The Alps to the Himalaya and The Great Himalaya Trail

Tiphaine Muller & Pierre Jaumouillé

It all started from some kind of simple joke. As Pierre and I were hiking the High Route of the Pyrénées, he asked me; what’s the next challenge? The Great Himalaya Trail?

I had never heard of this traverse before. I didn’t know such a hike existed and, moreover, that it could be doable for us. I didn’t know we could hike for 80 days. It scared me. But I thought, wow, that’s another adventure! Far away from home, in a country we barely know. As a French person who likes mountains, I was kind of familiar with the Alps and the Pyrénées. But the Himalayas? That sounded wild. Don’t you need to be an alpinist to hike across Nepal? As I’m not, we looked carefully into the itinerary to avoid all the technical passes. Also, I’ll struggle enough carrying my backpack with the camping gear and everything for that long, I don’t want to add weight with crampons, ice axes and all of that. So we would do a mix of the High Route and the Low Route, and cross only hiking passes.

I agreed to that plan, on condition that we would go to Nepal by bicycle from France first. That’s how we started our project: cycling from the Alps to the Himalayas, then crossing Nepal by foot on the Great Himalaya Trail. Let the adventure begin!

25th of September – 9th of December 2025 : From Darchula to Kanchenjunga Base Camp (KBC)

1. Far West Region

Day 1. Darchula. Starting the GHT without a single plane (cycling from France to Nepal then taking a 35h bus ride from Kathmandu to Darchula) is already a success for us. No matter how far we’ll go, we feel like we’ve accomplished something. We’re leaving Darchula with its bridge to India behind, into the unknown. We tried to prepare the route but without reliable maps (post monsoon season, the trails tend to change) and without much information (we found later about a “GHT preparation” Whatsapp group) we were not too sure what to follow. The first two weeks have been pretty hectic, with either jeeps tracks or trails that barely exist, I am getting sick because of some bacteria and with being in trouble for not having a guide. All of this resulted in us taking a few jeeps, in order to not being “late” for the rest of our crossing plan. As permits have fixed dates, we don’t have a complete freedom of time, which is a shame, but we have no choice.

With all of this misery getting on us almost at the same time, we thought a few times about quitting the project. What if it was a mistake? What if the GHT simply isn’t for us?

Thankfully, reaching remote un-touristy villages and learning about Nepalese culture and way of life has been a major highlight of the Far-West region. In this part, we haven’t met a single tourist. Each time we would reach a village, we could rest and eat Dhal Bat as much as we could. What a delight! Thanks to the hospitality of Nepalese people, we got the strength to continue.

Highlights: meeting with Nepalese people, discovering the unlimited-serve concept of Dal Baht.
Difficulties: route finding, jeep tracks built over trails, yaks attacking our camp.

2. West Nepal: Dolpo – Annapurna – Manaslu

Day 18. Kagmara La, 5116m. I had never been that high in altitude. This is our first pass above 5000m, and we nailed it! With good acclimatisation, amazing weather and a body in good shape, it’s a pure delight. Reaching this pass on our own, in the middle of the Himalayas, with strictly no one around, is a big highlight of the trip. This is the start of the Lower Dolpo area. From the bushy overgrown trails of Far-West to the dry high mountains, it’s a real contrast. We literally changed world and we love it. We’re now on for a week with six passes above 5000 meters of altitude. Each pass will be a challenge because of the altitude, the cold, the barefoot river crossings and the lack of food. But so rewarding in terms of landscapes, challenges accomplished, mountain experience. Of our whole traverse, Lower Dolpo will remain my favorite part of Nepal.

