The Great Himalayan trail Humla Traverse is last portion of the GHT high route. It passes from Rara Lake and follows the ancient salt trading route with Tibet to reach Humla, ending at the Tibetan border. See how the green pastures fade into barren land cut by deep valleys !
Humla is remote and untouched land full of interesting contrasts and the culture here is outstanding and very different from many part of Nepal. From the lush gorge of the Karnali River to the arid plains that expand into Tibet, Nepal’s hidden Himalaya catches the eye with every bend of the trail. You witness fields with different colors, few green hills and forests fade into desolate glacial valleys leading to high passes making for ever-changing landscapes. People with bit of luck always see the blue sheep, one of the few inhabitants of this extreme area jumping through the rocky terrain, and if you are very lucky an encounter with a Snow leopard is possible.
From the district capital of Simikot, spread across a ridge at 2900m, the Great Himalaya Trail follows the old salt trading route northwest towards Tibet. We walk past the high cliffs and the Karnali river and settlements with flat-roofed mud houses. On the way you witness women wearing heavy gold and silver jewelry, and men leading flocks of long-haired goats up and down the muddy trail to Tibet. As we pass Kermi, the area has a high influence of Tibetan Buddhism as the border is close by.
On the you shall meet very few tourist heading towards Kailash and Mansarovar as this area is the gateway from Nepal to the holy mountain, Kailash.
From Hilsa you can continue towards Mount Kailash, or return to Simikot, having finished this most western part – or the complete- GHT!
