Pikey Peak and Dudhkunda Lake Solu Khumbu Trek

INCLUDES

• Airport transfers
• Road transport to and from Paphlu
• Accommodation in lodges/tea houses (twin rooms with beds and mattresses)
• Three meals per day during the trek chosen from the menu
• National Park Fees
• Sherpa guides (English speaking and trained in first aid)
• Porters (max weight carried for you is 15kgs)
• Staff food, insurance, accommodation and equipment

EXCLUDES

• Accommodation and meals in Kathmandu (you can choose a hotel during the booking process or later on, or you can book a hotel yourself online)
• Personal trek costs and local expenses like hot and cold drinks, laundry, hot showers, wifi and boiled water.
• Trip Insurance estimate £70 – £95 (2 week guided trek to 4000m, no technical climbing)
• Visa ($20 for 30 day visa)
• Tips (about £40-£45 each for a group of 4, £60-£65 each for a group of 2)

A deposit of £250.00 is required to secure your place and we ask that the remaining balance is paid in full four weeks prior to your departure. When you book with us you’re given your own secure online account which you can access 24/7. Through this account you can make interim payments, edit your booking, add any details like flight arrival details, insurance and dietary details and also make interim payments.

You should purchase an insurance policy which covers trekking to 4500m should any unexpected events force you to cancel. Your policy should also include helicopter rescue in the event of an evacuation. There are plenty of adventure travel insurance providers and for non-technical treks like this you might want to check if your credit card company offers a travel policy, or the post office or you might want to look at True Traveller or specialist insurers like Campbell Irvine.

Spring from March to May is one of the best times with clear mountain views. The weather is warm and sunny with clear skies and daily temperatures of between 10°C to 20°C (50°F to 68°F) and dropping at night. Towards the end of May there will be more rain as the monsoon approaches.

The monsoon from June to September brings dramatic clouds and a mystical scenery, the lower trails will be slippery and there may be leeches in the forest. Rainfall is fairly predictable around midday, but clear skies in the early morning and evening generally. The temperatures are between 12°C to 25°C (50°F to 77°F).

Autumn from October to November brings beautifully clear blue skies, warm sunny days and cold nights. The average daytime temperature ranges between 10°C to 20°C (50°F to 68°F).

Winter from December to February is colder with temperatures ranging between 5°C to 15°C (41°F to 59°F). It will be freezing at night but winter trekking in Nepal is very rewarding and a lot quieter than other times. Not all lodges are open and the way needs to be taken with caution in case of ice.

The trek is along trails over the lower Himalayan region between the villages with plenty of up and downhill! You will be going down to the river to cross a bridge, only to go all the way back up again to the ridge and then down again. At other times you may go along the side of hillsides. The paths themselves can be quite rocky and uneven, and in other places very easy. Be prepared for plenty of variation and for sun, rain, cloud all in one day. We would advise good comfortable hiking boots and a small 35 litre day pack for essentials.

Pikey Peak is not a difficult summit to reach and the terrain is not difficult for walking, and anyone with hiking experience and an active lifestyle should not have a problem. However it is over 4000m so expect the hike up to make you pant and feel the burn in your legs. There are some long distances to cover over to Junbesi after the peak, so take the pace easily. Sometimes the paths can be damaged by heavy rain, so allow the guide to show you the best ways. The lake is sacred and there are steps built in the hillside on the approach; when you are there you can of course walk around to get the best photos and experience the ambience of the place.

On the higher treks the gradient tends to follow a path that goes up the valley, but on this trek in the lower regions of the Solu Khumbu you are essentially crossing valleys and rivers like a huge undulating carpet, up and down. It is definitely quite hard on the legs but there is much less danger of altitude sickness.

Arriving into Kathmandu we will arrange your airport pick up and transfer to the hotel of your choice, we have a number we can recommend, and after a day of sightseeing around Thamel it is an 8 hour drive by road towards Paphlu. The trek will be led by one of our Sherpa guides and porters will carry your main bag (either a duffle or a rucksack), and mostly the accommodation is in Sherpa lodges or teahouses which provide all the meals which are normally traditional fare like dal bhat, rice, potatoes, meat and vegetables. In this lower region you are less likely to find western foods but there will be noodles, omelettes, pancakes, bread and fruit, and plenty of chocolate and snacks. Water is best boiled and kept in your bottle, rather than buying plastic bottles, and the lodges will have hot showers and bedrooms with beds, mattresses and some bedding available to borrow like blankets.

