Nepal: Dhaulagiri Base Camp – Challenge Yourself

Dhaulagiri Base Camp / Dhaulagiri Circuit

We thought that Kanchenjunga and Makalu were tough treks. But the toughest was yet to come!! The Dhaulagiri Base Camp Trek (or the Dhaulagiri Circuit as it’s also known) is a good way to challenge yourself.

After 2 1/2 years of lockdowns and border closures, we were free once again to resume our project. Arriving in Kathmandu with smiles on our faces, the local Nepalis were also happy to see us return. We were glad to be back and contributing to the local economy once again. During Covid, we had been contributing to a fund set up by our trekking company (The Mountain Company) to support their local crew in Nepal. In Nepal, loyalty counts a lot!

Having forgotten about the ‘fog’ of traffic pollution, we once again embraced Nepal just like our first trip in 2013. This time, Kathmandu was much quieter with few tourists and climbers alike. It will take some time for things to return to pre-pandemic normal. The things that you long for after a 2 1/2 year hiatus. We were ‘free’ to escape and go exploring once again!! We were also excited to do this trek because we’d seen Dhaulagiri from a distance on the Kopra Ridge a few years before on a different trek in the Annapurna/Dhaulagiri region.

So with some trepidation or ‘butterflies’, we were introduced to our fellow trek crew and Sirdar (leader). Back in 2013, on our first ever trek in Nepal to Everest Base Camp, we had felt the same nervousness. I think it was the fear of the unknown – backed up by our experiences a few days later.

Changes are happening rapidly

The disadvantage of trekking in Nepal along some previously popular routes is that roads have now replaced some of the trails. While you may gain a day or two on your itinerary by driving further, the disadvantage is that the roads are often rocky and rudimentary by western standards. Locals love the new roads because it provides them with faster and easier access to markets for their crops and for medical treatment. Trekkers dislike them as it erodes their experience, but of course you can’t complain about progress. Everything in perspective – depending on which side of the fence you sit. For this reason, remote treks like the Kanchenjunga Base Camps and Dhaulagiri Base Camp / Dhaulagiri Circuit are gaining more traction amongst others.

The journey begins

After flying into Pokhara from Kathmandu, we stayed the night and then drove the next day for five hours via Beni to the trail head at Darbang.

The next five days had us trekking through some lovely scenery – walking through small villages and past fields of mixed crops. Lower down, we camped in the local school grounds, enjoying our interaction with villagers along the way.

One of the funniest and light hearted moments was one morning, while I was doing some stretching exercises, my fellow trekkers started laughing. I was then informed that they weren’t laughing at me, but at the school kids behind me who were mimicking my actions! Either way, we all had a laugh.

Italian Base Camp – 3,660m/12,007ft

After experiencing hot and humid conditions of the previous days, it was nice to finally reach the cooler elevations and lovely campsite of Italian Base Camp. This was our first experience of seeing Dhaulagiri up close, as its West face towered above us.

This is a great campsite with plenty of opportunity to head higher for an acclimatisation hike, which we did on our ‘rest’ day there. We were then briefed that the following day was going to be tough, as parts of the trail had been destroyed along the glacier that we would be trekking on. As there were numerous rock falls and a serious landslide to navigate, we donned our climbing helmets and scrambled up the steep trail using a rope that was set up by our guides. Digging deep and with a bit of encouragement from our Sirdar and accompanying guides, we pulled ourselves up one by one, trying not to take a stumble backwards into the rocky moraine and icy river below. Little did we know that this was just the start of our challenging adventure – more on that later.

Glacier Camp – 4,200m/13,779ft

At Glacier Camp we had another acclimatisation day where we headed up the valley towards Dhaulagiri base camp to check out our route. Along the way, a local guide walked swiftly past us, coming very close to the underside of an ice serac which duly gave way. With lots of dust and ice cascading down, he emerged out the other side unscathed.

Dhaulagiri Base Camp – 4,700m/15,419ft

Reaching Dhaulagiri Base Camp was a very poignant moment for us. After all, this was our 7th base camp on our journey to trek to the base camps of all the world’s 14 highest mountains over 8000m. Half way! Dhaulagiri is also the 7th highest mountain in the world at 8,167m/26,794ft!

Amongst the climbers’ campsites, we had a wonderful rendezvous with our friend Billi who was attempting her climb of Dhaulagiri. We’d watched her trek down from her night at camp 3 on her final rotation. To see tiny figures make their way down the steep slope of Dhaulagiri’s northern face really put everything in perspective. Thats why we love the 8,000ers. Nothing else in the world compares to these huge mountains. They command respect from whoever attempts to climb them or treks to their base camps.

We also love hearing or reading about the stories of the mountaineers who scale these mighty peaks. From the first ascent in 1960 by a Swiss/French/Nepali expedition to the first Australian ascent in 1995 to more recent climbs.

