Nar Phu Valley Trek Day 4: Guru Sangbo & Himlung Base Camp

Nar Phu Valley Trek – Day 4 of 9

I woke in Phu to the sound the village is known for locally – the wind. It comes off the high passes to the north and moves through the stone lanes with a low, persistent note. The literal meaning of Phu (फू) is “head of the valley,” the northernmost settlement, the end of the trail near the Tibetan border. But the wind gives it its character, and locals have long called it the village of the blowing wind! I imagined it would be freezing, but it wasn’t. More like, a blustery day. Nothing extreme.

At 4,070 metres, the air is thin, crisp, and carries juniper smoke and sun-baked stone. Today is an important day for us on the Nar Phu trek. It’s acclimatization day. And, there are choices. Which one is best?

Most older guidebooks suggest a rest day. In trekking terms, that phrase should be retired. It confuses new trekkers. It confused me when I first did the Annapurna Circuit. I though a rest day mean “rest as in sleep, not do much”. I decided rather than “rest” I would save money and keep trekking. What mistake! There is no rest day. Unless you are genuinely ill. Such a day is an acclimatization day. It means to prepare properly for the 5,320m Kang La Pass later this week. The principle is simple: we need to climb high, sleep low. The challenge in Phu is that the village sits at significant altitude already, and the surrounding trails offer three distinct options. Over breakfast, made the night before, pre dawn, Tibetan bread and honey, we already knew where we were going.

“We have the monasteries, the Guru Sangbo viewpoint, and Himlung Base Camp,” I said. “For a 9-day itinerary,  we can’t do everything”. We’ve been here before, and knew the answer already. But, for those who come here for a range of things, I’ll include both so you can make up your own mind.

The 1,000-Year-Old Citadel

We started the morning by trekking through the village itself. Phu is a compact mud and brick fortress of multi-storey stone houses built directly into a 100-foot rock outcrop. The reason they are multi-storey is due to the lack of construction materials like wood. To save on materials, residents built up instead of out. Windsor Chorlton, whose Cloud-Dwellers of the Himalayas (1982) remains one of the best accounts of this valley, described the village as looking like a tiny fortress-citadel, its houses clustered on top of the outcrop or clinging to its sides.

Until 2002, this village was completely closed to foreigners. Even now, beyond the occasional solar panel or battery-powered radio, it feels medieval. The residents are ethnically Tibetan, descendants of settlers who crossed the high passes generations ago and built in the style of the plateau they left behind.

At the entrance stands the ancient mud, stone and wooden gateway that guards the village. Chorlton described entering through a door that, when Tibetan brigands still threatened the valley, was shut and locked each evening with a massive log. Every piece of substantial timber in Phu – door frames, ladders, roof beams – had to be carried up from the forests downriver, at least two days away. This scarcity of materials is why the houses run four storeys high, with different families occupying different levels. Today, steep piles of firewood outside each house are among the few signs of the ongoing daily work of survival at this altitude. Stored up during the year for the freezing winter months.

Guru Sangbo: The Secret High Pass Training Session (4,730m)

If you have to choose a single major side trek for acclimatization, Guru Sangbo is my choice. This is a steep, 700-metre climb from the village, and it serves as the best high-altitude preparation available before the Kang La Pass. Others may differ, and I’ll cover the other option shortly. For Guru Sangbo we left early, day packs loaded with packed food from the night before. It is a steep, steep climb to the mid point. How long it takes will vary depending on your acclimatization, because things start to move slowly at this altitude. I’d budget 2-3 hours trekking up Guru Sangbo and 1.5 hours coming down – keep in mind I spend a lot of time taking photos trail marking etc so, I’m slow! But on average, that’s a good time frame. Starting early with packed meals and plenty of water is essential to make the most out it if you are only spending one full day in Phu (or two nights – which is the average amount of time for people doing the Nar Phu trek over 9 days). This means you have plenty of time left.

The trail is dry and dusty at this time of year, shared with grazing yaks and what appeared to be bharal , blue sheep,  on the high slopes above. Despite the name, bharal are typically a blue-grey with white coats, but at this distance it was hard to be certain. They watched us with the sort of indifference that comes from living at altitude for generations. Even as I look at all this, I’m thinking what about the trekkers who come here in the monsoon season (yes, it’s possible). So later I’ll add in some views of Nar Phu then to show you the lush greens. Strangely, the sheep are also well camouflaged then too!

The climb is tough. There is no way to soften that. Again, removing the term “rest day” helps. Treat it as deliberate training for the pass and pace yourself accordingly. About halfway up, a flat plateau opens out – a good spot to stop, eat, and look north towards the Tibetan Plateau. The views are fantastic above Phu with snow capped mountains. As we continue on things are more welcoming among the scrub bushes, the gradient eases slightly before the viewpoint at 4,730m. Standing there, the mountains of Tibet stretch out in an arid, golden line with white peaks on the horizon. It’s a highlight of Phu no doubt. If you’ve never seen the Tibetan plateau from the Nepali side it’s like the border of one world into another in a fantasy novel. The physiological benefit? Red blood cell production so there’s more oxygen in your system to deal with the high altitude. It’s also exactly what one needs before Day 8. The extra food we packed helped for this side trek!

