Witness Seven Eight Thousander Peaks From A Single Viewpoint
In the meantime, Pikey Peak Trek is fast becoming one of the most sought after treks in Nepal for those who wish to see the Everest from a distance without the high costs, time and crowds of the classic Everest Base Camp trek. This trek is sheltered in the lower hills of Solukhumbu region with the highest point of 4065 meters at Pikey Peak, a summit which has been a favorite of photographers and mountaineers for its continuous view almost 360 Degree. From the top, you can spot the Annapurna ranges and the Manaslu ranges to the west and north; the peaks of the Khumbu around Everest, the Kanchenjunga to the east; and the nearest and most dramatic neighbours, Numbur and Karyolung, which rise directly across the valley, seemingly within reach.
The best part of Pikey Peak Trek over the other old and well-known hikes is the fact that it opened up to trekkers just a few years ago. The trail is still young and teahouses along the way are simple by design; twin sharing rooms, shared bathrooms and Asian style toilets as opposed to the comfort of an ensuite on busier Everest or Annapurna trails. The kitchens are, however, above par and features a fusion of Nepali traditional dishes like dal bhat with western comfort food like pasta, pizza and pancakes. But that newness also means low footfall; this is still very much an under-the-radar trek, though it's in the same much larger region as Everest itself.
One aspect that is also unexpected for first time visitors is that much of the trail is on the dirt road and not a traditional mountain hiking trail. This trail follows the road from Dhap, with most of the walk to Jhapre and the road to Pikey Base Camp at lunch stop in Baudha being on this road. The upside is that the road is not very busy, and it remains a serene trek, but on a softer, broader road that doesn't feel quite as knee-burning as a typical Himalayan trail and is even easier to run on.
The trip starts with an exciting but lengthy drive from Kathmandu to Dhap which takes about 10 hours via winding hill roads and then an overnight in Dhap village. It is truly amazing that on a clear day, you can see Everest from Dhap and it remains visible for much of the first four days of the trek. Day two is mostly on the road to Jhapre, views gradually opening up towards the Numbur Himal. The road continues mainly on Day three, with a few good trail sections interspersed in before reaching Pikey Base Camp at Baudha for lunch. Then it was off to the Pikey Peak summit where trekkers rose before sunrise to witness the dawn of the day, the highlight of the hike. Most tours then descend into Junbesi where they spend the day touring the region and visiting one of the biggest Tibetan Buddhist temples, Thupten Choling Monastery, before heading to Phaplu or Salleri for the trip home to Kathmandu.
The best sky clarity and mountain visibility occur during the spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November) seasons, with the rhododendron flower in spring being especially popular with hikers. With the highest point just over 4000 meters, altitude sickness is not a major issue here as compared to treks above 5,000 meters and it is an excellent option for beginners, families or those who do not have enough time. The exact route to make this trek requires some Permits from the Gaurishankar Conservation Area, and some routes also require a Sagarmatha National Park entry fee and a local area permit, so consult a local trekking company regarding the permits required based on your route of choice and start and end point.
The culmination of Pikey Peak Trek comes when the sun rises over the clouds at the summit, when Everest, Makalu, and Kanchenjunga in the distance appear to be neighbors while Numbur and Karyolung are so close as to feel like neighbors. It only requires minimal time, fitness and budget, and in return offers one of the most complete Himalayan panoramas in Nepal in a road far less travelled, and in a quiet, uncrowded manner.
You want to see Everest
You want to see multiple eight thousanders in a single trek
You want less touristy trails
You want to trek not higher than 4000m range
You dont prefer walking on roads for long distance
You want more comfortable and luxury Teahouses
Today, we drive to Dhap, from where we will start the trek next day. We pick you up from your hotel at Kathmandu and start driving at around 6 AM in the morning. It takes around 9-10 hrs. of drive and we will have 3 breaks in between for breakfast, lunch and snacks. The drive route is scenic passing through beautiful villages, ridges, riverbanks with the views of Langtang, Rolwaling mountain ranges as well.
We wake up early in the morning for sunrise views over the snowcapped Himalayan Ranges. From Dhap itself we can see Everest alongside Lhotse peak. The closest peaks would be Numbur and Karyelung.
After breakfast, we start our hike to Jhapre. We mostly follow the road for today with few sections, around twenty percent on trekking trail. Initially, we go through the ridge and then descend down around 330m in elevation and on the second half, we ascend up. The trail passes through beautiful pine and oak forest along with the views of Himalayas. As its relatively a shorter day, we reach to Jhapre itself for lunch. Later, we explore the monastery nearby.
We again wake up early for the sunrise views as we see Everest and Lhotse peaks. In addition, we see Makalu Peak as well. Apart from these eight thousander peaks, we see a layers of hills beneath them.
We start our hike after the breakfast. Initially, we go a bit steep at first and then we get to the road again from where its mostly flat or gradual uphill through the ridge. We see the same peaks throughout the trail, now in addition with Kanchenjunga peak in the east. We stop at Bhulbhule for tea break and then reach Boudha roughly after 3-4 hrs of hike for lunch. From Baudha onwards, we leave the road and hike through the trekking trail to Pikey Base Camp. The half hour hike in between is slightly steep before the half hour gradual hike to the teahouse at Base Camp.
From Base Camp, we can see Annapuna, Manaslu and Langtang range peaks.
Today, we wake up a couple of hours early to sunrise as we start our hike one and a half hour before sunrise. The hike to Pikey Peak can take in between one to one and a half hour depending on our pace.
From Pikey Peak, there is 360 degree views of mountains. From the west, we can see Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh, Langtang, Rolwaling, Khumbu/Mahalangur, Makalu to Kanchenjunga range peaks and a total of 7 Eight Thousander Peaks. Numbur and Karyelung would be the nearby peaks. Everest would be smiling above the smaller mountain layers along with Lhotse.
From Pikey Peak, we descend for an hour to reach Jasmane Bhanjyang, where we stop for breakfast. From there, we ascend up for an hour before starting our descent to Junbesi. We stop in between at Taktor for lunch from where we continue to Junbesi on the road.
Today, its the monastery exploration day at Thupten Choling. Its 4KM to the monastery meaning 8 KM both ways. It can take around a couple of hours to reach the monastery from Junbesi. We would be taking around 2-3 hrs exploring the area before we head down to Junbesi. We can just take our daybag instead of carrying the mainbag as we would be returning back to same homestay at Junbesi.
Today, we mostly hike through the road again. We initially get down to the river and go through the road listening to the breeze of Salleri Stream. The surrounding is mostly pine forests with small Sherpa Community settlements. There is an uphill section before reaching Phaplu, otherwise its mostly downhill hike. From Phaplu, its another 30 minutes hike down to Salleri.
We start driving from Salleri at around 5 AM in the morning as the total drive can take around 12 Hrs. to Kathmandu. We pass via Dhap and the same highway back. We take three major breaks for breakfast, lunch and snacks.
We will manage the both two way transport from Kathmandu and back. We do private transport both ways but you want to slightly reduce the cost and can adjust on shared transfer, we can go on shared regular jeeps as well.
Since Pikey Peak is a newly explored and promoted trail, the teahouses are basic. You will have a twin sharing room and mostly shared common washroom instead of attached ones.