French Col – 5,360m/17,585ft

Leaving base camp, we headed up and along a ridge to reach our first 5,000m challenge. On a clear day you can see surrounding mountains towering above – not on this day though. We had snow, cloud and winds to contend with. Fluttering prayer flags marked the top of the French Col. We also discovered a few memorials for climbers who had lost their lives while climbing Dhaulagiri in previous years.

One of these was for 2 Greek climbers, who had perished over 20 years ago. This was poignant because just prior to our trek another Greek climber, Antonis Sykaris – who had his own project to climb all 14 x 8000ers and who we’d hoped to meet, had also sadly died on his descent of Dhaulagiri. We did our best to create a space next to these memorials with his initials made of stones.

Descending to Hidden Valley at 5,050m/16,568ft, we got our first decent look at a mountain called Sita Chuchura, around 6,600m/21,653ft. As we know a group of mountaineers who are planning to climb this in Autumn, we took plenty of photos. Rising up above Hidden Valley, it is one majestic summit.

Dhampus Pass – 5,240m/17,191ft

We hadn’t planned to have a long day but it turned into one – some 16 hours! The route had lots of snow (more than usual at this time of year) and many steep and exposed sections. The term ‘slow and steady’ springs to mind. For safety, we used the climbing gear that we’d brought with us – helmet, crampons and ice axe. This meant for some slow navigation, with everyone making it safely across the hazards.

“We’re still at 5,000m, we’re in the Himalayas, and the sun is about to set” called out Jason, our head guide, to alert us to this important fact. With the sun setting fast, we realised that we were only half way to our destination. We still had to descend another 1,000m or so. It was now patently clear that we were in for a long night ahead. We refuelled ourselves with some high-energy snacks and put another layer of clothing on. Looking up and seeing Annapurna 1 rise up before us was a sight to behold. Being above the clouds ourselves, we had a glimpse of what it must be like to be a mountaineer. The night was getting better!

It got even better when part way down the steep mountainside, we were greeted by some of the trekking crew who had set up camp earlier, and had trekked back up to meet us with hot juice and noodle soup! We were so grateful.

Walking (or more like crawling) into camp at around 11.30pm at night was challenging to say the least. Grabbing the sleeping bag out of my kit bag and falling into the tent was bliss. We slept well!

Marpha – 2,670m/8,694ft

Waking up to a lovely sunny morning and having a relaxing outdoor breakfast made up for the previous day – all forgotten with the anticipation of only a few hours trekking down (yet another 1,000m!) to the lovely quaint village of Marpha. From what I can gauge, it hasn’t changed much over the years except for all the apple orchards springing up in the fertile valley, with access to a plentiful supply of glacial water and lots of sunshine. I couldn’t think of a better place to sample the fresh apple juice.

Jomsom

Do we walk the three hours to Jomsom or do we drive 30min? A hard decision when you’ve come off a very tough trek over the last couple of weeks!

Due to the local elections taking place, it appeared that we may have to walk because they were using all the available jeeps for campaigning. The thought of walking some 3 hours along a dusty and rough road didn’t really appeal. Our very kind and forever problem-solving Sirdar (Chandra) came to the rescue and arranged for a ‘deluxe’ bus to drive the some 30 minutes to our accommodation and final night before flying out to Pokhara and onward to Kathmandu the next day.

It was here that we said our final thanks and goodbyes to all the porters, cook and other crew who were making the arduous 12 hour drive the next day back to Kathmandu. We celebrated with a large cake, magically produced by our amazing cook, and the traditional tipping ceremony for the crew. This included a nicely arranged raffle for the porters who ‘won’ some of the trekking gear that had been donated. Smiles all around and a great way to end our expedition.

Onwards and upwards!

Trevor

Postscript: On the 29th of May, a Tara Air flight from Pokhara to Jomsom disappeared and crashed into a mountain. There were no survivors. Having flown in the opposite direction on the same type of aircraft a few weeks earlier, I can’t help wonder if it was the same flight crew that had greeted us and died on this day.

Watch our video

Insights

• If you want a remote trek with amazing mountains towering around you and without the crowds, Dhaulagiri Base Camp / Dhaulagiri Circuit could be for you.
• Be aware that the route has changed over the years and your hours on the trail can be longer or shorter than expected. Due to landslides there were a few sections of the track which had been washed out so we spent longer navigating around them. Conversely we had a shorter day to Italian Base Camp as the trail had been improved to make it easier for mules to walk on
• We did this trek in Spring. The first few days at lower altitude will be hot and humid. The rest of the trip at higher altitudes you will be much colder.
• Take the right safety equipment with you. We used climbing helmets in parts of the valley along the glacier due to the danger of rock fall. As there was snow on Dhampus Pass we also needed to use our crampons, ice axe and helmet. In a couple of places a rope was also set up for safety.
• Go with an organised trekking company and/or guide who has trekked the route before.
• If you camp in school grounds at the lower altitudes, take some rupees with you to donate to the school.
• While we didn’t stay the night in Marpha, it looked like the perfect place to stay depending on your itinerary. If you have time, there is a monastery which you can visit