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The Julian Alps near the Vrsic pass in Slovenia Contents 1. Vicenza to Koper, Slovenia 2. Koper to Ljubljana, Slovenia 3. Ljubljana Day Trip 4. Ljubljana to Lake Bohinj, Slovenia 5. Lake Bohinj Day Trip 6. Day Trip from Lake Bohinj to Vrsic Pass 7. Lake Bohinj to Novi Sad, Serbia 8. Links to My Other Blogs 26 April 2023 - Vicenza, Italy to Koper, Slovenia We woke to sunshine for a change and the weather forecast is good for a few days. Today we drove 3 hours from Vicenza to the old coastal towns of Piran and Koper in Slovenia. We didn't leave Vicenza until midday so that we could arrive at our new accommodation just after the earliest check in time of 15.00. Our Tomtom satellite navigation had problems locating our new accommodation and tried to take us down some very narrow tracks. We were becoming very frustrated and tried Google maps instead and that did the trick. I was surprised to find that our apartment was one of seven apartments in a building. The owner was very friendly and the apartment was very clean and nicely furnished. However, I am concerned that there is a connecting door with another apartment. I dislike such doors as they let in noise. We will see what happens tonight! We drove about 20 minutes to Piran, parked outside the town and took the car park's free bus into Piran's old Venetian town. It is probably misleading to say free as the parking is about Euro 3 per hour! In summer Piran is jammed with tourists and parking is difficult. Luckily for us there were very few tourists and there were plenty of parking places. We walked around Piran for about 2 hours and then had supper on the seafront. It was warm enough to sit out and we had very good grilled calamari and sardines. I have done a blog on " 1 Week in Slovenia " that provides detailed information on the places that we visited in Serbia. 27 April 2023 - Koper to Ljubljana, Slovenia Last night we had our best night's sleep since leaving home and there was no noise from the adjoining room. We checked out at 10.30 and drove 5 kilometres to the port of Koper. Parking can be a real problem at Piran, and it is very expensive, but at Koper there are plenty of car parks near the city centre. We were about to pay at the machine when a man kindly informed us that it was a public holiday and parking was free. Not only is it a holiday today but also May 1st and 2nd! This does cause a problem with grocery shopping as no supermarkets are open on public holidays. It also seems they won't be open on 30th April. We will have to stock up tomorrow! We wandered around the historic buildings of Koper for a couple of hours in warm and sunny weather. We forked out Euro 4 each to climb up the Bell Tower for views of Koper. I don't think we will bother doing this in other towns as it is a lot of effort and cost for very little benefit. We had lunch at a very small eatery outside the market called Fritolin . It is recommended in the Lonely Planet guide book for cheap and fresh seafood. We both ordered grilled calamari and chips and with a soft drink it cost Euro 22. We ate it at one of the few basic tables outside and it was very good. Afterwards we walked an hour and 15 minutes along the coastal promenade from Koper to Izola. It was a very nice walk and was popular with the locals who were cycling, roller blading and walking. We had a quick walk around Izola and after buying some bread for tomorrow's breakfast, and gelato, we took a short bus ride back to Koper. It was then just an hour's drive from Koper to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, where we had booked an apartment for 2 nights. See my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 ". I knew that we would be sharing the garden with the owner's parents. However, we were shocked to see that there were 4 people moving a pile of soil, and sifting it, only about 3 metres away from our apartment's windows. They were all talking very loudly and it was like a construction site. The apartment was otherwise very nice and the parents were friendly. By 18.15 I had had enough of the noise and texted a complaint to their daughter. They stopped at 18.30 and agreed to only work the next day whilst we were looking around Ljubljana. It did take the edge off things though. 