Pikey Peak & Dudha Kunda Trek

Pikey Peak and Dudhkunda Trek is new trekking route in lower Everest area offers great panoramic views of Everest, Makalu and several peaks.

The Pikey Peak and Dudhkunda Trek is a somewhat obscure but highly rewarding trek in the Solukhumbu region with panoramic views of numerous snowcapped peaks including Everest and an opportunity to experience authentic Sherpa culture.

Sir Edmund Hillary wasn’t jesting when he declared Pikey Peak the best place to gaze upon Everest from, as proven by the breathtaking view of Everest (8848m), Makalu (8463m) and Numbur Himal (6958m) among other peaks from the top. Apart from this fantastic view stretching from Annapurna to Kanchenjunga, this trail is also known for having some cultural and religious significance. You will have an authentic insight into Sherpa culture when you pass through the numerous Sherpa villages and Buddhist monasteries. Dudhkunda, which literally translates to Milky Lake, is a holy lake sacred to devotees of both Hindu and Buddhist faiths. As such, this trail gets crowded with countless pilgrims during festive seasons, who believe a dip in the lake’s holy water will wash away their sins and sorrows and grant their wishes. Treading through the pleasant paths of the rhododendron and pine forests, you will also possibly encounter some of the various rare birds and animals of this region including Himalayan Tahrs, Jackals, Leopards and the Lophophorus.

Our journey commences in the capital where we’ll catch a ride to Dhap. Leisurely making our way through Jhapre and Pikey Base Camp, we will have a pre-dawn climb to the top of Pikey Peak for an almost unrivaled sunrise view among the mountains. Rejoining the main trail, we will go through Taktor and Junbesi and have a light day to explore Thubten Choling monastery. Making our way through Yak Kharka and Saharsbeni, we’ll arrive at our second objective for the trek, Dudhkunda, where we’ll take a day off for exploration as well. Steadily descending through Timba and Taksindu, we’ll reach the tiny airstrip at Phalpu. Our journey comes to a closure as we catch a short flight back to the capital.

Outline Itinerary

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Pikey Peak and Dudhkunda Trek is new trekking route in lower Everest area offers great panoramic views of Everest, Makalu and several peaks.

The Pikey Peak and Dudhkunda Trek is a somewhat obscure but highly rewarding trek in the Solukhumbu region with panoramic views of numerous snowcapped peaks including Everest and an opportunity to experience authentic Sherpa culture.

Sir Edmund Hillary wasn’t jesting when he declared Pikey Peak the best place to gaze upon Everest from, as proven by the breathtaking view of Everest (8848m), Makalu (8463m) and Numbur Himal (6958m) among other peaks from the top. Apart from this fantastic view stretching from Annapurna to Kanchenjunga, this trail is also known for having some cultural and religious significance. You will have an authentic insight into Sherpa culture when you pass through the numerous Sherpa villages and Buddhist monasteries. Dudhkunda, which literally translates to Milky Lake, is a holy lake sacred to devotees of both Hindu and Buddhist faiths. As such, this trail gets crowded with countless pilgrims during festive seasons, who believe a dip in the lake’s holy water will wash away their sins and sorrows and grant their wishes. Treading through the pleasant paths of the rhododendron and pine forests, you will also possibly encounter some of the various rare birds and animals of this region including Himalayan Tahrs, Jackals, Leopards and the Lophophorus.

Our journey commences in the capital where we’ll catch a ride to Dhap. Leisurely making our way through Jhapre and Pikey Base Camp, we will have a pre-dawn climb to the top of Pikey Peak for an almost unrivaled sunrise view among the mountains. Rejoining the main trail, we will go through Taktor and Junbesi and have a light day to explore Thubten Choling monastery. Making our way through Yak Kharka and Saharsbeni, we’ll arrive at our second objective for the trek, Dudhkunda, where we’ll take a day off for exploration as well. Steadily descending through Timba and Taksindu, we’ll reach the tiny airstrip at Phalpu. Our journey comes to a closure as we catch a short flight back to the capital.

Day 01: Arrival at TIA, Kathmandu

A representative from Randonnee Nepal will be awaiting your arrival outside the Tribhuwan International Airport terminal with a placard. You will then be escorted to the hotel where you can rest after your flight and prepare for the trek. In the evening, you will be served traditional Nepali cuisine as dinner to introduce you to the country’s culture.

  • Dinner
  • Hotel

Our day today will be spent on a one day cultural tour around the capital, where we’ll visit some of its major attractions including Boudhanath, Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath. We’ll also visit the some of the old durbars (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan Durbar Squares) if we have enough time. You may spend the evening shopping downtown in Thamel for any trekking essentials or souvenirs that you might want. In the meantime, our staff members will be busy procuring any essential permits that you’ll need for the trek.

  • Breakfast, Dinner
  • Hotel

We will have a short pre-trek meeting after breakfast where your trek leader will brief you with necessary information regarding the trek and resolve any queries that you may have. Once all equipment check is finished, we will hop on the designated vehicle for a 200km drive to Dhap. We will follow the raging Koshi River and pass through Okhaldhunga and Ghurmi to eventually arrive at our lodge in Dhap.

  • Breakfast, Dinner
  • Lodge
  • 8Hrs

Our trek finally commences today as we set out on this fairly easy trail after breakfast to the Magar and Sherpa settlement at Jhapre. We will stop at Siganay village for lunch and continue on afterwards. Once we reach Jhapre, this fantastic vantage point will offer us views of even more mountains including Everest and NumburHimal. After spending the evening exploring the village along with the small gompa nearby, we will spend the night in tented camps at our campsite.

