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View of Kotor on the way up to St. John's Fortress Contents 1. Introduction 2. Kotor Old Town 3. Walking up the Walls to St. John's Fortress About the Walls Entrance to the Upper Walls When to Go The Walk 4. Solila Beach 5. The New Part of Kotor 6. Places to Eat & Supermarkets 7. Accommodation 8. Driving to and from Budva from Croatia and Albania 9. Links to My Other Montenegro Travel Blogs 1. Introduction 1.1. Kotor as a Base We stayed in Kotor for 6 nights as it was a good base for visiting: Budva to the south. See my blog Budva, Montenegro: Travel Guide . Perast & Herceg Novi to the north. See my blog Perast & Herceg Novi: Travel Guide . Lovcen National Park & Lipa Cave to the east. See my blog The Kotor Serpentine Road to Lipa Cave . I had thought about splitting our time between Budva and Kotor. I am pleased we didn't as I found Budva to be too developed and the roads were congested. 1.2. Cruise Ships at Kotor In summer, on average 2 or 3 cruise ships dock at Kotor most days. Some of the ships have as many as 5,000 passengers! Unfortunately the influx of so many passengers and tour groups can overwhelm the Old Town of Kotor. It is therefore necessary to plan your visit according to the cruise ship schedule. Luckily there is a good website called Cruisedig.com that lists which cruise ships are visiting each day, the number of passengers and the arrival/departure times. This information enables you to determine when Kotor Old Town will be inundated with cruise ship passengers. 1.3. Traffic & Parking in Kotor The traffic going through Kotor can be very congested. The traffic island to the south of Kotor's Old Town can sometimes be totally blocked. There are several parking lots in Kotor and they are all busy. We used a parking lot on the seafront just opposite the main entrance (Sea Gate) and it cost Eur 1 per hour (payable on exit). If it is full you can queue at the entrance and places soon become available. We only had to do that once. You can locate it by entering " Kotorska luka Parking " on Google maps. 1.4. Tourist Tax Officially all tourists staying in Montenegro must pay a tourist tax and for Kotor the tax is Eur 1 per day. Hotels and a lot of other accommodation include it in their rate. Our accommodation didn't pay for it and we were tempted not to either. However, I had read that you could be asked for proof of payment when leaving the country. We therefore went and paid the tax at the office in the Old Town. I wish we hadn't as we weren't asked about it at the border with Croatia. From what I have read on the Tripadvisor forum it is extremely unlikely that border officials will ask about payment of the tourist tax. 2. Kotor Old Town Kotor's Old Town was destroyed in the 1979 earthquake and then totally rebuilt. Kotor is a historic Venetian town like so many coastal towns in both Montenegro and Croatia. It is very pleasant wandering around Kotor when it isn't swamped with cruise ship passengers. Kotor's tourist office is just outside the Sea Gate and they can provide free maps of Kotor's old town. The map isn't very easy to follow and we preferred just wandering around. An hour and a half to two hours is sufficient for wandering around Kotor's old town. Near the South Gate to Kotor St. Tryphon's Cathedral in Kotor Flour Square in Kotor Town Square in Kotor Rear of St. Nicholas Church in Kotor Church of St Nicholas in Kotor Square of Arms in Kotor Saint Luke’s Church in Kotor St Mary's Church in Kotor Kotor Clock Tower Typical Alley in Kotor 3. Walking up the Walls to St John's Fortress 3.1. About Kotor's Walls The old and impressive defensive walls, surrounding the Old Town of Kotor, date back to the 15th century. On the eastern side of Kotor the walls go up the hillside to the Church of Our Lady of Health and then onto St. John's Fortress. It now costs a whopping Eur 15 to walk up to St. John's Fortress. The entrance fee was only Eur 8 in 2022! It is free to walk along most of the lower town walls that back onto the Bay of Kotor and the Skurda river. You can climb up to the walls near the South Gate and walk all the way to the North Gate, or vice versa. It is definitely worth doing this, but choose a time when it's not too hot or busy. 3.2. Entrance to Kotor's Upper Walls There are 2 entrances: At the end of an alley near Kotor's North Gate. It is signposted. Near Pjaca Skaljarska Square and south of St Tryphon's Cathedral. Although the entrances to Kotor's upper walls have gates I don't think they are ever closed. There is a sign on the gate stating it is forbidden to stay on the ramparts after 22.00. I don't believe the attendant at the entrance stays that late. Some people on the internet have posted ways of avoiding the Eur 15 entrance fee: It used to be possible to hike part of the way up the Ladder of Kotor and then gain free access to the fortress walls through a small hole near St John's Fortress. I have posted a photo below showing that this has now been blocked. It's a shame as this hole in the wall enabled people to do a circular hike rather than hike up and down the same way. You might be able to enter for free before the ticket office opens at 07.00. However, when we arrived at the ticket office at 08.30 the attendant asked some people who were leaving to show their tickets. The only way that you may be able to enter without paying is by going in the evening after the ticket office closes. I don't know when it closes but it might be at 19.00. 3.3. When to Walk to St John's Fortress The evening is probably a very good time to walk up to St John's fortress even if you have to pay. It may be more crowded in the morning unless you start very early as: A lot of people, like ourselves, follow advice to go in the morning. We started at 08.30 and found it busy. Quite a few of the people were from the cruise ships. Even if we had started earlier we would have met them on our way down. Also the cruise ships usually depart Kotor in the late afternoon and early evening and therefore passengers can't do this walk in the evening. You may think I am making a lot of fuss about the number of people. The problem with the walk to St John's fortress is that the path is narrow and you have to go up and down the same path. Usually there are only steps on one side of the path and most people want to use the steps! You therefore have to stand aside for people coming the other way. I would be wary of doing the walk if it is wet as I think the path would be very slippery. 3.4. The Walk to St Johns's Fortress It took us 45 minutes to walk up to St John's fortress, but we frequently stopped to enjoy the views of Kotor Bay and take photos. It is a steep 260 metre climb up to St John's Fortress and there are about 1,350 steps to aid the ascent. I didn't count them! About halfway up you reach the Church of Our Lady of Health, but it is nothing special. St John's Fortress is at the top and it is possible to walk around it, but it is very derelict. We spent 15 minutes at St John's fortress and took another 45 minutes to walk back down to Kotor. It shouldn't have taken that long but we weren't rushing. The main reason to do the walk is for the fantastic views of Kotor and the bay. The walls, Church and Fortress aren't that special. Entrance near Kotor's North Gate View of Kotor on the Way Up View of Kotor on the Way Up View of Kotor on the Way Up View from St John's Fortress St John's Fortress Blocked Path through the Fortress Wall Path to the Church of Our Lady of Health 4. Solila Beach Most of the time we swam near our apartment at Muo, which was a 20 minute walk from Kotor. Usually we just needed a quick dip to cool off and the estuary was just a couple of minutes from our apartment. It wasn't the best place to swim as the road was close by, there was algae in the water and there wasn't a beach. One hot day we fancied going to a better beach for a bit of a beach day. After reviewing beaches on the internet I found Solila beach which had good reviews and was only a 12 minute drive from Kotor. The only negative was that the beach access road is at a very tight angle off the main road. We really enjoyed our afternoon at Solila beach. There was plenty of parking space and the pebble beach and the sea were very nice. It cost Eur 20 for an umbrella and 2 sun loungers. There was a restaurant, free changing booths and free toilets. Solila Beach Solila Beach 5. The New Part of Kotor There is a 2 storey shopping centre near Kotor's North Gate. The shops in it are of little interest to tourists, except for the good supermarket on the lower floor. There are free public toilets on the upper level and a restaurant that sells ice cream cheaper than in the Old Town. North of the Skurda river there is a seafront promenade. It is very pleasant to walk along, except for the boat tour salesmen! Boat tours lasting 3 hours go around the Bay of Kotor to the Blue Cave, Perast and Herceg Novi and cost around Eur 35 to Eur 40. We didn't go on a boat tour so I can't comment on them. Kotor's Seafront Promenade Kotor's Seafront Promenade 6. Places to Eat & Supermarkets in Kotor 6.1. Restaurants in Kotor Most of the restaurants are in the Kotor's Old Town and aren't particularly cheap. We found a very small and basic restaurant called BBQ Tanjga which is located just before the roundabout in the southern part of Kotor. It is cheap and has excellent reviews on Tripadvisor and Google . We bought a really tasty whole barbequed chicken there for Eur 10 and enjoyed it in our apartment. 6.2. Supermarkets in Kotor There are 3 main supermarkets in the centre of Kotor: We liked the supermarket in the new shopping mall just north of the Old Town . There is a Voli supermarket very near the shopping mal but we didn't use it. Idea have a supermarket near the roundabout in the south of Kotor. There is parking next to the store and it costs Eur 1.70. We never had a problem finding a parking place. 6.3. Fruit & Vegetable Market in Kotor There is a fruit and vegetable market just south of the Sea Gate entrance to Kotor's Old Town. Saturday is the main day for the market, but there are stalls there every day. Watch the prices as they may not be competitive on days other than Saturday. 7. Accommodation in Kotor We stayed in a nice 1 bedroom apartment called Fortress View 2 in Muo, which is a 20 minute walk to Kotor. It can be booked through Booking.com for Eur 77 per night. My review is on my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 2 " (number 10). They also have another apartment called Fortress View 1, which can also be booked through Booking.com . 8. Driving to and from Budva from Croatia and Albania We drove to Kotor from Albania. See my blog Albania to Montenegro - Week 9  for details. Afterwards we drove from Montenegro to Croatia. See my blog Montenegro to Croatia- Week 10  for details. 9. Links to My Other Montenegro Travel Blogs Budva, Montenegro: Travel Guide Day Trip to Perast & Herceg Novi The Kotor Serpentine Road to Lipa Cave Albania to Montenegro - Week 9 Montenegro to Croatia- Week 10

The Desert at Merzouga Contents 1 May 2024 - Todra Gorge to Merzouga 2 May 2024 - Merzouga to Midelt 3 May 2024 - Midelt to Fes 4 May 2024 - Fes 5 May 2024 - Fes 6 May 2024 - Fes 7 May 2024 - Fes to Chefchaouen Links to other blogs about our Road Trip 1 May 2024 - Drive from Todra Gorge to Merzouga We drove south from Todra Gorge to the small town of Ainif and then turned east towards Rissani and Merzouga. The road was in good condition, with interesting scenery and little traffic. When we got closer to Merzouga the wind picked up and sand was blowing across the road. By the time we reached Merzouga the temperature was 31 centigrade. Our hotel was on the outskirts of Merzouga and just across the road from the Erg Chebbi desert. At 18.00 we walked up the nearby sand dunes. Unfortunately the wind had really picked up and we had to protect our eyes. It wasn't possible to sit down for long to admire the desert scenery. Many people spend 1 night in a hotel in Merzouga and then 1 or more nights in the desert. It didn't appeal to us as it is very touristy and most tours follow the same route and stay in the same locations. We also didn't fancy an uncomfortable camel ride. After experiencing the blowing sand I was sure we had made the right decision. The hotel manager told us that the wind had been very strong for the previous 2 weeks. 2 May 2024 - Drive from Merzouga to Midelt Early this morning we noticed large groups of cyclists heading into the desert. They were part of the Titan Desert Bike Race that starts in the Atlas mountains and ends in the dunes of Merzouga. It covers 600 kilometres with 7.5 kilometres of ascent. Usually about 600 cyclists take part. We left Merzouga via a different route from yesterday as we were heading north to Fes, but stopping at Midelt on the way. The road today was busy with 4 wheel drive tour vehicles and several large groups of motor bikers. We didn't enjoy the route or scenery until after we passed Erfoud. After Erfoud the scenery improved and there was a large oasis that was still very green. Then after Er-Rachida the road was much quieter and we lost the desert tourists. The road went past the Hassan Addakhil Reservoir and through the beautiful Gorges du Ziz. We had been coping well with all the police roadblocks and had never been questioned by the police. At a road block close to Midelt a policeman waved us through. Another policeman then pulled us over and wanted to know why we hadn't stopped! Fortunately the first policeman admitted that he had allowed us through! I had booked a 2 bedroom apartment at Midelt through Booking.com for Euro 80. One of its attractions was a washing machine as we needed to do 6 days of laundry. The apartment was new and exceptionally well furnished and equipped. Unfortunately the sound proofing wasn't good and 2 noisy families in the apartments below disturbed us. 3 May 2024 - Drive from Midelt to Fes The drive from Midelt to Fes was very scenic and rural. We were stopped twice at police roadblocks even though we complied exactly with all requirements. As soon as they realised we were foreigners they waved us on. In 2004 we stayed in the Palais Jamais which was a fantastic Sofitel hotel on the edge of Fes's medina. Unfortunately it closed in 2014 and it is now being rebuilt. There are now many Riads in Fes's medina that have been converted into hotels. However, I find that Riads are dark and gloomy with windows facing into a courtyard. After a lot of research I booked a room at the Fes Heritage Boutique Luxury Hotel . It was expensive at Euro 160 per night but it was only a 5 minute walk away from the main gate of Fes's medina and had the best reviews for a hotel. We were delighted when we arrived to find that they had upgraded us to a suite. In the late afternoon we had a wander through the medina. We were in Fes 20 years ago and we could certainly see some changes. It doesn't feel as medieval because: There are lots more tourists and even large groups go into the medina. Tourists can find their way around Fes's medina using Google Maps whereas before you would become disoriented once you left the 2 main alleys. There are very few donkeys transporting goods. The cry of balak, balak used to warn pedestrians of passing donkeys There is very little skilled craft work being done as most items can be manufactured more cheaply. Despite that Fes has the best medina in Morocco and probably the world. Fortunately it is still pedestrianised and one doesn't have to contend with motor bikes like in Kathmandu. 4 May 2024 - Fes In 2004 we could only find our way around the medina of Fes by using a Tourist Board guide book and signs that had been put up in the medina. Unfortunately the signs no longer exist but we used the guide book, and Google Maps, to do five of the sight seeing circuits in the book. We set off while it was still fairly cool to do the Fes Jdid circuit. Fes Jdid translates as New Fes but it actually dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries. At the time Fes Jdid was new as the medina of Fes el Bali dates back to the 11th century! We took a taxi to the Royal Palace Gate in Fes Jdid which was built in the 1960's. We were surprised and disappointed to find 2 tour buses already there. In 2004 we were the only tourists. I had unfortunately forgotten my map and notes and was struggling to find the synagogue and cemetery. We were soon approached by a man who gave us a quick tour around the Jewish quarter of Fes Jdid. He wasn't happy with the Eur 1 that I gave him! We walked back to our hotel via Moulay Hassan square, Bab Shaa and the beautiful Jnan Sbil Garden. The garden covers an area of 7 hectares. It was an imperial park and opened to the public at the beginning of the 20th century. We stopped for lunch near Bab Boujloud, which is the main gate of Fes's medina. The outside of this gate is blue and the inner side is green. We ate at a restaurant on the rooftop terrace, which was the same location where we had several meals 20 years ago. We then followed part of Fes's Monuments and Souks Circuit and visited the following places: The Fountain at the Nejjarine complex. Foundouk el Nejjarine. A Foundouk is a building designed as a rest stop for merchants and visitors. This one was built in 1711 and the woodwork is beautiful. It is now a museum with many exhibits of the carpenters' handiwork. Souk Henna which surrounds an old tree. Qaraouyine mosque. Non moslems cannot enter. We took a photo from the rooftop of an adjacent building as the narrow lanes prevent a good view from street level. It was built in 859. Medersa Attarine built in the 14th century. It has a beautiful courtyard that leads into a square prayer hall. The student accommodation was above. Moulay Idriss Mausoleum which contains the tomb of Idris II who ruled Morocco from 807 to 828. Non moslems aren't allowed to enter. It was extremely busy both inside and outside the mausoleum. 5 May 2024 - Fes We set out on the Palaces and Andalusian Gardens Circuit which is on the eastern side of Fes's medina. It is mainly a residential area of Fes and the alleys are quiet. Sadly a lot of the palaces are not open to the public, either falling into ruin or in private hands. We had a peek into the beautiful Palais des etoiles (Palace of Stars) owned by the Italian consul. It was an oasis of tranquility. The Palais Abdeslam Moqri was in disrepair but there is a bit of restoration happening. Some children showed us around. We then visited a few things we missed from yesterday's Monuments and Souks Circuit. The first was the Medersa (Islamic school) Bouinania built in the 14th century. We chatted to an interesting family, an 80 year old father who had lived at the Medersa in the 1970s and his 3 children. The Dar al Magana (House of the Clock) was across the alley . It was built in 14th century and houses an unique water clock. The clock consists of 12 doors and platforms carrying brass bowls. Every hour, one door opens and a metal ball drops into one of 12 brass bowls. A rope with a weight attached is also involved. The final sight was Place Seffarine which is known for its coppersmiths. We had Moroccan tea on the rooftop terrace overlooking the square. It was fascinating to watch a craftsman heat up a copper object, then add a powder which then turned the inside silver! It was probably a chemical reaction. There are plenty of shops in Place Seffarine selling metal objects and there was an alley off the square where they were dying wool and hanging it in the alley to dry. 6 May 2024 - Fes It was our last day in Fes. We first walked down Talaa Kebira, which is the slightly quieter of the 2 main alleys in the medina. It was quieter than at the weekend, although later on we encountered large tour groups near the main tannery. An unofficial guide then showed us around a small tannery on the western side of Talaa Kebira . Fes has 3 tanneries and very few people visit this one. There weren't any other visitors when we were there and the guide showed us how: The hides are soaked in stone vats in a mixture of pigeon faeces and chalk to clean and soften them. After this they are able to soak up the dyes more readily. Only natural pigments are used: poppy for red, henna for orange, indigo for blue etc. The hides are scraped to clean and soften them. A huge wheel is used, like a spinning drum of a washing machine, to rinse the hides. The hides are dried in the sun. It is dirty and very smelly work. I wouldn't want to do it to make a living. We then visited the other small tannery on the eastern side Talaa Kebira. There were other visitors there and some shops overlooked the tannery. The Chouara tannery is the largest and oldest in Fes. It dates from the 9th century! To reach the terraces overlooking the tannery you have to walk through shops selling leather goods! You are given a sprig of mint to neutralise the smells and invited up to the viewing terrace overlooking the vats. I didn't find the smell as bad as I did 20 years ago. 7 May 2024 - Drive from Fes to Chefchaouen I didn't sleep well as I had caught a cold. We were very sad to leave Fes this morning after a very enjoyable 4 days there. However, we probably won't go back again as Fes has changed too much since we were last there 20 years ago. Mass tourism spoils places. The 4.5 hour drive from Fes to Chefchaouen was very scenic with rolling hills and fields of wheat, spinach and poppies. We passed quite a few herds of goats and sheep. Sadly the road soon disintegrated with eroded edges and deep potholes. It didn't improve until we joined the N13 that goes from Meknes to Chefchaouen. Chefchaouen was founded in 1471, just before the Spanish Reconquest of Granada, when its population quickly grew with Muslim and Jewish refugees fleeing Spain. The descendants of the Jewish refugees painted their houses blue in the 1930's and now Chefchaouen is known as the Blue Town. The old medina of Chefchaouen is a very beautiful with all the blue buildings. Unfortunately most of the streets are lined with tourist shops. There aren't any shops for the locals and they are all outside the medina. We were tired of Moroccan food so we went to Mr Bin Chinese Restaurant that had been recommended on the Tripadvisor Travel Forum. The food was very good and it was a nice change from Tagines! Links to other blogs about our Road Trip from England to Morocco Week 1 - Salamanca, Toledo, Cordoba & Granada Week 2 - Spain to Morocco Week 3 - Southern Morocco Week 4 - Marrakesh to Todra Gorge Week 6 - Morocco to Cadiz & Seville Week 7 - Seville to Portugal Week 8 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, UK

