Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek

Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek

Raw, remote and remarkable Trek with local guide

Country
Country: Nepal
Trip Difficulty
Trip Difficulty: Moderate Difficult
Activities
Activities: Trekking / Hiking
Accommodation
Accommodation: Included
Meals
Meals: Included
Max. Elevation
Max. Elevation: 5,360m
Group Size
Group Size: 2-10
Best Season
Best Season: March to May / September to November

Highlight

  • Do an alpine expedition like circuit trek in Nepal.
  • Travel to an off-beaten place and experience the adventures out there.
  • Come across varied landscapes, including vast valleys, snowy passes, green farm fields, lush greenery, and mountains.
  • Get the nearby views of peaks like Dhaulagiri I, II, III, Annapurna I, Tukuche Peak, and a couple more.
  • Cross the significant and scenic passes like Thapa Pass(5,244m) and French Pass(5,360m).
  • Get to Italian Base Camp, Japanese Base Camp, Dhaulagiri Base Camp, and Hidden Valley.
  • Meet and greet the inspiring and friendly locals of the region.
  • Around the end of the trek visit Ghorepani, Poonhill, for striking panorama and sunrise.

Overview

The Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek is an exciting off-the-beaten-path adventure around Dhaulagiri (8,167m), the seventh-highest mountain in the world. It is close to the popular Annapurna Circuit, but much less crowded and more remote.

“Dhaulagiri” means “White Mountain” in Nepali. The stunning white peak is one of the main highlights of the trek, but there is much more to discover.

The trail takes you through green forests, terraced hills, traditional villages, high pastures, beautiful valleys, and dramatic mountain passes. Along the way, you can enjoy spectacular views of Dhaulagiri I, II and III, Annapurna I, Tukuche Peak, and many other Himalayan peaks.

This trek also gives you a chance to experience the remote and traditional lifestyle of local people. You can meet villagers, learn about their culture and daily life, and enjoy the simple, warm smiles of children along the trail.

A special highlight of this 20-day itinerary is that the trek passes through Ghorepani and Poon Hill near the end. Poon Hill is one of Nepal’s best places to enjoy a wide mountain panorama.

The Dhaulagiri Circuit, also known as the Dhaulagiri Round Trek, is one of the most challenging treks in Nepal. The trail is remote, rugged, and sometimes steep. You may need to use crampons and ice axes, especially when crossing high and snowy areas.

The highest points include French Pass (5,360m), Dhampus Pass (5,200m), Hidden Valley (5,200m), and Dhaulagiri Base Camp. High altitude, changing weather, steep terrain, and remote trails make this trek physically demanding.

But the challenges come with great rewards. If you are ready for a real Himalayan adventure, the Dhaulagiri Circuit offers spectacular mountains, untouched landscapes, remote villages, rich local culture, and unforgettable experiences.

Below, you can find the detailed 20-day itinerary and the major highlights of the Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek.

For more information, please feel free to contact us.

Outline Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Kathmandu Airport and Transfer to Hotel
Day 2: Trek preparation and Kathmandu sightseeing
Day 3: Early Morning Flight to Pokhara, Drive to Durbang & trek to Dharpani(1,470m) | 4hrs Drive and 3hrs Trek
Day 4: Trek to Muri(1,850m) | 5hrs
Day 5: Trek to Bagar (2,080 m)| 7hrs
Day 6: Trek to Doban (2,500 m) 6-7hrs
Day 7: Trek to Sallaghari (3,100 m) 5-6hrs
Day 8: Trek to Italian Base Camp (3,660m) 4hrs
Day 9: Acclimatization day in Italian Base Camp
Day 10: Trek to Glacier Camp or Japanese Base Camp(4,100m) | 5hrs
Day 11: Trek to Dhaulagiri Base Camp (4,750 m) 5-6hrs
Day 12: Trek to French Pass (5,360m) and then to Hidden Valley (5,166m) | 5-6hrs
Day 13: Trek to Yak Kharka(3,880m) via Thapa Pass(5,244m) |7hrs
Day 14: Trek to Tukuche (2,590m) |5-6hrs
Day 15: Trek to Ghasa (2,010 m)| 6-7hrs
Day 16: Trek to Tatopani(1,190m)| 6-7hrs
Day 17: Trek to Ghorepani (2,750m)| 8-9hrs
Day 18: Morning visit to Poon Hill (3,200 m) and trek to Nayapul drive to Pokhara 7-8hrs
Day 19: Fly or Drive to Kathmandu
Day 20: Departure

