Humla Limi Valley Trek - 20 Days

Once you are at the Tribhuvan International Airport, you will be greeted by one of the representatives from Himalayan Trekkers. Then you will be escorted to your designated hotel in Thamel or around and till your hotel check-in. After you rest and freshen up, we will have a short discussion session regarding your Humla Limi Valley Trek. Later, if time permits, we can go for a walk around the streets of Thamel Bazaar and get a glimpse of the lifestyle of Nepal’s biggest tourist neighborhood. It is a commercial hub full of 16 different business lines including trekking and tour companies, hotels, restaurants, clothing shops, trekking gear shops, souvenir shops, bakeries, clubs, and pubs. This busy and chaotic town also houses many small temples, stupas, and shrines in the corners.

After breakfast, we will start your guided Kathmandu sightseeing from Boudhanath Stupa which is the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal and one of the biggest in the world. It is one of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Kathmandu and is a really beautiful place to be. It represents Tibetan Buddhism as it was to route to trade things between Nepal and Tibet. In fact, the area surrounding the stupa is known as “Little Tibet” where most of the residents are of Tibet origins. The stupa is a giant white structure in dome style with a golden pinnacle and Buddha eyes painted in four directions. It is decorated with colorful prayer flags adding some color to the plain white structure. 

After exploring Boudhanath Stupa, we will drive to Pashupatinath Temple and explore this wonderful site. It is one of the oldest Hindu temples in the country and is also one of the 4 important Hindu sites in the world. UNESCO listed this site as a cultural heritage in 1979 AD. There are hundreds of small temples, shrines, and monuments in the temple open to everyone whereas the main temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva is only open to Hindu pilgrims. There is a cremation site on the bank of the holy Bagmati River where you might get to witness the open-air Hindu Cremation ceremony. 

We return to Thamel by the late afternoon where you can visit the trekking gear shops and buy the equipment you need for your Limi Valley Trek. This is the best place to buy or rent trekking and climbing equipment or your favorite snacks.

After breakfast around noon, we will transfer you to the airport to board a plane to reach Nepalgunj situated in South Western Nepal, in the lowlands of Terai. This less than an-hour flight offers you to have an amazing aerial view of the mountains on a clear day along with the distinct landscape, valleys, towns, and rivers. Once you are in Nepalgunj, we transfer you to your hotel before we go for the evening strolling around the Market.

We rise early in the morning so that we can board the earliest aircraft to fly to Simikot airport from Nepalgunj. As you step out of the aircraft you will witness a different world. Simikot lies in the midst of the Himalayas and is headquartered in the Humla district. Simikot airport also serves as the starting point of the famous Mount Kailash & Manasarovar Lake Tour/trek.

Today, we start the trek of our Humla Limi Valley Trekking journey. We leave Simikot after breakfast and after walking for an hour, we cross a small 3000m high pass and go down one more hour to Majgaon. Majgaon has a mixed population of Hindus and Buddhists. We further go down as the trail goes greener at this lower altitude. After walking for about 4 hours, we reach Dharapuri for the night. You can take a walk around the village after a brief rest if you feel like it in the evening. 

We have a short day to walk today as we only walk for 3 hours before reaching Kermi. So we can have a late start after exploring the Dharapuri village in the morning. We start following the trail along the mighty Karnali where we see the fields of barley, buckwheat, rice, and potatoes.

Kermi has the majority of Buddhist people and its major attractions are Laikyo Gompa and Lhundrup Choeling Gompa, both are about half an hour’s walk from our campsite. 

After a warm breakfast, we walk for 2 hours and cross the Sali River. On the bank of the river, there is a small settlement with a few tea shops. We walk further on a high trail through the pine forest and the clear Karnali River below the cliff. On the way, we encounter a lot of Mule caravans.

Usually, the caravan leaders are the local villagers moving from one place to another for barter and trade. In 4 hours, we reach the Namkha Khyung Dzong Monastery of Nyingmapa lineage with about 135 monks living in. Then, further 45 minutes of walk leads us to Yalbang our overnight camp.

Leaving Yalbang village behind, we begin today’s trek along the Karnali River again and pass the little village of Yangar. The path is mostly “Nepali Flat”. In some parts, the path is spectacularly carved out of the rocks, and you find yourself walking in a kind of three-sided tunnel. You’ll notice that the environment is changing as it is getting rockier and the big pine trees make way for smaller bushes.

In 4 hours we will be at Muchu. If you want to further walk for an hour we can camp at Tumkot rather than Muchu. Although Muchu doesn’t lie on the main trail it is an interesting village and the famous Dhungkar Choezom Monastery lies in this village. So depending on how tired you are on a particular day we can camp as per that.