Map of the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek I did the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek in November 2023 with a porter/guide. This blog provides information to help plan your trek. I have also published blogs on the Tea Houses on the Kanchenjunga Trek , Day Hikes on the Kanchenjunga Trek and Kanchenjunga Trek - 2023 Trip Report . Contents When to do the Kanchenjunga Trek Getting to the Trailhead Clockwise or Anti-Clockwise on the Kanchenjunga Trek Itinerary up to Ghunsa when trekking clockwise Itinerary - Ghunsa to North and South Base Camp s Itinerary - South Base Camp down to Taplejung Permits and Guides for the Kanchenjunga Trek Cost of the Kanchenjunga Trek Hiking Times on the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek Vlogs about the Kanchenjunga Trek Links to My Other Blogs on the Kanchenjunga Trek 1. When to do the Kanchenjunga Trek The 2 main factors to take into account when doing the Kanchenjunga trek are the weather and the number of trekkers. 1.1 The Number of Trekkers on the Kanchenjunga Trek The official statistics show that less than one thousand foreigners do the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek every year. In addition to this there will be Nepalese trekkers, guides, porters and mountaineers. This would probably increase the number of people on the Kanchenjunga trek to about 2,000 a year. This number is low compared to most of the other trekking areas in Nepal. However, there are far fewer tea houses on the Kanchenjunga trek than in the more popular trekking areas. The trekking season for Kanchenjunga is shorter as some of the tea houses at higher altitudes are likely to be closed from the end of November, or even earlier, to the end of February. A trekker reported on the Tripadvisor forum that in early December 2024 the tea houses at Selele and Ramche were closed. Only one tea house was open at Kambachen, Lhonak and Tseram The number of trekkers per month in 2018 for the Kanchenjunga trek were: January 9 February 13 March 72 April 153 May 17 June 2 July 4 August 5 September 143 October 442 November 101 December 9 These figures reflect when trekkers start the Kanchenjunga trek. Many of the 442 trekkers for October would still be on the Kanchenjunga trek in November. 1.2 The Weather The monsoon season is slightly longer in the Kanchenjunga region as the monsoon enters Nepal from the east. When the monsoon ends it withdraws west to east. This means that in the Kanchenjunga region the monsoon can commence about 5 days earlier than in Kathmandu and last 5 days longer. My blog on the Everest Base Camp trek details the monsoon start and finish dates from 2002 to 2023. Over the last couple of decades the monsoon has been starting around the 12th June and ending around the 15th October. I don't recommend trekking in the monsoon as you wouldn't have good mountain views. Every 2 or 3 years cyclones originate in the Bay of Bengal and impact Nepal. When this happens it can spoil a trek and be dangerous for trekkers. The cyclones mainly occur in May and October. In October there is very little risk of cyclones after October 20th. Until last year I mainly trekked during May and early June in Nepal. This was because I wanted to avoid the crowds and Lani didn't want to trek in very cold temperatures. The weather in May and early June isn't as dependable as in April, late October and November but it can be a good time to trek. In 2022 and 2023 I trekked in October, November and early December as Lani didn't join me. The sky is certainly much clearer at this time of year and the cold didn't bother me too much. The worst time for feeling the cold is in the early morning but it wasn't an issue the rest of the time. 1.3 Conclusion on the Best Time to do the Kanchenjunga Trek In my opinion the best time to start the Kanchenjunga trek is in very late October or early November. If you start before the 25th October you risk encountering large groups and the tea houses may be full or very busy. If you start the Kanchenjunga trek too late in November you may find that some, or all, of the tea houses above Ghunsa and Tseram are closed. I recommend timing your trek so you aren't staying above these villages after 20th November. If you are doing the Kanchenjunga trek in November plan your trek so it doesn't coincide with The Mountain Company's annual camping trek around the Kanchenjunga Circuit. I read a blog where the porters were a problem as they were constantly going in and out of the dining rooms. They were also sleeping in some of the rooms and were very noisy. The Mountain Company's trek usually starts in early November and consists of 10 to 12 trekkers and about 30 Nepali support staff. Late March, April and May could be another good time to trek. There are fewer trekkers than in October but the weather isn't as dependable as in November 2. Getting to the Trailhead for the Kanchenjunga Trek The quickest way to reach the trailhead for the Kanchenjunga trek is to fly from Kathmandu to Suketar airport. There are 3 flights a week. This flight route has a reputation for being unreliable so I didn't use this route. I met 2 trekkers who flew into Suketar so it is possible. It's probably a good option during late October and November when the weather is fairly reliable. I flew from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur airport and I was on the first flight of the day. I could have booked the flight online but Enjoy Nepal Treks  booked the flight for me. It didn't cost any extra. It helped having the trekking agency book my flight as when I wanted to return a day earlier they arranged it for me. It was easy to obtain a taxi at Bhadrapur airport and the fixed price to Taplejung was R20,000 ($150). It was a long 8 to 9 hour drive over a paved mountain road to Taplejung, although that included stops for breakfast and lunch. A cheaper option would be to take a 25 minute tuk tuk ride from Bhadrapur airport to Charali. From Charali there are shared jeeps that make a 9 hour journey to Taplejung for about USD 10. I started walking from Taplejung the following day. However, most trekkers take a 4 hour jeep ride to Ranipul and start the Kanchenjunga trek from there. 3. Clockwise or Anti-Clockwise on the Kanchenjunga Trek Most trekkers do the Kanchenjunga Circuit trek clockwise as it is better for acclimatising to the altitude. This entails going to the North Base Camp of Kanchenjunga first and then crossing over the Selele to visit the Oktang viewpoint near Kanchenjunga's South Base Camp. That's what I did. Some trekkers do the Kanchenjunga Circuit trek anti-clockwise. The only slight advantage of doing this is for trekkers who intend to hike up Drohmo Ri East (5,965 metres) from Kanchenjunga's North Base Camp. It means that when you reach Kanchenjunga's North Base Camp you have been at high altitude for longer. Some of the disadvantages of doing the Kanchenjunga trek anti-clockwise are: There is a huge and dangerous increase in altitude between Tortong (2,980 metres) and Tseram (3,868 metres). There is a very steep ascent from Tseram on the way to the Selele High Camp. You will be passing more trekkers coming the other way. The busy period on the east side of the Kanchenjunga circuit is a week later. I met 2 Australians going anti-clockwise and they said the lodges at Tortong had been full on the 7th November. When I stayed at Tortong at the end of my trek there were only 2 other trekkers there. 4. Itinerary up to Ghunsa when trekking clockwise The itineraries for the Kanchenjunga Circuit trek usually only vary at the beginning and end of the trek. For the middle section of the Kanchenjunga trek, from Ghunsa to Tortong, most trekkers follow the same route and stop at the same villages. At the start of the Kanchenjunga trek there are 2 rough roads from Taplejung to Chirwa. Most vehicles take the eastern road which goes via Lingkhim. The western road goes via Mitlung and there is very little traffic. From Chirwa there is a rough road to Ranipul and the road ends there at the moment. Some trekkers take private or shared jeeps from Taplejung to Ranipul. The jeep ride takes approximately 4 hours and it saves about 2 days of walking. A private jeep to Ranipul would cost R15,000 to R17,000. There are very crowded shared jeeps to Ranipul and they cost about USD 10. If you are starting the Kanchenjunga trek from Taplejung possible itineraries would be: Recommended Itinerary Taplejung to Sinwa (5 hour walk) Sinwa to Sekathum (6.75 hour walk) Sekathum to Thangyam (6.25 hour walk) Thangyam to Ghunsa (7 hour walk) Fast Itinerary Taplejung to Chirwa (7.75 hour walk) Chirwa to Amjilosa (8.25 hour walk) Amjilosa to Ghunsa (9 hour walk) 5. Itinerary - Ghunsa to Ramche via Kanchenjunga's North & South Base Camps My blogs on the Tea Houses on the Kanchenjunga Trek and Day Hikes on the Kanchenjunga Trek will help you plan your trek. 5.1 Ghunsa (2 nights) In autumn it is a very beautiful 1 to 1.5 hour hike from Phale to Ghunsa as the larch trees along the Ghunsa Khola should have turned golden and there are snow covered peaks in the distance. Ghunsa is at an altitude of 3,415 metres and everyone stays 2 nights unless they are already acclimatised. Ghunsa has the best accommodation on the Kanchenjunga trek and it is a good place to stay. However, it is often cold as the sun doesn't reach Ghunsa until mid morning. There are 3 day hikes that can be done from Ghunsa during the acclimatisation day. See my blog on Day Hikes on the Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek . Trail between Phale and Ghunsa 5.2 Khambachen (2 nights) It is a 6 hour walk from Ghunsa to Khambachen (4,145 metres) and there is a tea shop on the way where you can have lunch. Trekkers should stay 2 nights at Khambachen to acclimatise to the 730 metre altitude gain. Khambachen is a beautiful location and there are 2 good tea houses. There are 2 good day hikes from Khambachen and if you have time it is worth staying a third night. Many Nepalese trekking agencies only have a 1 night stay at Khambachen for the Kanchenjunga trek. This is dangerous and also means missing out on the excellent day hike to the Jannu viewpoint. Jannu Viewpoint near Khambachen 5.3 Lhonak (2 nights) It's a 5.5 hour hike up to Lhonak (4,792 metres) and there is a tea shop on the way where you can have lunch. Lhonak is in a very pleasant setting and there are some reasonable tea houses. Most trekkers stay 2 nights and do a day hike to North Base Camp at Pangpema. Some trekkers spend the night at the small and basic tea house at Pangpema and hike up Drohmo Ri East (5,965 metres) the next day. However, you cannot rely on the tea house being open as I have explained in my blog Tea Houses on the Kanchenjunga Trek . It is possible to hike back to Lhonak after going up Drohmo Ri East but it would be a very tiring day. Another reason for spending the night at Pangpema is for photography. The sun isn't in a good position for photography at midday when day hikers are there. View from Kanchenjunga's North Base Camp 5.4 Ghunsa (1 night) It's a tiring 7 hour hike back down to Ghunsa via Khambachen and it entails a descent of 1,400 metres. Khambachen is a good place to stop for lunch. 5.5 Selele High Camp (1 night) It's a 4.75 hour hike from Ghunsa to Selele High Camp (4,200 metres). The trail climbs steeply from Ghunsa. It is mainly through forest until the View Point Tea shop is reached after a 3 hour and 600 metre ascent. The tea shop serves dal baht at a very reasonable price. From the tea shop it is a 1.75 hour hike, and a 200 metre ascent, over open terrain to Selele High Camp. There are 2 reasonable tea houses in a good setting A view of the valley between Ghunsa & Khambachen when hiking from Ghunsa to Selele 5.6 Tseram (1 night) It is a long and tiring 7 hour hike from Selele High Camp to Tseram (3,868 metres). At the end of the hike there is an 800 metre descent to Tseram. Take a packed lunch with you as the only tea shop on the route is too far from Selele High Camp. Also you can't rely on the tea shop being open. Tseram has 3 tea houses and 2 of them are reasonable. View of Jannu from the Mirgin La 5.7 Ramche (1 night) The walk from Tseram to Ramche is extremely scenic and is one of the best sections of the Kanchenjunga Circuit trek. It takes 3.5 hours to reach Ramche (4,610 metres) and there is an ascent of 750 metres. I would advise setting out as early as possible for 2 reasons: It is possible to walk to the Oktang viewpoint the same day but often the clouds obscure the views from midday. I was very fortunate and the sky was clear all afternoon. There are only 2 tea houses at Ramche and they can become full. One of the tea houses is very basic and it is preferable to have a room in the newer tea house. It takes 1 hour 20 minutes to hike from Ramche to the Oktang viewpoint and from there you can walk a bit further along the lateral moraine. After that a landslide makes access to Kanchenjunga South Base Camp very difficult and dangerous. Trekkers rarely go there. View of Kabru when hiking between Tserang and Ramche 6. Itinerary - Kanchenjunga South Base Camp to Taplejung If you visit the Oktang viewpoint for Kanchenjunga South Base Camp on the day you arrive at Ramche it is possible to hike down to Tortong the next day. If the weather clouds over when you arrive at Ramche it is certainly worth waiting until the next morning to walk to the Oktang viewpoint. If you do that there would only be time to hike down to Tseram that day. The traditional end to the Kanchenjunga trek was to hike south down to Yamphudin and then walk for several days back to Taplejung. There is now a road at Yamphudin that goes southwards to Phidim. This road joins the main Taplejung to Bhadrapur road. It is therefore possible to take a jeep from Yamphudin to Phidim. Some trekkers still hike back to Taplejung from Yamphudin. The trail goes via Mamangkhe, Phumphe Danda, Kande Bhanjyanga and Lali Kharka. It is usually a 4 day hike but it could be done in 3 days. There is a little used road between Taplejung and Phumphe Danda. It would be possible to take a jeep to Taplejung from Phumphe Danda. There is a new trail from Tortong that follows the Simbuwa Khola westwards to Hellok and Ranipul. This new route avoids the large landslide between Tortong and Yamphudin. I took this trail. It is a very hard 5 hour hike from Tortong to Kengsra. There are 2 new tea houses at Kengsra. It is then an easy 2.5 to 3 hour hike to Hellok and Ranipul. From there it is a 3.5 to 4 hour jeep ride to Taplejung. Alternatively it takes 2 days to walk to Taplejung from Hellok or Ranipul. 7. Permits & Guides for the Kanchenjunga Trek Permits for the Kanchenjunga Trek The Kanchenjunga trek is in a restricted area and a trekking agency must obtain a permit on your behalf from the Department of Immigration. The permit costs $20 per week and trekkers would normally need a 3 week permit for the Kanchenjunga Circuit trek. Trekking Permit for the Kanchenjunga Trek The Department of Immigration is closed from 15.00 on Fridays to 10.00 on Sundays. So you must be in Kathmandu during one of the days that they are open before you head out on your trek. Sometimes the office is only open for 2 hours during public holidays. There are many public holidays during the October and November trekking season! Permits for the Kanchenjunga trek will only be issued if there are 2 foreigners trekking together. Some agencies can get around this by obtaining a ghost permit for a non-existent trekker. This is usually done with the help of an Immigration official. I obtained a ghost permit for an Indian woman who I never met and I had to pay $60 for her 3 week permit. I also paid $35 to Enjoy Nepal Treks for arranging the ghost permit. There aren't any checkpoints on the Kanchenjunga trek but if there had been I would have stated that she had become sick and had gone back down. A fee of R3,000 ($23) is payable for the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project. It used to be payable at Tapethok but the office there has been closed and it is now payable at Ghunsa. Guides You have to trek with a guide in the Kanchenjunga restricted area. I had a porter/guide from Enjoy Nepal Treks at a cost of $25 per day. The daily cost has now been increased to $30. 