Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek — 18 Days

The Dhaulagiri Circuit is one of the most committing and rewarding treks in the entire Himalaya — a true wilderness expedition that loops around Dhaulagiri I (8,167 m), the seventh-highest mountain on Earth and the only 8,000-metre peak that lies entirely within Nepal. There are no tea houses above Italian Base Camp, so the route is fully camping-supported: you travel with a licensed guide, cook and a full porter crew, sleeping in tents on glaciers and crossing two high cols — the French Pass (5,360 m) and the Dhampus Pass (5,240 m) — to descend into the otherworldly Hidden Valley.

From the roadhead at Darbang the trail climbs through Magar villages, deep gorges and rhododendron forest along the Myagdi Khola before breaking out onto the Chhonbardan Glacier beneath the colossal north face of Dhaulagiri. This is glacier travel in big-mountain terrain, and it demands real fitness, prior high-altitude experience and patience for weather. The reward is solitude almost unmatched in Nepal, an intimate camp beneath an 8,000er, and a high crossing into a hidden basin that few trekkers ever see.

A genuine expedition, not a tea-house walk

Because everything above Italian Base Camp is tented and self-supported, this is a logistically heavy, weather-dependent undertaking. We carry contingency days for snow on the passes and run a conservative acclimatisation profile with rest days at Italian Base Camp, Glacier Camp and Dhaulagiri Base Camp before tackling the French Pass.

Who this trek is for

The Dhaulagiri Circuit suits experienced trekkers who have already been comfortable above 4,500 m and want a remote, physically serious objective. Basic glacier-walking confidence helps, and you should be prepared for cold, simple camping and long days. In return you get one of the last great wilderness circuits in the Nepal Himalaya.