The Mountain Company

08/01/2025

Today we sent out our January 2025 e-Newsletter ✅ and you can read it on the link below. Find out about our plans for 2025😀; a wrap-up of our camping treks ⛺️ from 2024; updates on our Teahouse Loge🏠treks and our AITO Traveller Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Link to view the e-newsletter 👉👉https://bit.ly/3C8hg24

03/01/2025

Happy New Year from The Mountain Company 🎊! Looking back on 2024, it was full of unforgettable moments and inspiring achievements ✨. Thanks for your support and a huge thank you, as ever, to our trekking guides and crews that work hard to make all of this happen 🙏.

2024 was a breakout year 🚀 for us as we successfully organised the most remote treks in the Himalayas 🙌. In May/ June, led our Far West Nepal Exploratory GHT trek 🇳🇵 successfully crossing the Nying La where very few groups have ever been (amazing to know it is still possible to find uber remote trails like this in Nepal). In the Autumn/ Fall season, led our Kanchenjunga Base Camp to Makalu Base Camp GHT trek in Nepal 🇳🇵 (this group is in the photo above). It is our longest-ever trek at 37 days and it is the third time lucky as we finally cracked the logistics👌!

We also organised our Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT trek in Nepal 🇳🇵 in May/ June led by Nat Wilson. This was our updated itinerary exiting Upper Dolpo over the Ghami La pass rather than Sangda La where the new road goes. As one of the group mentioned in his AITO Traveller Review, "The new exit via the Ghami La adds to this trip, being very remote, using a route that is rarely taken even by the local herders and traversing terrain that is stunning in its beauty and isolation. This is well worth the extra cost for the additional Mustang permit."

We also organised remote, camping-style treks with our newly updated Ladakh Sky Trail GHT in India 🇮🇳 in August/ September and our Lunana Snowman in Bhutan 🇧🇹 in September/ October. Both of these groups were expertly led by Almas Khan 👏👏.

We have exciting plans ⚡ afoot for 2025 with both camping-style ⛺ and lodge-based 🏠 treks. If you would like to find out more please read our monthly e-newsletters by going to the News page on our website at https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/ (you can also sign up to our email list if you would like to do so).

All the best for 2025 and hopefully see you in the mountains 🏔🏔!

Roland and The Mountain Company team 👣.

18/12/2024

Today we sent out our December 2024 e-Newsletter ✅ and you can read it on the link below. Find out about our Autumn 2024 trekking season 👣, Weather Patterns in the Himalayas 🌞⛈❄️ and Trip Reports for our camping treks ⛺️, AITO and Trustpilot reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, Planting Trees in Nepal 🌳🌱, and Plans for 2025 😎. Link to view the e-newsletter 👉👉 https://bit.ly/3VKxvca

12/11/2024

Today we sent out our November 2024 e-Newsletter ✅ and you can read it on the link below. Find out about our Autumn 2024 season, Podcast with Simon Calder, Picking up Rubbish & Plans for 2025. Link to view the e-newsletter 👉👉https://bit.ly/48K6B9M

13/10/2024

The good news 🎉 is that today the monsoon 🌞 has officially left Nepal 🇳🇵. As you can see from the first photo which is the India Met Office chart "Withdrawal of South West Monsoon 2024" it is only three days later this year than 2023 (October 13th 2024 v October 10th 2023).

Our groups trekking 👣 in the mountains 🏔 are enjoying sunny and clear weather. Currently, in Nepal 🇳🇵 we have Kanchenjunga to Makalu GHT and Annapurna Circuit (previously Dhaulagiri Circuit) groups in the field. In Bhutan 🇧🇹, our Lunana Snowman group is doing well, they arrived at Laya village yesterday and having a well-deserved rest day today.

This morning our MD, Roland Hunter, enjoyed a run up to Shivapuri Peak in the Kathmandu Valley and had a perfectly clear view of the Himalayas 🏔🏔.