8. Cost of the Kanchenjunga Trek I paid $1,119 to Nepal Enjoy Treks for the following services for the Kanchenjunga trek: Porter/Guide (21 days @ $25 per day) $525 Insurance for the Guide $35 Restricted Area Permit ($120 for 2 people for 3 weeks) $120 Admin fee for the ghost permit $35 My flight to and from Bhadrapur $254 Guide's flight to and from Bhadrapur $150 TOTAL $1,119 The expenses that I paid myself are shown in the table below: Overnight Stop Total Cost Room Food Drink Transport Other Notes Taxi to airport 900 900 Taxi from Bhadrapur to Taplejung 20000 20000 Taplejung 1680 1000 500 180 Chirwa 1570 500 750 320 Itahari 2900 700 1500 700 Thangyam 1470 600 650 220 150 1 Phale 2030 500 1100 430 Ghunsa (2 nights) 8000 1600 2580 820 3000 2 Khambachen (2 nights) 6150 1400 3500 1250 Lhonak (3 nights) 10965 2400 5375 1940 1250 3 Ghunsa 2700 800 1250 500 150 1 Selele 4400 1000 1700 900 800 3 Tseram 2850 700 1350 500 300 1 & 3 Ramche 3500 500 2400 600 Tortong 2560 500 1700 360 Kengsra 3140 500 1500 440 700 4 Hellok & Ranipul 700 500 200 Jeep from Ranipul to Taplejung 15000 15000 Taplejung 1490 1000 350 140 Jeep from Taplejung to Bhadrapur 20000 20000 Bhadrapur 2500 1500 700 300 Taxi in Kathmandu 900 900 TOTAL NPR 115105 15200 27405 9350 56800 6350 TOTAL USD 880 116 210 71 434 49 Notes for the other expenses: 1 Toilet Paper 2 Kanchenjunga Conservation Project fee 3 Boiled water for my water bottles 4 Beer I have summarised the expenses under each overnight stop. The expenses include drinks and meals while at other locations that day. The total cost of my Kanchenjunga trek was $2,000 compared to a cost of around $3,000 for a group trek. Other advantages of doing the Kanchenjunga trek by myself meant that I could determine my itinerary, choose the tea houses, have a room to myself and have plenty of space in vehicles. Most nights I had the company of other trekkers and wasn't restricted to being with the other members of a group. I have been on 2 camping group treks in Nepal but I would never do a lodge trek with a group. I could have reduced my costs by not having so many hot drinks and not ordering boiled water for the cold mornings. I didn't bother as the cost wasn't that material and it improved my enjoyment of the Kanchenjunga trek. The biggest expense was for transport. I had wanted to take a shared taxi from Ranipul to Taplejung but couldn't as it was a public holiday. I would have saved a lot if I had used public transport between Kathmandu to Taplejung but I didn't fancy doing that. It is always difficult to determine how many Nepalese rupees should be taken on a trek. My chart above gives an idea of how much is needed. If necessary I use some of the Nepalese rupees that I have brought for the guide's tip and give the guide USD instead. 9. Hiking Times on the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek These hiking times for the Kanchenjunga trek exclude stops at tea houses for drinks and lunch. The Australians' times were quite fast even though they were in their mid 60's. The Indians consisted of a small group. They were slower but I know the leader was a keen photographer. I have recorded these times mainly to assist trekkers with the planning of their Kanchenjunga trek. I certainly found information on trekking times very useful when planning my trek. It also helps when deciding whether to hike a bit further at the end of the day. Trekking isn't a race although I kept on meeting one French trekker who seemed to think so. He was always asking how long everyone had taken and was proud of his speed. Quite often you can only hike so far in the day on the Kanchenjunga trek due to altitude acclimatisation and the distance to the next tea house. By walking fast you just reach your destination quicker and end up spending more time at a tea house. I am not a particularly fast trekker but I could have walked faster than the times shown for me. I wasn't very fit due to spraining my ankle prior to the trek. I also followed my guide and sometimes he walked slower than I needed to. I wasn't in a rush and was happy to enjoy the fantastic scenery on the Kanchenjunga Circuit trek. If you want to do the Kanchenjunga trek quickly it is possible to do it in 8 days from Taplejung! A trekker posted details of this on the Tripadvisor forum . DAY FROM TO MY TIME AUSSIES' TIME INDIANS' TIME AVG TIME 1 Taplejung Mitlung 3 h 15 m 3 h 15 m 1 Mitlung Sinwa 1 h 45 m 1 h 45 m 1 h 45 m 1 Sinwa Chirwa 2 h 45 m 3 h 15 3 h 2 Chirwa Tapletok 1 h 15 m 1 h 15 m 2 Tapletok Ranipur 2 h 1 h 50 m 1 h 55 m 2 Ranipur Sukethum 1 h 55 m 1 h 2 Sukethum Itahari 30 m 35 m 30 m 3 Itahari Lama Tar 1 h 30 m 2 h 5 m 1 h 45 m 3 Lamar Tar Amjilosa 2 h 20 m 2 h 30 m 2 h 25 3 Amjilosa Thangyam 2 h 2 h 30 m 2 h 15 m 4 Thangyam Gyabla 1 h 50 m 2 h 20 m 2 h 5 m 4 Gyabla Phale 3 h 45 m 2 h 50 m 3 h 45 m 3 h 30 m 5 Phale Ghunsa 1 h 15 m 1 h 1 h 30 m 1 h 15 m 7 Ghunsa Khambachen 6 h 5 h 6 h 5 h 40 m 9 Khambachen Ramtang 3 h 3 h 30 m 3 h 15 m 9 Ramtang Lhonak 1 h 40 m 2 h 1 h 50 m  11 Lhonak Tea Shop 2 h 50 m 2 h 50 m  11 Tea Shop Pangpema 1 h 40 m 1 h 40 m  11 Pangpema Lhonak 3 h 15 m 2 h 40 m 3 h 30 m 3 h 10 m  12 Lhonak Ramtang 1 h 10 m 1 h 8 m 1 h 10 m  12 Ramtang Khambachen 2 h 15 m 2 h 15 m 2 h 15 m  12 Khambachen Ghunsa 3 h 30 m 3 h 30 m 3 h 30 m 3 h 30 m  13 Ghunsa Viewpoint Tea Shop 3 h 3 h  13 Viewpoint Tea Shop Selele High Camp 1 h 45 m 1 h 45 m  14 Selele High Camp Tseram 7 h 5 h 15m 6 h 10 m  15 Tseram Ramche 3 h 30 m 3 h 3 h 15 m  15 Ramche Oktang Viewpoint 1 h 20 m 1 h 30 m 1 h 25 m  15 Oktang Viewpoint Ramche 1 hr 1 h  16 Ramche Tseram 2 h 20 m 2 h 20 m  16 Tseram Tortong 3 h 30 m 3 h 3 h 15 m  17 Tortong Kengsra 4 h 50 m 4 h 50 m  18 Kengsra Hellok 2 h 35 m 2 h 35 m  18 Hellok Ranipur 30 m 30 m 10. Vlogs about the Kanchenjunga Trek When I did the Kanchenjunga trek in November 2023 there was a group of 8 trekkers with Project Himalaya 2 days behind me. One of these trekkers posted 3 videos of the trek: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 In late March/April 2024 a German trekker, who posts a lot on the Tripadvisor forum, did the Kanchenjunga trek. The weather was terrible and his videos give a different perspective to the trek. It shows that the weather in late October and November is more reliable. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 11. Links to My Other Blogs on the Kanchenjunga Trek Kanchenjunga Trek - Trip Report Tea Houses on the Kanchenjunga Trek Day Hikes on the Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek

Map of Syros Island Contents Introduction to Syros Ermoupolis Ano Syros Syros's Western Villages: Finikas, Galissas, Kini & Delphini Komito Lighthouse Hike Cape Dhiapori Hike Car Ferries to and from Syros Accommodation in Syros Links to My Other Blogs on Greece 1. Introduction to Syros 1.1. Our Itinerary for the Cyclades We wanted to visit 4 of the Cyclades islands during our 3 month European road trip. However, I found out that it was expensive to take cars on the ferries. I therefore looked into leaving our car in Athens and renting cars on each island. Unfortunately this worked out to be even more expensive so I reverted back to using our own car. By using our own car we were more restricted in our choice of islands as there aren't car ferries between all the islands. I used the Ferryhopper website to determine which islands had car ferries running between them. We didn't want to visit touristy islands like Mykonos and Santorini. I eventually devised a circular route to 4 Cyclades islands with only Naxos being touristy. Our itinerary was Athens (Piraeus) - Syros - Naxos - Tinos - Andros - Athens (Rafina). We stayed 4 or 5 nights on each island. I have done blogs on the other 3 islands that we visited: Naxos, Greece: Travel Guide , Tinos, Greece: Travel Guide and Andros, Greece: Travel Guide . 1.2. Why we chose to visit Syros The Rough Guide says " Syros is a living, working island with only a fleeting history of tourism, rendering it the most Greek of the Cyclades ". Ermoupolis and Ano Syros seemed to be very attractive and interesting Greek towns. There were convenient car ferries going to and from Syros. The Tripadvisor forum mentioned that the hiking trails on Syros were excellent. 1.3. Is Syros worth visiting? The Rough Guide states that "the villages on Syros don't sprawl widely with new developments". However, we found that there was a lot of sporadic development along many of the roads in the southern part of Syros. It spoiled the scenery and it was a bit scruffy. Ermoupolis was an interesting town and wasn't touristy. We didn't find Ano Syros very interesting but like Ermoupolis it looks very spectacular when viewed from a distance. There weren't any other interesting towns and villages apart from Ermoupolis. There were several nice beaches on Syros but it wasn't beach weather while we were there. There are some good hikes with clear signposting. Like on other Cyclades islands the trails on Syros aren't always well maintained and can be overgrown. The Alltrails website and App show many of the trails and reviews by hikers will indicate if there are problems. We found our 4 night stay on Syros to be long enough. 2. Ermoupolis 2.1. Parking Parking can be difficult in Ermoupolis. The owner of our apartment recommended parking at the port and we had no problem finding a parking spot there. You take a ticket when entering and pay at a machine when leaving. It cost us Eur 2 for about 3 hours. You can locate the parking by entering " Ermoupolis Port Parking " in Google Maps. 2.2. What to See We spent 2 to 3 hours looking around Ermoupolis. It is a large and interesting town so you could spend more time exploring. Most of the shops and restaurants cater to locals rather than tourists. Unfortunately all the churches were closed. The Town Hall is the most impressive building on the main square Platia Miaouli. The main shopping area is between the waterfront and the square. The street running along the waterfront is packed with restaurants. From the square we walked north east up to the Appollon Theatre and then onto the Church of Ayos Nikolaos. Both were built in the mid 1800's. We continued walking up to the north east and entered the Vaporia district, which is where the wealthy used to live in Ermoupolis. We then walked to the top of the hill to see Anastasi Church which was built in 1870. It was closed but there are good views from it. Ano Syros and Ermoupolis from the Ferry Ano Syros on the Island of Syros The Town Hall of Ermoupolis in Platia Miaoulu Platia Miaouli in Ermoupolis The Apollon Theater in Ermoupolis Church of Agios Nikolaos in Ermoupolis An Alley in Ermoupolis Anastasi Church in Ermoupolis View of Ermoupolis' Port from the Anastasi Church 3. Ano Syros The main road northwards from Ermoupolis climbs up the hill, passing near the top of Ano Syros before continuing. We parked in a small free parking lot at the top. There is also parking along the road on the way up. It was a short walk to the Anastasi Church at the top of Ano Syros. The church was open but the terrace was closed. This was disappointing as there would have been good views from the church. There wasn't much to see at the top of Ano Syros. We met a couple who had walked up. From the photos they showed us I am not sure if it is worth the walk up. It wasn't even worth driving up. A View of Ano Syros from the Anastasi Church The Catholic Church of Agios Georgios in Ano Syros The Interior of the Catholic Cathedral of Saint George in Ano Syros 4. The Western Villages: Finikas, Galissas, Kini & Delfini 4.1. Kini Kini is a pretty village with a harbour, several beachside tavernas and a free parking lot off the waterfront. There is a scenic walk along the coast from Kini to 1 kilometre north of the nudist beach at Delfini. After that the path ends and the terrain becomes rough. The walk there and back took us 1 hour and 15 minutes. Most of the route is shown on the AllTrails website . 4.2. Galissas The village is a bit scruffy. It is in a flat and not very scenic area but has a good sandy beach in a very sheltered bay. There is plenty of free parking. 4.3. Finikas We stayed near Finikas and liked it. It is a pretty village with beaches, several restaurants and a large free parking lot next to the supermarket. There is a pleasant walk southwards along the seafront. The Harbour at Kini The Seafront at Kini A Walk from Kini to Delfini 5. Komito Lighthouse Hike 5.1. About the Komito Lighthouse Hike We did a 1 hour 15 minute circular hike from Komito beach to Komito lighthouse which is on the most southerly point of Syros. It is a very scenic hike with open sea views all the way. If you wanted to extend the hike you could start from Finikas but this section is developed. There is parking at Komito Beach which is a pretty beach. There are umbrellas, which were free in May but there may be a charge in the main summer season. Komito beach would be a good place for a swim after the walk. 5.2. Route Details From Komito beach you can see 2 trails going up the hill: The first path starts at the south end of the beach and goes left up the hill. It is the most direct path to the lighthouse. We came back on this path. The AllTrails website and App shows this path and you can follow it on your phone. The 2nd path is a bit further on and it is the route we used to walk to Komito lighthouse. Walk 100 to 200 metres along the jeep track that follows the coast and then follow the trail to the left that climbs steeply up the hill. The jeep track ends shortly afterwards at a house so you will know if you have gone too far. The trail goes above and around this house. The trail is fairly high above the sea and follows the coast until you reach Komito lighthouse. After Komito lighthouse walk back a couple of hundred metres until you reach the left turn to the path you came up on. You can either turn left, and return the way you came, or continue straight on. Before doing either of these climb up the hill to the right for a good view. If you continue straight on at the junction you will eventually see the house at the end of the jeep track near Komito beach below. At this point look for a clear path to the left with red markings and follow it. It descends to Komito beach. Looking back to Komito Beach A View on the Walk to Komito Lighthouse Looking towards Komito Lighthouse Looking back to Finikas A View of the Southern Shore of Syros Almost back to Komito Beach 6. Cape Dhiapori Hike 6.1. About the Cape Dhiapori Hike The southern half of Syros is developed, whereas the northern barren and mountainous part of Syros has very few settlements. Cape Dhiapori is the most northerly part of Syros. There is a scenic circular 3 hour 15 minutes circular walk to the Cape from the end of the northern road. This walk is on the AllTrails website and app. It is useful to download the route onto your phone as there are a couple of places where the trail isn't clear. 6.2. Route Details You can park on the side of the road where it ends at the village of Kambos. There is a very clear trail continuing on from the end of the road. After 5 to 10 minutes there is a signpost in Greek. The path to the left leads to a couple of beaches. Continue straight on for Cape Dhiapori. You walk high above the east coast of Syros and have great coastal views. It takes about 1 hour 40 minutes to reach Cape Dhiapori. The trail is relatively easy to follow except in a couple of places. The path is marked by stones with red spots. The final section of the path became very rocky. There was no clear path around so we didn't do the circular traverse of Cape Dhiapori. On the way back we took the trail above the west coast. At one point the trail was not clear and we relied on the AllTrails app. We would have eventually found our way without the app but it made it easier. The 2nd half of the trail was also very scenic. There are 3 inviting beaches off the trail. We didn't descend to the beaches but they would be good for a swim at the end of the walk. At least one of them had umbrellas. Eventually there is a steep climb back up to the signpost at the start of the trail. The First Sign - Left to the beaches and right to Cape Dhiapori A View to the Beaches in the Northwest of Syros A View along the Northeast Coast of Syros to Cape Dhiapori Cape Dhiapori on Syros Island A View from Cape Dhiapori of the Western Side of Syros View down to Grammata Beach A View of the northwest of Syros The Path to the Southwest of Cape Dhiapori A View down to Marmari Beach 7. Car Ferries to and from Syros 7.1. From Athens to Syros At Piraeus we got to the port an hour and a half before departure. It was very confusing. The large Blue Star car ferry was already at the dock but there was no one around to tell us where to wait. Lani went to ask someone and they directed us to a small waiting area by the ferry. We waited there for an hour watching trailers being driven onto the ferry. Lots of cars arrived after us and many of them were directed to drive straight on to the ferry. We were wondering if they had forgotten about us. Finally we were told to drive onto the ferry. It was not a roll on roll off ferry. They wanted me to do a lot of manoeuvring and it was stressful as they didn't communicate clearly. When reversing they wanted me to only look at their hand signals and not where I was going. It is important to arrive at the stipulated time when boarding the large ferries at Piraeus. The ferries can be packed with vehicles. Vehicles going to the furthest islands will probably board first. I doubt that these vehicles would be allowed to board late as they would block vehicles getting off earlier islands. 7.2. From Syros The ferry tickets state you should arrive at the port at least one hour before departure. When we were departing from the islands very few cars arrived more than 30 minutes beforehand. It was often even less than that! At Syros there was a ferry official at the dock when we arrived an hour ahead of the departure time. On the other islands the officials would arrive much closer to the departure time. It was always worrying as we weren't sure if we were in the right area. 8. Accommodation in Syros We booked a 2 bedroom apartment through Booking.com for Eur 79 per night and we really enjoyed our 4 night stay. We took advantage of an off-season free upgrade to a 2 bedroom apartment. My review of this accommodation is on my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 2 ". 9. Links to My Other Blogs on Greece Monemvasia, Greece: Travel Guide Mycenae, Greece: Travel Guide Tiryns, Greece: Travel Guide Epidaurus, Greece: Travel Guide Nafplio, Greece: Travel Guide Corinth, Greece: Travel Guide Delphi, Greece: Travel Guide The Monasteries of Meteora: Travel Guide Naxos, Greece: Travel Guide Mystras, Greece: Travel Guide Tinos, Greece: Travel Guide Andros, Greece: Travel Guide North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4 Nafplio, Greece to the Peloponnese - Week 5 Peloponnese to the Greek Islands - Week 6 The Greek Islands - Week 7 The Greek Islands to Albania - Week 8

