Europe The Americas Questions? Need Itineraries?
Above the Clouds Home
Page
When looking at the multitude of treks available in the Himalaya today, a select few stand alone at the top. Our Laya & Lunana trek is clearly in this category. We'll cross a total of seven passes, four of them well over 16,000', as we pass through the highest and wildest corner of Bhutan. We'll see the tallest, most dramatic Himalayan peaks in Bhutan, and get to meet the friendly villagers who live in their shadows. Turquoise-tinted lakes and high altitude wildlife like the snow leopard and blue sheep round out the trek's highlights.
This epic adventure begins with a drive from the airport in Paro to Thimphu, the low-key capital of Bhutan. We continue on to Wangdiphodrang to catch the grand finale of their annual tsechu, which includes traditional masked dances and the unfurling of the three-story high thongdrel, exhibited for a scant few hours each year. We now drive via Punakha to the roadhead to begin our great adventure.
Our trek route takes us up the Mo Chu (River) to its very source near Laya, at the foot of Gangchey Ta (22,290') which forms the border with Tibet. The people of Laya are rarely visited by outsiders, live semi-nomadic lives in their black yak hair tents, and are extremely care-free and welcoming. The women wear their hair long—unusual in Bhutan, and wear waterproof robes made from the wool of goats, sheep, and yaks. After enjoying our short visit with the Layans, we head east over the first series of passes to gain access to the most inaccessible corner of this inaccessible kingdom, Lunana. To the north, along the Tibetan border, the highest peaks sit majestically, turquoise lakes at their feet in obeisance.
We now drop down into the high Lunana Valley, sprinkled with little villages peopled by folks as hardy and contented as will be found anywhere. Their warmth and hospitality will be as intense as their surprise at seeing our arrival in their villages. The background for these days of revelry will be the most dramatic mountain scenery to be found in Bhutan, stunning snow-capped peaks and the high, wild valleys at their feet.
With mixed emotions, we must eventually leave this special, other-worldly idyll, and prepare for the journey back out, which involves four passes, the highest of them just under 17,000'. The days are mostly long and hard, through pristine wilderness dotted with crystal lakes. After nearly a week's trek, we arrive at the roadhead near Tongsa and drive to Paro for our final, more sublime adventure. Our final day is spent in ascending to—and standing in wrapt awe before—the one-of-a-kind Taktsang Dzong, perched dramatically atop a 2,000' sheer cliff. We fly out from Paro.
Grade: Ass-kickin' Strenuous.
Land Cost:
$6,100 (8-12 members)
$6,550 (4-7 members)
Single Supplement: $25/day if available.
Himalaya Europe The Americas
Questions? Need Itineraries? Above the Clouds Home
Page
Questions? Need Itineraries?
Above the Clouds
PO Box 388
Hinesburg, VT 05461
Phone: (802) 482-4848
Fax: (802) 482-5011
e-mail: info@aboveclouds.com
Copyright © 2007 Above the Clouds, Inc.. All rights reserved.