Trek on 🙏

08/10/2024

Today we sent out our October 2024 e-Newsletter ✅ and you can read it on the link below. Find out about the heavy monsoonal rains in Nepal in late September and its impact on our treks in Autumn/ Fall 2024 plus Early Bird Discounts for treks in 2025. Link to view the e-newsletter 👉👉 https://bit.ly/3zNnZ0q

06/10/2024

Namaste 🙏 from Kathmandu 🇳🇵. As you have probably heard in the news, a few days after I arrived, on September 27th and 28th, there were very heavy monsoonal rains ⛈. This was unusual due to the intensity (20% of annual rainfall in two days) plus the timing being so late in the monsoonal season. There has been a trend over the last 10 years or so of late monsoons going into October although usually the amount of rain reduces as the monsoonal influence winds down in the Himalayan region 🏔.

It is very sad to see the impact on the Nepalese people from flash flooding and landslides. That being said, the impacts are localised to near rivers and areas prone to landslides. Fortunately, we did not have any groups in the mountains and all of our trekking staff are doing fine 👍.

Sadly, Nepal is used to environmental disasters and if you have been to this country you will know that they are resilient people and bounce back fast. From a tourist perspective, it is (mainly) business as usual although there have been long delays for people flying into Lukla. Some roads have been damaged by landslides and the impact we have seen so far is delays with traffic jams where it goes to single lane in the affected places.

We are going ahead to run all of our treks as planned apart from Dhaulagiri Circuit where we are concerned about the avalanche risk on Dhampus Pass. We have rearranged a new trek for this group around Annapurna Circuit. We include micro crampons on our kit list for all of our treks crossing high passes and these will be essential over the next few weeks. There will be snow on the high passes and it will be slippery!

As you will see from the link below our MD, Roland Hunter, has been interviewed by Explorersweb about the current situation of trekking in Nepal. Being based in Nepal for the Spring and Autumn seasons means we are on the ground and know the latest situation. The link is at https://explorersweb.com/nepal-trekking-warning-expect-loads-of-snow/

The good news is that the weather forecast is now settled and we are back to the usual weather patterns of early October with clear mornings and cloudy afternoons. As the season progresses there should be less cloud and more sun 🌞! We look forward to seeing many of you in Kathmandu over the next few months. Trek on! 🙏

"Should I cancel my trip to Nepal?" wonder hikers traveling to the flooded, snowy Himalaya in the next few days. Here's an update on the conditions.

13/09/2024

Today we sent out our September 2024 e-Newsletter ✅ and you can read it on the link below. Find out about our upcoming Autumn/ Fall Season 2024 👣 in Nepal 🇳🇵 and Bhutan 🇧🇹, Feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ on Ladakh Sky Trail GHT 🇮🇳, Flash Flood in Thame village, and Trips for 2025. Link to view the e-newsletter 👉👉https://bit.ly/3Zj73cs

02/08/2024

Today we sent out our August 2024 e-Newsletter ✅ and you can read it on the link below. Find out about our Summer & Autumn/ Fall 2024 trips 👣, Our Reviews on Trustpilot and AITO ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, and plans for 2025 🚶🏔. Link to view the e-newsletter 👉👉 https://bit.ly/3yoAa2T

03/07/2024

Today we sent out our July 2024 e-Newsletter ✅, if you are not on our newsletter list you can read it on the link below. Find out how our uber remote Upper Dolpo and Far West Nepal GHT treks went in May/ June 2024, Updated Annapurna Circuit itinerary, Pakistan Treks in 2025 plus Planting Trees. Link to view the e-newsletter 👉👉 https://bit.ly/3W95Ouc

01/07/2024

We recommend you read this excellent article written by Natalie (known as Nat) Wilson called "Trekking in Bhutan - Taking On The Lunana Snowman" published on UKClimbing.com. Nat led our Lunana Snowman trek in Autumn 2022. FYI we have a guaranteed departure for the Lunana Snowman trek in Autumn 2024. The link is at

It may not be the toughest trek in the world, as sometimes claimed, but it's up there with the greatest. Join Natalie Wilson on this month-long journey along herder's trails high in the...