A View of the Danube and Novi Sad from the Petrovaradin Fortress Contents Introduction Novi Sad Sremski Karlovci Accommodation in Novi Sad My Other Blogs on Serbia 1. Introduction We drove from England to Greece and we stopped for 3 nights in Novi Sad on the way down. We had a bad introduction to Serbia at the border! There was a long queue and it took an hour to get through passport control. We then had to buy third party car insurance. This took 45 minutes as the insurance agent was uncertain of the procedure. He had to phone for advice several times. He became agitated and it didn't help that he couldn't speak English. When he finally finished he informed us that the cost was Eur 215! We queried it but the amount in Serbian Dinar was on the car insurance document. There was nothing we could do but pay. The maximum we paid for car insurance in any of the other non EU countries, like Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia, was Eur 50. We were puzzled that no one else was buying 3rd party car insurance at the border. I later discovered that the EU, Norway, Switzerland and even Iceland have an agreement with Serbia. Drivers from those countries don't need to buy car insurance. We weren't that impressed with Serbia and there doesn't seem to be many interesting sights to see. We had intended to drive from Novi Sad to Subotica for a day trip but we changed our mind. Parking is apparently difficult and apart from a few nice buildings it didn't seem worth the effort. Unfortunately some travel guides and books rave about places that aren't special. They promote them with a couple of pictures of the only things worth seeing. In the end we spent our 2 full days in Serbia looking around Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci. One full day would have been more than sufficient. See my blogs Venice to Serbia - Week 2 and Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 for an account of our drive to and from Novi Sad in Serbia. 2. Novi Sad 2.1. Novi Sad's Promenade along the Danube Novi Sad is Serbia's 2nd largest city. It sits on the west bank of the Danube and has a very pleasant promenade running from the Reljkoviceva bridge in the north to the Strand in the south. The Strand has beaches and grassy parkland on the bank of the Danube. It is a very popular area in summer but it was deserted at the beginning of May. The Strand at Novi Sad 2.2. The Petrovaradin Fortress The main attraction when visiting Novi Sad is Petrovaradin Fortress. As its name suggests it isn't actually in Novi Sad but in Petrovaradin. Petrovaradin is on the opposite bank of the Danube and faces towards Novi Sad. To reach Petrovaradin Fortress from Novi Sad cross the Danube on the Varadin bridge and then walk towards the right, up to the Petrovaradin fortress. Entrance is free but there is a charge for the museum. We tried to visit the tunnels below the castle but you have to join a tour. Unfortunately there weren't any tours when we were there. The main thing to do is to walk around Petrovaradin Fortress's walls and enjoy the views. Once you have reached the fortress you need about half an hour to see it. There are toilets for a small fee. Petrovaradin Fortress Petrovaradin Fortress 2.3. Novi Sad's City Centre The historic buildings in the Novi Sad's centre can be seen in a couple of hours. The buildings aren't that old as most of Novi Sad was destroyed in 1848 by Hungarian troops. Novi Sad is a pleasant city but it really only warrants a 1 night stopover, unless you use Novi Sad as a base to see Belgrade and Subotica. I doubt whether either of those places are really worth visiting. The City Hall in Novi Sad The Backa Bishop's Palace in Novi Sad The Interior of the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Novi Sad The Roman Catholic Cathedral in Novi Sad The Name of Mary Catholic Church in Novi Sad A Street in Novi Sad 3. Sremski Karlovci 3.1. How to Get There Bus numbers 61 and 62 regularly run between Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci. The journey takes about 20 minutes and only costs the equivalent of Eur 1 each way. We took the bus from the main street in Novi Sad named Bulevar Mihajla Pupina near the Varadin bridge. It can also be boarded at Novi Sad's bus station. 3.2. What to See The Bradt Guide says that Sremski Karlovci is a small historic town and one of the most attractive in all of Serbia thanks to its unspoiled character and wealth of handsome Hasburg-period architecture. The centre of Sremski Karlovci has some attractive buildings but it is a small area and it doesn't take long to see. There are 3 small museums . My photos show most of the sights. You can see everything, excluding the museums, in about half an hour. Sremski Karlovci is a quiet town with very few restaurants and cafes. It certainly isn't touristy and there were no other visitors. Most of the historic buildings are around the main square (Trg Branka Radicevica) and date back to the 18th and early 19th century. The Stefaneum in Sremski Karlovci The Bishop's Palace in Sremski Karlovci The Gymnasium of Karlovci in Sremski Karlovci St. Nicholas Cathedral in Sremski Karlovci 4. Accommodation in Novi Sad We booked a very spacious 2 bedroom apartment in Novi Sad through Booking.com for only Euro 45 per night. It was very central and on the bank of the Danube. It was excellent value but it needed repainting and felt neglected. It was in communist era apartment block which didn't give a good first impression. A review of this apartment is on my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 " (number 9). 5 . My Other Blogs on Serbia Venice to Serbia - Week 2 Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3

A map showing the day hikes on the Langtang trek I did the Langtang trek in late November with a porter/guide. The best part of the trek for me were the excellent day hikes from Kyanjin Gompa. Click here to read my other blogs about the Langtang trek. Contents Introduction Langtang Lirung Base Camp Lirung Glacier Viewpoint Kyanjin Ri Yala Peak Base Camp Tserko Ri Numthang & Langshisha Ganja La Pass Other Langtang, Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek Blogs 1. Introduction to Day Hikes on the Langtang Trek The Langtang trek is very short. The first half of the trek is through forest at the bottom of a steep valley. Good mountain views are only to be found on the upper section of the hike between Thangsyap and Kyanjin Gompa. The trail is very popular with foreign and Nepali trekkers. As the Langtang trek isn't a circuit the same trail is used for ascent and descent thus effectively doubling the number of trekkers on the trail. You can probably gather that I am not that enthusiastic about the hike from Syabrubesi to Kyanjin Gompa! What I did like were the fantastic day hikes from Kyanjin Gompa. Many trekkers arrive in Kyanjin Gompa poorly acclimatised and struggle up Kyanjin Ri or Tserko Ri the following day. They then quickly hike back to Syabrubesi or onto Gosaikunda. As a result they miss out on most of the best parts of the Langtang trek. I recommend spending 4 full days at Kyanjin Gompa doing day hikes and enjoying the incredible scenery. Staying at Kyanjin Gompa isn't a hardship as there are good hotels with attached bathrooms. There are also several bakeries and a cheesery. I recommend the following at Kyanjin Gompa: Day of arrival - The short hike to the Lirung glacier viewpoint (4,161 metres). 1st day - The "flat" hike to Numthang (3,940 metres). If you are fit continue to Langshisha Kharka (4,125 metres). 2nd day - The hike to Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,407 metres). 3rd day - Kyanjin Ri (4,596 metres). 4th day - Yala Peak Base Camp and/or Tserko Ri (4,984 metres). If you only go to Tserko Ri on the final day you could start the descent back down to Syabrubesi the same day. 2. Langtang Lirung Base Camp The hike to Lantang Lirung Base Camp is very scenic. The Langtang Lirung base camp is at an altitude of 4,407 metres which is almost 600 metres higher than Kyanjin Gompa. However, the ascent is gradual and the terrain is fairly easy. There is a sign in Kyanjin Gompa pointing the way to Langtang Lirung Base Camp. The trail is easy to follow but the actual location of the base camp isn't clear. You follow the lateral moraine as far as you can easily go and the last flat and grassy area is the base camp. The entire hike took 5.5 hours which included a stop for lunch and time spent enjoying the views at both the shrine and the base camp. Few trekkers doing the Langtang trek go to the Langtang Lirung base camp. They miss out on a fantastic hike. First section of the trek to Langtang Lirung Base Camp First section of the trek to Langtang Lirung Base Camp First section of the trek to Langtang Lirung Base Camp First section of the trek to Langtang Lirung Base Camp First section of the trek to Langtang Lirung Base Camp Shrine in the middle section of the trek View of the Langtang Lirung Glacier from above the Shrine View of the Langtang Lirung Glacier from above the Shrine. View from the Langtang Lirung Base Camp View from the Langtang Lirung Base Camp View of Kyanjin Gompa at the end of the trek 3. Lirung Glacier Viewpoint This is a short hike that I did on the day I arrived at Kyanjin Gompa. It took 1 hour to reach the viewpoint which is at an altitude of 4,161 metres, a 330 metre ascent from Kyanjin Gompa. I enjoyed the hike even though the scenery wasn't as spectacular as on the 3 other day hikes that I did during my Langtang trek ( see my trip report ). View of the Langtang Lirung glacier while walking to viewpoint Glacier Viewpoint View when walking back to Kyanjin Gompa 4. Kyanjin Ri The main summit of Kyanjin Ri is at an altitude of 4,596 metres but there is also a lower summit at an altitude of 4,324 metres. There are several posts on the internet incorrectly stating that the higher summit is at an altitude of 4,770 metres. My map identified the lower peak as Kyanjin Ri and the upper peak as Menchhyasma Ri. I haven't seen the name Menchhyasma Ri mentioned anywhere else. I was already acclimatised, having done the Kanchenjunga trek, which made a big difference. I passed all the other young, but unacclimatised, trekkers and reached the lower summit of Kyanjin Ri in about 1 hour. It took less than an hour to hike to the main summit. The views from the lower summit were fantastic, those from the upper summit were slightly better. Jiwan and I had both peaks to ourselves and I enjoyed the views and the tranquility. I wasn't looking forward to the descent as I thought we had to return the way that we had come up. It had been fine walking up but it looked steep and slippery for descending. I was therefore pleased when Jiwan told me that we could descend along a different route. It involved continuing along the summit ridge for a short while before gradually descending. It was an easy path and it took 1.5 hours to return to Kyanjin Gompa. View of Kyanjin Gompa on the way up View from the Lower Summit of Kyanjin Ri View from the Lower Summit of Kyanjin Ri View from the Lower Summit of Kyanjin Ri The Lower Summit of Kyanjin Ri View from the Lower Summit of Kyanjin Ri Upper Summit of Kyanjin Ri The start of the downward path from the upper summit of Kyanjin Ri 5. Yala Peak Base Camp Very few trekkers do this hike so my guide and I had the trail to ourselves. Usually only those intending to climb Yala Peak (5,500 metres) would go to Yala Peak Base Camp. Initially the route from Kyanjin Gompa follows the path to Tserko Ri. The path crosses a river and then steeply ascends towards Tserko Ri. After half an hour there is a fork in the path and the route to Yala Peak Base Camp goes to the right. There is a sign at the junction pointing to Yala Kharka which is on the way to the base camp. From the junction the trail traverses eastwards along the mountain side. It gradually ascends following the northern mountain side of the Langtang Khola. The path traverses open countryside and there are very good views all the way. It took us 2 hours 45 minutes to reach Yala Kharka where there are several stone shelters for yak herders. We had our packed lunches there as it was sheltered from the wind. There were excellent mountain views. From Yala Kharka it was another 45 minutes to Yala Peak Base Camp. We wouldn't have known it was the base camp but for 2 Thai climbers camping there. We could see Tserko Ri from the base camp and the climbers' guide said it would take about 40 minutes to walk there. My map shows that there is a path from the base camp to Tserko Ri but I cannot remember if there was actually a proper trail. However, the grassy terrain between the base camp and Tserko Ri looked very easy to traverse. We decided to walk a bit further up towards the north to enjoy the views. We slowly walked for another half an hour until we reached an altitude of 4,914 metres. There wasn't a path but the terrain was grassy and easy to cross. The scenery and solitude was fantastic. We then walked for 45 minutes over the grassy terrain to Tserko Ri. My Garmin Inreach Mini registered an altitude of 4,984 metres at the summit. The views were even better but there were about 20 other people. Photos of the summit views are in the next section on Tserko Ri . We reached the summit at 12.45 and were fortunate that there was little wind and the sky was clear. We stayed about an hour at the summit and by the time we left we were the last people there. There are 2 ways to descend. The route most people use for the ascent is on the western side of Tserko Ri. This is a steep route and can be slippery going down. There is a longer and less steep route on the southern side and a lot of trekkers descend that way. We took the longer southern route back to Kyanjin Gompa. After a while it joined the path that we had taken in the morning. It took 2 hours and 20 minutes to walk back. In hindsight I wish we had taken the more direct western path back to Kyanjin Gompa. It would have been quicker and the scenery would have been different. It was a long 8.5 hour day but an excellent hike. It is a more interesting way of getting to the top of Tserko Ri and the ascent is more gradual. It is also likely that there will be no other trekkers on this route whereas the usual route up Tserko Ri is popular. First section of the hike to Yala Kharka and Yala Base Camp First section of the hike to Yala Kharka and Yala Base Camp The first section of the hike to Yala Kharka and Yala Base Camp The middle section of the hike to Yala Kharka and Yala Base Camp The middle section of the hike to Yala Kharka and Yala Base Camp. Yala Kharka View from Yala Kharka View from Yala Kharka View from Yala Kharka Getting close to Yala Peak Base Camp Yala Peak Base Camp Views from the plateau above Yala Peak Base Camp Views from the plateau above Yala Peak Base Camp Views from the plateau above Yala Peak Base Camp Views from the plateau above Yala Peak Base Camp 6. Tserko Ri The summit of Tserko Ri (4,984 metres) is often the main objective of the Langtang trek. Unfortunately many trekkers aren't properly acclimatised and attempt it after only 1 night at Kyanjin Gompa. As a result trekkers often struggle with the altitude and the 1,150 metre ascent from Kyanjin Gompa. The internet states that the hike can take up to 8 hours. Most trekkers should be able to do it much faster than that unless there is snow on the ground. As mentioned in section 6 I hiked up the eastern side of Tserko Ri from Yala Base Camp. I haven't hiked on the normal route up which is on the western side of Tserko Ri. I hiked back down from Tserko Ri to Kyanjin Gompa on the easier, and longer, southern route. It wasn't shown on my map for the Langtang trek but was used for the descent by most of the trekkers when I was there. It took 2 hours and 20 minutes to descend on this southern route. It would be quicker to descend back down the western side but it would be steep and possibly slippery. It is definitely worth the effort to hike up Tserko Ri as the views are amazing. The views are different and more extensive than those from Kyanjin Ri. It is therefore worth hiking up both peaks. View from the top of Tserko Ri View from the top of Tserko Ri View from the top of Tserko Ri View from the top of Tserko Ri View from the top of Tserko Ri View from the top of Tserko Ri 7. Numthang & Langshisha Kharka The trail from Kyanjin Gompa to Langshisha Kharka (4,125 metres) follows the Langtang Khola eastwards. It is an easy trail as it only ascends 110 metres to Numthang and then ascends another 185 metres to Langshisha Kharka. Not many trekkers do this hike and those that do often turn back at Numthang (3,940 metres). Langisha Kharka is at least another hour further on and you have to cross a moraine. I believe the hike would take around 8 hours. It would be a very good acclimatisation hike for the first day at Kyanjin Gompa. When I hiked to Yala Peak Base Camp the trail was high above the trail to Namthang. It gave me the impression that the trail to Numthang wouldn't have good views as it was at the bottom of a steep valley. As I only had one day left in Kyanjin I hiked to Langtang Lirung Base Camp instead. I have since seen photos of the hike to Numthang and there are excellent mountain views. The valley may not receive much sun though. I now wish I had had an extra day for the Langtang trek so I could have done this hike. 8. Ganja La Pass This pass is to the south of Kyanjin Gompa and crosses over to Helambu. The pass is rarely used by trekkers as it can be dangerous and involves camping. It would be safe to walk towards the pass as a day trip. My guide had crossed the Ganja La and pointed out the route to me. The route went through forested areas and it appeared there wouldn't be good views for much of the route. The route can be difficult to follow and you would need a guide who knows the route. I didn't do this day hike as I only had 3 full days in Kyanjin Gompa and the other day hikes are much better in my opinion. 9. Other Langtang, Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek Blogs Planning the Langtang Trek Langtang Trek - Trip Report Planning the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek Gosainkunda & Helambu Trip Report

The Sarena Dzamija Mosque in Tetovo Contents 1. Introduction 2. Skopje Parking in Skopje The New City Centre Old Skopje 3. Tetovo 4. Excursion to Popova Sapka 5. Accommodation in Tetovo 6. Links to My Other Blogs on North Macedonia 1. Introduction We stopped for 3 nights in Tetovo during our road trip from the UK to Greece and visited Skopje as a day trip. See my blog Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 for our daily trip report . We stayed in Tetovo as we found a good apartment at a very reasonable price. With the benefit of hindsight I wish that we had stayed in Skopje instead. After our stay in Tetovo we drove to Lake Ohrid and relaxed there for 3 nights. See my blog Ohrid Town and Lake Ohrid: Travel Guide . 2. Skopje 2.1. Parking in Skopje We parked at the Shopping Centre Vero on the south side of the river. It is a short walk along the riverside to the centre of Skopje. We visited Skopje on a Sunday and so the parking was free. You have to pay most days but the charges are reasonable. It is a large car park below the shopping centre and there was a security guard. There is a good supermarket on the upper floor of the shopping centre as well as free toilets. There is parking at Kale Fortress in Skopje but reviews mentioned that vehicles had been broken into. 2.2. Skopje's New City Centre I was very impressed with the new area of Skopje that runs along both banks of the River Vardar. It is a spacious area, with well designed buildings, and there are huge statues, monuments and fountains everywhere. This area was renovated by the Skopje 2014 project. Some critics believe that it is like Disneyland and want the monuments and statues removed. I must really like Disneyland! Makedonija's Square is the focal point of Skopje on the south side of the river. In the middle of the square there is a huge statue of a Warrior on a Horse. The warrior is Alexandra the Great. There are numerous restaurants and cafes around the square. To the north of Makedonija's Square the ancient Stone Bridge crosses the river to the historic centre of Skopje on the north bank. Just north of Stone Bridge is a plaza with an impressive monument to Philip II of Macedonia, Alexander the Great's father. In the plaza there is the Fountain of the Mothers of Macedonia and 3 other fountains. There is a beautiful water and light show at night. There is an esplanade to the west of Stone Bridge that runs 6 kilometres along the south bank of the river. It is a good place to walk and at night the path is lit. There is even a beach on the river at City Park. A Bridge over the Vardar River in Skopje A Statue near Stone Bridge in Skopje The Warrior on a Horse in Makedonija Square The Fountain of the Mothers of Macedonia Philip II of Macedonia Statue and Fountain Dame Gruev monument in Skopje Statue of Georgi Pulevski 2.3. Old Skopje We had difficulty locating several of the historic sites in old Skopje, despite the many signs. Eventually we found them but it was tiring and frustrating as it was hot. We wandered around the pedestrianised streets and alleys of Skopje's Old Bazaar area. It is atmospheric but most of the shops are geared for tourism. There were a lot of tourists, and some tour groups, despite it only being late April. A Street in the Old Bazaar We visited 4 main sites in old Skopje: The Cifte Amam National Art Gallery In my opinion it is the most impressive building in Skopje. It used to be a hamman (Turkish bath house) but is now an art gallery. We didn't go in but admired the exterior from the plaza on the south eastern side of the building. Cifte Amam Art Gallery The Church of Sveti Spas The exterior of this Ottoman era church is unimposing. It was built partly below ground level since the church's bell tower couldn't be taller than a mosque. It is famous for its intricately carved wooden iconostasis. This is a screen of icons and religious paintings separating the nave from the main part of the church. It was made in the early 1800's. There is an entry fee of Eur1. The Church of Sveti Spas in Skopje The Interior of the Church of Sveti Spas, Skopje Mustafa Pasha Mosque This is the largest mosque in Skopje and was built in 1492. We had a quick look inside just before prayers commenced. Mustafa Pasha Mosque in Skopje The Interior of Mustafa Pasha Mosque in Skopje The Kale Fortress Entrance to the Kale fortress is free as the 10th century fort is very neglected. You can walk along the walls which give good views over Skopje and the river. There is nothing else to see as only the fortress walls and towers are still standing. The entrance is at the north east side of the fortress. Kale Fortress, Skopje 3. Tetovo Tetovo is a lively town only a 45 minute drive from Skopje. It is worth visiting as it is unspoilt by tourism but there aren't a lot of sights. The main things to see are: 3.1. Tetovo's Central Shopping Area Tetovo's main street is Boulevard Illyria (also called Marshall Tito). It runs from Illyria Square to the Palma Shopping Mall which has a large supermarket. Boulevard Illyria is very vibrant, lined with shops and restaurants for locals rather than tourists. Northeast of the junction with Blagoja Toska street is the large indoor Green Market. Running south from Illyria Square is Ilindenska street, another major shopping street. The Serena Dzamija Mosque and the hamman are on this street. There are a couple of shops selling small barbequed chickens for Eur 5 which is something we enjoy! The Green Market in Tetovo The Green Market in Tetovo 3.2. The Sarena Dzamija Mosque This small and colourful 16th century mosque is the prettiest building in Tetovo. Both the interior and exterior are stunning. It is in the centre of Tetovo on the river Pena. The Sarena Dzamija Mosque The Interior of the Sarena Dzamija Mosque 3.3. The Hamman (Turkish Bathhouse) at Tetovo It is a beautiful 15th century building in a very scenic spot in the centre of Tetovo. It is across the river from the Sarena Dzamija mosque. It now houses an art gallery. The Bathhouse at Tetovo 3.4. Arabati Baba Bektasi Teke The Bradt guide book says this is " one of the prettiest sites in Tetovo " although it is " in considerable disrepair ". Their first statement is wrong and misleading! The place is a mess and there is nothing worthwhile to see. Don't waste your time going there. 