22 days Chulu East Peak Climbing
Less then Popular
Chulu East peak climbing in Annapurna trekking region is one of the most adventurous itineraries in Nepal. The Chulu peak is one of the top trekking peaks of the famous Annapurna trekking region of Nepal. The peak lies in between Annapurna mountain range to the North and Manang valley to the south. Technically, the peak has three flanks Chulu East (6584m) Chulu West (6419m) and Chulu Far East (6059m) and climbers appreciate all the summit.
Even though Chulu East peak climbing is categorized under the trekking peak, all the peaks are technically and physically demanding. You may require mountaineering knowledge and skills beforehand to conquer these peaks. Furthermore, Chulu East peak Climbing is the most difficult among all three peaks. Finally, the ultimate adventure of peak climbing comes to an end after capturing an outstanding view from the top of the peak. Annapurna II , AnnapurnaIII, Annapurna IV, Gangapurna, Dhaulagiri are some major peaks and mountains that allure trek to attempt Chulu Peak.
The itinerary of Chulu East peak climbing has two different part trekking and climbing. The itinerary starts in the same manner to that of Annapurna Round in Marshyangdi valley. Crossing numerous interesting countryside villages in temperate region, trekker subsequently enters sub-alpine settlements. Places like Pisang and Ngawal are really beautiful. Upon the successful summit of Chulu East, trekker heads to Yak Kharka. Crossing Thorong-La pass trekking descends down to Kaligandaki valley that has a trans-Himalayan landscape.
There are distinctive differences in cultural and traditional practices in between people of lower trekking region and upper trekking region. The lower trekking region has highly diversified community of Brahamin, chhetri, Magar and Gurung dominated by Hinduism. While places like Pisang, Ngawal, Julu have marginalized communities following Buddhism highly influenced by Tibetan culture and traditions.
Chulu East peak Climbing has numerous itinerary options. After Chulu East peak Climbing trekkers and climbers can trek back or drive back to Syange without attempting Thorong-La pass. Likewise, can do Tilicho lake trekking, but it is highly unlikely scenario. The itinerary is also highly effective with Narphu valley trekking. Equally important, pre-climbing trekking itinerary is highly significant than a post-climbing trekking itinerary to challenge the risk of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS).
Outline Itinerary
Day 1 International Arrival in Kathmandu(1300m)
Day 2 Sightseeing in Kathmandu,Permit preparation day, briefing by official executive, handing assignment to guide
Day 3 Drive from Kathmandu to Bhulbhule(850m)
Day 4 Trek from Bhulbhule to Syange(1315m)
Day 5 Trek from Syange to to Tal(1710m)
Day 6 Trek from Tal to Bagarchhap(2080m)
Day 7 Trek from Bagarchhap to Chame(2710m)
Day 8 Trek from Chame to Pisang(3300m)
Day 9 Trek from Pisang to Ngawal(36600m)
Day 10 Trek from Ngawal to Chulu Base Camp(3910m)
Day 11 Acclimatization day in Base Camp(4900m)
Day 12 Chulu Base Camp to CampI (5335m)
Day 13 Camp I to Camp II (6000m)
Day 14 Summit Chulu East (6584m) and descend to Camp I (5335m)
Day 15 Trek from Camp I to Julu(3500m)
Day 16 Trek from Julu to Yak Kharka(4130m)
Day 17 Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi(4420m)
Day 18 Trek from Thorong Phedi to Muktinath(3800m) via Thorong-La pass(5416m)
Day 19 Trek from Muktinath to Jomsom(2700m)
Day 20 Fly from Jomsom to Pokhara
Day 21 Fly/Drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu
Day 22 International Departure
Note: This is a standard itinerary proposed for general trekkers which can be modified until then, that do not violate our business ethics and norms. We will always seek verification from our field experts before approving your itinerary.
Detailed Day to Day Itinerary
We will drive you straight to your hotel in private vehicle as soon as you land at Tribhuvan International Airport of Kathmandu. We will give you short briefing on our final agreed program. And if you are the first time traveler in Nepal we will give information about restaurant, ATM, money exchanges and other useful information until we meet for next day.
There are various major cultural historical and religious places around Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur for sightseeing. Pashupatinath, Bauddhanath, Swayambhunath, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu Durbar Square and Patan Durbar square are our top lists. Most of them are listed on UNESCO world heritage sites. Later in the evening we will arrange dinner with your trekking guide so you can know each other and talk about your trekking itineraries.
After your breakfast, we drive to Westside of Nepal on zigzag hilly road by the bank of Trishuli and head north following Marshyangdi riverto reach Besisahar from Dumre.It takes 6 hr drive to reach Besisahar a well developed town from where most of the economic and administration works are handled. An hour drive from Besisahar on dusty and off-road takes you to Bhulbhule.
