What is The Great Himalaya Trail?

1,700 km long ‘The Great Himalaya Trail’ in Nepal is part of the 4,500 km long Greater Himalaya Range. Known as GHT, it stretches from Kanchenjunga in the east to Hilsa in the west. It is a concept of a single trek route from east to west Nepal, which for trekking, is the longest and highest high-altitude trail in the world.

Mt. Kanchenjunga, the starting point of The Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal (Image: Noor Salim)

The Great Himalaya Trail is challenging as it encompasses the least popular arduous treks in Nepal. Apart from the established Everest Base Camp Trek and Annapurna Circuit Trek, almost all other trekking routes in GHT are off-beat-path treks. Completing this trek in a single go is challenging due to logistics. Hence, most trekkers who’ve completed the Great Himalaya Trail complete it in multiple phases. The most popular is the eighth phase. Trekker divides the entire trail into eight phases, starting from east Nepal and ending in the west.

Here’s a list of treks and landmarks in the GHT.

Kanchenjunga Circuit
Makalu Barun
Everest Region
Rolwaling Valley (Tsho Rolpa Lake with Tashi Laptcha Pass)
Tilman Pass
Langtang Valley Trek
Ruby Valley
Manaslu Circuit
Dolpo (Upper, Lower, Inner) and Rara Lake
Annapurna Conservation Area
Humla and Simikot

This blog focuses on the GHT routes, logistic difficulties, trek difficulties, a list of high passes, and a bit of history.

History of The Great Himalaya Trail

The pioneers of trekking in Nepal, Bill Tilman and Jimmy Roberts, explored the Great Himalayan Trail on foot. This mid-20th century expedition by these two mapped the entire trail.

Due to open borders with Tibet in some places, many regions in the GHT weren’t fully open till the early 2000s. Those who completed the GHT Trek before 2002 had to detour to mid-hills due to government restrictions. However, both countries agreed to allow trekking in restricted areas by issuing a restricted area permit. After 2002 A.D., with the lift in the restrictions on the borders, the Great Himalaya Trail became feasible for everyone.

The Great Himalaya Trail Routes

There are two routes you can choose for the GHT trek. One is the high route that progresses along Sherpani Col pass in Makalu at 6,146 meters. Moreover, the high route demands adequate mountaineering training and equipment during the high-route GHT trek. Another is the low-altitude route where most sections of the route are through mid-hills, with the highest altitude being Jang La at 4,519 meters.

High Route (Demanding)

The high route in the GHT is 1,700 km long. The starting point for this is Kanchenjunga, and the end is in Hilsa, near the Nepal-Tibet border in Humla. The strenuous high route is on demanding high altitude regions with the highest altitude in Makalu Barun Trek. Sherpani Col Pass is at 6,146 meters. By crossing this pass, trekkers enter the Everest regionvia Baruntse High Camp, Panchpokhari Lake, and Amphu Laptcha Pass.

An arduous section in Makalu Region, while crossing Lumba Sumba Pass (Image: Nabin Poudel)

Despite being 6000 meters, the difficulty of crossing a high route is nothing less than climbing a mountain. Hence, it demands proper mountaineering gear, skills, and physical fitness. More to it, trekkers need a climbing Sherpa to guide them through glaciers and high passes at most places.

Low Route (Through Mid Hills)

The lower GHT route is 200 meters shorter than the high route. Also, it’s 50 days less than the high route. As most route trails to an average of 2000 meters altitude, trekkers enjoy the comfortable walk on pastures, forests, and terrace farmlands. Moreover, trekkers pass through many settlements with enriched cultures and traditions.

The highest altitude trekker traverses in the lower route is Jang La at 4,519 meters. This pass bridges Dhorpatan and Dolpa in west Nepal.

Beautiful Rara Lake in Jumla (Image: ashok acharya)

Usually, the logistics in lower GHT routes are easy to manage. Unlike the high route, most trekkers on the lower route are accommodated in tea houses. Also, for the less experienced trekker, the lower GHT route is doable if aiming for the Great Himalayan Trail trek.

The Great Himalaya Trail- Starting Point

You can start the GHT trek from anywhere you prefer. You can either start from Kanchenjunga or far-west Nepal. However, it’s best to start from Kanchenjunga Circuit. It gives you proper acclimatization and a good idea of the overall trek.

Also, it’s easy to manage the logistics of starting GHT from east Nepal.

Another great reason to start the GHT from eastern Nepal is to avoid the rainy season. If you start this trek in Autumn or Spring in eastern regions, you can begin the western part in Summer. The east region during the rainy season can get challenging with landslides, with heavy rain.

As western Nepal like Dolpo and Annapurna receives very little rainfall, you can trek here in Summer (June-August). Hence, trekking to east Nepal in Autumn/Spring and west Nepal in Summer is best to complete the Great Himalayan Trail in one go.

Trekking Style: Solo or Guided?

The Great Himalaya Trail is highly undoable if you’re planning solo. Here are some things that prevent you from trekking solo.

Restricted area mandates a trekking guide
Requires climbing guide on Sherpani Pass, Amphu Laptcha, Tashi Laptcha, and more.
Camping-style accommodation in Dolpo, Makalu, and other regions.
Your safety, security, and trek logistics.

Accommodation

Trekkers on the Great Himalaya Trail accommodate in tented camps and tea houses. Some trekking routes like Langtang, Everest, and Annapurna are completely tea house-based. However, in places like Dolpo, camping is a must. Also, trekkers must go camping while crossing the High Passes like Sherpani Col, Tashi Laptcha, Amphu Laptcha, Baruntse, etc.

Recent Activities in the GHT

In 2022, Mangal Krishna Lama, an adventurer and mountain biker from Nepal, bicycled the entire Upper GHT Route.He named the project “GHT on Wheels” and completed it in just 88 days. It’s the fastest and the only mountain biking that crossed GHT in 88 days.

In 2023, Marc Niehaus and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh completed the Great Himalayan Trail in 100 days. Also, they crossed all the High Passes of the trek. However, they were frequently assisted by two Sherpa guides.

This is a complete list of the trekkers who completed the Great Himalayan Trail over the years.