4. An Excursion to Popova Sapka Popova Sapka is a ski resort a 20 kilometre drive from Tetovo. It is 1,800 metres above sea level. It is a scenic drive up on a good road but sadly the road side was strewn with litter. The Bradt guide mentions that " parking is at a premium ". We were the only visitors in late April so parking wasn't a problem. It must be a lot busier in the summer months as it makes a good day outing for locals from Tetovo and even Skopje. There are hotels at the ski resort. In the summer time a number of hikes are possible. There was a hiking signpost at the ski resort (see the photo) but we didn't see any route signage. Hiking maps for the area can only be bought in North Macedonia. It is therefore difficult to plan a hike from abroad. Besides we knew that there might be too much snow around in late April so we didn't come prepared to hike. As we couldn't get a good view of the mountains from the ski resort we walked half an hour up a nearby hill. Popova Sapka Ski Resort A View from a Hill above Popova Sapka Ski Resort Hiking Signpost at Popova Sapka 5. Accommodation in Tetovo We booked a spacious 1 bedroom apartment in the centre of Tetovo through Airbnb . It cost Euro 112 for 3 nights plus Euro 20 for underground parking. I reviewed this apartment on my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 " (number 10). 6. Links to My Other Blogs on North Macedonia Ohrid Town, North Macedonia: Travel Guide Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4

A View of Ohrid Town from Tsar Samoil's Fortress We drove to Lake Ohrid from Tetovo (see my blogs Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 and Tetovo & Skopje, Macedonia: Travel Guide ) and we stayed 3 nights in the very pleasant Ohrid Town. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Ohrid Town Ohrid Town Centre Tsar Samoil's Fortress The Churches & Roman Theatre A Walk around Ohrid Town 3. A Half Day Excursion to the Monastery of Sv Naum 4. Accommodation in Ohrid Town 5. Links to My Other Blogs on North Macedonia 1. Introduction Despite some unsettled weather we really liked Ohrid Town and Lake Ohrid. Ohrid Town is an attractive town with a lot of character. With its picturesque lake setting it would be a great place to spend a week sightseeing and swimming in the summer. When we were at Lake Ohrid in early May the accommodation was cheap and meals were reasonably priced. It would probably be more expensive in peak season. I am sure Lake Ohrid would be a very popular vacation destination for North Macedonians in the summer. Some of the main things to do when staying in Ohrid Town are: Wandering around the streets of historic Ohrid Town. Walking on the walls of Tsar Samoil's fortress. Visiting the Roman theatre. Visiting 4 historic churches, some dating back to the Byzantine era. Walking along the lakeside promenade south of Ohrid Town. An excursion to the monastery of SV Naum on the Albanian border. Beaches and swimming in Lake Ohrid in summer. We weren't there in summer unfortunately! A day trip to the towns of Struga, Kalista and Radozda on the north western side of Lake Ohrid. 2. Ohrid Town 2.1. Ohrid Town Centre Ohrid Town's main shopping street is Makedonski Prosvetiteli which runs north from the quay. Ohrid Town's historic centre is to the west of this main street and it is an enjoyable area to explore. It is a pleasant walk along the promenade on Lake Ohrid which begins at the south end of Makedonski Prosvetiteli. It extends several kilometres southwards past what used to be Tito's summer residence. The Promenade at Ohrid Town The Lakefront at Ohrid Town Makedonski Prosvetiteli Street in Ohrid Town A Street in Ohrid Town 2.2. Tsar Samoil's Fortress The fortress was built in the late 10th century by the Bulgarian Tsar but was extensively restored in 2003. There are very few buildings within the castle walls. The main reason to visit is to walk along the top of the walls and the towers. There are good views of Ohrid Town and Lake Ohrid. It cost Eur 2 to enter Tsar Samoil's Fortress. There is a sign at the entrance warning that the steps and walls can be slippery. It was raining when we went and it was very slippery. Tsar Samoil's Fortress in Ohrid Town The Walls of Tsar Samoil's Fortress The Walls of Tsar Samoil's Fortress A View of Ohrid Town from Tsar Samoil's Fortress 2.3. The Churches & Roman Theatre in Ohrid Town Ohrid Town has three beautiful churches dating back to the Byzantine era. The 13th century Church of St John at Kaneo has a spectacular setting but it attracts a lot of tour groups. A board walk on the lake leads from Ohrid Town, skirting around the cliff edge. There is an entry fee of Eur 2 but a Tripadvisor review stated that it wasn't worth it. The Church of St John at Kaneo The Church St Sophia is an important 10th century Macedonian church. It was converted to a mosque in Ottoman times and the Byzantine frescoes were whitewashed. The frescoes have since been restored and are the main reason to see the interior. The entrance fee is Eur 3. The Church St Sophia in Ohrid Town The Church of Holy Mary Peryvleptos was built in 1295 and has some very beautiful old frescoes. There is an entrance fee of Eur 3 and reviews indicate that it is worth seeing the interior. The Church of Holy Mary Perybleptos The Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon looks old and fascinating from a distance but it was actually constructed recently. There had been an ancient church on this site but the Ottoman Turks converted it into a mosque. The mosque became dilapidated and it was replaced by a new one at the beginning of the 17th century. In 2000 the mosque was demolished and replaced with this church. There is an entry fee of Eur 3. I don't think the interior of the church is particularly worth seeing as it is so new. The Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon The Roman theatre was built in 200 B.C. It was buried after the fall of the Roman empire and only discovered in the 1980s. Entry is free. The Roman Theatre in Ohrid Town 2.4. A Walk around Ohrid Town You can do a circular walk around the north side of Ohrid Town which takes about an hour. Start at the Quay in Ohrid Town and walk westward along the Lake Ohrid towards the Church of St John. When you reach the church walk up the hill and follow the paved path northwards around the hill above Lake Ohrid. Stay high on the hill and don't take the path descending to Lake Ohrid. Later on follow a path eastwards which will take you to a road running north of the fortress. After the fortress you will be able to turn southwards back into Ohrid Town and descend back to Lake Ohrid. Board Walk from Ohrid Town to the Church of St John at Kaneo View from the Path above the Church of St John at Kaneo View from the Path near Labino Beach 3. Excursion to the Monastery of Sv Naum It is a half an hour drive from Ohrid Town to the Monastery of Sv Naum which is very near the Albanian border. You could stop off on the way at Pestani, the Bay of Bones and Trpejca but they aren't anything special. The Bay of Bones Museum looks like a tourist trap. There is a large car park at the monastery charging Eur 0.60 and there are toilets nearby for a similar small charge. There are boat trips from Ohrid Town to the monastery that cost Eur 25. There used to be a daily ferry costing Eur 10 but I am not sure it still runs. If you are driving I suggest you come early in the morning to avoid the visitors arriving by boat. The interior of the Sv Naum monastery's 16th century church is very beautiful and worth seeing. There is a small entrance fee. The grounds around the monastery are extensive and there are peacocks roaming around. The Monastery of Sv Naum is commercialised. There are shops lining the path from the car park to the church and there is a hotel and restaurant in the grounds. One of Lake Ohrid's best beaches is located at the monastery so take your swimming gear if the weather is good. It will be a popular location in the summer. It doesn't take long to see the main church at the monastery. Some people spend a few hours there wandering around the grounds, seeing the other churches, swimming in Lake Ohrid, renting a row boat etc. We only spent an hour there as it wasn't summer. The Monastery of Sv Naum on Lake Ohrid The Interior of St. Naum Church The Interior of St. Naum Church The Interior of St. Naum Church The Interior of Sts. Cyril and Methodius church A Peacock at The Monastery of Sv Naum A View of Lake Ohrid from the Monastery of Sv Naum 4. Accommodation in Ohrid Town We stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment that was a 10 minute walk into Ohrid Town along Lake Ohrid. We booked it through Booking.com and paid Eur 36 per night. I have reviewed the accommodation on my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 " (number 11). 5. Links to My Other Blogs on North Macedonia Tetovo & Skopje, Macedonia: Travel Guide Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4

Map of the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek Contents Quality of Tea Houses on the Kanchenjunga Trek Tea House Food on the Kanchenjunga Trek Internet on the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek Electricity on the Kanchenjunga Trek Showers, Toilets etc on the Kanchenjunga Trek Dining Rooms & Kitchens on the Kanchenjunga Trek Cost of Rooms on the Kachenjunga Trek Tea Houses at Mitlung and Sinwa Chirwa's Tea Houses Tea Houses at Tapethok, Ranipur and Lelep Tea Houses at Sekathum and Itahari Lama Tar's Tea House Amjilosa's Tea Houses Thangyam's Lodge Gyabla's Tea Houses Phale's Tea Houses Ghunsa's Accommodation Tea Shops Between Ghunsa & Khambachen Khambachen's Tea Houses Ramtang's Tea Shops Lhonak's Tea Houses Tea Shop between Lhonak and Pangpema Pangpema's Tea House Tea Shop between Ghunsa & Selele High Camp Tea Houses at Selele High Camp Tea Shop between Selele High Camp & Tseram Tseram's Tea Houses Ramche's Tea Houses Tea House at Andhafedi Tortong's Tea Houses Kengsra's Tea Houses Hellok's Homestays Bhadrapur Links to My other Blogs on the Kanchenjunga Trek 1. Quality of Tea Houses on the Kanchenjunga Trek I had read several older blogs about the Kanchenjunga trek. The accommodation at that time was very basic and rough. In November 2022 I did the Makalu Base Camp trek and those tea houses were pretty dire! The tea houses on the Kanchenjunga trek were looking to be no better. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of most of the accommodation on the Kanchenjunga trek. The accommodation was only poor at Tseram and Ramche, but that was because the better tea houses were closed because of illness. Your experience at the tea houses will greatly depend on how busy the Kanchenjunga trek is. When I went at the end of October 2023 there were usually at most 6 other trekkers and their guides and porters at each overnight stop. I could choose the tea houses I wanted to stay in and the rooms as well. See my blog Kanchenjunga Trek - Trip Report . If I had started my Kanchenjunga trek a week earlier it would have been an entirely different scenario. There were several large groups and many tea houses were full. Trekkers had been sleeping in the dining room at Amjilosa. At Khambachen large tents were erected for the guides and porters to sleep in. Lhonak was full. In autumn I would recommend delaying the Kanchenjunga trek until after approximately the 25th October in order to avoid the peak season. A bit later would be better. There are less trekkers in spring but it can become very busy for a few days at Tseram during the climbing season. See my other blogs about the Kanchenjunga trek. 2. Tea House Food on the Kanchenjunga Trek The food was so much better than I expected. On the Makalu Base Camp trek there were no menus and the food was mainly Nepali dishes. On the Kanchenjunga trek most tea houses had menus and they could cook a variety of dishes. I only eat rice and noodle dishes when trekking so I can't comment on the quality of the western food when it was available. On long trekking days there was usually a tea shop on the way and they cooked dal baht and other dishes. It is best to check if they will be open before leaving your tea house. When I trekked from Selele to Tseram the tea shop had been dismantled and we hadn't taken a packed lunch. The cost of food and drink increased with altitude. Dal baht cost R200 ($1.50) at the start of the trek but the cost had increased to R800 ($6) at Lhonak. A cup of black tea cost R50 ($0.40) at the beginning of the Kanchenjunga trek and had increased to R150 ($1.15) at Ramche. 3. Internet on the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek The only tea house on the Kanchenjunga trek that had wifi was at Ranipul, which is just before the bridge to Lelep. I could get internet on Nepal Telecom up to Sekathum. After Sekathum I could sometimes use WhatsApp with Nepal Telecom. Ghunsa used to have internet at the medical centre but it hasn't worked for a year. However, messages can be sent and received on WhatsApp in Ghunsa most of the time. 4. Electricity on the Kanchenjunga Trek All the tea houses that I stayed at had mains or solar power and there were lights in the bedrooms. Sometimes the lighting was a bit dim. At most tea houses on the Kanchenjunga trek up to Ghunsa there was free charging of electrical devices as they were connected to a power line. The exception was at Itahari near Sekathum as they had solar power. The tea houses north and east of Ghunsa all had solar power. Most of their batteries were not large enough to allow charging of electrical devices. The Kanchenjunga Guest House in Lhonak was an exception. Electrical charging was free for guests and they charged visitors R500 ($4) per device. I took a solar panel and 2 small power banks. I used the power banks but didn't need to use the solar panel. I had 3 batteries for my video camera but could have coped with 2. I had 2 USB adapter plugs. One of them had 2 ports which was very useful in Ghunsa as I quickly had to charge several devices one evening. I used the second adapter plug in the dining room. I used USB adaptors with 2 round pins and they can be bought in Thamel. The adapter plugs are usually loose when plugged into the electrical sockets at tea houses. I take tape so I can secure them properly. In the past I took Sellotape (Scotch tape) but this time I just used some micropore tape. 5. Showers, Toilets etc on the Kanchenjunga Trek Ghunsa is the best place to have a hot shower on the Kanchenjunga trek. I had a cold shower at Thangyam and could have also had one at Sekathum. The only rooms with attached toilets are at Ghunsa. The floors in the communal toilets can become icy and you definitely don't want to fall over in their. Most tea houses sell items like toilet paper, biscuits and soap. The prices increase with altitude! 6. Dining Rooms & Kitchens on the Kanchenjunga Trek The fire in the dining room can make a big difference to the comfort of a tea house. The fire isn't usually lit until about 16.00. They stop adding wood at around 19.00 unless the tea house is busy. It becomes cold by 20.00 which encourages the trekkers to go to bed! The coldest time of day is at breakfast time yet the dining room fire was never lit in the morning. If there aren't too many guests it is often possible to have meals in the warm kitchen. I always enjoyed that for both the warmth and the atmosphere. 7. Cost of Rooms on the Kanchenjunga Trek A single room costs between R500 ($4) and R1,000 ($8) per night. The price increases with altitude. At Ghunsa the cost of a room with an attached toilet was R800 ($6) . The most expensive room was R1,000 ($8) at Selele High Camp. Later on in this blog I have attached several of my bills and menus that show the cost of food and rooms. It may be possible to negotiate a lower rate but I didn't try as the cost was low. I was more concerned about obtaining a good room. However, I always determined the room cost before taking a room. 8. Tea Houses at Mitlung and Sinwa I forgot to take photos of the tea houses in these villages. We had lunch at a tea house in Mitlung and the food was good. Sinwa is quite a large settlement and there was a modern looking hotel. I met 2 trekkers who stayed there and they enjoyed their stay, except for the dogs barking at night. 