Crossing a suspension bridge from Bhulbhule the path continues by the bank of Marshyangdi river with terraced paddy fields seen around. We may see the first glimpse of Mount Manaslu on horizon. Waterfalls accompanied by deciduous forest on hilly slopes of lower temperate region makes the trekking beautiful.We climb a steep hill to reach Bahundanda (literally hill of Brahmins) after crossing suspension bridge in Lampata. The trail again descends to reach Syange by the bank of Marshyangdi river that rejoins with jeep road.
The path is steep climb from Syange to Jagat. The trekking trail is alongside the dusty jeep roads which sometime get on your nerves but the dense forest with beautiful waterfalls and towering cliffs make the trekking wonderful. The path combines small ascends and descends to reach another settlement at Chamje, from where you will steep climb for an hour and cross suspension bridge to reach Tal a settlement by the bank of Marshyangdi River where we can see fraction of Tibetan culture and tradition inspired from Manang valley.
The trekking is fairly easy and gentle from Tal to Dharapani. The trekking continues by the bank of river with numerous waterfalls seen on the way with beautiful rock canyons. We will trek about three and half hours to reach Dharapani an intersection for Manaslu and Annapurna trekking. From Dharapani vegetations are mostly accompanied by Lower Temperate forest of chir pine ,maples,broken by few subalpine trees.
The trekking path from Bagarchhap to Danaque is flat and easy then we abandonjeep road to climb a steep up accompanied by rhododendron forestto reach a beautiful place Timang. Rocky cliffs adjacent to peaks and mountains really start to appear beautiful on horizon as you trek in pine forest. Lamjung Himal (6983m), Annapurna II (7937m) and Annapurna IV (7525m) are spotted which will continue to appear and disappear till the end of trekking. Chame is beautiful large settlement which is also an administrative headquarter of Manang district.
Leaving behind chortens and mani walls in Chame we trek on rocky and steep canyons for few hours in deep and narrow valley to reach Bhartang.We cross a suspension bridge and climb steep slope in between pine forest for about 2 hour and then the trail becomes more gentle and easy to reach Pisang ; village surrounded by Chulu and Pisang peak.The day becomes clearly interesting as trekking path from Upper temperate region enters to subalpine region with widening valley accompanied by shallow vegetation.
Normally there is straight lower route from Pisang to reach Manang but these days most of the trekkers take the upper trail through Gheru and Ngawal . Though you need to climb steep for an hour to reach Gheru it is highly recommended for the scenic views of Gangapurna, Pisang peak, AnnapurnaII, AnnapurnaIII and Chulu peak on horizon and Marshyangdi valley at deep bottom.Due to poor rainfall and cold weather the subalpine vegetation seems dry and significantly different with sparse pine trees. The trekking path is easy with small up-downs in between pine trees to reach Ngawal.
From Ngawal we take upper trail that leads to another settlement Julu village.The trail is much more beautiful in open meadow and crop fields that gives unrestricted view of AnnapurnaIII and Pisang peak. Passing pine forest down the valley Julu village welcomes with numerous Chortens manis wall and paryer flags.Crossing the Julu Khola we head to Chulu Base Camp through rocky and isolated trail which takes approximately 5 hr and spend our night on tent.
In order to adopt our body with new environment, humidity, temperature and altitude it is highly important to acclimatize yourself. The climbing guide also provides the information on technical requirement to summit the peak and inspect the climbing equipments for final time. To amplify the acclimatization and as a practice session we climb few meters towards camp I (5335m) and return to spend the night at Base camp on the tent.
We start our climb first on grassy slope and then the path becomes rocky with few scattered snowand then finally climb on snowy slope to reach campI. We start our day as early as possible after breakfast to avoid the bad weather. As the climbing continues we see beautiful Annapurna ranges and Pisang peak dominating the whole valley. The day can be bonus for experience climbers as they can summit Chulu Far East (6059m) and return to spend the night at Camp I (5335m) as well it is always good idea to attempt by amateur climbers as well.
Though most climber head right from camp I(5335m) it is actually Chulu Far East(6059), instead we head left on glaciated slope for actual summit of Chulu East(6584m).Chulu east is technically and physically difficult to summit without campII(6000m).From CampI although the climb is gentle but it is still time consuming to reach the campII where we set our final camp at the ridge just below the summit.
The actual summit of the Chulu East starts 2 am in the morning to avoid bad weather. The last 500m section of the climbing is steep on the ridge which slows down your pace of climbing .Upon summit you can see the magnificent Annapurna ranges including AnnapurnaI(8091m) AnnapurnaII(7937m) at the south and Manaslu( 8163m) at the east with numerous trekking peaks surrounding you. After quick photo session we descend down to campI(5335m) and spend the night at tent.