Day 31. Larkye Pass, 5106m. After crossing dozens and dozens of trekkers every day while being on the Annapurna circuit for two days, most of them hiking the opposite way, we are on the quieter Manaslu circuit. It’s outstandingly beautiful, and it really feels like getting deep into the GHT and the Himalayas. With a few kilometers of snow at the top but with a clear blue sky, it’s probably our favorite pass of the hike in terms of landscape. Pierre is fully enjoying it while my body feels weak and tired. Unfortunately, contact with Nepalese people has been almost non-existent in the Manaslu area, everyone asking where our guide is. We don’t enjoy being outlaws but for us it was either hiking without a guide, or not doing the GHT at all.

Highlights: lower Dolpo and its high passes, great weather, easy food access on popular trekking routes.

Difficulties: crossing dozens of trekkers on Annapurna and Manaslu circuit, being without a guide.

3. Central Nepal: Langtang to a big break

Day 45. Khadichaur, 800m. We’ve now been hiking in a kind of lovely routine, changed by the different areas we are crossing. The days pass by easily and the toughness of Far-West feels far. Langtang was a nice mix between pleasant landscapes, some trekkers but not too many. Until we have to stop in the village of Khadichaur. My body has been ringing the alarm for a while. With lots of instant noodles and biscuits eaten, the occasional Dal Bhat, and the efforts given, the lack of calories accumulated is too important to continue. My legs are sometimes shaking, it feels like they’re not holding my body anymore, my backpack seems like a hundred kilo. I have no energy and I have lost too many kilos. I can’t see nor eat those noodles or biscuits anymore. We detour the route a bit and manage to reach a friend’s house close to Barabisé. His family welcomes us with an open heart. We rest there for a few days in order to gain the calories needed to continue. The plan is : eating, resting and eating. Thankfully after some days I feel better and we will be able to keep going. The last section to Kanchenjunga BC will be quite remote, being in good shape is a necessity.

Highlights: getting invited to a buddhist ceremony, being welcomed by a Nepalese family, easy trekking.

Difficulties: tiredness kicking in after the previous weeks, some monotonous cloudy days.

4. East Nepal: Last stretch to Kanchenjunga Base Camp (KBC)

Day 56. Junbesi, 2670m. We are now hiking on the Jiri-Everest route, and it’s lovely. A lot of guesthouses are deserted as people tend to go closer to Everest BC with the roads that are now built. For the first time of the crossing (and the last), we can see Everest and the whole range. The highest summit of the world is not that beautiful but the moment is. We are enjoying, all alone, a nice snack with some yak cheese. Since we are back on track after our break, effort is being made on food. We’ve realized the success of our hike depends also on eating enough. Each time we reach a village, it’s time to re-supply or eat something, even if we had food not long before.

Day 69. Lumba Samba, 5159m. We are so grateful to have reached this pass. The last few days, we weren’t sure we would be able to cross it. It’s now December and we have no winter gear whatsoever, like crampons, that we might have needed. We’re lucky it’s a beautiful sunny day and the snow we encounter is only on our way up. Therefore, we manage with our hiking shoes and sticks to reach the pass without too much struggle. The way down is dry, and it’s clear all the way to Ghunsa, which we will reach two days later.

Day 74. Kambachen, 4100m. Lodges on the way to KBC are closed but a Korean group left Ghunsa at the same time as us, so the owners have opened the rooms. It’s nice to have walls at night – even though they are thin – as it’s now freezing cold and windy. We left our tent back in Ghunsa to be lighter, as we’ll be back in just 3 days. We start this morning with our headlamps before the sunrise. We aim to reach KBC and sleep in Lonak, so it will be a long day. With the strong wind, the cold, the altitude, and a lot of landslides to cross, it is tougher than we thought. But at some point, we discover a few houses further down. It’s just a matter of minutes before we reach our most eastern point of the traverse! It’s a moving moment. Even though the goal is not the destination but the way, this success comes with a lot of emotion. We are full of joy, proud, and thrilled to have completed this adventure together. Here we are, at the foot of Kanchenjunga, the 3rd highest mountain in the world. We remember that 9 months ago we started our trip from the foot of the Mont-Blanc, highest summit of the Alps. What a memorable journey!