Himlung Base Camp: The Alternative (4,900m)

As promised, the other main option is the side trek to Himlung Base Camp and the Pangri Glacier, roughly four hours out and three back. Depending on the season, you may see expedition tents at the base of the 7,126m peak. We did this before.

The terrain within the glacier is rough – loose rock, glacial ice, and scrubby tundra. The views of the surrounding mountain walls are considerable, but the trail is less defined and harder underfoot than Guru Sangbo. Meaning, you can trek on for hours if there are no tents up marking the base camp. Many trekkers find the glacial grind too taxing when a 5,300m pass still lies ahead. My recommendation: if you have a second day in Phu, save Himlung for that. There is nothing wrong with the side trek, but Guru Sangbo wins it for me personally – altitude gain, views, peace, and the quality of the acclimatization it delivers. Plus, some more time left over for Phu walking.

Tashi Lhakhang Gompa: The Spiritual Anchor (4,160m)

In either case, an afternoon visit to Tashi Lhakhang Gompa is a nice way to round out the day. Even if you are not into Buddhism someone will probably mention it’s significant if they know you trekked Nar Phu, so it’s best to visit. It sits on a bluff across the valley from the main village, believed to be over 700 years old, with this new monastery built over the old monastery ruins. Lama Karma Sonam Rinpoche, one of the most respected local masters in the valley, resides here. He fled Tibet in 1959 and has spent decades since as a central figure in Himalayan conservation, particularly around snow leopards and blue sheep in the Manang region.

It’s from up here we spot a group of three trekkers. The first we’ve come across on the trek so far. It looks like two people and a guide. Old me would have as Guatum where they were staying. Writing a guidebook me is noting that they went straight to Tashi Lhakhang Gompa rather than a day hike. I get so many emails from non-Nepali  Buddhists to find monasteries they can stay (usually wanting them for free) I tend to veer away. I get the whole find a monastery etc thing, but some of the expectations are off the charts.

This all led to Gautam and I having a mild debate on the way up about monasteries. I’ve seen the grander gompas of Lo Manthang, with their larger communities of monks and more elaborate interiors. Tashi Lhakhang is different. It has a raw, solitary energy that suits its location. We found the caretaker, a quiet nun, who let us inside. No sign of the others. The interior is dim, with the smell of old butter lamps and incense. I know many people with an interest in Buddhism have grand notions of heading off on a trek to a remote monastery and to meditate, study, or stay in certain places.  “Don’t expect open-armed enlightenment,” I noted. “In Phu, the spirituality is as austere as the landscape.” Personally, I’d head to one of the monasteries around the Kathmandu Valley if I wanted a full experience. But, again, it’s a personal choice for many.

From the gompa steps, you can see across the valley to the line of thirteen white chortens on the facing ridge,  the same chortens that H.W. Tilman noted when he became the first Westerner to visit Phu in 1950, describing the landscape as one of yellow cliffs, white granite boulders, and the grey ice of the glacier. Writing in his book Nepal Himalaya (1952), he called it “the strange village of Phugaon.” Seventy-five years later, I don’t call it strange. Yes, in 1950 such terms might have suited it. But today it’s explored and history’s shroud has lifted from the mud citadel of a kind. However,  that view from the gompa has barely changed all those decades later. I do wonder why he did not write more elaborately about Upper Mustang?

One Day or Two in Phu?

On our way back to the guesthouse we ran into the three trekkers we’d spotted earlier. They’d only just arrived and were also spending three nights here! We were ahead of them by a day. Martin and Debs from Australia with their guide Khadak. They were a friendly couple who had trekking Upper Mustang previously and wanted more of the same. They found it! As they’d been in Nepal before, it was also nice to have a chat with people about other things than … Nepal. Sounds strange, but if you spend as much time in a place as I do, then one has a hankering to talk about other things going on in the world! It was a nice evening all around. So, that was two groups who enjoyed staying in Phu for more than one day – it seems I’m on the right track with this itinerary. It still means having to choose what you want to do carefully though as there really is only time for a walk around and one side trek.

Doing all three – village/monastery visits, Guru Sangbo, and Tashi Lhakhang – in a single day if you start at dawn and move like a trail runner… For most, though Guru Sangbo for the altitude works with great views, return for lunch, then cross to the gompa in the afternoon. You get the physiology, the history, and the culture in a single day without tiring out too much.

Two days here is even better if your permit and schedule allow it. A trip to Himlung base camp would be your second days achievement. Phu is one of the few places in Nepal with genuine silence. No dogs bark. No roosters crow. Don Messerschmidt, writing in ECS Nepal about his 2002 visit, noted the same thing and asked the villagers about it. “We have none,” they told him. At altitude, this high, perhaps they don’t last too long. Perhaps the ancestors here simply had no use for them. The silence that results is, in any case, is remarkable, and enjoyable for Nepal.

Your guide won’t object to the extra day’s pay in a place this peaceful. And the extra night at 4,000m only makes the Kang La Pass easier. To extend a permit is about USD $10.

Next: Day 5 – Reaching Nar Phedi and staying at a monastery 

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