We leave back the icy and rocky landscape behind and head to human settlement village Julu. The green meadows and crop fields seems much more beautiful and lively than seen few days ago after spending long time on isolated landscape. Again the Annapurna ranges and Pisang peak is seen beautiful from Julu village. You can visit around this small village on your own to know few culture and tradition if you have any energy left.
We head Manang from Julu village enjoying the wonderful open meadows and pine forest down the Marshyangdi valley passing by another beautiful village Braga from where Manang is just about 30min walk.You are well acclimatized so we continue our trek to Yak Kharka which takes 4hr from Mananag. The sparse juniper bushes on the trekking trail and parallel view of Annapurna II, AnnapurnaIII,and Gangapurna ranges makes the trekking much more fun and beautiful.
You climb gradually up towards the head of Valley to reach the Thorang Phedi which takes around 4 hr walk from Yak Kharka. After crossing the suspension bridge, the winding narrow path continues with the Thorong Khola deep in Thorang Valley. The landscape becomes much more hostile and fragile with steep slopes which have been eaten by ancient glacier. Throrang phediwelcomes you with chorten ,you may relax on your own or can hike up to high camp.
We start early morning since you will have long and relatively hard day. Most importantly, the weather could dramatically change in high altitude. One hour climb from Thorong phedi leads you to High Camp (4830m), where you can take a short tea break to warm yourself. The path seems easy and gentle but the altitude makes the trekking slower and tiring. After 2 hr walk from High camp, the prayer flags could be seen from far away at Thorong-La pass (5416m) top which offers the magnificent view of Thorong peak, Yakwakang peak, Chulu west. After congratulating and picture session we trek down about 4 hr to reach Muktinath enjoying the vast Kaligandaki valley.
Muktinath is holy site equally important to Hindu and Buddhist piligrims.It is worthy to visit the Muktinath temple in the morning before descending Jomsom. You can see lot of Hindu and Buddhist people taking bath in icy cold water. You can see massive Mount Dhaulagiri(8167m) dominating the wide Kaligandaki valley. While trekking down you can notice the fraction of Trans Himalaya zone with dusty windy and barren landscape together enjoying the view of Nilgiri ranges on horizon. The region is primarily inhabitant of Thakali people. Jomsom and Marpha is the landmark for apple production as well Jomsom is government administrative hub of the region.You can enjoy the last trekking dinner with guide and porter as a tribute to their hard work for making your trekking successful.
In the morning after taking breakfast you will take a short flight from Jomsom to Pokhara. On reaching Pokhara you can relax on your own walking around lake side or can ask your guide to arrange short sightseeing trip around Pokhara.
From Pokhara either you can take a short flight or take a private transportation to Kathmandu in accordance to the agreement we made before the start of trek.
Our office representative will be in your hotel 3 hour prior your flight time to drop you at Tribhuvan International Airport.
what's included?
- All Airport Transfers.
- Accommodation in Kathmandu & Pokhara with Bed and Breakfast.
- Tea House plus Camping Accommodation during Trekking & Climbing.
- 3 Meals in Trekking & Climbing with Breakfast Lunch & Dinner.
- Air and Road transportation as per the agreement made.
- All the necessary trekking staffs and porters for the Trekking & Climbing including 1 English speaking Trekking guide plus Climbing guide.
- All the paper works and documents required for the Trekking & Climbing including all the permits.
- Sleeping Bag.
- Salary, wages, food, accommodation and transportation of all the Nepalese staffs during Trekking & Climbing.
- Insurance of all the Nepalese staffs during Trekking & Climbing.
- First Aid Kit Bag(specially for Nepali staffs).
- All local taxes and fares.
What's not included?
- International Flight Fare.
- Visa fees.
- Travel Insurance (mandatory) of all the clients that needs to cover medical and Helicopter evacuation.
- Expenses of Personal nature (Laundry bill/Telephone bill/Equipment Charging Bill/Bar bill etc).
- Expenses incurred due to the unexpected situation (Strike/Natural calamities).
- Tip to Trekking & Climbing staffs.
- All Expenses not mentioned on Cost Includes section.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Chulu East peak climbing
1. What is trekking peak /NMA peak climbing in Nepal?
27 Mountain peaks in between the altitude of 5844m and 6501m that can be climbed with additional 2-3 days (depending upon the technical requirement) in standard itinerary are known as trekking peaks or NMA peaks.
2. Where is Chulu East Peak (6584m)?
Chulu East(6584m) is one of the three flanks of peak Chulu that lies in between the mount Annapurna to the north and Mananag valley to the south on the famous Annapurna Round Trekking.
