The Far-West Heritage Trail What to experience? For those with a sense of adventure, there is still much to explore in the Farwest of Nepal, a region that is as much cultural as it is natural. This remote region, still untouched by tourism, offers many wildlife experiences. It is a perfect destination for adventure seekers. The Far-west Heritage trail connects three jewels of the region: Khaptad National Park, the spiritual Badi Malika area, and the unique wetland area of Ramaroshan. For centuries, dwellers of the ancient kingdom of Doti relied on this trail for their sacred journey to Badi Malika Temple and Baijanath Temple. Even to this day, the holy sites are epitomes of Hindu religion, and attract worshippers from across the country as well as from India. Services included Domestic flight ticket; ground transportation in the Far-West; food provision, guide and porter services; accommodation—16 nights; cultural program. An Advanced trek An Advanced trek may involve steep trails when overcoming the passes. It is a full-day trek, often in remote areas lasting up to 6 h. A good level of fitness and experience is required. 16 nights / 17 days Advanced Max. Altitude: 4200m Guesthouses and Camping The Far-West Heritage Trail ITINERARY DAY 1: Kathmandu / Delhi —Dhangadhi Arrival from Kathmandu or Delhi to Dhangadhi. Dinner and overnight in Dhangadhi. DAY 2: Dhangadhi—Silgadhi We will start our drive to the hills of the Far–west from Dhangadhi at 8 am. The road goes through some of the steepest hills. We will stop at Dadeldhura for lunch. We will continue our drive along the Seti River. By late afternoon, we will reach Silgadhi where we can visit the Shaileshwari temple and take some rest. Overnight at a guesthouse in Silgadhi. (6h drive) DAY 3: Silgadhi— Jingrana From Silgadhi, it is a gentle ascend along a rough, motorable road to Baglekh (about 3-4h trek), where we will have our lunch. After lunch, the hike will go up to Jingrana (1-2h trek). Overnight home-stay or camping in Jingrana. On the way to Bagleck Village DAY 4 Jingrana—Khaptad National Park The trek on this day leads through a subtropical pine forest, and with the subalpine fir, hemlock, oak and rhododendron forests in the higher area. April is the best time to see red rhododendron (laliguras) or pink rhododendron (setiguras) in blossom. In April and May, you can enjoy being in a hilly forest impregnated with aromas of BADU tree flowers. Don’t forget your binoculars; on the way you can see plenty of birds that make these forests their home. Hiking upwards, we will reach mid-way in about 2.5h where we will have some rest. Lunch will be in the afternoon when we reach Bichpani. The trek enters the middle-hills starting from 2250 m, and going up to 3103 m. The trail is a combination of gentle paths with difficult stretches like a steep stone staircase. 6-7h trek. The Far-West Heritage Trail ITINERARY DAY 5: Khaptad National Park Activities in the National Park may include a hike to Khaptad Daha, a small lake, and a visit to the Khaptad Baba Ashram. This national park is named after Khaptad Baba, a researcher and a doctor, who lived amid the solitudes of the region, meditating and worshipping, during the 1940s. Overnight at the guesthouse or camping. DAY 6: Khaptad—Kanda In the morning we will enjoy sunrise from the Khaptad observation tower. After breakfast, we can start our hike. After an hour of hike, we will reach Khaptad Lake, located at the altitude of 3,500 m. Following a short rest, we will continue downhill, just over 1,000 m drop, to reach the village of Kanda. (5h trek) Khaptad Plateau DAY 7: Kanda—Maure Today you have a chance to experience the Nepali hospitality and friendliness. Our hike from Kanda to Maure takes us through beautiful villages of Bajura with friendly people. For sure, on the way, you will be invited by the locals for at least a cup of tea or a cup of fresh yogurt. (8-9h trek) Daha Lake The Far-West Heritage Trail ITINERARY DAY 8: Maure—Lamgada It’s a steep climb, nearly 1,000 m, up to Nateshwari temple and the village of Lamgada. In the village of Lamgada, we will stay at the house of Mr Gopi Raj Padhya, a social worker who has started the homestay programme in his house. (6h trek) On the way to Badi Malika DAY 9: Lamgada—Chankili On the way to Chankili, you may feel the spirits of ancient times, of the dwellers of the kingdom of Doti who took this same trail for their sacred journey to Badi Malika Temple. Here, we get to enjoy the untouched natural beauty. The area has around 200 species of flora and more than 100 species of herbs. We start our trek in the middle-hills at the