22-Day Rolwaling Valley Trek Nepal

22 Days in the Rolwaling Valley

Days 1 to 2  |  Kathmandu and the Drive East

Arrive in Kathmandu and set off the next morning on the drive east to Charikot, a market town on the edge of the deep Tama Valley, with the first views of the Rolwaling Himal above the terraced farmland along the road. Trek to Makaibari for the first night under canvas.

Days 3 to 7  |  The Tama Koshi Gorge

Follow the Tama Koshi River through mixed subtropical forest and along boulder-strewn banks to the town of Jagat, where orchids grow on the big trees above the trail. Cross the suspension bridge where the Rolwaling River falls 250 meters into the Tama, one of the most striking sights on the whole route, then climb steeply to the Sherpa village of Simigaon at 2,000 meters, set on a cliff above the valley with huge rock walls rising across the gorge.

Days 8 to 12  |  Into the Rolwaling Valley

Climb through dense, wet forest where Spanish moss hangs from every branch and the fir trunks disappear into the mist. This is the forest behind the Yeti stories. Reach the high alpine pasture settlement of Na at 4,180 meters, where stone houses with timber roofs curve around the river and families have grazed yaks on these pastures since before written records. Then walk the valley floor to Tso Rolpa, the glacial lake at 4,580 meters, where the Rolwaling River flows out of a moraine dam below a ring of peaks.

Days 13 to 22  |  The Yarlung La Crossing and Return

The Yarlung La, at 5,250 meters, is the biggest challenge of the expedition: a high pass through black rock and snow with views to Cho Oyu, Everest, and Gaurishankar on clear days. Descend through remote wilderness, visit the Bigu Gompa nunnery, home to over 300 Buddhist nuns, and return over the Tinsang La before the final drive from Barabise back to Kathmandu.

Day by Day

Days 1 to 2  Kathmandu to Makaibari  The Drive East

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport, where we give you a traditional Sherpa welcome and take you to the hotel. The full expedition briefing covers the route, how we manage altitude for the high-pass crossing, the gear you need, and what the 22 days ahead will ask of you. The Rolwaling is one of the more serious treks in Nepal's standard trekking calendar, and the briefing is thorough to match.

Leave Kathmandu early the next morning by private coach, driving east along the Araniko Highway toward the Tama Valley. Charikot sits on the side of the valley at 1,940 meters, a busy market town and the last sizable settlement before the mountains begin. From the road you get your first views of the Rolwaling Himal, white and distant above the ridge and the terraced farmland of the middle hills. From Charikot, trek through local farms to Makaibari for the first night of camping. The camp staff will have everything ready when you arrive.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel then Professional Tented Camp

Days 3 to 7  Sunakhari to Simigaon  The Tama Koshi Gorge

The trail along the Tama Koshi River is one of the best approach routes in eastern Nepal: a deep gorge cut through mixed subtropical forest, with the river running big and loud below and the valley walls rising steeply on both sides. The forest feels tropical, with large trees draped in orchids, stretches of trail so shaded that no sunlight reaches the ground, and the sound of water everywhere from the river and the side streams running off the gorge walls.

Jagat, several days into the approach, is a relaxed town that guides know for the orchid trees along its main street and for the good teahouses on the trail. The landmark of this section comes as the trail rounds a bend above the Tama and you see the Rolwaling River joining it. The Rolwaling drops roughly 250 meters in a series of falls before it reaches the main river, and the suspension bridge above the confluence is one of the best river viewpoints in the valley. From the bridge a steep climb gains a lot of height quickly. Simigaon, at 2,000 meters, is a Sherpa village on a cliff above the valley junction, with huge rock walls rising across the gorge to the east and your first proper views of the peaks around the upper Rolwaling.

Stay: Professional Tented Camp

Days 8 to 12  Bhedi Goth to Na  The Mysterious Valley

Above Simigaon the forest is denser, wetter, and older than in the gorge below. The fir trees are huge, their branches hung with Spanish moss, the gray-green lichen that thrives in the steady mist of the upper valley. The light is soft and gray even on clear days, and the forest floor is thick with moss. This is where the Rolwaling Yeti stories come from, and Sherpa communities have described encounters with large unidentified animals in these forests for generations.

Above the treeline the valley opens out. Na, at 4,180 meters, is one of the highest permanently inhabited settlements in the Rolwaling, a cluster of stone houses with timber roofs around the river in a bowl of high alpine pasture. The yak herders who spend the summer here have used these pastures since before the outside world knew the valley. The barberry bushes that cover the valley floor turn red in autumn. Looking up the valley from Na toward the glacier, a flat green pasture ends abruptly at a wall of ice and rock, one of the best-known views in the Rolwaling.

The walk from Na to the head of the valley is a short day, for acclimatization and to see the glacial lake. Tso Rolpa, at 4,580 meters, sits behind a moraine dam at the foot of the Trakarding Glacier, the meltwater of the Rolwaling Himal held in a turquoise lake ringed by rock formations in many colors. The lake has grown steadily as the glacier retreats and is now one of the most closely monitored glacial lakes in Nepal because of the flood risk to villages downstream. Take your time at the shore and look up at the ice above.