21/06/2024

In April 2024, Roland Hunter did a reconnaissance trek 👀 on the Annapurna Circuit trek 👣 in Nepal 🇳🇵. He explored the New Annapurna Trekking Trails "NATT" off the road from Marpha (a short drive from Jomsom) down to the hot springs at Tatopani.

The NATT trail mostly follows the East bank of the Kali Gandaki away from the road 🚌 that follows the West bank. This is a very scenic trail with mountain views 🏔 and traditional Thakali villages like Chimang. The highlight of this section is the day walk to Dhaulagiri Icefall (3,700m), one of the best mountain viewpoints in the Annapurna region. In practice, there are very few trekkers following this trail and Roland did not see any at all until reaching Ghasa.

We have recently updated our Annapurna Circuit webpage 🖥 based on his findings from recently walking this trail. The other change is that at the start of the trip, we now drive 🚙 to Dharapani (rather than driving to Jagat and walking to Dharapani). As it is too far to drive safely from Kathmandu to Dharapani in one day we break the journey by staying the night 😴 at the Gateway Himalayan Resort in Besisahar.

In our view, the Annapurna Circuit is still a superb trek and well worth doing 👍 . Although it is important to follow an itinerary that has been adapted to the ever-changing conditions in the hills of Nepal. We have a guaranteed departure ✅ starting in Kathmandu on October 26th, 2024 if you are interested, the link to this webpage is at 👉👉 https://bit.ly/3xrM6Ax

06/06/2024

Today we sent out our June 2024 e-Newsletter ✅, if you are not on our newsletter list you can read it on the link below. Find out about how our Spring 2024 season went/ is going, Roland's recce treks to Annapurna and Everest regions, our Summer and Autumn 2024 treks 👣 plus Roland's FKT from Lukla to EBC. Link to view the e-newsletter 👉👉 https://bit.ly/4aYFd7G

16/05/2024

📣News flash from our MD Roland Hunter 📣

After my trek 👣 in the Everest region with Billi Bierling I had a few days before I had to get back to Kathmandu. So I pondered how to fill this time? I was inspired by Kirra Balmanno's project in May 2023 of running🏃‍♀️from Lukla to Everest Base Camp 🙌. Perhaps I should give it a go too! 🤔

I was acclimatised and had recovered well from the 100-mile Manjushree Trail Race around the Kathmandu Valley at the end of March. I would probably not get this opportunity again so I quickly made the decision to go for it! 🚀

My motivation for this run was out of personal curiosity and to also enjoy the time moving fast in the mountains 🏔️. I knew the Fastest Known Time (FKT) was 11 hours and 1 minute. I thought going faster was possible but that would only be the icing on the cake 🍰.

At 4.21am of May 13th, I left Lukla in the pouring rain ☔. I got to Namche Bazaar in around 3 hours in spite of delays such as waiting for a long line of horses 🐎 🐎 to cross the Hillary Bridge. The trail was a bit slippery (chiplo bhato 🇳🇵) but living in Dartmoor National Park 🇬🇧 I am used to rain and mud so I felt at home 🏠.

After Namche Bazaar I pushed on and I did not look at my watch ⌚ again. I felt like I was moving well and really enjoying my experience 😊.

I had a wonderful surprise at Pheriche where I was met by owner of who put out food, water, and coffee ☕ like an aid station on an ultra running event. Ang Chhutin is a runner too and won the Everest marathon in 2014 👏👏. She heard about my run via the Khumbu grapevine 🍇 (Colin Bruce). Many thanks to both of you 🙏.

I ran🏃‍♂️past Lobuche and Gorakshep to arrive at EBC at 2.44pm so taking 10 hours 23 minutes from Lukla. I am delighted to get the new FKT! On getting back to Lukla I was greeted by Mingma Sherpa Chairman of Pasang Lamu Rural Municipality known as the Mayor of Lukla Mingma Sherpa and Ang Phurba an elected member of local government. It was an honour when Mingma gave me a Kata scarf as congratulations 🎉. I enjoyed our discussions about tourism in the Khumbu. Keep up the good work 👍.