28 April 2023 - Day Trip to Ljubljana We drove to Lidl's in the morning to do some grocery shopping since all the supermarkets will be shut from Sunday to Tuesday. We didn't realise that it was in central Ljubljana, but luckily there was hardly any traffic and driving was easy. Parking was also easy and only cost Euro 1.50 for an hour. After unloading the shopping at the apartment we walked back into Ljubljana and it only took about 20 minutes. Initially it was exceptionally quiet for a capital city but after a while it got a bit busier. The guide books say there is nothing in particular to see in Ljubljana, but we found it to be a very pleasant city to walk around. We walked around Ljubljana for about 4 hours and it was very relaxing compared to the crowded towns of Verona and Venice. We had taken sandwiches for lunch, but there were a lot of outdoor stalls selling great smelling food. We walked up the hill to the Ljubljana Castle, although you can use a funicular for about Euro 4. It was expensive to enter (about Euro 12), but free to walk around the grounds and even to climb up onto the walls. In Italy we spent a fortune on public toilets as they charged from 70 cents to Euro 1.50 in Venice. In Slovenia there are plenty of clean toilets and they are all free! Great for old guys who need to pee often! 29 April 2023 - Ljubljana to Lake Bohinj, Slovenia We left Ljubljana at 09.30 to make our way to our next accommodation at Lake Bohinj. Going directly would take only about 70 minutes, but our plan was to visit Skofja Loka, Radovljica and Lake Bled on the way. It was very easy driving out of Ljubljana and once we had got off the motorway we drove on pretty, rural roads with the snow covered Julian Alps in the background. We reached the historic town of Skofja Loka after about 30 minutes. Skofja Loka has quite a large historic core and we spent about 2 hours wandering around. Then it was another short drive from Skofja Loka to the town of Radovljica. The historic centre of Radovljica mainly consists of one street of 16th and 17th century houses. It only took about half an hour to wander around. A 15 minute drive later and we were at Lake Bled. Slovenia is a very compact country! We experienced traffic congestion for the first time in Slovenia. Lake Bled is obviously very popular and it was a beautiful sunny and warm day on a holiday weekend. We turned off at the first parking sign we saw and the charge was Euro 15 for 4 hours or Euro 25 for the whole day! This is as expensive as Venice, but we decided to pay for 4 hours rather than have the hassle of driving around Bled trying to find somewhere cheaper. It was a very short walk to Lake Bled and it was very busy with many local tourists. I dread to think what it would be like in the summer. We walked the 6 kilometres around Lake Bled and it was only busy at the start and end. It should have only taken about 90 minutes, but it actually took 3 hours with a lot of stops, a lot of photos and congestion on the trail. Apart from the number of people it is a very nice path around Lake Bled with great views all the way. It is so photogenic with Bled Island, Bled Castle perched above the lake and the snow covered Julian alps in the distance. Some people were swimming in Lake Bled and the water didn't feel that cold. It took 30 minutes to drive from Lake Bled to the apartment we had booked at the village of Stara Fuzina, which is on the shore of Lake Bohinj. Our apartment is on the attic level of a "Swiss chalet" and the owners live on the 2 lower levels. I selected this Airbnb apartment as it had good reviews and I prefer not to have people clunking around above us. The woman running the apartment was very friendly and offered us some honey liqueur. I readily accepted and as it was too harsh and strong for Lani I forced myself to drink hers as well! We had a basic supper of bread, cheese and salad in the apartment and then a very good night's sleep. 30 April 2023 - Day Trip around Lake Bohinj Lake Bohinj's weather forecast was for rain today, but when we woke up it was misty and dry. The mist soon cleared and at 10.15 we started walking the 12 kilometres around Lake Bohinj. We decided to go along the southern side of Lake Bohinj first, but unfortunately the trail followed the road and trees often blocked the views. We got to the end of the lake at 11.45 and had our sandwiches at a picnic table overlooking Lake Bohinj. The weather was still dry and warm and there were some sunny spells. Clouds covered the tops of many of the snow covered mountains of the Julian alps. There is no road on the north side of Lake Bohinj and the trail is close to the lake. However, there are a lot of trees that partially obscure the views a lot of the time. We got back to our apartment after 3 hours. Lonely Planet states that Lake Bohinj is more beautiful than Lake Bled but I don't agree. However, Lake Bohinj is