Toilets are mostly Asian style ‘long drops’ but in the bigger villages you will find some flush toilets. You can buy toilet paper but better to bring your own recycled biodegradable paper, and do also bring your own sanitary products from home. Everything will be in Nepali rupees so bring local cash in small denominations and expect to spend about £100 for personal expenses like showers, snacks, boiled water and charging. We have a page called Nepal Local Price Guide which will help with figures.  The lodges will have power and often solar panels and batteries with an inverter and they may charge something for you to use a socket. Or bring a powerpack. Most of the lodges will have mobile wifi, enough to use whatsapp and emails but not to livestream. You can buy an e-sim from a provider like Airalo or get a Nepali sim card in Kathmandu.

You can leave travel clothes in the hotel or in our office store, and on trek take a duffle or rucksack for the porter to carry (15kgs is normal) and then a day sack with essentials for the day like a water bottle, suncream, hat, snacks, camera and snacks. This may change as the days go by, for example warmer clothing as you go higher, an umbrella if it’s likely to rain, a head torch if it’s an early start.

We have a page called Nepal Preparation which will help with further information.

We also have a page called Acclimatising Safely which helps give an overview on altitude and how to look after yourself on a high level trek.

All the meals on trek are included in the cost of the trip; we do not ask you to bring a kitty because meals in lodges are expensive so a trek would require carrying a lot of cash. In our case we budget for three meals a day on trek. Breakfast includes cereal, porridge, or rice pudding and an egg dish with bread or toast. Lunch includes one dish such as fried rice, dal bhat, momos, or pasta. It is much better if everyone has the same meal because the meals are cooked from scratch, so if ten people order ten different meals then lunch can take two hours. Better if everyone orders the same and the guide can ring ahead if there is signal. Dinner is two courses, normally including a soup starter and a dish chosen by you from the menu.

Drinks are not included. If you want to buy a can of cold drink or a beer or a cup or flask of tea or coffee then please pay cash. It is much more economical if several people order a flask of tea, than individuals ordering separate cups. Please pay the lodge owner for your drinks or ask for a tab to be kept for you which may include using the wifi, having a hot shower, getting bottled water etc.

Meals are often vegetarian with meat additions if you want. So a dal bhat can come with or without meat for example. Rice or noodles can come with vegetables or with meat. The lodges can cater for people who are intolerant to wheat but you may want to bring your own alternative gluten free products because they are not available in the rural areas. You can avoid dairy quite easily but vegan diets are a little harder to cater for.

For this trek if there was an emergency which required a quick evacuation to a hospital then a helicopter would have to be called and the guide would help to arrange this with you, having contacted your insurance company. Helicopters are common around the Nepalese trekking areas but they depend on good weather. Mostly someone who is feeling ill from altitude must go down and that is normally done with the help of the staff or sometimes a horse. Locals will also help if the person is not able to be moved. The Solu region is well established with trails and now some new roads, so another option is to get back to Paphlu and take a car back to the capital.

There is a full page with tipping advice, but in general for a trip like this a suitable figure would be the equivalent of USD$40 for each porter and $75.00 for the trekking guide. This amount would be split between the group and given at the end in local currency.

This is a reasonably low level trek with generally warm days and chilly evenings, with the coldest night being the one before going up to the peak and to the lake. Bring layers of warm clothes but also shorts and T-shirts and plenty of underwear and socks. It’s not possible in general to wash clothes because of the time it takes to dry, but sometimes on a hot day you can dry underwear in time for the next morning.

We have a page called Kit List for trekking in Nepal which will be helpful with packing. For footwear this trek is best done in good hiking shoes or boots but it’s a good idea to have shoes with high ankles and a proper sole (Vibram) for the rocky sections, in case you go over on an ankle. As for sleeping, you will need a 3 season bag but in the lodges there is also bedding you can use like blankets.