3. How can I go to Chulu East Peak climbing (6584m)?
Drive from Kathmandu to Bhulbhule and follow the Annapurna round trekking itinerary and continue to the base camp of Chulu from Ngawal.
4. Why Chulu East(6584m) is less than popular ?
In simple word it is hard to climb Chulu East (6584m) and need more experiences and climbing techniques than other trekking peaks.
5. What kind of weather and temperature can I expect during trekking and climbing of Chulu East (6584m)?
The weather and temperature is highly unpredictable on mountain but generally during March April May (spring) and September October November (autumn) you can expect clear and warm day while evening will be cloudy and cold. The temperature is freezing in morning and evening in upper trekking region while lower region has tolerable cold.
6. What equipments or mountain gears do I need to climb Chulu East (6584m)?
For trekking good pair of trekking boots, thermal wear, fleece jacket, Down jacket, light weight wind cheater, trekking pants and shorts, long sleeve and short sleeves T-shirts, rug sack or duffle bag, personal day bag, gloves, enough pair of socks, sunglasses, headlight, woolen beanie caps, water bottle, personal toiletries , gadgets and books depending on number of days.
For climbing you can hire most of the climbing equipments in Nepal if you don’t have. However you need Crampons, Ice axe, Tape slings, Harness, Ice Hammer, Ice screw, Karabiners, Ascender, Descender, Plastic climbing boots, Helmet, Snow bar, Rope.
7. I am amateur climber in Nepal, is this peak suitable for me?
No we do not recommend Chulu east peak (6584m) for amateur trekkers and climbers. Instead you may try Island peak in Everest trekking region or Chulu Far East (6059m) Chulu west (6419m).
8. How flexible is Chulu East (6584m) climbing itinerary?
Amateur trekkers and climbers are strictly suggested to follow the long standard itinerary to avoid Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) but the itinerary is highly flexible for experience trekkers and climbers. You can cross Thorong-La pass or trek back same route to Besisahar after climbing the peak.
9. What if I finish trekking/climbing before schedule date?
We strongly advise you to follow the agreed final itinerary since we do not refund the trekking and climbing money, but somehow if you finish earlier we will always try our best to adjust the reservation of your accommodation and flight but cannot be guaranteed.
10. What permits and documents do I need to climb Chulu east(6584m)?
Chulu East climbing permit issued from NMA, Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) and Trekking Information Management System (TIMS) card is required to trek and climb on this region.
11. What kind of food and Room can I expect during trekking and climbing?
Generally the food is fresh, tasty and can choose wide range of dishes from menu cooked by moderately professional cooks in tea houses while in base camp we assign our experienced cooking staffs. You will get comfortable and clean common twin bed room throughout trekking but Annapurna is extremely busy with countable tea houses so sometime it is really difficult to get good room in advance. In base camp we provide you good climbing tents.
12. What about drinking water during trekking/ climbing?
Plastic water bottle are available in tea houses but it is highly recommended to avoid plastic bottles and use boil water instead. As well you may buy high grade water purification tablets on your home country or in Nepal.
13. What can I expect from Nepali staff?
Guide speaks good English so there will be no any problem for communication while porter might or might not speak English but you can always speak with your guide to know more about the porter. We also assign experience climbing guide for successful accent of the peak. Nepalese trekking staffs are friendly and responsible with good sense of humor so you can open up for any conversation like.
14. Do I need to buy Medical and evacuation Insurance?
Yes this is mandatory. You can purchase the insurance policy on your home country or we can assist you to buy the policy in Nepal.
15. Do I need special vaccination or Medical assessment before starting trekking /climbing?
Generally any kind of vaccination is not required. But, if you have long term health problem and under regular surveillance of your doctor it is recommended to consult your doctor. Though we provide basic medicines to our Nepalese staff but for you we advise to bring the general medicine from your own country.
16. Is there risk of Acute Mountain sickness (AMS)?
Yes there is always risk of Acute Mountain Sickness if you choose random trekking itineraries and do not follow the standard itinerary. But we always provide you the best and safe itineraries to avoid this deadly situation.
17. What should I do if I get Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)?
We are always concerned with your safety. We suggest talking with your guide ASAP and descend to safe altitude. And if the situation doesn’t get any better we evacuate you immediately with helicopter and take you for further medical examination in designated hospitals or clinics.
18. What is the price of Chulu East climbing?
We have provided you various options on our website homepage to know approximate price regarding the trekking and climbing in Nepal; however there is always room to reach final agreement through private emails if there is any and we assure you there will be no any extra cost once we reach the agreement.
You are always welcome to send us private messages for the information that you could not find in this section regarding Chulu East climbing. We will always provide the accurate information within 12 hours upon receiving your messages.
CANCELLATION
Free cancellation up to 60 days prior departure, after which the deposit becomes non-refundable.