Itinerary

For your welcome, our representatives will be at the airport. You will get a cozy welcome and then transfer to a hotel in the city. You will spend some hours at the hotel for unwinding. Later in the evening, we will invite you for a welcome dinner to know about the team of Sabbatical Explore Nepal and Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek. Overnight in Kathmandu’s hotel.

Our team will look after all the trek arrangements as we visit the cultural and historical sites in Kathmandu. We will walk around the UNESCO heritage sites like Boudhanath Stupa, Swaymbhunath Stupa, Kathmandu Durbar Square, and Pashupatinath Temple. Visiting these sites will let us know Nepal better culturally, architecturally, and historically. Overnight in Kathmandu’s hotel.

We will start the Dhaulagiri Round Trek with an early morning flight of 25 minutes to Pokhara. We’ll get magnificent visions of the Himalayas through our windows. Following, we’ll land in the city and spend some time there before joining a drive to Durbang. The ride to Durbang, the starting point of Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek, is approximately 4 hours away from Pokhara.The trek will start around later afternoon from Durbang through a suspension bridge. To reach Dharapani, we will climb a hill full of terraced fields and settlements. By evening, we’ll reach Dharapani, a village of the Gurung and Chettri tribes of Nepal, to get views of Dhaulagiri. Overnight at a tented camp in Dharapani.

We’ll leave Dharapani to move ahead in the trek. The villages full of terraced fields like Takum and Sibang will come along. Passing through the villages, we’ll get to know the people’s lifestyles. Alongside, the mountains will start to appear. The peaks like Puta Hiunchuli and Gurja Himal will be seen today. We will cross the final suspension bridge of the day on Dhara Khola to reach Muri, a Magar ethnic settlement. Overnight at a tented camp.

From the Muri Village, we will reach Muri Khola to cross the river via a suspension bridge. Then taking a riverbed trail through a Bamboo area at first and then by terrace fields of the villages, we will reach Naura Village. The last section of the day will be uphill via another lush forest and plainlands. At the end of the trek, we will reach Bagar to settle under a tented camp.

Now we’ll follow the Myagdi Khola(River) for some days. The trek will happen via the west bank of the river. Alongside, we’ll walk on a trail full of regular minor ups and downs. En route to Doban, we’ll also come across beehives where the locals collect honey. As we trek through the day, we’ll have a stop at Lipshe for lunch. Next, we’ll continue the remaining trek via the forest area to reach Doban. Overnight in a tented camp.

It will be another trekking day that is full of green woods. We’ll keep on moving ahead across lush and dense vegetation of bamboo, ferns, and rhododendrons. The banks of Myagdi Khola will not leave us any time soon; we’ll keep following and crossing it until Sallaghari. Overnight in a tented camp.

Now, Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek is taking some heights. We’ll leave Sallaghari for Italian Base Camp via a dense forest of birch, pine, and rhododendron. It will be one of those days when you will enjoy walking into the woods. The walk via the forest will take us to the lateral moraines before Italian Base Camp. And walking over that, we’ll reach the camping site for the day. While we settle our camps, we’ll get glimpses of Tsaurbong Peak in the backdrop.

In Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek, spending at least two nights around Italian Base Camp is a compulsion. That will help us to acclimatize well for the journey ahead. We’ll use this free time in Italian Base Camp to explore the adjacent beautiful area. Overnight in a tented camp.

We’ll be off to Glacier Camp after breakfast in our camp. The trail ahead is demanding, and we have to use fixed ropes to cross a glacier area. We will gradually cross the glacier enjoying all the sceneries around. Also, we’ll stretch across loose rocks in the Chonbarden Gorge. There will be walking for several hours over the glacier to reach the Japanese Base Camp. We’ll have an expedition-like experience here. Overnight in a tented camp.