I would like to give a huge thanks to friends, family, and Sherpa friends who supported me along the way 🙏.

28/04/2024

Today we sent out our May 2024 e-Newsletter ✅, if you are not on our newsletter list you can read it on the link below. Find out about our Dhaulagiri Icefall and Everest recces for Spring 2024 👀 and our trips for Summer and Autumn 2024 👣. Link to view the e-newsletter 👉👉 https://bit.ly/3Qobnlg

17/04/2024

This is the video 🎥 of a panoramic 360-degree view from the Dhaulagiri Icefall viewpoint (3,600m) 🔭 on the Annapurna Circuit trek 👣 in Nepal 🇳🇵. In April 2024, Roland did a recce trek 👀 to check the trail on the Annapurna Circuit away from the road 🚌. He followed the East bank of Kali Gandaki from Jomsom to Tatopani. From Kokhethanti there is a superb day walk up to Dhaulagiri Icefall at 3,600m where you can see Dhaulagiri 1🗻, Dhaulagiri Icefall, Mount Nilgiri 🗻, and Annapurna 1 🗻. We incorporate the day walk up to Dhaulagiri Icefall into our Annapurna Circuit itinerary. Enjoy and trek on! 🙏

The link to YouTube is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1n41Wb_k_8

In April 2024, Roland from The Mountain Company did a recce trek to check the trekking trail on the Annapurna Circuit away from the road. He followed the Eas...

14/04/2024

Day 3 (April 14th. 2024) of Roland's recce trek 🚶to find the quieter trails away from the road on the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal 🇳🇵. The day started with a walk through pine trees to T**i Lake with more amazing views of Dhaulagiri 1 🏔️ (although today was more cloudy ☁️ than yesterday).

From the lake I descended to Kunjo village that has Mount Nilgiri 🏔️ towering over it. It would be a very impressive view on a clear day! I continued my plan of following the trail on the East bank of Kali Gandaki. After Jhipra Deurali, the trail is narrow and there are no villages as it winds its way through bamboo. It feels remote especially when there is a sign saying be aware of wildlife 🐯🐆🐗!

Today I was unable to follow the East bank the whole way as there is a steep section with a recent landslide. There is no trail here although interestingly it is marked on the map. From here there is a new bridge 🌉 to Ghasa on the West side. In fact this would work well for the trek itinerary as we can stay at a teahouse lodge in this village. Shortly after leaving Ghasa I crossed on a bridge 🌉 back over to the East bank and followed it the whole way apart from a short section on the road just before Tatopani. Therefore overall I have walked on the East bank 95% of the time since leaving Jomsom.

I am staying in the Dhaulagiri Lodge in Tatopani with a lush green garden 🪴🌿🌱🌻. I started this morning at an altitude of 2,500m and Tatopani is at 1,190m. I walked 35km and ascended 945m ⬆️. This is a double day as our groups would do this in two days with an overnight Ghasa.

14/04/2024

Day 1 (April 12th, 2024) of Roland's recce trek of the East side of the Kali Gandaki valley on the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal 🇳🇵. The plan is to check the new trail on the side of the valley away from the road 🚍🚘 (that used to be the old trekking trail).

I had mountain views of Dhaulagiri 🏔️, Nilgiri 🏔️ and Annapurna South 🏔️. I walked through traditional Thakali villages and also a Tibetan resettlement camp at Chhairo. I saw several large monasteries and small village gompas along the way. The cash crop around here is apples 🍎🍎 and several were in blossom 🌸. Along the trail there are pine and fir trees 🌲🌲 given it an Alpine feel. I did not see any other trekkers 🚶🚶‍♀️ after leaving Jomsom! A great day of trekking 👍