9. Chirwa's Tea Houses There are 2 basic tea houses in Chirwa with about 5 bedrooms in each. I stayed at the Kanchenjunga Guest House and was charged R500 ($4) for a single room. There wasn't a menu. The cost of tea and food was very reasonable as can be seen from the photo of the bill. I could access the internet on my phone with a Nepal Telecoms SIM card. The other tea house in Chirwa was the Tamang Guest House. It was almost full when I arrived so I didn't stay there. The Kanchanjunga Guest House in Chirwa The Dining Room at the Kanchanjunga Guest House My Bedroom at at the Kanchanjunga Guest House The Tamang Guest House is on the right 10. Tea Houses at Tapethok, Ranipul and Lelep There are tea houses in all these villages but I only have details of the two tea houses in Ranipul. Ranipul wasn't shown on my map and is across the river from Lelep. Trekkers usually stay at Ranipul at the end of the trek if they have taken the new trail westwards from Tortong to Hellok along the Simbuwa Khola river. The Hotel Dream & Lodge is the most popular of the 2 lodges at Ranipul and is used by groups. They have hot showers and free wifi. 11. Tea Houses at Sekathum and Itahari There are at least 2 tea houses at Sekathum and 1 tea house at Itahari which is half an hour past Sekathum. I stayed at Itahari and didn't see the tea houses at Sekathum. The tea houses at Sekathum are larger and would be used by groups. The tea house at the tiny settlement of Itahari has only 4 basic, but clean, rooms. It has an outside shower and toilet. The internet can be accessed on Nepal Telecom when outside the tea house. They have solar power but electrical devices can't be charged. There are 2 problems with the tea house at Itahari. Firstly if it was full you would have to walk back to Sekathum to find alternative lodging. Secondly their prices are too high. For example a cup of coffee was R200 ($1.50) whereas at other tea houses at this altitude it was R100 ($0.75). As there is no menu the high cost isn't readily apparent. The Itahari Hotel & Lodge The Itahari Hotel & Lodge My Bed Room at the Itahari Hotel & Lodge The Dining Room at the Itahari Hotel & Lodge My bill at the Itahari Hotel & Lodge on Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek 12. Lama Tar's Tea House The village of Lama Tar isn't shown on the map for the Kanchenjunga trek. It is a 2 hour walk from Sekathum and a 2.5 hour walk to Amjilosa. The tea house is basic but looks clean. It could be a good option if you are trekking at a busy time. It wouldn't be used by groups. Lama Tar Guest House 13. Amjilosa's Tea Houses There are 2 tea houses at Amjilosa. I had lunch at the one in the north of the village. The dal bhat was fine and cost R250 ($2). The rooms were dark and basic. They had several beds in each room. The other guest house looked better from the outside but my guide said it was about the same standard. The tea houses at Amjilosa were full the week before we arrived and trekkers were having to sleep in the dining room. Groups tend to stay at Amjilosa and I recommend that trekkers don't stay here. 14. Thangyam's Lodge Thangyam is shown on the map as Thyangyani. It is a 2 hour walk from Amjilosa and a 1 hour 50 minute walk to Gyabla. A lodge was built here in 2019 but it wasn't opened until last year because of Covid. It was built by the owner of the large hotel at Gyabla. The lodge has about 10 bedrooms, a western toilet, an Asian toilet, a shower room and a sink with running water. It is all very nice and the guy running it was friendly and switched on. It is a far better choice than staying at Amjilosa. It seems that groups don't stay here but unfortunately that could change. It isn't expensive and I paid R1,470 ($11) for my room, dinner, breakfast and hot drinks. Far cheaper than the rip off tea house at Itahari and it had a far superior standard of accommodation and food. The Kitchen The Dining Room My Bedroom 15. Gyabla's Tea Houses Gyabla has a very pleasant position on top of a hill. It is sunny and there are excellent views. I didn't stay there but spent an hour relaxing and drinking tea. There are at least 2 lodges. The Hotel Shingi Namjong is a large modern place. Some trekkers don't like it and prefer the more traditional and rustic tea houses. I have stayed in plenty of those! If you stay at Thangyam it would be too early to stop for the night at Gyabla. I walked on to Phale but everyone else who stayed at Thangyam walked on further to Ghunsa. Hotel Shingi Namjong Hotel Namaste 16. Phale's Tea Houses I stayed at Phale as it is an authentic Buddhist Village at an altitude of 3,215 metres. I could easily have walked another 1 to 1.5 hours to Ghunsa. However, I was in no rush and wanted to acclimatise well in order to go up Drohmo Ri East (5,965 metres) from Kanchenjunga's North Base Camp. There are 2 tea houses at Phale and I stayed at the Fale Guest House. I was the only guest there and really enjoyed my stay. The dining area adjoins the Tibetan kitchen. The owners were very hospitable and the food was good and plentiful. My bill for lunch, dinner, breakfast and the room was a very reasonable R1,980 ($15). The other tea house has more rooms but also 2 chained dogs that bark a lot in the evening! They would have disturbed my sleep but fortunately they stopped barking at 22.15. They must have been taken inside. Fale Guest House My hut at Fale Guest House A Combined Kitchen and Dining Room at Fale Guest House The Main Building of the Lhasa Guest House Most of the Bedrooms are in the annex of the Lhasa Guest House 17. Ghunsa's Accommodation Ghunsa has more accommodation than any other village on the Kanchenjunga trek. It is the only village that has rooms with attached toilets. There is even a bakery. I stayed at both the Peaceful Guest House and the Mountain River View Side Lodge. They both had detached huts, with an attached toilet, at a cost of R800 ($6) per night. Only one of the huts at The Mountain River View Side Lodge had an attached toilet. I preferred the Mountain River View Side Lodge as it was smaller and quieter. Also the owners were very kind and helpful. Groups stay at the Peaceful Guest House and the dining room isn't large enough. The Kanchenjunga Guest House has a very good reputation but groups stay there. There are also several other decent looking guest houses in Ghunsa. The wifi in Ghunsa hasn't worked for more than a year. However, there is a Nepal Telecom signal and WhatsApp messages can be sent and received most of the time. The huts with attached toilets at the Peaceful Guest House The Dining Room of the Peaceful Guest House The Peaceful Guest House's Menu The Peaceful Guest House's Menu The Peaceful Guest House's Menu The Peaceful Guest House's Menu The Mountain River View Side Lodge The room with an attached toilet at the Mountain River View Side Lodge My Bill at the Mountain River View Side Lodge 18. Tea Shops Between Ghunsa & Khambachen There are 2 tea shops at a location about 3.5 hours from Ghunsa. I only stopped for tea but they serve dal bhat and probably some other dishes as well. 19. Khambachen's Tea Houses The best known tea houses at Khambachen are the Khambachen Guest House and the Kanchenjunga White House. The Sun Rise Hotel & Lodge looked fine from the outside. I stayed at the Khambachen Guest House as they had a detached hut available. They also had rooms in the main building. I like detached huts as you can't hear other people walking around and they are generally quieter. The cost was R700 ($5.50) per night. The dining room at the Khambachen lodge was small and gloomy. At lunch time I ate outside at one of the tables. The lodge is in a very nice setting. I went over to have a look at the Kanchenjunga White House as it has a good reputation. The owner spoke good English and was very friendly. The dining room is large, bright and comfortable. They have a reputation for providing good food. There are 5 attached huts at the Kanchenjunga White House. The White House is popular with groups however. There are 3 large yellow tents in the photo below. They were erected a week or so before I arrived as all the tea houses were full. The guides and porters slept in them. Khambachen Khambachen Guest House Khambachen Guest House The Dining Room at the Khambachen Guest House My Room at the Khambachen Guest House The Huts at the Kanchenjunga White House The Dining Room at the Kanchenjunga White House Sun Rise Hotel & Lodge New Sherpa Guest House 20. Ramtang's Tea Shops There are 2 tea shops at Ramtang which is 3 hours north of Khambachen. I had a really good vegetable noodle soup at the Ramtang Tea Shop. The other tea shop was called the Himalayan Guest House and it had a couple of basic rooms. The rooms are probably only used when the tea houses at Lhonak and Khambachen are full. 21. Lhonak's Tea Houses I stayed at the Kanchenjunga Guest House as it had attached huts and no one else was staying there. The room cost R800 ($6). There was a long drop toilet behind the huts. The Kanchenjunga Guest House had large enough solar powered batteries to accommodate the charging of electrical devices. It was free for guests but cost R500 ($4) per device for visitors. There were several tea houses in Lhonak and most of them looked reasonable and had communal toilets inside the tea house. Lhonak Lhonak The Kanchenjunga Guest House My room at the Kanchenjunga Guest House The Dining Room at the Kanchenjunga Guest House The Kitchen at the Kanchenjunga Guest House 22. Tea Shop between Lhonak and Pangpema This tea shop is 2.25 hours from Lhonak and 1.75 hours from Pangpema. I had dal bhat and black tea on the way back down to Lhonak. It cost R1,150 ($9). 23. Pangpema's Tea House This tea house was closed as the owner had gone down to Ghunsa for 5 days to celebrate the festival of Tihar. He promised to return 2 days later to let a group stay there but he didn't keep to his word. Unfortunately you can't rely on this tea house being open in the off season or during Tihar. The tea house owner usually goes down to Ghunsa in the middle of November but he might go back up if a group wanted to stay there. At quieter times he stays in Lhonak until there are trekkers walking up to Pangpema. When the lodge owner is at Pangpema he can be contacted by radio from the Lhonak tea houses. I had read that there were beds in a dormitory but it must be small. There were 3 tents that would comfortably accommodate 2 people in each. There weren't any mattresses but they might have been stored in the building. There was 1 large tent that could accommodate many people. 24. Tea Shop between Ghunsa & Selele High Camp This tea shop is a 3 hour walk from Ghunsa and a 1.75 hour walk from Selele High Camp. I ordered dal bhat and while it was being cooked I lay outside in the sun on one of the mats they had provided. It took an hour for the dal bhat to be cooked and it was a very pleasant spot to wait. The dal bhat cost R500 ($4) and black tea cost R100 ($0.75). 25. Tea Houses at Selele High Camp Until fairly recently there was only one very basic tea house at Selele High Camp. Fortunately the accommodation has greatly improved. The old lodge was the Himalayan Hotel and they have now built a new annex to supplement the accommodation in the old buildings. This tea house is the first one reached after Ghunsa. It is located by a small river. I stayed at the Hillside Lodge as 4 French trekkers were staying at the Himalayan Hotel. The Hillside Lodge is on the top of a hill overlooking the Himalayan Hotel. It consists of 3 buildings. One building has a kitchen and dining room and the other 2 buildings have 7 bedrooms. The Hillside Lodge has an outside toilet. The floor was icy and in the evening we were warned not to use it! The room cost R1,000 which was the most expensive on the trek. In December 2024 both the tea houses at Selele were closed for winter and trekkers had to walk from Ghunsa to Tseram in one day. The Hillside Lodge - The Kitchen & Dining Room is in the Building to the far left The Kitchen at the Hillside Lodge My Room at the Hillside Lodge The View from the Hillside Lodge My Bill at the Hillside Lodge, Selele, Nepal 26. Tea Shop between Selele High Camp & Tseram In the high season there is a tea shop between Selele High Camp and Tseram. It isn't in an ideal position as it is a long 5.5 hour walk from Selele High Camp and then it is only another 1.25 hours to Tseram. It is better to take a packed lunch and just stop for a hot drink at the tea house. The tea shop had been dismantled for the season when we reached there. We hadn't taken a packed lunch and regretted it! The dismantled tea shop between Selele High Camp and Tseram 27. Tseram's Tea Houses Unfortunately when I stayed at Tseram the Kyabru View tea house was closed, as the owner was sick, and the Blue Sheep Hotel was full. I therefore had to stay at the Yaluangkhang Guest House which is old and rustic. I kept my rucksack in a bedroom but slept in my tent. The other 2 tea houses looked better. The Blue Sheep Hotel is close to the Yaluangkhang Guest House and the rooms are in single storey buildings. The 2 storey Kyabru View tea house is the furthest north and has 6 rooms. A blog on the Kanchenjunga trek that mentioned that all the tea houses were full for a few days in April with expedition teams on their way to climb Kanchenjunga. A post on the Tripadvisor forum mentioned that in December 2024 new chalet style tea houses were being constructed in Tseram. Tseram The Yaluangkhang Guest House The Dining Room in the Yaluangkhang Guest House My Room at the Yaluangkhang Guest House My Bill at the Yaluangkhang Guest House The Blue Sheep Hotel & Lodge Probably an Annex of the Blue Sheep Hotel & Lodge Kyabru View Tea House 28. Ramche's Tea Houses There were 2 tea houses at Ramche but only the very basic Hotel Snow Home was open when I was there. It was the most basic tea house of the entire Kanchenjunga trek. It was probably representative of what the accommodation used to be like on the Kanchenjunga trek. There were about 5 very basic bedrooms and there were several beds in each room. I kept my belongings in my room and slept in my tent. I had a good night's sleep but it was a hassle packing up the tent the next morning as it was covered in frozen dew. The dining room is a structure covered with clear plastic attached to the kitchen. The dining room is warm on sunny days but very cold in the evenings. I had to go into the kitchen to warm up. Everyone went to bed by 20.00. There is a long drop toilet in a very small outside cubicle. It was the most basic toilet of the Kanchenjunga trek. The other tea house was closed as the owner was ill. It was a small modern building with a large tent for the dining area. I doubt that there would be space for many trekkers. In December 2024 both tea houses were closed for winter. The kitchen & dining area of Hotel Snow Home The bedrooms of Hotel Snow Home in Ramche, Nepal The dining area of Hotel Snow Home The kitchen of Hotel Snow Home My bedroom at Hotel Snow Home My bill at Hotel Snow Home The new guest house in Ramche. The dining room is in the tent. The new guest house in Ramche 29. Tea House at Andhafedi Andhafedi is equidistant from Tortong and Tseram. It is a 1.25 hour walk from either village. There is a tea house just off the trail. I have read that it is often closed and I didn't visit it. Two trekkers that I met in Tortong had tea there. If it was open you could sleep there. However, there isn't a toilet. 30. Tortong's Tea Houses There are 2 tea houses at Tortong and I stayed at the Hotel Green View. The room cost R500 ($4). The other tea house was the rustic Torantang Hotel. I had a good stay there but it could be noisy if the hotel was full. I was disturbed by 4 Nepali lads in the room below me and had to move into another room. I heard that around the 5th November the tea houses at Tortong were completely full. My Bill at the Green View Hotel The Torantang Hotel 31. Kengsra's Tea Houses It is a very hard 5 hour hike from Tortong to Kengsra. Many trekkers don't stop at Kengsra and continue on for another 3 hours to Ranipur. If you have the time it would be more pleasant to break the hike in Kengsra. There are 2 new tea houses but only one was open when I was there. I stayed in the Kengsra Hotel & Lodge and had a good stay. The owner was very helpful and arranged a private jeep for my journey from Hellok to Taplejung. There was a very limited Nepal Telecoms signal that could only be accessed with an older type of mobile phone. The Kanchenjunga Hotel was closed but looked nicer. As it was at the top of a hill it would receive more sun than the Kengsra Hotel & Lodge. The sun went behind the mountains at around 14.30 at the Kengsra Hotel. The Kengsra Hotel & Lodge in Kengsra, Nepal My Room at the Kengsra Hotel & Lodge My Bill at the Kengsra Hotel & Lodge An advert for the Kanchenjunga Hotel The bedrooms are on this side The dining area is located by the large windows 32. Hellok's Homestays There aren't any tea houses in Hellock but there are a few homestays. I had lunch at the one below. The dal bhat was excellent and the lady running it was very friendly and helpful. Most trekkers pass through Hellok at the end of the trek when taking the new trail west of Tortong. However, most trekkers don't stay at Hellok and walk another half an hour down to Ranipul. As I stated earlier in this blog there are 2 tea houses at Ranipul . Trekkers often stay the night there and take a jeep back to Taplejung the next day. The road does continue from Ranipul to Hellok but there is very little traffic. There is an outdoor and indoor dining area The Bedroom Annex A bedroom 33. Bhadrapur I stayed at the Pasupati Hotel and Lodge which is just outside the entrance to Bhadrapur airport. I had a room with a ceiling fan, and an attached bathroom, for R1,500 ($11.50) per night. Rooms with air conditioning cost R3,000 ($23). As is typical of many Nepalese hotels the bathroom hadn't been cleaned for a long time. The hotel was quiet until 22.30 when five Nepali arrived singing. Fortunately they quietened down after half an hour. It turned out to be a good choice as it was so close to the airport and the food was good as well. The Pasupati Hotel & Lodge in Bhadrapur 34. Links to My other Blogs on the Kanchenjunga Trek Kanchenjunga trek trip report Planning your Kanchenjunga Trek Day Hikes on the Kanchenjunga Trek

Map of the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek This blog provides information on 9 excellent day hikes that can be done when doing the Kanchenjunga Circuit trek. Click here to read my other blogs about the Kanchenjunga trek. Contents Introduction Ghunsa - Hike towards Nangola Pass Ghunsa Viewpoint Ghunsa - Hike towards Lumbasamba Kharka Khambachen - Hike to Jannu Viewpoint Khambachen - Hike to Nupchu Pokhari (Lake) Lhonak - Hike up the Side of the Lhonak Glacier Lhonak - Hike up "Lhonak Ri" Pangpema - Hike up Drohmo Ri East Tseram - Hike towards Lapsang Bhanjyang Pass Links to My Other Blogs on the Kanchenjunga Trek 1. Introduction to Day Hikes on the Kachenjunga Trek Trekkers usually focus on the main trail and don't take the time to enjoy the side trails. I have been guilty of that. The best scenery in Nepal is at the higher altitudes. It therefore makes sense to enjoy your time up there after all the effort and expense in getting there. I became aware of 2 high altitude day hikes only while I was actually on the Kanchenjunga trek ( see my Trip Report ). They are the day hikes from Khambachen to the Nupchu Pokhari (lake) and the hike up "Lhonak Ri", which is at an altitude of 5,700 metres. I didn't do these day hikes on the Kanchenjunga trek. They are both excellent but tiring. There are 3 possible day hikes at Ghunsa. I recommend that you only do one of them for acclimatisation unless you have plenty of time. The day hikes at Khambachen and Lhonak are a better option as the mountain views are superior. I have not included the hikes to North Base Camp and the Oktang viewpoint. I regard these hikes to be part of the main Kanchenjunga Circuit trek. Most trekkers do them. 2. Ghunsa - Day Hike towards Nangola Pass This day hike on the Kachenjunga trek goes westwards from Ghunsa to Olangchung Gola over the Nango La (4,795 metres). It takes 2 days to hike to Olangchung Gola. Initially you follow the very scenic trail back towards Phale. After passing the Tashi Choding Gompa there is a sign pointing the way to the pass. From there it is all up hill! Initially the trail is through the trees but eventually the scenery opens up and there are views of the mountains. I only hiked up to 3,810 metres. I wasn't fit as I twisted my ankle 2 months prior to the trek, my hip was hurting and I had a cold. In addition the weather was changing and on the way back down there was a brief shower. It is unlikely that you would be able to reach the pass and return to Ghunsa in 1 day. The turn off for the Nangola Pass is well marked The initial ascent on the Nangola Pass trail The trail going towards the Nangola pass View back down the Nangola pass trail View back down the Nangola pass trail View back down the Nangola pass trail 3. Ghunsa Viewpoint Day Hike The most popular acclimatisation hike on the Kanchenjunga trek is up the hill on the west side of Ghunsa. There are various viewpoints and the prayer flags can be seen from Ghunsa. It looked like a hard slog to the top viewpoint which is at an altitude of 3,990 metres. I have seen photos taken from the viewpoints and the views weren't amazing. 