far less touristy. In the afternoon we rested on our apartment's balcony. The weather forecast tomorrow has now also improved and it should be dry. If so we will drive about 1.5 hours from Lake Bohinj to the top of the Vrsic Pass which is at 1,611 metres. Vrsic Pass is usually closed due to snow until the end of April or early May and it has just been opened for this year. 1 May 2023 - Day Trip from Lake Bohinj to Vrsic Pass A few days ago the weather forecast for Lake Bohinj was dismal and over 1 inch of rain had been forecast for today. Luckily weather in the mountains is difficult to predict. The weather forecast improved and we woke up to some sun and views of the snow covered mountains. We started driving to the Vrsic Pass at 09.20. When we reached Kranjska Gora, at the turn off to the pass, the view of the Julian Alps was superb. Unfortunately it wasn't possible to park quickly enough to take a photo and the mountains partially clouded over. There are numerous parking spots on the way up to Vrsic Pass and we used them to enjoy the views and take photos. After 46 miles of driving, and 26 hair pin bends up Vrsic Pass, we reached the top of the 1,611 metre high pass at 11.30. The road was a bit narrow around the hair pin bends, but otherwise it wasn't a difficult drive. We had originally planned to go back down Vrsic Pass the same way, but we decided to go down the 24 hair bin bends on the other side. The hair pin bends weren't as tight and the scenery wasn't as dramatic as on the way up. We looked out carefully for the site of the memorial Russian Chapel built by Russian prisoners of war in 1916. Unfortunately we missed it and decided not to drive back up Vrsic Pass to locate it. The fastest way back to our apartment would have been to go back up Vrsic pass and return the way we came. The alternative was to do a longer circular route, which we decided to do in order to see different scenery. The road was narrow at times and it was slow progress as we had to drive carefully. We reached our apartment at 15.00 after driving 130 miles. 2 May 2023 - Lake Bohinj to Novi Sad, Serbia We woke up to the rain that they had been forecasting the last 2 days for Lake Bohinj. If it had to rain then today wasn't a bad day for it. We left Lake Bohinj at 09.00 and estimated it would take us 8 hours to reach Novi Sad. We had informed the owner of the next apartment that we would arrive between 17.00 and 18.00. One of the problems with booking apartments, rather than hotels, is arranging a time to collect the keys. We can estimate the driving time from Google maps but there are often delays. With this journey the border with Croatia and Serbia was the big unknown. Particularly since we couldn't buy car insurance for Serbia in the UK and had to buy it at the Serbian border. It was a fairly relaxing drive despite the rain and spray from other vehicles. The highways aren't congested in Slovenia and Croatia like they were in Switzerland and Italy and the drivers are less aggressive. The scenery was very unspectacular and it wasn't improved by the bad weather. Most of the time we drove at about 110 kms an hour, despite the speed limit being at 130 kms an hour. There were no border formalities at the border between Slovenia and Croatia as both countries are part of the Schengen area. It seemed that we would get to Novi Sad at about an hour earlier than expected, but then we reached the border between Croatia and Serbia! There was a huge queue of cars and despite us choosing the best lane it took one hour to enter Serbia. Then we had the issue of buying car insurance. We were relieved when a helpful policeman directed us to an office where we could buy the insurance. Unfortunately the person there didn't know how to issue the insurance and had to seek assistance over the phone. This man was becoming very frustrated with the process and as his English was poor we didn't know what was really happening. After 30 minutes the insurance was issued and we had to pay. Until then we didn't know the cost, but I thought it wouldn't be more than Euro 50 for the 4 days we would be in Slovenia. The amount was RSD 21,000, but we didn't know what this equated to in real money. We couldn't google it as our phones didn't have roaming for Serbia. We tried to pay by credit card but it was rejected. The man then said we could pay in Euro and it was Eur 230! I did query it, but in the end we had to pay, which left us feeling ripped off. Later that evening I researched it and discovered that it is virtually only UK car insurance policies that don't cover Serbia. There were a