altitude of 2,100 m above sea level and ascend up to Chankili at the altitude of 3,500 m. Overnight in a tented camp at Chankili. (9h trek) DAY 10: Chankili— Badi Malika Today, we will reach our destination, Badi Malika (4,219 m), one of the major temples in Nepal. On the way, we will have a great view of the Himalayan range. The temple of Badi Malika is dedicated to Goddess Bhagawati, who had arrived here, forever leaving behind her previous dwelling. She had passed through Tribeni, and finally settled in Badi Malika. There are a lot of legends about the Badi Malika Temple. According to one such legend, a low-caste farmer once reached the temple spot to collect fire wood. He felt so hungry that he asked Goddess Bhagawati for some meat and bread. The goddess gave him what he asked for. However, there was so much food that he could not finish eating everything by himself. So he decided to give a shout-out to his family members so they could come and partake of the meal. Since his house happened to be far away from the spot, his family members could not hear his yelling and nobody came. The angered farmer blurted a request to the goddess to kill everyone in his house. The goddess granted this deadly wish too. When he arrived home carrying all the food with him, he found all his relatives dead. He got angry and went back to the temple. The goddess closed the doors of the temple and escaped. It is said that the imprint of the blow that the angry person had given to the door of the temple can still be seen. (5h trek) The Far-West Heritage Trail ITINERARY DAY 11: Badi Malika—Tribeni We will take our path to Tribeni today. The pilgrims too take this route while going to visit the temple or on the return journey. Our way lies through beautiful grass plateaus. (4h trek) DAY 12: Tribeni - Khalachak When we reach Khalachak, we will get the best view over Ramaroshan wetland. The area of Ramaroshan consists of 12 lakes and 18 breathtakingly lustrous green pastures, locally known as Patans. By evening, we will reach a small pastureland called Khalachak. Just a couple of families come here during summer months to graze their cattle. Overnight in tented camps. (10h trek) DAY 13: Khalachak—Ramaroshan Today, after breakfast, we will continue our hike towards one of the biggest wetlands, Ramaroshan. Trekking from Khalachak is as authentic as it gets. According to one of the legends, the name Ramaroshan derives from the names of two beautiful plateaus ‘Rama' and 'Roshan'. Two neighboring wetlands Rama and Roshan are located at the altitude of 2,500 m and a distance of half an hour by foot from each other. Another story tells us about God Rama who used to come to the peaceful place called Roshan. (2h hike) Ramaroshan Wetland The Far-West Heritage Trail ITINERARY DAY 14: Ramaroshan—Muja Bagar Today we are hiking through the middle-hills starting from the altitude of about 2,500 m and descending to Muja Bagar located approximately 1,500 m lower. The hike will lead through the river belts and a hilly forest impregnated with mint and lemongrass aromas, with beautiful birds chirping, and trees gently rustling. Further, we pass through some villages where we will get our lunch. We will camp tonight and prepare our dinner with locals. You have a chance to see the kind of spices you can use to prepare the best achar (spicy source)! Camping. (5-6h hike) DAY 15: Muja Bagar—Silgadhi Our trip will almost certainly coincide with rice planting or harvesting events. We will pass through the rice fields that look like colorful patchwork blankets covering hills and slopes. The hike is going through beautiful and friendly villages. In a couple of hours, we will reach river Kailash. (3h hike). Close to the river, in the shadow of the huge tree, we will have our lunch. You can enjoy swimming here or just jump in and out. From here, the transportation will be organised up to Silgadhi. Dinner and overnight in a hotel at Silgadhi. DAY 16: Silgadhi—Dhangadhi Early morning, we will continue our drive back to Dhangadhi through the land of Dotelis. In the 13th century, here was the kingdom of Doti, known as Raika, spread between two rivers, Mahakali in the west and Karnali in the east. Around 1 pm, we will reach Dadeldhura, where we will have our lunch. By evening, we will be in Dhangadhi. Dinner and overnight in Dhangadhi. (8h drive) DAY 17: Dhangadhi—Delhi / Kathmandu Rest and back to Kathmandu or Delhi. For more information, please contact: Tourism Development Society Phone No.: +977-091-521900, E-mail: [email protected], www.farwestnepal.org supported by:
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