Stay: Professional Tented Camp

Days 13 to 22  The Yarlung La to Kathmandu  The High Crossing and Return

The Yarlung La, at 5,250 meters, is the hardest part of the expedition. From the Rolwaling side the route climbs through Kharja and the high yak pastures at Rabuk before the final push to the pass over black rock and snow. The altitude here is serious: well above the level where acute mountain sickness becomes a real risk, with roughly half the oxygen of sea level in the air. The guide team keeps to a strict acclimatization schedule, and guests who have followed the pace of the earlier days arrive in good condition.

On a clear day the view from the pass reaches east toward the Khumbu: Cho Oyu at 8,188 meters, Everest at 8,849 meters, and Gaurishankar at 7,134 meters are all visible. Gaurishankar is a twin-peaked massif held sacred by both Hindu and Buddhist communities across the region. The descent on the eastern side of the pass drops through remote wilderness before the trail comes back into forest.

The return route passes Bigu Gompa, the most important Buddhist institution in the Rolwaling region and home to more than 300 Buddhist nuns. The gompa sits in open parkland well off the standard trekking circuits, and the nuns keep a daily schedule of prayer, study, and ritual that has continued with little interruption for generations. Continue down through rhododendron forest to Mabu and the religious center of Chilanga, then on to Barabise on the Araniko Highway. From Barabise the drive back to Kathmandu follows the Bhote Koshi River gorge, one of the most scenic stretches of highway in Nepal, and you arrive in the city for the final night.

Stay: Professional Tented Camp then Kathmandu Hotel

The Sherpa Standard

Every SherpaHolidays trip is fully supported. Here is what that means on this one.

Accommodation and Meals

• Kathmandu: Hotel accommodation on arrival and final night, twin-sharing basis.
• Full Expedition Camping: 19 nights of professional tented camping with high-quality equipment at carefully chosen wilderness sites along the route.
• Full Board on Trek: All meals during the expedition: breakfast, lunch, and dinner freshly prepared each day by the expedition kitchen team.
• High-Altitude Cuisine: A chance to try local high-altitude cheese and freshly boiled mountain potatoes, the staple foods of the valley communities.

Leadership and Logistics

• Expedition Lead Guide: Dedicated English-speaking Sherpa guide with experience on high passes and specific knowledge of the Rolwaling Valley.
• Sherpa Support Team: Full team of local porters and camp assistants for all heavy luggage and tent management.
• Safety Protocol: Full gear check before the expedition, mandatory altitude briefings before the Yarlung La crossing, and continuous monitoring throughout.

Transport and Logistics

• Private Transfers: All airport pickups and drops in Kathmandu.
• Overland Transport: Private coach from Kathmandu to Charikot and return from Barabise.
• Permits: All trekking permits, restricted area access fees, and local government taxes fully managed.

What Is Not Included

• International airfare to and from Kathmandu
• Nepal entry visa fees
• Lunch and dinner while in Kathmandu
• Personal gear for the high pass
• Comprehensive travel insurance, which is a condition of every booking. Your policy must cover emergency medical treatment, emergency evacuation, trip cancellation and interruption, and repatriation. We can recommend providers.
• Tips for guides and porters
• Single supplement (for those taking a private room)

Five Highlights

A Beyul: One of the Seven Hidden Valleys

Tibetan Buddhist tradition names seven beyul, sacred hidden valleys within the Himalayan ranges believed to be places of refuge and spiritual power, and the Rolwaling is one of them. It is not on the standard trekking circuits, does not appear in most Nepal guidebooks, and sees a fraction of the visitors of the Annapurna or Everest regions. Its geography keeps it hidden as much as its culture does: you need a long approach and a high pass to get in and out, and that has kept the valley much as it has always been.

The Yeti Country

In 1951, Eric Shipton photographed large unidentified footprints in the snow on the Menlung Glacier, on the pass connecting Rolwaling to the Khumbu. The photographs are still the most widely reproduced evidence for the Yeti and have never been definitively explained. The Rolwaling Sherpa community has described encounters with large animals in the upper valley forests for generations, and the mossy fir forests above Simigaon are the place they mean.

Tso Rolpa Glacial Lake

At the head of the valley, at 4,580 meters, the glacial lake sits behind a moraine dam at the foot of the Trakarding Glacier, its turquoise water ringed by rock formations in many colors. It is one of the most closely monitored glacial lakes in Nepal, because it keeps growing as the glacier retreats and the flood risk grows with it. From the shore you look straight up at the ice that feeds it.

The Yarlung La at 5,250 Meters

This high pass through black rock and snow connects the Rolwaling to the eastern valleys. On a clear day you can see Cho Oyu, Everest, and Gaurishankar across the Khumbu horizon from the top. The crossing takes proper acclimatization, serious preparation, and a team that has done it before, and it is one of the harder things you can do on foot in Nepal without technical climbing equipment.

Bigu Gompa and 300 Nuns

The large nunnery at Bigu Gompa sits in open parkland on the descent from the Yarlung La, well away from any standard trekking circuit. More than 300 Buddhist nuns live and practice here, keeping up a daily round of ritual, study, and prayer. You reach it near the end of the expedition, after ten days of remote wilderness.