few comments on the internet about the prohibitively high cost of insurance at the Serbian border so we weren't cheated. However, if I had known what the cost would have been I wouldn't have chosen a route going through Serbia. When we left the Serbian border we texted the apartment owner that our ETA was 18.15. Unfortunately when we got to Novi Sad it was difficult to find the apartment and we didn't get there until 18.35. We booked the apartment through Booking.com and the apartment had excellent reviews. However, no review mentioned that the apartment block dated back to the communist era and didn't look nice on the outside or in the common areas of the building. The apartment itself was a very spacious apartment on the Danube with 2 bedrooms and 2 balconies. It costs only Euro 45 a night! Unfortunately they skimped on items like cooking utensils and there were a few other things that needed attention. See my blog Novi Sad, Serbia: Travel Guide for details about Novi Sad. Links to My Other Blogs Cornwall to Venice - Week 1 Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4 Nafplio, Greece to the Peloponnese - Week 5 The Peloponnese to the Greek Islands - Week 6 The Greek Islands - Week 7 The Greek Islands to Albania - Week 8 Albania to Montenegro - Week 9 Montenegro to Croatia- Week 10 Brac to Rab, Croatia - Week 11 Rab to Dolomites, Italy - Week 12 Dolomites to Home - Week 13 UK to Greek Island Accommodation - Part 1 UK to Greek Island Accommodation - Part 2 Hiking in Val Gardena, Dolomites

The Green Market in Tetovo, North Macedonia Contents 3 May 2023 - Day Trips in Novi Sad, Serbia and Sremska Kamenica, Serbia 4 May 2023 - Rest Day in Novi Sad, Serbia 5 May 2023 - Novi Sad to Tetovo, North Macedonia 6 May 2023 - Tetovo, North Macedonia 7 May 2023 - Day Trip to Skopje 8 May 2023 - Tetovo to Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia 9 May 2023 - Sightseeing in Ohrid Links to My Other Blogs 3 May 2023 - Day Trips in Novi Sad, Serbia and Sremska Kamenica, Serbia We were both feeling tired last night from the stress of obtaining the car insurance at the Serbian border and locating the apartment in Novi Sad. I woke up late and felt like I was getting a cold and by the afternoon I knew I had one. As our apartment is very close to the centre of Novi Sad we decided to explore it today and set off at 11.00. We crossed over the Danube to see the imposing Petrovaradin Fortress which mostly dates back to the early 18th century. It is free to wander around Petrovaradin fortress, but there is a charge for the museum which we weren't interested in visiting. There were a lot of teenage school children there and the girls spent most of there time preening themselves and posing for photos! We spent about an hour at Petrovaradin fortress before walking back over the river to the centre of Novi Sad. Most of the buildings in Novi Sad date back to the mid to late 1800's. Some people say that you can spend a whole day exploring Novi Sad. However, by 14.00 we felt that we had seen all the major sites. See my blog " Novi Sad, Serbia: Travel Guide " for further information. It was too early to go back to the apartment so we took a 20 minute bus ride to Sremski Karlovci. It is a historic town 11 kilometres south east of Novi Sad. The Bradt guide book says Sremski Karlovci "is one of the most attractive in all of Serbia thanks to its unspoiled character and wealth of Habsburg period architecture". We spent about an hour looking around. Sremski Karlovci is a nice enough town, but I am surprised that the Bradt guide book rates it so highly. We got back to Novi Sad at around 16.00, bought some groceries and relaxed. 4 May 2023 - Rest Day in Novi Sad, Serbia We woke up to grey skies in rather dreary surroundings but luckily my cold wasn't any worse. I had planned to do a 1 hour drive north to the town of Subotica. However, as I read up about Subotica I realised that it probably wasn't as special as the Bradt guide book made out. Subotica is very Hungarian in terms of both its' buildings and population. Unfortunately the main buildings of interest only date back to the early 20th century. Since we have a long drive tomorrow to Tetovo in North Macedonia we decided to have a rest day in Novi Sad. Another option had been to take the train into Belgrade. We decided not to go as the Bradt guide book used phrases such as "dreary", "Eastern-bloc greyness" and "grim monoliths of high rises" when describing it! In the morning we walked south along the Danube in Novi Sad until we got to the Strand. The Strand is a park by the Danube that has a sandy beach