Jugal Himal Base Camp – Natural, Cultural & Spiritual Delight

Close to the capital city Kathmandu, Jugal Himal is one of the hidden treasures both for trekkers and climbers. The virgin peaks and the unspoiled region near the capital fascinated us to organize a mission to Summit Gyalsen Peak of the Jugal Himal range. The authority of the Jugal municipality and Sindhu Tourism Council wanted to promote tourism in the local area. Milan Lama, social worker and general secretary of STC, was very much interested to work with the local authority to promote tourism in the Jugal region. So we worked together with the team to organize the mission expecting to have long coordination with the locals to promote tourism in the area.

We left Kathmandu on Oct. 13 with five Nepali mountaineers led by Sarmila Tamang who is also human rights activist and is on a mission to submit the 14 peaks above eight thousand along with the Himalayan range. We took a four-wheeled drive and left Kathmandu early morning.

After we crossed Dhulikhel the winding road entered Helambu valley. We reached Gumbathang a Tamang village where the trek started. We passed through agro fields and several villages of ethnic Tamang and Sherpa communities with their traditional lifestyle. Stunning views of mountains and green valleys rejoiced us. On the second day, we reached Dipu, a small settlement of Sherpa by Balephi River, the source of which is Jugal Himal. On the third day, we reached Pemasal, a little valley of Lotus. A little stream flows through the valley making the place really special for camping. The next day we ascended through alpine forests. The streams running down and the stunning views made the trek amazing for us. Danphe or Lophophoras, the national bird of Nepal, were flying spreading their colorful wings. Mt. Phurbigachu (6,500m) greeted us there and we felt like we were in paradise. On the fourth day when we reached Bumbaserphu, the village name after Sacred Vase, there is a stone cave that looks like a vase and there is also a place for meditation a little downhill. We saw the reflection of the mountain on the little lake below. The view of Phurbigachu appears in the lake which was a great experience.

On the fourth day, we reached the lower base camp. The view of Jugal appears after the 30 minutes walk from the base camp. The expedition started early morning. We found Jugal a challenge to summit. To find a climbing route in a virgin peak can be very much crucial than to climb Everest itself. There were things to handle with technical proficiency. Fixing ropes on the vertical slope was a tough job. We had to pull the stuff and team members on the rope and walk along with the long cracked glaciers to reach the high camp. But our members were well experienced. We were friends and had good teamwork. Discovering challenges at every step and facing them we succeeded with great excitement.

Jugal is not a common tourist destination that’s why it is special. It’s about discovering virgin routes; we hardly get such an opportunity in the other trekking areas like Jugal. The locals count you more than a tourist, the hospitality of people and their lifestyle attracted us more than in any other tourist routes. It is a wonderful homestay experience, delightful trekking in nature, or exciting experience for the climbing enthusiasts where a single base camp offers routes to more than six different peaks of Jugal mountain ranges! It’s also a holy pilgrim site of Buddhist people as it is believed that Padhmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) stepped in the Jugal base camp when he was going to Tibet. There is a big cave that can host more than 1,000 people and we can see the trace of pots which are believed to have been used by the Rinpoche himself! Apart from mountaineering, it can be a wonderful trekking experience in this region. Sindhu Tourism Council has recently developed nine-day attractive trekking circuit in the Jugal region from Kyansing to Gompathang.

The expedition was organized together with Jugal Municipality in October 2020. I, as a mountain leader and instructor, had an opportunity to climb Gyalsen Peak (6,151m) together with the five expedition members. After successfully summiting the peak we returned to Kathmandu within 10 days!