ROWALING VALLEY TREK - A Visit to Shangri La - Spring 2021
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We invite you to join us on one of our favorite treks in Nepal; the Rowaling Valley. The Rowaling lies due west of Everest National Park, but is separated from the park by the second highest pass in Nepal; Tashi Lapcha 18,800’. The Rowaling Valley was designated as a “beyul” or “a place of refuge in troubled times” much like the fabled Shangri La, by the ancient bodhisattvas of Tibet. The valley is oriented from east to west and protected by rugged mountains on the north and south and rain forests below with the steep slopes of Gaurishankar (23,545’) towering high above!
It’s a day’s drive from Kathmandu to the village of Gongar where we begin our walk. Over the first three days of the trek we hike from Gongar (4593’) up through tiered hillsides and rain forests to the village of Beding at 12,200’. When we approach Beding, the main village in the valley, the air is noticeably cooler as we enter into the Sherpa culture and see Buddhist monasteries, Tibetan prayer flags hanging from the bridges and yaks grazing the mountainsides. We spend three nights in Beding acclimatizing and exploring. There are two monasteries to visit and a day-hike that leads up towards the Tibetan pass of Melung La (18,532’). Then we move camp up valley to the village of Na where the local inhabitants pasture their yaks during the summer months. We continue our exploration of the Rowaling next by visiting the sacred lake of Omat Tsho near the Tibetan border and beneath the steep slopes of Chobutse (22,068’). Our walk culminates as we hike up and camp at the (16,005’) base camp of Yalung Ri, a popular trekking peak of the Rowaling. This will be the high point of the trek and we will spend the night along the shore of a small alpine lake in a pristine mountain setting surrounded by Himalayan giants. Until the earthquakes of 2015, the Sherpa villages of the Rowaling Valley had changed little since the first Tibetans migrated over Melung La from Tibet and settled in the valley centuries ago. The monastery at Beding is itself, over 500 years old. It is a mystical place and one that may not stay that way forever as new road building projects encroach on the area. Join us as we return to one of our favorite places on earth; the Rowaling Valley! |
ITINERARY
DAY: ALTITUDE in FEET: International travel 1. Arrive Kathmandu, Nepal (April 7) 4,500 2. Kathmandu – sightseeing 4,500 3. Drive KTM – Gongar 6-8 hrs. 4,593 4. Trek to Simigoan 6,662 5. Dowang 9,768 6. Beding 12,200 7. Beding – visit monasteries 13,000 8. Explore Melung La / Chekigo 14,500 9. Trek to Na 13,794 10. Visit sacred lake Omat Tsho 15,500 11. Yalung Ri B.C. 16,005 12. Na 13,794 13. Dowang 9,768 14. Gongar 4,593 15. Drive Gongar – KTM 4,500 16. KTM – Sightseeing 4,500 17. Depart KTM (April 23) Please call with questions or to request an application and information package. 307-690-9322 |