4. Ghunsa - Day Hike towards Lumbasamba Kharka This trail goes to Ramche over the Lapsang Bhanjyang pass (5,161 metres). The pass itself is difficult and can be dangerous. It is possible however to hike to Lumbasamba Kharka (4,210 metres) and back to Ghunsa. This section of the trail passes the Yamatarin Glacier. I believe the trail mainly goes through forest so the views would be restricted. My guide asked the owner of our tea house about the trail. Apparently there is a river that has to be crossed and it can sometimes be difficult. I therefore opted to do the Nangola Pass trail. 5. Khambachen - Day Hike to Jannu Viewpoint Many local trekking agencies have only 1 night at Khambachen in their itinerary for the Kanchenjunga trek. This is dangerous as it is essential to stay 2 nights at Khambachen in order to acclimatise. Even if you have already acclimatised it would be a shame not to spend at least 2 nights at Khambachen so you can hike up to the Jannu viewpoint. It is a reasonably easy 3 hour hike up to a viewpoint near an interesting Hindu shrine. It is 400 metres above Khambachen. There is a stone path most of the way but this is more of a hindrance as many of the stones are loose. The scenery is superb throughout the entire hike. Unfortunately the hike is directly into the sun in the early morning and it is blinding at times. Don't forget your sunglasses! I walked a further 20 minutes up to the top of the lateral moraine of the Jannu glacier and reached an altitude of 4,606 metres. The views were worth the extra effort. I have read that you can continue hiking on to Jannu base camp but it is an exhausting hike. When I stayed a Khambachen 2 Spaniards hiked towards Jannu base camp. They enjoyed it but didn't go all the way. A well marked trail Leaving Lhonak before the sun had risen over the mountains The stone path on the way up - looking back to Khambachen Looking west along the Jannu Glacier The Hindu Shrine under the Boulder The Hindu Shrine Temple near the Hindu Shrine Jannu is on the right View of the Jannu Glacier from the Lateral Moraine above the Hindu Shrine The highest altitude reached 6. Khambachen - Day Hike to Nupchu Pokhari (Lake) I met 3 trekkers from the Czech Republic who hiked to Nupchu Pokhari (4,952 metres) and they raved about the scenery. The map shows the trail which goes north west of Khambachen. It would take about 5 hours to reach Nupchu Pokhari and 3 hours to return. It is a long day's trek and it would be better to do it after the hike to the Jannu viewpoint so you are better acclimatised. It would be a good trek even if you didn't go the entire way. I recommend spending 3 nights at Khambachen and doing both the day hikes. Khambachen has at least 2 good tea houses and it is a nice place to stay. Spending 3 nights at Khambachen improves acclimatisation and would make it easier to hike up "Lhonak Ri" and Drohmo Ri East. 7. Lhonak - Day Hike up the Side of the Lhonak Glacier I did this hike to improve my acclimatisation for my planned hike up Drohmo Ri East from the North Base camp on the Kanchenjunga trek. The map shows the trail to be on the west side of the Lhonak glacier. I had read on another blog that there was a better trail on the east side of the Lhonak glacier. The owner of our tea house confirmed that the trail on the east side was better. He showed us the way as he was visiting a mountaineering camp further on but the trail is easy to find and follow. There was one slightly tricky section early on that goes across large boulders. After the boulders there is a river with a small bridge consisting of 3 logs. The logs are often icy and dangerous. My guide found a way across without using the bridge. If you can't cross the river I believe that you could hike eastwards along the Chhyatungdinga glacier instead. Our lodge owner said it could be done but I didn't see a trail. I walked for 3 hours up to an altitude of 5,124 metres. From the top of the lateral moraine I could see the confluence of the Lhonak, Chabuk and Chijima glaciers. There is little point in going further. The entire walk took 5 hours and 45 minutes and that included a stop to eat my packed lunch. I wasn't that impressed with the scenery on this hike even though I really like seeing glaciers. Unless you have plenty of time I recommend doing other day hikes whilst doing the Kanchenjunga trek. Icy Bridge River from the Chhyatungdinga Glacier We walked up to the ridge of the moraine and reached an altitude of 5,124 metres. I could see the confluence of the Chabuk and Chijima glaciers. I could also see the tents of the mountaineering expedition that were at this confluence.  Looking back towards Lhonak Looking back towards Lhonak The Lhonak Glacier Looking towards the Confluence of the Lhonak, Chabuk and Chijima Glaciers There was little point in going further so we turned back. There was a cold wind on the way back. The entire hike took us almost 6 hours. On the way down near Lhonak 8. Lhonak - Day Hike up "Lhonak Ri" Three trekkers from the Czech Republic told me about this hike and raved about the views from the summit. They said the summit was at 5,700 metres and named it Lhonak Ri, although that isn't the official name. I later met 2 Spanish trekkers who had done this hike on the recommendation of the Czech trekkers. They also raved about the views. The main difficulty of the hike is the altitude. A bit of scrambling is involved at the very top. The peak is off the trail that goes to the North Base Camp on the Kanchenjunga trek. I am sure the owners of the tea houses at Lhonak could provide directions. 9. Pangpema - Day Hike up Drohmo Ri East I had planned to hike up Drohmo Ri East which is at an altitude of 5,965 metres. Unfortunately the Pangpema tea was closed because of the Tihar festival so I couldn't do it. That was a big disappointment. As I have stated in my blog on the Tea Houses on the Kanchenjunga Trek you cannot rely on this tea house being open. Also it is very small so it could be very crowded or full. I had brought a tent in case. Most trekkers who hike up Drohmo Ri East stay at the Pangpema tea house the night before. They start hiking up early the next morning and return to Lhonak the same day. It is a very tiring day. If there isn't snow on the ground the trek isn't too difficult apart from the altitude. Therefore it is better to spend 3 nights in Khambachen and 2 nights in Lhonak beforehand to acclimatise. It would make the hike both easier and more enjoyable. The terrain isn't difficult except for the last 200 metres when there are boulders and rocks on the ground. If they were covered by snow or ice it would be difficult. Depending on your acclimatisation and fitness it would take about 3 hours to ascend and 2 hours to descend. There is a viewpoint before the boulders and some trekkers turn around there. The trail starts behind the Pangpema tea house. Wikiloc shows the route up Drohmo Ri East and there are also some photos. 10. Tseram - Day Hike towards Lapsang Bhanjyang Pass Between Ramche and Tseram there is a sign pointing westwards that says Napsangla Pass. This is the alternative trail to Ghunsa and it crosses a difficult and dangerous pass. On my map the pass is named Lapsang Bhanjyang rather than Napsangla Pass. It should be safe to do a day hike towards the pass. The trail is closer to Ramche but it could also be hiked from Tseram. There are no trees on this eastern side of the pass so the views would be much better than from the trail on the forested western side. 11. Links to My Other Blogs on the Kanchenjunga Trek Kanchenjunga Trek - Trip Report Tea Houses on the Kanchenjunga Trek Planning your Kanchenjunga Trek

View of Mount Everest from Kala Patthar This blog provides details of 15 excellent day hikes that can be done when doing the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 Passes trek. Click here  to read my other blogs about these Everest treks. Contents Introduction Namche - Hillary Memorial - Khunde Peak - Khunde - Khumjung - Everest View Hotel Namche - Hike to Thame (3810m) Pangboche (3930m) to Ama Dablam Base Camp (4600m) Dingboche (4410m) to Nangkartshang Peak (5083m) Chukhung (4730m) to Island Peak Base Camp (5080m) or Amphu Laptsa Phedi Chukhung (4730m) to Chukhung Ri (5550m) or Chukhung Tse Chukhung - Climb up Island Peak (6189m) Lobouche to Viewpoint (5300m) below Changrila Tonggu Ri Lobouche to the Moraine Ridge of the Khumbu Glacier Gorak Shep (5140m) to Kala Patthar (5550m) Gokyo (4790m) to Gokyo Ri (5357m) Hike to Gokyo 5th Lake (4990m) & Scoundrel's View Point Hike to Gokyo 1st and 2nd Lakes Thame to Sunder Peak (5368m) Thame - Trek towards Tashi Labsta Thame to Kongde Links to my other Everest Base Camp Blogs 1. Introduction Most trekkers do 3 or 4 day hikes on the way to Everest Base Camp and 5 to 6 day hikes when doing the Everest 3 passes trek. These are done to acclimatise and to enjoy good views of Everest and other peaks. With the high cost and effort of getting to the Everest region it is worth taking the opportunity to see more of the spectacular high altitude scenery. In any case should your flight to Lukla be delayed these extra days will provide a buffer allowing you to complete your trek. Below I have provided details of the main day hikes when doing the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 passes treks. For more adventurous ideas read these Tripadvisor posts: Dharma Bum's Guide to Paths Less Travelled: Khumbu Edition Another Khumbu report, off the beaten paths 2. Namche - Hillary Memorial - Khunde Peak - Khunde - Khumjung - Namche We intended to do this hike in May 2022 but we only went to Khunde and Khumjung as the weather was bad. See my blog Trip Report for the Everest 3 Passes Trek . It is a very scenic hike in good weather and parts of it is popular. There are great views from the Hillary memorial view point, an easy 45 minute hike from Khunde, and Khunde Peak (4,253 metres). The hike takes more than half a day and Khumjung is a good lunch stop. 3. Namche to Thame (3,810 metres) The 3 hour hike to Thame is a good hike to do if you are doing the Everest Base Camp trek. However, if you are doing the Everest 3 passes trek you will pass through Thame anyway. On the way back from Thame you can deviate to the upper trail at Samde. This trail goes via Lawuda Gompa and rejoins the main trail at Theso. This trail isn't shown on the printed maps but you can use Maps.Me. 4. Pangboche (3,930m) to Ama Dablam Base Camp (4,600m) We did the hike to Ama Dablam base camp in May 2022 but it was cloudy and snowed a little on the way down. We enjoyed the hike but were disappointed to miss the outstanding views. We did at least see the climbers' tents at Ama Dablam base camp as it was still the climbing season. Initially there is a descent of about 100 metres and then the trail climbs 800 metres to Ama Dablam base camp. It takes about 2 to 2.5 hours to hike up and 1.25 hours to hike down. Mingbo is about 5 minutes walk from base camp and there are 3 lodges, but only the Ama Dablam Base Camp Lodge was open when we were there. We had lunch there, but they do have rooms which are mainly used by climbers. If you want to stay at Ama Dablam Base Camp it would be best to check in Pangboche that the Mingbo lodges are open when it isn't the climbing season. 5. Dingboche (4,410m) to Nangkartshang Peak (5,083m) Nangkartshang Peak is a very popular acclimatization hike. It is about a 4 hour hike up an easy to follow trail and the views are great. 6. Chukhung (4,730m) to Island Peak Base Camp (5,080m) or Amphu Labtsa Phedi The mountain scenery on this hike is fantastic, particularly the first half. It is a 3.5 hour walk to Island Peak Base Camp. There is a good view of the large Imja Tsho glacial lake if you climb up the glacial moraine to the south of the base camp. In May 2022 I hiked to the turn off to Island Peak Base Camp and then continued for an hour towards Amphu Labsta. Shortly after this junction there is a river with a metal ladder, without side rails, serving as a bridge. I have to admit that my guide lent me a helping hand. About half an hour after the junction the path passes between the large glacial grey Imja Tsho and the small deep blue Amphu Labsta Tsho. You have to climb the moraines to see the lakes and they are both spectacular. The contrast of the colours of the 2 lakes is superb. I continued for another half an hour and had lunch at a spot with a view of the difficult Amphu Labsta La. I had planned to hike on to Amphu Labsta Phedi, but I had a cold and it seemed the scenery wouldn't change much. 7. Chukhung (4,730 metres) to Chukhung Ri (5,550 metres) It is a 2 hour hike to the saddle of Chukhung Ri. To the left of the saddle there is an easy trail to the lower peak (5,417 metres). To the right, the trail goes to the higher peak (5,559 metres). There are great views from both peaks. From the saddle it takes about an hour to the high peak and the descent back to Chukhung takes about 2 hours. 8. Chukhung - Climb up Island Peak (6189m) A package to climb Island Peak costs $700 and includes a guide, food, base camp tent, crampons, ice axe, harness, jumar and boots. You need to take your own sleeping bag. It can all be arranged in Dingboche and the permit will be sent to you electronically from Kathmandu. I have never climbed Island Peak as it is a climbing peak, not a trekking peak like Mera. 9. Lobouche to Viewpoint below Changrila Tonggu Ri There is a scenic and easy alternative trail on the way from Lobuche to Gorak Shep, which leads to a fantastic viewpoint at 5,300 metres. This trail starts about 20 minutes after leaving Lobuche once you reach the turn off to the Pyramid. Immediately behind the Pyramid billboard there is a path that zigzags up the hill for 5 to 10 minutes. This path then joins a high trail which runs above, and parallel to, the main trail to Gorak Shep. After a while there is a feint trail that snakes down and rejoins the main Everst Base Camp trail. This higher path is more scenic than the lower trail and in high season avoids a section of the often congested main trail to Everest Base Camp. If you don't descend down to the main trail you continue on very easy terrain to an excellent viewpoint at 5,300 metres. It is about 1.25 hours from Lobuche. After that the terrain becomes difficult and there is some scrambling involved to reach the summit of Changrila Tonggu Ri (5,691 metres). 10. Lobouche to the Moraine Ridge of the Khumbu Glacier The Khumbu glacier is just to the east of Lobuche and has to be crossed when doing the Everest 3 passes trek. It takes 20 minutes to reach the top of the moraine ridge of this glacier from the lodges at Lobouche. It is a very popular and visible trail. You can see Everest base camp in the distance, the Khumbu glacier and excellent mountain views from the top of the ridge. It is best to take trekking poles for the steep descent back to the lodges. 11. Gorak Shep (5,140m) to Kala Patthar (5,550m) Virtually everyone does this hike as it offers some of the best views of Everest and surrounding peaks. Some hikers set off in the dark so they can see the sunrise from the top of Kala Patthar. This certainly doesn't appeal to me as it is very cold before sunrise. It is also one of the busiest times on Kala Patthar and I prefer quiet and solitude. In mid May 2014 we left our lodge in Lobuche at 05.30 a.m., just after sunrise, and reached Gorak Shep at 08.30 a.m. As the weather was sunny and clear we immediately hiked up Kala Patthar. We sat at the top for about 45 minutes in warm temperatures enjoying the spectacular view. There was only one other person at the top. The round trip took about 3.5 hours. People often hike to Everest Base Camp on the day they reach Gorak Shep. If the weather is clear it is better to go up Kala Patthar that day and hike to Everest base camp the next morning. If you hike to Everest base camp the next morning you will have enough time to reach Pheriche or Dzongla by the late afternoon. If you hike up Kala Patthar the following morning I recommend starting at sunrise to avoid the risk of it clouding over. 12. Gokyo (4,790 metres) to Gokyo Ri (5,357 metres) People hike up Gokyo Ri for the fantastic views of Everest and surrounding peaks. The trail up isn't difficult and it took me 1.5 hours to reach the peak in May 2022. It was warm so I spent a couple of hours enjoying the panorama. People on the Tripadvisor forum recommend going up for the sunset as it is more spectacular than the sunrise. Ensure you have warm clothes and a good head lamp for the descent! Apparently Gokyo Ri is busier at sunrise than sunset. 13. Hike to Gokyo's 5th Lake (4,990m) & Scoundrel's View Point Due to lack of time I only hiked to Gokyo's 4th lake in May 2022. I met some very tired trekkers making their way back and many hadn't made it to Gokyo's 5th lake. There wasn't any real incline to the 4th lake but there wasn't a good trail either. The scenery was very desolate and I could see it would be tiring to continue on to the 5th lake 14. Hike to Gokyo's 1st and 2nd Lakes Gokyo is on the 3rd lake and it is a short easy walk southwards to reach the 1st and 2nd lakes. There isn't much elevation and the round hike would take about 1.5 hours. 15. Thame to Sunder Peak (5,368 metres) Sunder Peak is a fairly popular acclimatisation hike for trekkers going clockwise on the Everest 3 passes trek. The path is well marked and there is a good view point at 4,250 metres. It is easy to follow up to about 4,800 metres . After this it continues to be well marked up to the lower peak at 4,936 metres, but the trail is a bit trickier. It takes about 4 hours to reach the lower peak. It is a difficult climb from the lower peak to the summit and there isn't a marked trail. 16. Thame - Trek towards Tashi Labsta You could do a day hike from Thame (3,820 metres), walking as far as you can get towards Tashi Labsta before returning to Thame the same day. Reports on the internet indicate that it is a 4 to 5 hour hike to Thyangbo (4,310 metres), but that seems too long for the distance and altitude gain if you are already acclimatised. Sign near Thame Monastery Another option is to hike to Thyangbo (4,310 metres) and stay there if the lodge is open. In 2019 there was only one lodge, but a recent report indicates that there may now be a second one. The lodge by the river, which is run by Pemba and his wife, has been recommended. It is very scenic at Thyangbo. Click here to see a vlog of this hike If you stayed at Thyangbo for 2 nights you could go to Tashi Lapsta High Camp (5,150 metres), or higher, and then return to Thyangbo. If you only stay 1 night you could hike further towards Tashi Lapsta on the afternoon you arrive at Thyangbo or the next morning. 17. Thame to Kongde See post 13 of this Tripadvisor report if you are interested in hiking from Thame to Kongde. The trail can be icy and difficult. The 2 lodges at Kongde cost about $250 a night! It is possible to hike from Thame to Kongde and then down to Toktok in one long day. 18. Links to my other Everest Base Camp Blogs My Daily Reports on the Everest 3 Passes Trek Lodges and Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek When to trek to Everest Base Camp What to take for the Everest Base Camp Trek Kathmandu to Lukla and Back Forum Posts, Vlogs & Webcams for Everest Base Camp Trek Guides, Porters and Trekking Agencies

