Guerrilla Trek Nepal is a new trekking route from Myagdi to Rukum that starts in Beni through Baglung, passes the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, and reaches Rukum and Rolpa (Epicenter of a decade-long Maoist insurgency) along with the magnificent views of mountains and forests with diverse topography where you can experience the nomadic life of the people there as well as their culture. The route has a historic and natural attraction, but also there are infrastructure challenges where we can make local awareness of how they can benefit from tourism.
Highlights of Guerrilla Trek are:
SPECIAL OFFFER: UPPER MUSTANG TREK
In the morning, you will start your Guerrilla trek with a 25-minute flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Later, we take a private vehicle to reach Beni, the headquarters of the Myagdi district. The town is between the Myagdi River and the Kali Gandaki Camp, where our trekking permits will be examined.
Accommodation: Overnight in the available lodge in Beni.
From today, the trek starts as we leave Beni and follow a gravel road for 24km to Darbang and start walking. Takam is a three-hour walk away with GurjalHimal towering overhead.
Accommodation: Overnight in available lodges in Takam.
We continue our scenic trail to Lamsung. The scenery starts getting even more dramatic. On the way, you will pass through the local villages and you will notice that locals are not used to foreigners and have a lot of stories to tell about the war.
Accommodation: Overnight in available lodges in Lamsung.
Today, you ascend through dense pine forests and if lucky get the chance to see musk deer wandering in the forest. On reaching the ridge, you will be welcomed by the 180-degree views of Dhaulagiri and the entire range up to ChurenHimal in the west.
Accommodation: Overnight in an available lodge in Gujarat.
We continue our trail as we cross over from Myagdi to Baglung, also the entrance to Dhorpatan a hunting reserve, and into the former Tibetan refugee camp which was serviced by an airfield built by the Swiss in the 1950s. Dhorpatan is the only hunting reserve in Nepal and it is divided into 6 blocks for hunting its elevation ranges from 2,850 m to more than 7,000 m which was established in 1987.
The reserve is one of the prime habitats of blue sheep, the main target of hunters. Other species include Ghoral, serow, Himalayan tahr, black bear, pheasant, and partridge. Endangered species of the area include the red panda and cheer pheasant. Controlled hunting is allowed with proper license and during certain seasons of the year. There are many villages nearby with people involved in many Tibetan trade and animal husbandry. Also, we can see the monastery, Chorten, and local markets.
Accommodation: Overnight in available lodges in Dhorpatan.
Today, we leave Dhorpatan for Nisi Dhor. If you are a bird lover then this can be a paradise for you as there are Danphes, Pheasants, and other migratory species that you have seen only in bird guides. It’s hard to imagine that people fought a war here. In monsoon, there are cow sheds built here but in the winter these high pastures are deserted.
Accommodation: Overnight in available lodges in Nisi Dhor.
Crossing from Baglung to Rukum into Magar country, we enter the former Maoist base area as it was a good hiding spot for the Maoist due to the availability of dense forests all the way which must have made it easy to hide here from the helicopter patrols. The villages are picturesque and there is always some kind of Magar festival going on.
Accommodation: Overnight in an available lodge in Tallo Sera.
On the eighth day of the Guerrilla trek, you will travel to the remote settlement Lukum in Rukum, a village populated only by Magars and Dalits (low cast). This is about as medieval as it gets in Nepal nowadays. In the evening we reach Magar Village, RujhiKhola.
Accommodation: Overnight in the available lodge in Rujhikhola.
Today you will visit an important place i.e. Thabang- the place where the idea of the Maoist War was generated and executed. During the war, the village was destructed by the armies and still, the signs of Maoist war can be seen. There has been some development of infrastructure after the war ended, and the people are eager and friendly.
Accommodation: Overnight in available lodges in Thabang.
After breakfast, we move to the highest point in Jaljale Jaljala Pass 3414m and Dharampani (3900m) and there is a great view from Api and Saipal in the west to Dhaulagiri in the east.
Accommodation: Overnight in available lodges in Jaljale.
Continue our trail for hours, we reach the ethnically mixed village of Jelbang where you can experience the local culture and other interesting aspects.
Accommodation: Overnight in available lodges in Jelbang.
Today, we descend to Rolpa, an area which was used to be a rebel base area under total Maoist control during a decade-long insurgency. You can eat at one of the many commune tea shops run by the Maoist cooperative, where staffs are relatives of those who were killed in the fighting. Later, we travel to Suliochaur, a small village, and relax for the rest of the day.
Accommodation: Overnight in available lodges in Sulichaur.
In the early morning, we travel back to Kathmandu in a private vehicle. It will take about 9 hours to reach Kathmandu. This marks the end of Guerrilla trek.
Accommodation: Overnight in Yatri Suites and Spa or similar in Kathmandu.