and is apparently very popular in nice weather. It was deserted today as the weather is cloudy. In the afternoon we walked north along the Danube and then had another quick walk around Novi Sad. 5 May 2023 - Novi Sad to Tetovo, North Macedonia We set off for Tetovo in North Macedonia at 09.00 in sunny weather. After driving for about an hour we discovered that the printout of our Airbnb reservation for Tetovo didn't have the owner's phone number. As our cell phone package doesn't include internet outside the EU I was worried we would have problems meeting up with the owner. Luckily the next service station had free wifi and I messaged the apartment owner and he quickly sent his phone number. Now I could relax and enjoy the drive. The scenery was nicer than in northern Serbia and it became hilly and rural. It was a 2 lane toll motorway most of the way through Serbia. Unfortunately one of these lanes was closed because of road works for many sections. There wasn't much traffic, but every time they closed a lane they reduced the speed limit from 130 kms an hour to 60 kms an hour. No one did less than 80 kms an hour in these sections! If I had driven at the speed limit I would have been very unpopular. We were very pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the border of Serbia and North Macedonia as there was hardly any queue. We had feared that it would be like the border between Croatia and Serbia where it took us 1 hour to pass over the border. North Macedonia's immigration and police were very helpful and spoke English. As we didn't have car insurance for North Macedonia they held our passports until we had purchased the insurance at a nearby booth. It cost Euro 50 for a 15 day policy and it only took 5 minutes to purchase it. In comparison it took us 40 stressful minutes to buy the car insurance for Serbia and it cost Euro 230! As we got near to Tetovo we had very impressive views of snow covered mountains. We reached Tetovo at 16.30, but as usual our TomTom satellite navigation system took us to the wrong area. Google maps is much more accurate and got us to the apartment. Luckily I was able to make a roaming call to the apartment owner and he came out to meet us. Our apartment is on a road just off the main shopping street. It was very busy and all the parking spots were taken. We decided to pay Euro 20 for 3 days of parking below the apartment, but it wasn't an easy place to park. In the evening we decided to eat out. We had chicken burgers and chips and it was nice eating out for a change. 6 May 2023 - Tetovo, North Macedonia In the morning we drove 17 kilometres from Tetovo to the Popova Sapka ski resort, which is 1,000 metres above Tetovo. There was still a lot of snow on the hillsides, but not enough for skiing and all the chair lifts were closed. Both the road to Popova Sapka, and the ski resort, were very quiet. There are a number of hikes that can be done here in the summer time. We didn't come prepared to do a hike and there was probably too much snow anyway. As we couldn't get a good view of the mountains from the ski resort we walked half an hour to a nearby hill. In the afternoon we looked around the vibrant town of Tetovo. There are very few sights to see, but it was nice walking around and seeing the locals go about their daily routines. We went into the Green market and a very friendly man gave us some tea on a stalk. We have no idea how to use it though! The main site in Tetovo is a mosque called the Sarena Dzamija, which means coloured or painted mosque. It is small but very beautiful. Sarena Dzamija was built in the mid 15th century. See my blog " Tetovo & Skopje, Macedonia: Travel Guide " for information about visiting Tetovo. In the evening we bought a small rotisserie chicken for Euro 4 and ate it in the apartment. It was delicious. 7 May 2023 - Day Trip to Skopje The drive from Tetovo to Skopje only takes about 40 minutes as there is a highway most of the way there. There are tolls on North Macedonia highways but the rates are very low. There were 2 toll stations and each time we had to pay MKD 40 (Eur 0.63), or Eur 1 if we didn't have MKD. I had read about some cars being broken into at Skopje car parks so we emptied the car as much as possible and tried to choose a good parking lot. I always use Google reviews to select a car park before going somewhere as it saves a lot of hassle at the destination. We parked at a multi storey car park at the Vero Shopping Centre in Skopje and lucked out as parking is free at weekends. It was only a short walk into the centre of Skopje. I had planned to mainly