Gola Wild *private

Taplejung - Olangchung Gola - Yangma exploration - Nanglo La

Wild! This is an alternative take on the best of the Kanchenjunga region (indeed Nepal) that features picturesque villages to discover and huge, breathless mountain panoramas for this adventurous journey of a lifetime.

This is a trek of variety, from jungle to the alpine. We begin in the endlessly terraced middle hills but soon enter wild forest and cooler country as we gain altitude towards the remote and unusual village of Olangchung Gola, which was once a major trading post with Tibet. Then we continue north to even more isolated Yangma village, and head up to the border from there, to the top of a tough but spectacular and rarely visited (by trekkers) 5746m trading pass. This alpine country is a real snow leopard haunt, so plenty of blue sheep and vultures and a series of stunning turquoise lakes, which we have time to explore. We briefly retrace back, glittering peaks either side, then take an adventurous alternative trail to cross the stunning Nango La (pass) and back head down to the warm and cultural middle hills country, all with the minimum of backtracking.

This 26 day trip packs plenty in however also features some flexibility for weather and other hiccups and sound acclimatization to altitude. There is also a lot of minor flexibility about various stopping points that the team can carefully discuss with the sirdar. Being so remote, we trek with a full expedition-style crew, a cook team and kitchen, and our comfy dining tent system, and a team of porters. At the tail end of the golden years of camping trekking, this style of trek is fading out, but this is a real celebration of yesteryears.

Highlights

+ balanced middle hills start

+ remote, friendly Olangchung Gola village

+ even more remote Yangma village

+ remote Tibet trade route pass

+ stunning Nango La high route

+ snowy mountain views

+ wildlife spotting

+ no other trekkers

+ peaceful, scenic wilderness camps

Grading

max altitude 5746m/18,850ft

max sleeping altitude 4740m

very remote

strenuous

occasional challenging trails

Health

you must be covid-vaccinated

(3+ weeks after your second dose/

4+ weeks after a single dose vaccine)

our crew will be vaccinated

Covid insurance required only once available

understand your health risks

Dates 2021

mid Oct-mid Nov?, 26 days

+Pangpema: 30 days

Start and end in Kathmandu, airport code KTM

Cost - ask

trip deposit US$1000

Min 3 group size

tent single supplement included

Preparation

trek gear discussion

Nepal visa

trekking intro

Organiser

Jamie McGuinness

Mobile: +977 98021 49789

Guide

Sangge / Bal Bahadur / Dawa Gelje 2 / Bire Tamang

Arrival hotel

Hotel Moonlight, Paknajol-Thamel

tel: +977 1 438 0452, 438 0636

Our service includes

all airport transfers

twin share guesthouses as needed

domestic flights as per the itinerary

group transportation by private vehicle

entrance fees and permits as needed

satellite phone for backup

Expedition-style trek includes

all meals, afternoon tea and hot drinks

roomy single tent / large double for couples

thin mat to protect your air mattress

our special comfy dining tent

and more Project Himalaya comforts

porter porterage

very experienced crew

we care for our porters providing:

warm jacket, pants, hat, gloves & sunglasses

warm duvets, mattresses and sleeping tents

Nice touches included

fresh filtered coffee for breakfast

solar charging for cameras, USB devices

filtered drinking water at camp

Our service excludes

insurance, Nepal visa, other meals in Kathmandu

additional hotel nights due to delays

international flights, equipment rental, alcohol, bottled water and soft drinks, laundry, tipping and other items of a personal nature

Tips & extra cash

allow approx $50 per day for Kathmandu meals

allow more if you are a shopaholic

we suggest 5% of the trip cost per trekker for the crew tips pool

Day 0 - - early arrival

Arrive early to recover further from long flights.

Day 1 - arrive Kathmandu 1350m

We meet you at the airport and introduce you to Thamel. This evening, we have a briefing at our good hotel.

2 - fly Bhadrapur, drive Ilam or similar

In the morning the office picks up the permits in time for the afternoon flight to Bhadrapur and on arrival we hop into a jeep and drive mostly on a scenic blacktop road towards Taplejung, probably staying overnight at Ilam or Phiddim.

3 - drive Taplejung 1450m

Reaching Taplejung, we have the choice of staying here and wandering around the the picturesque bazaar or, if we arrive early, continuing in another jeep on the rough dirt road to Tapletok and having a day in hand.

4 - drive Tapletok 1380m

Be warned the dusty road is rough! Admire the endless terracing and rice paddies as we drive to the end of the road.

5 - trek Ela Danda 2050m

Leaving the main Kanchenjunga trek route at Lelep, we ascend to corn and millet country, camping in the last village for a couple of days. Note, the road is under construction here, however how far it reaches in 2020 is a bit of an unknown, a year out.

6 - trek Jongin 2600m

Our first camp away from villages.

7 - trek Olangchung Gola 3200m

It is a lunch camp to this historic trading village but yak trains are now being superceded as a there is rough "road" from here to the Tibet border.

8 - rest-explore-acclimatize Olangchung Gola 3200m

Above 3000m/~10,000ft, we take a day to get acquainted with the village and gompa and acclimatize.

9 - trek Tasa (forest camp) ~3600m

Leaving, we see where we get to, however, our forest camp used on previous treks is good.

10 - trek Yangma 4160m

A remote village, the people are friendly but with less trade than 'Gola, and it shows.

11 - rest-explore-acclimatize Yangma 4160m

Explore the valley to the east, real snow leopard country, but note the pass on maps is no longer used.

12 - trek herders camp 4680m

This is a short day because of the altitude gain however exploring Nangama Lake is possible, see how the GLOF occured (Glacial Lake out Flow).

13 - trek Pabuk 4740m

Another lunch camp as we make our base for the next few days.

14 - rest-explore acclimatize Pabuk 4740m

Explore above, wander and relax, preparing for tomorrow.

15 - explore Pabuk 4740m via Ghari La 5746m

Leave earlier than usual for this rewarding day to the top of the high trading pass on the Tibet border.

16 - trek Yangma 4160m (or Nup)

Retracing the views are different, and often more detail is apparent. We can stay at Yangma or trek to Nup, if we have permission of the locals.

17 - trek Nup / kharka

If we stayed at Yangma yesterday then we trek up to a kharka, probably a lunch camp however there are limited alternatives.

18 - trek Sum Dokma 4550m / pass camp

Crossing the Marsang La and the Phurlu La 4747m, we have a choice of camping spots, and the most ambitious is just over the Nango La itself.

19 - trek Phale 3240m via Nango La ~4800m

For an easy exit, we can head directly down to Phale but with extra energy trekking up to Ghunsa is certainly possible.

20 - rest-explore Phale 3240m / trek Gyabla

As with other sections, we have a good itinerary however there are various options for overnight stops on the way out.

21 - trek Amjilosa 2460m

22- trek Sekethum 1600m

23 - trek Tapletok, drive Taplejung 1780m

Assuming the main roadhead is at Tapletok, we trek there then take the bumpy jeep ride up to Taplejung.

24 - drive Bhadrapur (~8 hours)

This is a day's drive and we stay at the best hotel in warm Bhadrapur ready for a flight tomorrow.