CHULU WEST PEAK CLIMBING

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OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

Amidst the high mountain peaks in the Annapurna Region, 6,419 meters above the sea level rests a mountain peak which we call Chulu West Peak, famous for its jaw-dropping scenery and challenging climbing route. Whether it be amateur trekkers or experienced climbers, this peak climbing can quench the thrust of any kind of adventure seekers.

Although the route to climb the Chulu West Peak is more straight-forward compared to its counterpart, the Chulu East Peak, the long tough slog through the snow makes the West Peak equally demanding and technical. Climbers are expected to have some knowledge of using the mountaineering equipment otherwise climbing the Chulu West Peak is not possible. Once you reach the top of the peak, what you see is absolutely pleasant. The panorama of the Himalayas to the south and the mountains of Tibet and China in the north, as seen from the Chulu West Peaks, make it one of the memorable days of your life. We must not ignore the technicalities and difficulties of this route; therefore, our itinerary is designed so as to provide you with proper acclimatization and familiarization to the environment.

The trip begins with a drive from Kathmandu to Jagat, which is a thrilling experience in itself. Then you begin walking along the ridges, valleys, riverbanks and plenty of plain and rugged landscapes as you can imagine. We pass through plenty of forests and human settlements before setting out to the top of the Chulu West Peak. While retracing our track we divert towards Jomson. During this leg, we pass through the highest pass in the world, Thorong-La Pass, which is an adventure in itself. We visited the popular religious destination of the area – Muktinath before finally flying out of the upper Himalayan region towards Pokhara.

Spring and autumn are the best seasons for Chulu West Peak Climbing. Winter can also be a great time to complete the trek if you are well prepared for the cold weather. The mountains are crystal clear in this season and the route is also less crowded due to relatively little number of tourists.

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ITINERARY

Day 01: Airport pickup and hotel transfer

Our Representative will be waiting for you at the airport and welcome you in our typical Nepali culture. You will be quickly arriving at the hotel afterward where you can expect luxurious accommodation. There will be a welcome dinner tonight and afterward a proper sleep which is much needed after the long trip from home.
Day 02: Rest and Tour Day at Kathmandu

Today we will discuss our trekking and make necessary preparations and we will take a quick city tour of Kathmandu as well. After all the briefings regarding the trek and acquiring necessary permits, we will arrange a short trip to a few UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city such as Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambunath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa and so on. A quick stroll in the streets of Kathmandu and last minute gear shopping is a perfect thing to do in the evening.
Day 03: Drive from Kathmandu to Jagat (1,300m) – 8 hours

It is going to be a long day of a drive from Kathmandu; about 8 hours. We will drive to Besisahar which is approximately 173 km west of Kathmandu. We will be doing this road trip on the Prithvi Highway; this highway allows you to travel through beautiful landscapes and adventurous roads with twists and turns. We can also see various towns and villages during our drive. We can also see rafters enjoying the swift of Trishuli and Marshyangdi Rivers on the way. After reaching Besi sahar, we change our ride from a bus to a local jeep and drive up to Jagat which is approx. 30 km of dirt road. We stayed overnight in Jagat.
Day 04: Trek from Jagat to Dharapani (1,860m) – 6 hours

The trail of today will be descending along the Marshyangdi River and it will continue along the thick forests of pine and oak. Our path will also cross through a few settlement areas like Sattale, Tal, and Karte to reach Dharapani. The serene views of the Annapurna Range and the scenes of the beautiful green valley along the way will escort us to our today’s destination. We stayed overnight at Dharapani.
Day 05: Trek from Dharapani to Chame (2,670m) – 6 hours

We are heading to Chame, on the second day of trekking on the beautiful Annapurna Circuit route. Mesmerizing views of Manaslu and Annapurna II makes our day joyous. Moreover, the landscape and the lifestyle of the people living in this region are eye-catching too. As we climb higher, we can see the change in vegetation. We take enough breaks along the way and eventually reach Chame village to stay overnight.
Day 06: Trek from Chame to Pisang (3,240m) - 6 Hours