We have so steep climb at the beginning of the day. The landscape gets more rocky and desolate. The few trees left are low junipers. A little bit of walk goes through an under-construction road. We will walk past the village of ani Palwang where we stop for lunch. In another couple of hours, we reach Yari for the camping but if you wish to continue for one more hour we can reach Thado Dunga.

This is the longest day and one of the most physically demanding as we cross the Nara La. The view is very much similar to the Tibetan landscape so is very enriching. We reach Tado Dunga from where the trail becomes steeper. A further walk of a couple of hours leads to the Nara la pass but it is visible from distance.

The pass has a pile of stones as people believe adding stones to the pile brings good luck, prayer flags, and a panoramic view of the Tibetan plateau. From the pass is a hard and steep descent to Hilsa. You have the choice of Homestay but we recommend camping as homestays may not be available in peak tourist season.

Today we walk for about 5 hours before reaching Manepeme. You leave Hilsa, crossing a big iron bridge. At the other side of the river, a small, slightly difficult trail winds its way over a slope, until it connects with a larger trail high on the slope.

This trail follows the Karnali River in an eastern direction up to Manepeme. The path climbs gradually with a few steep ups and downs. You walk in a dramatic landscape of bare, steep rocks in amazing colors.

Note on Accommodation: There are no settlements between Hilsa and till. Manepeme is a small flat area close to the trail and close to a water source where it is possible to cam

After starting the day in 2 hours we reach Ya Yip Phuk cave which was used by Lotsawa Rinchen Sangpo (985-1055 A.D.), a famous translator of Buddhist scriptures for meditation. His activities were crucial to the revival of cultural exchange between Tibet and India, paving the way for the so-called second dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet.

The trail is green and rocky at times. We climb 30 minutes to Lamka La from where you can see Til and its white monasteries. We walk downhill for another one and a half hours before reaching the Chorten gate, which is the entrance to the village of Till. This village has a big Tibetan influence which can be seen in the lifestyle, buildings, and clothes of the locals.

After breakfast at Till, we start our walk. Today we have a 3 hours easy walk to the village of Halji. The path follows the Limi River upstream and it is relatively flat walking. The trail offers a nice view and in addition, you can see some local animals including the snow leopard if you are lucky enough.

Upon reaching Halji we see the Richening Gompa, built in the 14th Century. This is the central attraction of the Limi Valley because of its religious importance.

From Halji, we follow the trail along the Limi Khola and in 4 hours we reach Jang, the last village in the Limi Valley. It’s very special to be in such a secluded place where the Tibetan culture still continues relatively untouched, as far from the modern-day world as you can be. 

We are departing from the Limi Valley today and its authentic Tibetan villages with their friendly people. There is no settlement en route before we reach Kermi and we will be walking through a very isolated area. The trail is windy in the second half and requires a slow pace. We will end up in Talung after 4 hours.

This is another long day comprising a high pass, the Nyalu la. The climb is difficult because of the ice and snow. After reaching the top of the pass we can witness Tibet and Humla. Two of the most fascinating peaks you can see from Nyalu la are Mt. Kailash (6714 m) and Mount Saipal (7031 m).

We go down from the pass to the Lake Selma Tso at 4630 meters then go down until we cross the Sali River.

This is the first time in 1 week that we go below 3000m. It’s a pleasant walk through pine and birch forests and along the beautiful Sali River with rocks towering on both sides of the trail.

The trail meets the Karnali River again and turns east towards Kermi village. In Kermi you can relax your tired muscles in the hot springs, a great reward for your efforts in the last few days!

We walk through a pleasant trail in the first half. Walking past Majgaon, we climb for about 2 hours and reach the 3000-meter high pass. After 30 more minutes of going, we reach down back to Simikot, concluding your Humla Limi Valley Trek. Once in Simikot, rest for the remainder of the day. In the evening, you can take a walk around the town and its market.

Today we will fly from Simikot to Nepalgunj after breakfast or board the first flight. Once in Nepalgunj, we will take another scenic flight to Kathmandu. Then the remainder of the day is on your own in Kathmandu. You can visit the nearby cultural heritage site or take a stroll around the Thamel area buying some souvenirs for your friends and family. You can also visit one of the spas or natural therapy centers to give some comfort to your tired legs from continuous trekking days. In the evening, we will gather for a farewell dinner at one of the authentic Nepali restaurants in Thamel where we can share our experiences, and feedback with each other while enjoying the delicious food. 

As the departure day has arrived, we will transfer you to the airport after breakfast or 3 hours prior to your scheduled flight to your home country or onward destination.