Rara Lake Wilderness and Ancient Sinja Valley Trek

Our airport representative welcomes our team at Tribhuvan International Airport upon arrival and transfers us to our hotel in Kathmandu. We use the rest of the day to settle in and review our trekking gear before dinner.

We spend our day touring key cultural landmarks across the Kathmandu Valley, including Kathmandu Durbar Square, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, and Pashupatinath. Afterward, our lead guide conducts a final equipment and logistics briefing.

We take a morning or afternoon domestic flight down to Nepalgunj, a bustling lowland city in the Terai region near the Indian border. The climate here is significantly warmer and more humid than in the capital.

We board an early morning mountain flight to Jumla, where we meet our trekking crew. Following lunch, we traverse north out of the valley, passing early 15th-century Buddhist stupas in Micha before reaching our campsite at Chala Chaur.

We tackle a steep, stone-paved ascent through birch and pine forests, topping out at a grassy pass around 3500 m. From this vantage point, we catch our first clear views of Kanjiroba's twin peaks before descending to a meadow campsite.

We follow the Jaljala Khola past terraced farmland and the 300-year-old Kanaksundari Temple. Crossing a plank bridge, we enter Sinja village—the ancient Malla capital—before continuing our descent through a narrow gorge to Botan.

We follow the Ghatta Khola upstream through a scenic valley, passing primitive flour mills and a local police checkpost as we officially cross into Rara National Park territory. We make camp in the village of Gorosingha.

We climb steadily to the Ghurchi Mara ridge at 3710 m for expansive northern mountain views, then descend through bamboo and birch woods. Crossing the Khatyar Khola, we follow the river upstream to establish our camp by the shores of Rara Lake.

We dedicate today to exploring the lake perimeter and visiting the old Rara village site and national park headquarters. Those of us seeking an elevated perspective climb the wooden observation tower, while others take a refreshing swim in the clear water.

We depart the lake shores, cross a local ridge into Jhyari village, and follow the Jhyari Khola past terraced fields. As evening approaches, we pitch our tents near the banks of the Dhauligar Khola.

We climb through the village of Pina and ascend the steep slopes of the Ghurchi Lagna pass, passing alpine pastures, walnut groves, and stone chortens. A steady descent brings us down into the settlement of Chautha.

We trace the northern bank of the Sinja Khola past the massive rock overhangs at Kabra, known for mineral silajit deposits. After passing through Bumra and Nyawre, we climb to our high pasture campsite at Tharamara.

We march upward through tall birch trees toward Khali Lagna and Danphe Lekh, enjoying our final panoramic views of the southern mountain ridges. A steep descent brings us back down into the bustling market town of Jumla.

We catch an early morning return flight from Jumla to Nepalgunj, connecting smoothly to our afternoon flight back to Kathmandu. Our team transfers us back to our hotel for a restful evening.

We keep today free for personal rest, souvenir shopping, or independent exploration around the alleys of Thamel and Kathmandu.

Our driver picks us up from the hotel and transfers us to Tribhuvan International Airport in time for our international departure flight.