A view on the way up Kongma La Lani and I did the Everest Base Camp trek in May 2014 with a porter/guide and had fabulous weather and no crowds. We returned in May 2022 to do the more difficult Everest 3 Passes trek with a porter and a guide. Unfortunately the weather wasn't as perfect this time but the trail wasn't busy. This blog is a daily trip report of our 19 day Everest 3 Passes trek. I have also done several other blogs providing information and advice for trekking in the Everest region. See my Everest Base Camp Trek page for details. Contents Flight from Kathmandu to Lukla Hike to Namche Bazaar Namche to Khyangjuma via Khunde & Kumjung Khyangjuma to Pangboche via Phortse Hike to Ama Dablam Base Camp Pangboche to Dingboche Dingboche to Chukhung Day Hike towards Amphu Labsta Phedi Crossing the Kongma La Lobuche Lobouche to Dzongla Crossing the Cho La Dragnag to Gokyo Hike up Gokyo Ri Crossing the Renjo La Lumde to Namche Bazaar Namche Bazaar to Phakding Phakding to Lukla Flight from Lukla to Kathmandu Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blog s 4 May 2022 - Flight from Kathmandu to Lukla We were informed that the guide and driver would collect us from our hotel at 05.00 for our 06.00 flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. We were panicking as they didn't get to our hotel until 05.25! We arrived at Kathmandu airport at 05.45 but didn't miss our flight as all flights to Lukla had been delayed due to bad weather! After 3 hours at Kathmandu airport we decided to pay an extra $600 to fly by helicopter, but the weather was too bad even for that. After hours of listening to extremely loud airport announcements the tedium was broken by a bomb scare. Someone had called from Pakistan and reported that several bombs had been planted in the domestic terminal! Everyone had to leave the building and sit in airport buses until sniffer dogs and bomb detectors had searched the building. Shortly after being allowed back into the terminal it was announced that our flight was boarding. By 13.10 we had landed in Lukla, which they boast is the world's most dangerous airport! I was very pleased we hadn't paid the extra $600 for a helicopter. We had lunch at Lukla and then hiked 4 hours to the small village of Bengkar. The new, and best, lodge had 4 other trekkers in so we stayed in a more basic tea house that had more character and no other guests. 5 May 2022 - Bengkar to Namche Bazaar We left our tea house at Bengkar at 07.50 and arrived at Namche Bazaar 4 hours later, after climbing 800 metres in fairly nice sunny conditions. Namche Bazaar is at 3,450 metres and is the largest village on the trail for the Everest Base Camp trek. Namche Bazaar has everything a trekker could want! We found a nice ensuite room with a small balcony in the upper part of Namche Bazaar. The hotel association (cartel) in Namche Bazaar has set the room rates and as a result rooms are expensive. We had to pay NPR 2,000 but negotiated free hot showers. It was very quiet when we arrived, but a noisy group arrived afterwards and took over the dining room. See my blog Lodges & Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek . 6 May 2022 - Namche to Khyangjuma via Khunde & Kumjung Namche Bazaar is at an altitude of 3,450 metres and one should spend 2 nights there for acclimatisation before proceeding on the Everest Base Camp trek. For our acclimatisation day we chose to do a half day acclimatisation walk to the villages of Khunde (3,840 metres), Kumjung (3,780 metres) and Khyangjuma (3,550 metres). Unfortunately we had woken up to cloudy weather and after walking for an hour it rained a little and got colder. As a result we didn't see the mountains at all and it was a dreary walk. This bad weather was unfortunately meant to continue for a few days. We were lucky that there was a gathering of monks at Kumjung monastery reciting scriptures. It was atmospheric and much better than visiting the usual deserted gompas. When we reached Khyangjuma we stayed there for the night rather than going back to Namche Bazaar. Khyangjuma is only 100 metres higher than Namche Bazaar and therefore at an acceptable altitude for acclimatisation for the Everest 3 Passes trek. This reduced our next day's walk by 1 hour. We stayed at a newly built lodge where all the rooms had attached bathrooms. The room cost NPR 1,000, which was half the price of our lodge at Namche. 7 May 2002 - Khyangjuma to Pangboche via Phortse We woke up to low clouds, but by the time we left the lodge it was sunny and warm and we caught glimpses of the mountains. We had chosen to do the higher and more scenic route to Phortse. This trail to Everest Base Camp isn't busy with trekkers but is longer! We reached the top of the Mong La (4,000 metres) after 2 hours and then immediately descended steeply down to the river! As soon as we got to the river we climbed 200 metres back up again to Phortse (3,810 metres). Almost 4 hours of walking. At Phortse we had dal bhat for lunch with the usual refills of rice, dal and vegetables. After lunch the cloud started to come in and by 15.00 we had showers and the visibility was down to about 100 metres. We were soon adding several layers over our T shirts! Our guide said we would climb 100 metres and then walk on a plateau to Pangboche. The bit about the plateau wasn't accurate. It turned out to be Nepali flat which entails constant ups and downs! We reached Lower Pangboche (3,900 metres) after almost 3 hours from Phortse and Lani was very tired. We found a room with an attached bathroom for NPR 1,500. We negotiated free charging of electronics as it would otherwise cost NPR 300 per device. 8 May 2022 - Hike to Ama Dablam Base Camp It was raining when we woke up at 06.00, but the weather had improved by the time we left for Ama Dablam base camp at 07.45. The walk began with a 100 metre descent to the river, followed by a 800 metre ascent to Ama Dablam base camp. It took 3 hours 15 minutes to reach base camp and Lani struggled with the altitude. There are 3 lodges near Ama Dablam base camp that cater to the mountaineers and we had dal bhat at the only lodge that was open. It took us 1.5 hours to descend to Pangboche. Initially it snowed a bit, followed by light rain and then sun as we neared Pangboche. Unfortunately we didn't get any views of Ama Dablam all day! See my blog Day Hikes on the Everest Base Camp Trek 9 May 2022 - Hike from Pangboche to Dingboche Yesterday evening we had limited mountain views and this morning we could actually see the top of Ama Dablam! We stayed in lower Pangboche because of altitude acclimatisation. Before setting off to Dingboche we climbed 100 metres to see the more traditional upper Pangboche. We looked around the 600 year old gompa and found out that photos weren't allowed only after taking one! Some villagers started praying in the upper part of the Gompa and we were allowed in. It was really impressive with all the masks used for ceremonies, but again no photos were allowed. It took us 3 hours to reach Dingboche. We were slow but some other trekkers going to Everest Base Camp were even slower. I was starting a cold and didn't feel well for the first part of the trek. Lani was also feeling a bit off. There are lots of lodges in Dingboche but when we hiked to Everest Base Camp in 2014 we found the majority were pretty dire. This year we found the Hotel Tashi Delek, which cost NPR 1,000 for a nice corner ensuite room. We had our first showers for 3 nights (NPR 600 each). They will probably be our last showers until we reach Gokyo in 7 nights time! We could no longer use our mobile phone data package and had to pay NPR 700 each for internet. It is amazing that we could access the internet at all. 10 May 2022 - Hike from Dingboche to Chukhung I had a bad night because of my cold. Lani claimed she hadn't slept well either, despite hearing her sleeping soundly throughout the night! We woke up at 06.00 to the usual low clouds or mist! I felt very despondent as we had come to see the Himalayas. We had our usual breakfast of oat porridge (now costing NPR 600) and ginger tea, and then packed up. A lot of the clouds had cleared by the time we started walking. We walked for 3 hours from Dingboche (4,400 metres) to Chukhung (4,700 metres) with fantastic views of Ama Dablam and partial views of other mountains. It should have been an easy walk, but I struggled because of my cold. By the time we got to Chukhung I had no energy left for going around the lodges to select the best one. We went to the Khangri Resort which has the best reputation. We thought the Khangri Resort had attached bathrooms but none of the lodges in Chukhung do. Initially we accepted a dark downstairs corner room, but then our guide found us a really nice and bright upstairs corner room. The lodge has a bright warm sun room and we had it all to ourselves. The cost of a room is only NPR 500. 11 May 2022 - Day Hike towards Amphu Labsta Phedi We woke up at 05.45 to clear skies and fantastic mountain views. We left the Chukhung at 07.15 to walk towards Island Peak base camp. The mountain views were incredible and I was snapping away. We hiked for 2.5 hours to get to the turnoff to Island Peak base camp. Lani decided to return back to our lodge at this point and I continued towards to Amphu Labsta Phedi. This had been recommended on the Trip Advisor forum as a better option than Island Peak Base Camp. It involved crossing a precarious bridge and I have to admit our guide gave me a helping hand. There were 2 fantastic lakes on either side of the trail. The first one was the large, and very grey, Imja Tsho at 5,010 metres. It is carefully monitored as the glacial moraine holding the lake back is at risk of collapse. The second lake was Amphu Labsta Tsho which is a beautiful blue colour. We continued towards Amphu Labsta Phedi until there were no more views to be gained. It was a 6 hour round trek. 12 May 2022 - Crossing the Kongma La to Lobuche My guide hadn't been over the Kongma La pass (5,535 metres) before and there is a tricky glacier crossing on the other side of the pass. I therefore arranged to team up with 3 other trekkers and their 2 guides for crossing the first pass of the Everest 3 Passes trek. Lani hiked with our porter on the lower level route to Lobuche which goes via Dingboche and Dughla. This is the normal route for the Everest Base Camp trek. Both routes take about 8 hours. I got up at 03.50 and had breakfast at 04.30. My guide and I then walked over to another lodge to join the other trekkers. We started walking at 05.10 in very clear weather with little wind. We took our time with plenty of breaks to enjoy the fantastic mountain scenery. It was a relentless climb up to the top of Kongma La (5,535 metres) with the hardest part being the final very steep ascent to the top. We had lunch at the top and our small group had the summit to ourselves. The descent was steep with very rocky and difficult terrain initially. There were a couple of small rockfalls but no one was hit. After the steep descent we reached the difficult crossing over the Khumbu glacier to reach Lobuche (4,900 metres). None of the guides had crossed the Khumbu glacier in the last 3 years and the route constantly changes. It took 15 minutes to find the start of the route and then it was fairly straightforward. However, the terrain over the moraine was undulating and difficult. I reached Lobouche after a hard 9 hour walk. I grabbed the last ensuite room at the New EBC Guest House. Within 20 minutes I spotted Lani and our porter outside. There were far too many people at Lobuche and we decided not to go to Everest Base Camp the next day as the lodges would be awful if fully occupied. We went to Everest Base Camp in 2014 so missing Everest Base Camp wasn't a problem. 13 May 2022 - Lobuche We woke up at 05.00 to take advantage of the usual early morning clear skies. We left the lodge at 06.15 to hike a high ridge with excellent mountain views. Lani was walking slowly as she has a cold and a bad cough, probably the Khumbu cough that is caused by the cold and dry air at high altitude. We walked to the Pyramid, which was an Italian weather or research centre, and part of the facility is now a lodge. We had tea there and looked around the lodge. From the Pyramid it was a steep climb up to the top of the ridge, perhaps 5,300 metres. Lani did very well to make it but struggled. The views were excellent. By 08.30 clouds were rolling up the valley and by 09.30 the mountains were obscured. Lani needed another night in Lobuche to acclimatise before going on to Dzongla. Our guide managed to phone the lodge and persuaded them to let us keep the room, even though it was reserved! A lot of the cloud cleared in the afternoon so I walked up the steep west side of the glacial moraine ridge that I crossed yesterday. It is about a 20 minute walk and there were good views of the mountains and the glacier from the top. 14 May 2022 - Hike from Lobouche to Dzongla We woke at 05.30 to clear skies and good mountain views. By the time we finished breakfast low cloud or mist had obscured the mountains. Luckily, the sun came out and the cloud cleared, about half an hour into our 3 hour walk from Lobouche to Dzongla. The scenery was superb although the path was narrow and with steep drop offs at times. Lani was still struggling with the Khumbu cough and it was clear that she wouldn't manage the Cho La Pass tomorrow. We decided that Lani would go slowly back down to Namche with our porter, while I continued on the Everest 3 passes route with our guide. Khumbu cough only improves at lower altitude. This meant Lani and I would be apart for 4 nights and I would have to carry what I needed. In the evening our guide spoke to a small group that were doing the Everest 3 Passes trek and had just crossed the Cho La Pass from the west. They said that the glacial ice on the western downward side was slippery so I might have to use my microspikes. 15 May 2022 - Crossing the Cho La Pass It was a disappointing day of weather. We could clearly see the mountains when we set off for the Cho La pass at 05.20. However, clouds quickly rose up the valley and by 05.30 there were no views. I found the hike up the Cho La pass to be a hard slog especially as I was carrying all my things, except my sleeping bag which was kindly carried by my guide. After a couple of hours we reached the glacier and I put on my microspikes which made walking easier. It took about 3 hours to reach the top of Cho La pass (5,420 metres) and I met 3 people I knew at the top. A cable was installed about 3 years ago to help with the initial descent down the western side of the Cho La Pass. My microspikes were still very useful as the trekker in front of me didn't have any and slipped several times. We reached the lodges at Dragnag after walking 6 hours. I was tired and after having lunch decided to stay the night. Most other trekkers continued walking for a further 2 to 3 hours to Gokyo. I managed to phone Lani who had reached Debouche at 3,800 metres. The lower altitude had already improved her cough, which had been very bad last night. She was staying in the new and very comfortable section of the Rivendell Lodge. 16 May 2022 - Hike from Dragnag to Gokyo We walked from Dragnag (4,700 metres) to Gokyo (4,790 metres) and the trail was mainly over the massive Ngozumpa glacier. The new starting point for the Ngozumpa glacier crossing was not marked and we were lucky to find it. After that the trail was well marked. I really enjoyed crossing the Ngozumpa glacier and often observed rocks falling into the lakes in the middle of the glacier. It was a steep climb up the ridge on the other side of the Ngozumpa glacier and there was a rope in place to facilitate this. After crossing the Ngozumpa glacier we had good views of Gokyo village and lake. There are 6 lakes in the Gokyo valley and the village is on the third lake. It took 3 hours to get to Gokyo. I checked into the Cho Oyu lodge and got a good corner lake view room with shared toilets for NPR 500. In the afternoon I walked to Gokyo's fourth lake with someone I met a few days ago. We intended to go onto the fifth lake but it was too far. 17 May 2022 - Hike up Gokyo Ri I planned to walk up Gokyo Ri (5,360 metres) if the weather was clear enough. At 05.00 there was low cloud but by the time I had my usual breakfast of porridge and ginger tea at 06.30 the clouds had cleared. I rushed up Gokyo Ri in 1.5 hours, overtaking everyone in sight trying to reach the top before the clouds came in again. Just as I got to the top of Gokyo Ri most of the mountain views were obscured by clouds! Luckily the clouds cleared after about half an hour and I stayed at the top of Gokyo Ri for a further 2 hours to enjoy the views. I could see the peak of Everest for the first time on this trip. In the afternoon I enjoyed an expensive shower costing NPR 800 followed by a solitary 1.5 hour walk to Gokyo's first and second lakes. Incidentally since Lani took our toothpaste I had to buy a foul tasting tube of toothpaste for NPR 600. I couldn't even buy soap from the only shop (shack) in Gokyo but luckily there was some in the shower stall. 18 May 2022 - Crossing the Renjo La I had another early breakfast and we left Gokyo at 06.10 in very good weather to cross the final pass of the Everest 3 Passes trek. It took 2.5 hours to reach the top of Renjo La (5,360 metres). Renjo La is meant to be the easiest of the passes on the Everest 3 passes trek, but we had been warned that there was a lot of snow on the other side. We found that the report of the snow was true but luckily it hadn't turned to ice. After spending about an hour on the top of Renjo La enjoying the great views we put on our micro spikes/crampons and descended. Initially the trail was narrow with a large drop off on the one side. It took us just over 2 hours to reach the small settlement of Lumde (4,368 metres) where we had lunch. The lodge had nice rooms with a squat toilet for NPR 500 so we stayed there. It was very sociable with 3 people I had met before (an Israeli, German and Kiwi). The lady running the lodge was also very pleasant. 19 May 2022 - Hike from Lumde to Namche Bazaar We walked from Lumde to Namche Bazaar via Thame. We climbed up to the monastery at Thame so we could visit the 600 year old monastery and also to try to get a phone signal to contact Lani! After a lot of difficulty we finally managed to get through to Lani and arranged to meet her for lunch further down the trail at Thamo. Lani had warned me that 19 Everest Base Camp marathon runners had arrived at her hotel in Namche the previous night! Luckily they weren't too noisy and we had a room in a separate annexe with a little balcony. I had 2 pieces of chocolate cake to celebrate being back in civilisation! 20 May 2022 - Hike from Namche Bazaar to Phakding We had an easy 3 hour or so walk down to Phakding and stayed in a nice lodge which had spacious rooms with attached bathrooms for NPR 1,000. There was only one other couple there. 21 May 2022 - Hike from Phakding to Lukla We tried a different route from Phakding to Lukla. Virtually everyone doing the Everest Base Camp trek uses the path on the east bank of the river, but someone on the Trip Advisor forum had recommended the west bank from Phakding to Ghat. It was a quiet and scenic route along the river. After 3.5 hours we arrived at Lukla and tried to fly out a day early without success. See my blog Forum Posts, Vlogs & Webcams for the Everest Base Camp Trek for Tripadvisor recommendations and trip reports. We stayed at a very nice lodge in Lukla and all the rooms had attached bathrooms for NPR 1,000. The only problem was a noisy group of 14 women from the Middle East staying there. 22 May 2022 - Flight from Lukla to Kathmandu Our flight was at 06.30 but we woke up to rain. It rained all morning and we didn't think there would be any chance of flying out that day. At midday we were resigned to spending another night in Lukla and had an early lunch. As we ate our lunch the weather started to clear and just as we finished we were told to quickly go to the airport. The airport was only 5 minutes walk away. The owner of the lodge had connections with the airlines he very kindly arranged our boarding passes for us. Just over an hour later we were back in Kathmandu! Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blogs Day Hikes on the Everest Base Camp Trek Lodges and Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek When to trek to Everest Base Camp Kathmandu to Lukla and Back What to take for the Everest Base Camp Trek Forum Posts, Vlogs & Webcams for Everest Base Camp Trek Guides, Porters and Trekking Agencies