We take a rough trail to start the trek to Dhaulagiri Base Camp. While we walk the tiring path, we’ll catch breathtaking sights of Tukuche Peak, Dhaulagiri I, and other peaks.  We will also view the starting point of the Dhaulagiri Expedition. The 5 hours of trek will lead us to the base camp. Overnight in a tented camp.

Here comes the most scenic day of the entire Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek. With excitement, we’ll leave the base camp area for French Pass. The first stretch of the day will involve us in climbing using ropes. After that, we’ll be trekking on a more accessible trail to French Pass. From the pinpoint of the pass, we’ll catch more glimpses of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna massifs. Then we’ll drop from the pass to land in the Hidden Valley. Overnight in a tented camp.

Today, we’ll climb past Thapa Pass, another major pass of the Dhaulagiri Round Trek, to arrive in Yak Kharka. Firstly, we’ll do an uphill climb to the Dhampus or Thapa Pass. It will be a tiring one, so we’ll take it slow. And as a reward, we’ll get some of the best views of the trek. Then, we’ll descend to Yak Kharka, a pasture for yak grazing. Overnight in Yak Kharka.

From Yak Kharka’s beautiful vicinity, we’ll trek in the direction of Tukuche. We’ll leave the pasture lands of Yak Kharka to enter a jungle full of green trees. Out of the jungle, we’ll walk across moraines for some hours to reach Tukuche. Overnight in a tented camp in Tuckuche.

Following the Kali Gandaki River banks, we will reach the confluence point of the famous Annapurna Circuit Trek. Then experiencing the trail’s offering of mountains and landscapes, we’ll end up in Ghasa for the night.

To continue the trek, we’ll leave Ghasa for Tatopani, a place with a natural hot spring. While we approach Tatopani, we’ll pass via the world’s deepest gorge, the gorge made by the Kali Gandaki River. We’ll have a hot and healing evening in Tatopani by having a hot spring bath. Overnight in Tatopani’s lodge.

Instead of returning straight to Pokhara, we’ll trek towards Ghorepani. It will be an ascending trek of 8-9 hrs where we’ll climb via stone steps of various villages of the Annapurna Region. This will allow us to see the culture of the locals. And with that, the long trekking day will end in Ghorepani’s lodge.

We’ll do a morning visit to Poon Hill for a striking sunrise view over Annapurna massifs. After the view, we’ll return to Ghorepani to eat our breakfast. And then we’ll trek via Tikhedhunga and Birethani to reach Nayapul. From Nayapul, we’ll take an hour-long drive back to Pokhara. Overnight in the happening setting of Pokhara.

We’ll choose between Flight and drive to Kathmandu as per our comfort. The drive is around 6 hours long whereas the flight is only 25 minutes. Both ways, we’ll have something beautiful to enjoy through our windows. Upon reaching Kathmandu, we’ll transfer to our hotel for a deserving rest. Overnight in Kathmandu.

As the Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek will be done from our side by this day, the time for departure is upon you.  If there is time, we will take you for shopping in the morning. Otherwise, or next, we’ll assist you with an airport transfer as per your flight schedule. Farewell!

What's Included?

Cost Excludes

FAQ's

Where is the Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek?
  • The Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek is in western Nepal, circling Mt. Dhaulagiri (8,167 m), the world’s seventh-highest mountain.
How difficult is the Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek?
  • It is a very challenging trek, suitable only for experienced trekkers with high-altitude trekking experience.
What is the highest point of Dhaulagiri Circuit trek?
  • The highest point is French Pass (5,360 m), followed by Dhampus Pass (5,244 m).
What is the best season for the Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek?
  • The best time is spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) for stable weather and clear mountain views.
Is the Dhaulagiri Circuit a camping trek?
  • Yes. It is mostly a fully supported camping trek, with limited tea houses in lower areas.
What permits are needed for Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek ?

  • Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP)

  • TIMS Card

What are the highlights of Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek?

  • Close-up views of Dhaulagiri, Tukuche Peak, Nilgiri, and Annapurna

  • Crossing French Pass and Dhampus Pass

  • Remote wilderness and glaciers

  • True expedition-style trekking experience

Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek - 20 Days
Price USD 2895
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