Trekking in Western Nepal

Trekking in Western Nepal

Western Nepal, the region west of Kali Gandaki river, offers a chance to visit fascinating country and people. Generally, the part of western Nepal is not often visited by trekkers. Facilities are few and distances are great in western Nepal. Except for the treks near Dhaulagiri Range, few trails provides view of spectacular mountains.

The country is very rugged and, in the northern reaches, has a feeling of openness. The farther west you go, the less contact the people have had with Westerners. Very few trekkers visit western Nepal, even now. A visit to western Nepal prove exciting, as there is a good chance of finding something new. Rara also provides good opportunities to see some western Nepal bird specialties, such as the cheer pheasant and white-throated tit. The lake is a popular staging point for migrating water-birds over flying the Himalaya. Grasslands bordering the lake are full of colourful flowers in spring and summer.

Trekking Season: Most of western Nepal is either outside of the monsoon's influence or else in the rain shadow of Dhaulagiri Himal. Summers tend to be dry and there are few leeches. The best time for trekking is from late August to September when the wildflowers are in bloom. Winters are cold and there is a considerable amount of snow - so much, in fact, that there is some potential for skiing in parts of western Nepal. The trekking season, therefore, is from late spring and throughout the summer until late October. One problem with summer treks in the west is the inordinate number of flies that gather on food and inside tents.