  • BLD
  • Tented Camps
  • 5Hrs
  • 2920m

After we have our breakfast amidst the pleasing view of the mountains, we will begin our gentle ascent up the grassy ridge. A couple of hours of climbing will bring us to Bhulbhule (3210m) where we’ll stop momentarily to catch our breath. Continuing on through the rhododendron and pine forests, we’ll eventually arrive at Lhamuje (3330m) where we’ll stop again for lunch. Pikey Base Camp lies just a couple of hours further away. We’ll take an early night today to prepare for the pre-sunrise climb tomorrow.

  • BLD
  • Tented Camps
  • 5Hrs
  • 3640m

We will wake up early in the morning today and embark on the moderate slope decorated with prayer flags towards the top of Pikey Peak. If we are fortunate with good weather, then you will have witness an unforgettable sunrise view with the mountains stretching from Annapurna to Kanchenjunga. The observable peaks from the summit include Everest, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri, Kanchenjunga, Langtang, Gaurishankar, DorjeLakpa, Thamserku and many more. Once we’re done enjoying the glorious view from the top, we will descend north towards JaseBhanjyang. After breakfast at JaseBhanjyang, we will continue through the forested trail for a few hours and eventually reach Taktor.

  • BLD
  • Tented Camps
  • 6Hrs
  • 4060m

The trail today is a very short and gentle one. We will head out from our camp at Taktor after breakfast and reach Junbesi in a little more than a couple of hours. We will spend the rest of the day relaxing and exploring this traditional Sherpa village. The Junbesi Monastery nearby is also an interesting location to visit. Your time in this village will be an invaluable opportunity to closely experience the untouched Sherpa culture and Buddhist traditions.

  • BLD
  • Tented Camps
  • 3Hrs
  • 2700m

We will tread further up the valley today through the flowery fields to the ThuptenCholing monastery. Founded by the late Trulsik Rinpoche over 50 years ago, the monastery is home to over 800 monks, most of whom are Tibetan refugees. We will spend the day observing the chanting and daily rituals of the monks and nuns. In the evening, we will trek a little further into the valley to our campsite where we’ll be spending the night.

  • BLD
  • Tented Camps
  • 3250m

We will ascend steadily through a beautiful forested path to the pass at Yak Kharka. The trail itself is a fairly easy one for the next few days but acclimatization can be an issue. The climb up Pikey peak from a few days earlier should have gotten you used to the altitude but altitude sickness is always a possible threat. For this reason, we will be ascending very leisurely, fully enjoying the various points of interest on our way. We will set up camp at Yak Kharka.

  • BLD
  • Tented Camps
  • 3840m

Our trail today is the pilgrimage trail that leads all the way to one of our main destinations, DudhKunda. While this trail will likely be vacant when you’re visiting, during the festive seasons, it is swarming with devotees. Treading past the meadows and grazing yaks, we will eventually reach Saharsbeni, where we’ll briefly stop for lunch. A couple more hours of walking will lead us to our campsite near DudhKunda.

  • BLD
  • Tented Camps
  • 4030m

Dudhkunda, a sacred milky lake situated at an altitude of almost 4600 meters is revered by the locals to be the abode of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva. We will spend the day exploring this pristine lake located at the foot hills of the Numbur Himal. While this lake and the trail in general are very crowded during festive seasons, they are relatively quiet and untrodden during any other times of the year. So, we will likely have the lake and the mountains, just for ourselves, to enjoy in solitude.

  • BLD
  • Tented Camps
  • 4600m

After encompassing the lake to fulfill the early morning ritual, we will retrace our steps towards Thadarbug. Resuming on the usual pilgrim route towards Taksindu La, we will follow the ridge south and head towards Timba. We will set up camp at an ideal spot somewhere along the trail.

  • BLD
  • Tented Camps
  • 3925m

We will continue our descent today towards the main Jiri to Everest trail at Taksindu La. We will have good views of the mountains on our trail today. After a short further descent, we will reach Taksindu monastery. We will spend some time exploring the monastery and then set up camp nearby its premises.

  • BLD
  • Tented Camps
  • 2842m

Bidding farewell to the main trail, we will descend on the beautiful forested path to Phalpu today. If you are feeling energetic, it is also possible to hike up to the ChiwongGompa, a monastery perched on top of a cliff overlooking the valley. This almost century-old monastery is known for being quite festive during the Mani Rimdu festival in autumn. Regardless, we will arrive at our lodge at Phalpu at the end of the day, where a delicious meal, warm shower and comfortable bed will be waiting for us.

  • BLD
  • Lodge
  • 2400m

After breakfast at the lodge, we will pack up our things and head to the nearby Phalpu airport to catch a flight back to the capital. Back at Kathmandu, you will have the rest of the day to yourself, which we recommend you spend exploring Thamel and shopping for souvenirs and mementos. In the evening, you’ll be taken to a restaurant serving traditional Nepali cuisine as well as some cultural performances.

  • Breakfast, Dinner
  • Hotel

We will have a brief farewell program after breakfast, during which you’ll be able to meet up with the all the crew and group members one last time. Afterwards, one of our representatives will escort you to Tribhuwan International Airport a few hours before your flight.

  • Breakfast
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