Kangshang Valley Trek - 22 days
Kang Shang valley is one of the most remote trekking destinations in central Tibet. The roundtrip walk of 8 days to E.B.C. begins at Yuba. The valley absolutely roars with the summer monsoon, the snow that accumulates daily on the peaks starts rumbling about noon and continues to fall noisily throughout the most nights.
Itinerary
Day 01: Arrival: Upon your arrival at Lhasa (Gonggar Airport
96km from the main city) Transfer to Lhasa and Hotel check in. Afternoon
free for acclimatization. O/N in Hotel.
Day 02: Lhasa sightseeing: Sightseeing in Lhasa,
visit Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple & Barkhor Market. O/N in Hotel.
Day 03: Lhasa sightseeing: Sightseeing in Lhasa,
visit Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery. O/N in Hotel.
Day 04: Drive to Gyantse: This is a spectacular journey via
Yamdrok Tso Lake and involves crossing of two high passes. O/N in
Hotel
Day 05: To Shigatse: Visit Gyatnse Kumbum and Pelkor Chode
Monastery and drive to Shigatse. Visit Tashilunbo Monastery, the principal
seat of Panchen Lama. O/N in Hotel
Day 06: To Xegar: En route, take Sakya Monastery detour. In
Xegar, time permitting, visit the monastery and hike the Dzong atop
a hill, overlooking the Xegar town.
Day 07-08: To Kharta: Today, you enter the Everest region.
Today, you drive over Pang La (5,150m, 16, 890m) and enjoy the great
views of Mount Everest and other majestic peaks. Descend to Phadruchi
Village from where the road bifurcates-- the track to the west heads
to the Rongbuk Valley - the one to the east leads to the Phung Chu
or Arun Valley and the village of Kharta - the administrative headquarters
of the region. Have an extra day in Kharta for acclimatization.
Day 09: Begin the trek: Follow the jeep trail along the Kharta
River until you cross a substantial bridge and follow a well-defined
trail that gradually winds above a series of small scattered settlements
set amid barley fields. After about three km the trail splits. Take
the upper trail ascending towards the Shao La (4, 970m/ 16, 300ft).
Our trail leads us to the village of Lundrubling, where we set up
camp for the night.
Day 10: Trek to Kaamo Tsangpo Valley: A steady and steep descent
takes us along beautiful yak pastures before the path finally drops
down towards the Kaamo Tsangpo Valley. We’ll set up camp at
Joksam at 4,000 metres - an idyllic camp situated amid pine and fir
forests just above the Kaamo Tsangpo Valley.
Day 11 Trek to Khangsung Valley: A steep 300 meter ascent through
the conifer forest brings us to a ridgeline high above the Kama Tsangpo
Valley, from where we can enjoy the magnificent views south towards
the Arun Gorge and Nepal. We pass yak herder’s camp and a series
of beautiful lakes before ascending a ridge and gaining our first
uninterrupted views of the Kangshung Face of Everest. We’ll
set up camp in one of the idyllic meadows.
Day 12 Trek to Pethang Ringmo: Descend to the camp at Pathang
Ringmo at 4,550 meters (14, 924 ft), a beautiful meadow camp beneath
the impressive peak of Chomo Lonzo, 7,790 meters. Take chance to walk
up to the sacred lake immediately above the camp and visit the sacred
cave of Padmasambhava.
Day 13 Trek to Hoppo: It’s a difficult day today, through
the loose slopes but we will enjoy the views of the Kangshung Face
of Everest and appreciate the impressive glaciers at Chomo Lonzo across
the valley. Our camp at Hoppo is situated amid yak pastures at 4800
meters.
Day 14: Kangshung Face Base Camp Excursion: The trek to Kangshung
Face Base Camp 5,050 m can be completed in a couple of hours. The
trail gradually ascends the grassy ridges to the snout of the Kangshung
Glacier. As we view the huge face it is not difficult to understand
why it has only been attempted by a handful of expeditions. From our
vantage point, the impressive North East Ridge of Everest is also
seen. We return to Hoppo and stay overnight.
Day 15-16: Cross Langma La and trek to Lundrubling.: Trek across
the yak pastures and en route we gain views of the impressive Himalayan
range, in particular the summit of Makalu. We cross Langma La (5,
330m/ 17, 482 ft) that takes about 2 hrs from the base along a well-graded
trail with views of Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu. Take a steep descent
to the valley floor and pass by yak herders' camps from Kharta and
the nearby villages. We head down to the confluence of the Kharta
Valley and gain views of the Kanchenjunga massif rearing above the
ridges beyond Kharta on the Nepal- Sikkim border.
Day 17: Final day of the trekking: Conclude the trek and return
to Kharta.
Day 18: Drive to Rongbuk Monastery: Retrace drive to the village
of Phadhruchi and head towards Rongbuk Monastery. From Rongbuk, we
have unrivalled views of the North Face of Everest. Overnight guesthouse.
Day 19: Explore Everest Basecamp: In the morning, take one
hour hike to the Everest Base Camp at 5, 200m. The base camp itself
is dry and barren, but the views of Everest more than compensate for
this. It is a truly awe-inspiring place with the sheer north face
of the highest mountain in the world towering above us. We leave the
Rongbuk valley and drive towards Xegar. We Join the Friendship Highway
and head westwards to Tingri, a small roadside town for overnight.
Day 20: Drive to Zhangmu: Continue along the Friendship Highway
towards Nepal. We will spend the last night of Tibet in Zhangmu.
Day 21: Drive to Kathmandu: Exit Tibet at Zhangmu and drive
to Kathmandu, (3-4 hrs.)
Day 22: Departure.