visit the old Turkish area. The rest of Skopje is fairly modern due to earthquakes and the last big one rocked Skopje in 1963. To reach Skopje's old town we had to walk a while through the modern part. We walked along the north bank of the Vardar river for a few hundred metres until we reached Stone Bridge and it was very impressive with many statues. We could see that the modern Makedonija Square on the south side looked very nice and decided to visit it on the way back. A statue near the Stone Bridge in Skopje The old Turkish area of Skopje starts just north of Stone Bridge and there were plenty of signs of tourism and quite a few tourists. That was quite a surprise as in Tetovo we seemed to be the only tourists. However, Skopje is the capital city and there is a lot more to see than in Tetovo. It was a hot day and the temperature got up to 31C. It was a bit difficult finding some of the sights and we became a bit tired, hot and dehydrated. We visited the covered market, Church of Sveti Spas, Kale Fortress and the Mustafa Pasha Mosque. The only entrance fee was for the church and that cost Eur 2 for the two of us. On the way back we visited the Makedonija Square area and I ended up liking this modern part of Skopje more than the old part. See my blog " Tetovo & Skopje, Macedonia: Travel Guide " for further information about visiting Skopje. 8 May 2023 - Tetovo to Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia There are 2 roads going south from Tetovo and Skopje to Lake Ohrid. They both start on a 2 lane highway to a town called Gustiva. The main road continues straight down to Lake Ohrid, but a more scenic road branches off to the west and goes through Mavrovo National Park. The Bradt Guide book recommends taking the longer and more scenic route through the Mavrovo National Park and describes the Park as a little Switzerland. As it only involves an additional hour of driving we decided to take this scenic route. We set off at 09.30 in sunny, but hazy, weather. The Mavrovo National Park is very forested and in the distance there are views of snow capped mountains. There weren't many places to stop on the way and we continued past Mavrovo Dam until we reached the Monastery of Sv Jovan Bigorski. The current structure of the monastery dates back to the 18th century and is well known for the relic of St John the Baptist. It is an attractive monastery in a scenic and tranquil setting. There are about 30 monks who live at the monastery of Sv Jovan Bigorski and one of them kindly showed us around the ornate chapel. Unfortunately no pictures can be taken of the interior of the chapel. There is an Eur 2 entrance fee to enter the chapel, but it is free to walk around outside. The Bradt Guide Book mentioned that the village of Janche was amongst the prettiest ancient Mijak villages. We therefore entered it on our Tomtom sat nav system and found ourselves driving about 3 kilometres up a steep and narrow road with numerous hair pin bends. It was a bit hairy and luckily we only met 1 car coming down. The village at the end wasn't very special. I think the sat nav system took us to the wrong village as I later saw in the Bradt Guide that Janche is very accessible and the village we drove to certainly wasn't! Our next stop was at Lake Debar. We were shocked at how much plastic was both on the lake shore and floating in the lake. North Macedonia doesn't seem to have a good rubbish collection system and people throw their rubbish everywhere. View from Janche Our last stop offs on the way to Lake Ohrid were to the villages of Vevcani and Oktisi. The Bradt guide book says that Vevcani is "a truly beautiful village of old style houses" and that many of the inhabitants are in local dress. We only found a few old buildings and no one was in local dress.There were several very nice new houses built to a high standard. Bradt doesn't seem to have updated their guide book very well! We decided to skip the village of Oktisi as a result. We reached our apartment at Lake Ohrid at 15.30 and were very pleased with the quality of it. See my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 ". After doing some shopping we walked along the esplanade to the old centre of Ohrid. The weather was still very nice and it was fairly busy. We were very impressed with Ohrid and looked forward to exploring it further tomorrow. 