Ganesh Himal Singa La Pass Trek

Depart Kathmandu early morning for a 7-hour drive to the hill town of Sole Bazaar. Today you trace the route taken by king Prithvi Narayan Shah on his invasion march to Kathmandu over two centuries ago. King Prithvi Narayan Shah is considered the founding father of modern Nepal, being the first king to unite all the territories of the present country of Nepal under one ruler. En route you pass through Trishuli Bazaar, a small town that was once the hub for trekking in this region and is home to a small but interesting traditional bazaar. Your campsite is about 20 minutes outside of Sole Bazaar, on the bank of the Trishuli River. This is a relaxing spot with wonderful views of farm fields, small villages, and terraced slopes set against a background of the Ganesh Himal. Stay overnight in camps.

You leave camp by backtracking 100m to cross the suspension bridge over the Salankhu Khola (Khola is a Nepalese word for river, stream, or valley) just up from where it enters the Trishuli River. After the bridge, you begin a long, moderately steep ascent that begins to level off after about 1.5 hours, just before your lunch spot in the small town of Chapodanda (870m, 2860ft). You eat lunch under a large Fichus tree with splendid views of the terraced slopes surrounding you the activity of this small village. From Chapodanda, the trail follows the new, rough road west for 200m, before heading uphill steeply through a few small villages, finally arriving at a rest spot next to a small stupa (a stupa is a Buddhist structure that either marks a trail or in remembrance of an important person). The views are nice here and you can see Betrawati far down below you on the banks of the Trishuli River. Take the left path from the stupa, contouring the hillside. An hour after the stupa, you make your final ascent up to the saddle and the town of Satobate (“seven trails”, 1250m, 4100ft) where you camp for the night. Stay overnight in camps.

From Satobate, follow the trail westward along the ridgeline. You climb steadily through numerous small villages and over many streams before leaving the Salankhu Khola to head up the Chalakhung Khola. The last half mile is steep uphill as you climb to our camp spot in the town of Balche (1930m, 6330ftBalche is a quaint hill town, spread out along tow or three flat regions on the slope. Large granitic gneiss spires and domes stand against the skyline above the town, creating a stunning sunset. The women here all dress traditionally, including very large, heavy earrings that are supported with a thin string over the head. Stay overnight in camps.

Today you head into mostly uninhabited territory and the surrounding landscape changes accordingly, from terraced fields to forest. After about 1.5 hours, the trail begins to level out and you enter the first jungle of our trek. Here, it is mostly rhododendron and kharsu. During spring treks, this area is stunning with bright red, white and purple rhododendron flowers covering the mountainsides. This is the forest gathering area for the town of Balche.. You stop for lunch in an especially pretty clearing with views down to Thulochaur, 400m below us. The remainder of the day is through dense jungle, to Gonga (2910m, 9600ft), a small 5-house town made entirely of wood (a commodity that is plentiful in this sparsely populated part of the Himalaya). The town is situated in a pass, separating the Nyam valley from the Saptang valley. Stay overnight in camps.

Your route today is a beautiful ascent through old growth forests of rhododendron and fir. You head northwest from Gonga, slowly ascending through the jungle for 25 minutes to the small 3-house town of Mimatashi Karka. Continue ascending for another hour and 45 minutes through impressively large old growth fir and rhododendron forest (many of the fir trees are 1-1.75m in diameter!). The route flattens for an hour as you contour the mountain, before the last ascent (a very steep 175m) of the day to the ridgeline. You arrive at Rupchet Karka (3634m, 11922ft), a large flat grassy area with 3 seasonal grazing huts and stunning views of the Central Himalaya. Across the Trishuli River valley to the northwest is the Langtang Himal (7225m, 23703ft) and Gosainkund. The sunsets from here are unparalleled as the crystalline peaks of Langtang and the broad highlands of Gosainkund sparkle in yellow and orange brilliance. Stay overnight in camps.

You head out early for the climb up to Singla pass. There will likely be snow up here in the spring and late fall, so move slowly and enjoy the incredible scenery along the way. The route is steep, weaving through large boulders, spires and domes. It is only 300m up, but the altitude will make it feel like more. As you approach the final gentle uphill climb before the pass, Langtang looms overhead to the north and the peaks of Ganesh start to peak out ahead. While heading from Singla Top to Mangchet Kharka, you will have to follow a route that goes uphill and downhill. En route you pass through forests covered with rhododendron, pine and herbal medicines and feel thrilled with the panoramic views of Annapurna, Manaslu and Ganesh Himal. The surrounding area is famous for herbal medicines and incense. Mangchet Kharka is a pasture where local people bring their domestic animals for grazing. The national bird of Nepal, the ''Danfe'' can be seen around here. Stay overnight in camps.

The trail follows ascent and descent routes all the way to destination. While trekking, you can enjoy the views of Annapurna, Manaslu and Ganesh Himal. For some distance you walk through forests covered with herbal medicines and incense. Pangsang Bhanjyang is famous as you are stunned to see Langtang I, Langtang II, Paldor peak and many Tibetan mountains. Stay overnight in camps.