As we gain elevation on each day of our walk, we can feel the change in the landscape, vegetation and lifestyle. The trek of almost 6 hours will take us to the beautiful village of Pisang. Pisang village is the gateway for the Pisang Peak climbing adventure. On our stretch today, we can enjoy majestic views of Annapurna II and Manaslu from Chame and Annapurna IV and Lamjung Himal as we advance along the trail.
Day 07: Trek from Pisang to Manang Village (3,540m) – 6 hours

The route continues through Pisang to the beautiful Manang village. Our trail will route straight to the Ghyaru village along the bank of Marshyangdi River. The path penetrates through the thick coniferous forests and then opens out to a wide field of Manang village. On our way to the Manang village, we can see astounding views of Annapurna II (7,937m) and Annapurna III (7,555m). We finally reached Manang village and stayed overnight there.
Day 08: Acclimatization Day at Manang

The purpose of taking rest days in between is to acclimatize ourselves to the changing altitude and weather conditions as well as to avoid altitude sickness. On this day, we can either rest by doing nothing or we can choose to explore the local areas of the Manang village. You will quickly realize that this village is heavily influenced by Buddhist faith and plenty of monasteries can be found in the region.
Day 09: Trek from Manang Village to Yak Kharka (4,020m) – 5 hours

Our trek will be initiated along the north direction through the rural community of Ghunsang and continues along the winding road taking us to Yak Kharka. We will be following a trail that passes through Gyachung Khola. After about 5 hours of walking, we will reach the small settlement area of Yak Kharka. Yak Kharka is a temporary hut settlement area used to graze Yaks in the pastureland nearby. Therefore, you might spot numerous Yaks in the region. This place is also an amazing viewpoint with the offers of Annapurna (8,091m), Gangapurna (7,454m), and Tilicho Peak (7,134m). We stayed overnight at Yak Kharka in a temporary tent.
Day 10: Trek from Yak Kharka to Chulu West Base Camp (4,930m) – 6 hours

Our path is now headed towards the ultimate destination – The Chulu West Summit. However, we are going to make a few night stops on the way before we summit the peak. The path advances through a suspension bridge taking us to Ledar from where the trail becomes steeply climbing towards the Chulu West Base Camp. We will follow a steep and rough terrain to reach the base camp. The base camp is a perfect viewpoint to enjoy the panoramic views of high mountains in the area. We stayed overnight at the base camp.
Day 11: Trek from Chulu West Base Camp to High Camp (5,530m) – 5 hours

The 11th day of our trip will be a short day but pretty demanding. We will climb up from the Chulu West Base Camp to the high camp, costing us about 5 hours of our time. The hike is going to be technically challenging as well. Our guide will brief and guide you about the safety measures to be adopted and the technicalities to be understood. After we reached the high camp, we set up a temporary tent for our overnight stay. Since we have plenty of time remaining on reaching the high camp, we can always roam around the place and get used to the atmosphere around us.
Day 12: Trek from High Camp to Chulu West summit (6,419m) and back to the base camp (4,930m) – 8 hours

The wait for the most fascinating day of the journey comes to an end as we climb to the summit of the Chulu West Mountain. Since, the wind around starts getting quite nasty in the afternoon, we need to start hiking up as early as possible. We need to go along the slippery icy ridges using the trekking gears and following our trekking guide. On reaching the summit, the rewards we will get can be expressed in words. The majestic peaks of the Annapurna Range that surround us from everywhere make the view as astounding as it can get. After spending some quality time at the peak, we retrace our way back to the base camp. We stayed overnight at the base camp.
Day 13: Reserve Day

This day is kept for reserve, for the delays that might occur due to any reason. If there is no delay, we continue our trek towards Thorung-La Phedi.
Day 14: Trek from Chulu West Base Camp to Thorung-La Phedi (4,525m) – 6 hours

We head along the Kone Khola which runs all the way up to our destination for the day, Thorung-La Phedi. Our trail will be a descending path along the Kone River to the wooden suspension bridge from where the trail ascends through the narrow rough hills to Thorung-La Phedi. We stayed overnight at Thorung-La Phedi.
Day 15: Trek from Thourng-La Phedi to Muktinath (3,760m) via Thorung-La Pass (5,416m) – 7 hours

