupees for the trekking permit and 10$ for TIMS card. if trekkers want to trek individually then have to pay 20$ for the TIMS card and 3000 Nepali rupees for permit cards.

Food – All tea houses have similar menus which feature local traditional Nepali items such ass local hand made breads, potatoes and Dal Baht which rice served with lentil soup with vegetable curry and typical pickles and selected western dishes like pasta, macaroni, pizza, noodles and burgers. Keep in mind most dishes are vegetarian.

Water – water bottle is available in all tea houses however, be mindful of the environmental impact your purchase/plastic bottle will have. Untreated water is available in all teahouses free of charge. Carry your own water treatment system. Boiled water is available for additional charge.

Accommodation -You will be sleeping in private rooms in teahouses. They usually have two single beds with mattress and blankets are available by request. Bathrooms (squat style) are mostly shared; you will need to carry your own toilet paper. Toilet paper is available for purchase throughout the trek. Cold showers are always available. Hot showers or hot bucket are available in some teahouses for additional charge.

High altitude sickness and prevention of it – Altitude sickness, mildest from being acute mountain sickness is the negative health effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. Acute mountain sickness can progress to high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) with associated shortness of breath or high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) with associated confusion. Chronic mountain sickness may occur after long-term exposure to high altitude.

Symptoms of high altitude sickness – Headache, Dizziness, Nausea, Vomiting, Fatigue and loss of energy, Shortness of breath, insomnia, loss of appetite, skin discoloration (change into the blue, gray or pale), confusion, coughing, coughing of bloody mucus, chest tightness, decreased consciousness, difficult to walk in a straight line and shortness of breath even at rest.

How to skip high altitude sickness? – Ascend slowly, Get good rest, Drink plenty of water, eat appropriately, avoid the alcoholic beverage, do well acclimatization and take advise from your doctor before to get high elevation.

One can get fairly excited about a trip to a previously unknown location. But while traveling you need to make sure that you have all materials that you would require to be ready for every possible situation. And here in Nepal, you will most definitely need to pack a few things for your stay to be as smooth and memorable as possible.

  • Sleeping bag (-15C rating)
  • Hiking boots (preferably waterproof)
  • Camp shoe
  • Down jacket (heavy)
  • Wind/waterproof shell
  • Waterproof pants
  • Fleece jacket
  • Wool thermals
  • Sun hat
  • Beanie
  • Gloves
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen and chopstick
  • Water treatment system
  • Medical kit
  • Headlamp
  • Trekking poles
  • Personal toiletries

Required equipment – travelers do not need such a lots trekking gears for the Jomsom Muktinath trek but still the sleeping bag, down jacket, warm woolen hat, gloves, sun block cream, sun-glass, headlamp, waterproof trekking shoe, couple of trousers, t-shirts and medical kit box is an important gear for the Jomsom Muktinath trek.

For a quote, please contact us at: gobinmuhong@hotmail.com

All quotes include:

  • Airports picks up and drop off.
  • One day sightseeing around the Kathmandu valley.
  • Accommodation in Kathmandu including breakfast.
  • All required permits and TIMS cards.
  • Transportation to/from trek start and end points from Kathmandu/Pokhara.
  • Professional English speaking guide with a medical kit and porters (including their meals, drinks, accommodation and insurance).
  • Accommodation and meals.
  • 13% government tax and 10% service charge.

All quotes do NOT include:

  • Client insurance
  • Tips for guide and porters
  • Personal expenses (phone calls, laundry, extra beverages bill, battery charge, wifi charge, hot shower charge, mineral water, snacks)
  • Extra porter

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