The trail you follow is steeply ascends for two hours. The Pangsang La Danda is the best view point of this trek. From this point you will be amazed to view Langtang, Paldor, the Tibetan mountains, Ganesh Himal and Manaslu. While trekking back you climb down all the way to Pangsang Bhanjyang. Stay overnight in camps.

The trail you follow is quite descent at first and then it climbs up for some distance. En route, you cross forests covered with bamboo, pine, rhododendron and waterfalls. Tipling is the first village you encounter on this route. It is a big Tamang village which is rich in mixed culture and has chorten and church. The houses are made of wood, tin and stones. People living here have their distinct life style and they are involved in making goods from bamboo sticks. You can see farming terraces where farmers grow potatoes, wheat, barley, buck wheat, maize and green vegetables. Now you have to climb down steeply until you cross a suspension bridge over Gorkhen Khola (stream). After you cross, the trails go uphill up to Sertung Chalise. It is also a Gurung village. People of this area welcome the trekkers with their local culture. You camp for the night.

The early part of the trail goes downhill up to Menchet Khola (stream) and crossing this stream you trek steep up and then gradual up to reach Hindung. This day you pass small Tamang villages, small forests, farming terraces and green hills. Hindung is a pretty big village mainly inhabited by Tamang. The main occupation is farming and the farmers grow potatoes, millet, barley, maize, beans and other vegetables. You find mani walls and prayer flags in some part of the villages. One thing to be noticed is that it is the last village you pass while trekking to Ganesh Himal Base Camp. You camp for the night.

After leaving Hindung you will rarely find terraces. The route up to Rajgang Kharka is ascent and flat as well. You walk along the trail covered with forests of rhododendron and local vegetation. These forests are the nestling place of various species of birds and wild animals. Rajgang Kharka is surrounded by beautiful forests and it mainly grassland. Except winter season the local people bring domestic animals especially sheep for grazing.

The trail is narrow and moves mostly uphill and leveled path somewhere. You walk along the trail covered with forests for few hours. Towards the ending the trail moves along the land where you rarely find any trees. You find alpine grass here due to high altitude. At Kalo Seto Kunda there are two lakes of holy significance. The surface of Kalo or Black Lake is covered with black stones. On the contrary the surface of Seto Kunda or White Lake is covered with white shinning stones. During winter season these lakes are frozen.

You can have an excursion in and around Kalo Seto Kunda (Black and White Lake). From here you can enjoy the majestic views of Ganesh Himal, Paldor Himal and many others.

You trek along the descent and narrow path where you find alpine grass on both sides.

The trail moves down hill all the way to Chalise. While trekking you pass forests till Hindung and crossing it you find few Tamang villages.

You trek downhill all the way to Laba Besi and trek uphill to reach Laba village. This day you pass pine forests, Tamang villages, farming terraces, green hills and villages at far distance. Laba is a beautiful Gurung village with its own tradition and culture.

This day you trek through beautiful rhododendron and pine forests. These forests are the home of various species of birds and wild animals. The trail moves up hill all the way to Manyang Bhanjyang. From here you can see the first glimpse of Ganesh Himal. While trekking you pass Khading village mainly resided by Tamang and Gurung. The main crop is potato here. Manyang Bhanjyang is a ridge and you find forests and grass land here. This is a perfect place for camping as your camping site is surrounded by rhododendron and oak forests.

To reach Majhgaun you have to trek along gradual descent path and after some time steep descent path but again you move downward toward the ending point. On the way you pass forests of rhododendron and oak, villages, farming terraces and green hills. This day you are quite captivated by the clear views of Manaslu range, Buddha peak on a clear weather and other unnamed mountains and peaks. As you enter Majhgaun you will find local people being engaged in farming but it is reported that some people have migrated either to foreign country or Kathmandu.

You walk along the trail dominated with villages, forests, streams and terraces. This day you can enjoy the scenic beauty of green hills. Budathum is a small town with local old market. This village is pre dominated by Newar community. From here you can enjoy the spectacular views of Manaslu range at far distance.

To reach Arughat Bazaar you trek descent path and then through leveled route. On the way, you pass few streams, villages, farming terraces, small forests. Most of the route moves along the river bank of Budhi Gandaki. Aarughat Bazaar covers small area with an old market. Here, you find shops with minimal supply, motor able road, high school, health post, typical tea houses, small lodges and it lies at the bank of Budhi Gandaki river. Here ,the route to Manaslu trekking meets. You board vehicle at Arughat Bazaar to reach Kathmandu. This is one of the picturesque journey. While driving, you head up to Dhading Besi and Malekhu and Malekhu is famous for delicious fish. En route, you could enjoy the mountain views, green sceneries, rice terrace fields, vegetable fields and people being engaged in their daily life activities. From Naubishe you climb up to Thankot, the gateway to capital city.