Today is one of the most demanding days of the trek as we have to cross the highest pass in the world – Thorang La pass which is located at an elevation of 5,416m. After passing through several false passes and climbing slowly and steadily we eventually passed through Thorang La pass. At the top of the pass, we spend some time capturing the great memories of the highest pass in the world. Later, we started climbing down towards Muktinath where there is a beautiful and sacred temple for Hindus. We can explore the Muktinath area as we reach there. We stayed overnight.
Day 16: Trek from Muktinath to Jomsom (2,702m) via Kagbeni (2,810m) – 7 Hours

Walking on the wonderful landscape of the lower Mustang region along the stretch of Muktinath we reach Jomsom. Initially, the trail descends to Kagbeni village which is situated on the bank of Kali Gandaki River. Then we pass through several beautiful places with a spectacular view. Onwards Kagbeni, we trek along the Kali Gandaki River to Jomson. As the Jomsom valley lies in between two gigantic mountain ranges of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, the trail can get windy in the afternoon. Once we reach Jomsom, we stay overnight.
Day 17: Fly from Jomsom to Pokhara

To reach Pokhara we can also continue trekking but this will add a whole lot of trekking days in our trip. Therefore, to make things simpler, we catch a flight to Pokhara from Jomsom and enjoy the whole day in Pokhara chilling around lakes and enjoying the beauty of the place.
Day 18: Fly back to Kathmandu

We can either drive back or fly back to Kathmandu. If you choose to take a cheaper option, driving would be preferential. But it takes a lot of time to drive. A 30 minute flight seems to be a good option. We can reach Kathmandu early and rest. There will be a farewell dinner program in Kathmandu.

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COST

TRIP INFO

TREK OVERVIEW

Trek Duration : 18 Days
Difficulty : Strenuous
Highest Elevation : 6,419m (Chulu West Peak)
Accommodation : Teahouses(Lodges)/Tented Camps
Transportation : By land/By Air
Group Size : 4-16 pax
Best Season : Spring (March-May) and Autumn (Sept.-Nov.))
Walk Duration : 6 hours Daily (Average)
Trek Cost :

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Trek along the amazing sections of the Annapurna Circuit Trek
Explore one of the highest trekking peaks in Nepal.
Climb the technically challenging Chulu West Peak
Cross Thorung-La Pass- the highest pass in the world.
Astounding views of the Annapurna massif
Walk along pristine alpine vegetation
Enjoy a thrilling flight from Jomsom to Pokhara
Visit the religious temple of Muktinath
Explore the super windy terrain of Kagbeni

WHAT IS INCLUDED

WHAT IS EXCLUDED

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MAP

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EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST

RECOMMENDED TREKKING GEARS

Trekking without any necessary gear can be very harmful and won’t be easy. No one wants to get hurt in a remote and distant area where there’s no proper health care. So to make your trekking safer and as well as trouble-free, we have enlisted some of the necessary gears that you need to acknowledge before heading for trekking is the highlands.

NECESSARY TREKKING GEARS

Here are some of the trekking gears which will be there to assist us while climbing any kind of mountain trails weather be steep or narrow. These trekking gears are extremely useful and are handy so make sure you have it in your checking list.

Trekking sticks
Quick-drying pants and shorts.
Jackets and thermal suit to outcast cold
Rainwear (jacket and pants.
Duffle bags
Plastic boots and crampons
Mountaineering ice axes
Climbing helmets (optional)

PERSONAL ITEMS CLOTHING

It’s very necessary to wear the outfit according to the situation and place. So here are some of the essential clothing gears required for trekking.

Warm, insulated jacket or vest
Fleece pants
Warm hat
Bandana (if necessary)
Boots or shoes suited to the terrain
Socks (synthetic or wool)
Extra clothing (beyond the minimum expectation)
Spare plastics or Ziplock bags to distinct clean clothes and dirty clothes.

PERSONAL HYGIENE

It’s very essential to take your own health and hygiene from the new weather condition. So here are some of the apparatus that might be needed while the trekking period.

Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Sanitation trowel (if no washroom)
Baby wipes
Sun Hat
Toilet Paper
Urinary products
Sanitizers and alcohol wipes

TECHNICAL MATERIALS

To capture moments, to withdraw money, and to trek in a very efficient manner here are some technical gears that should be packed.

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