9 May 2023 - Sightseeing in Ohrid The forecast was for rain and unfortunately it was correct and we woke up to rain! By about 10.30 it stopped raining and we set off to explore the sights of Ohrid Town. See my blog " Ohrid Town, North Macedonia: Travel Guide " for useful information when visiting Ohrid Town. There are many churches in Ohrid and the first one we saw was the Church of St Sophia which was built in the early 11th century. We didn't pay the Eur 3 entrance fee to look inside but just admired it from outside. We walked a bit further north along the coast to the beautiful church of Sv Jovan Kaneo which was built in the 13th century. Our guide book says it is the most frequently visited church in Ohrid. There were lots of people there but luckily most of them were leaving. Again we didn't go inside and saved another Eur 6! There is a steep path from the Church of Sv Jovan Kaneo to Tsar Samoil's Fortress, which dates back to the 10th century. The entrance fee is Eur 2 and at the entrance there was a sign warning people to be careful. We soon found out that it is because the steps along the fortress walls were extremely slippery when wet. The views were good despite the poor weather. From Tsar Samoil's fortress it was a short walk to the 2,000 year old Roman theatre. It was free and it didn't take long to see it. A little bit higher up from the theatre is the Church of Holy Mary Perybleptos. We liked seeing it from the outside, but decided again that it wasn't worth forking our Eur 3 to go inside. We walked down to Ohrid's old town and stopped at a restaurant to look at the menu. While we were looking at it started to rain heavily so we decided to have lunch there! We both had a North Macedonian dish of stuffed peppers and enjoyed it. We spent the afternoon in our apartment as it continued to rain. In the evening we walked in light rain southwards along Ohrid's promenade in order to stretch our legs. The bad weather was very disappointing. Links to My Other Blogs Cornwall to Venice - Week 1 Venice to Serbia - Week 2 North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4 Nafplio, Greece to the Peloponnese - Week 5 The Peloponnese to the Greek Islands - Week 6 The Greek Islands - Week 7 The Greek Islands to Albania - Week 8 Albania to Montenegro - Week 9 Montenegro to Croatia- Week 10 Brac to Rab, Croatia - Week 11 Rab to Dolomites, Italy - Week 12 Dolomites to Home - Week 13 UK to Greek Island Accommodation - Part 1 UK to Greek Island Accommodation - Part 2 Ohrid Town, North Macedonia: Travel Guide Tetovo & Skopje, Macedonia: Travel Guide

Contents Introduction Ways of avoiding Crowds at Meteora A One Day Itinerary for Meteora Summer Opening Times at Meteora's Monasteries Dress Code at Meteora's Monasteries Great Meteoron Monastery Varlaam Monastery Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) Monastery Agios Stefanos (St. Stephan) Monastery Agios Nikolaou (St. Nicholas) Monastery Roussanou Monastery Viewpoints at Meteora Accommodation at Meteora Links to My Other Blogs on Greece 1. Introduction Meteora was one of the highlights of our 3 month European road trip. The scenery is out of this world with the 6 ancient monasteries perched on sheer rocks. The only negative was the numerous tour groups. If you have a car you could visit all of Meteora's monasteries in one full day. Two nights would be sufficient if you visit one monastery on the day of departure. We stayed three nights and had two full days in Meteora. Most of Meteora's monasteries close for one day during the week. It is only at the weekend that all the monasteries are open. None of the monasteries open before 09.00 and most close early. If you only stay two nights your visit could be spoiled by bad weather. When we visited Meteora in late May it was very foggy when we arrived and it was raining on the day we left. We thought that the view of the monasteries perched on the sheer rocks, and the scenery, were more spectacular than the interiors of the monasteries. Our visit to Meteora was part of a 3 month road trip from the UK to the Greece. See my blog North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4  for our daily trip report covering Meteora. 2. Ways of avoiding Crowds at Meteora We struggled with the large tour groups that arrived at Meteora by coach. They would crowd into the small chapels, and take over the space, while their guide explained the history. There would occasionally be a queue of tour groups waiting to enter a chapel. You have to understand the logistics of these tours to be able to avoid the crowds at Meteora: Most coach tours only visit 3 monasteries at Meteora. Two of them will be the Great Meteoron and Varlaam, if they are open. The third monastery that groups usually visit is either St. Stephan or Roussanou. Coach tours don't often visit the Agios Nikolaou (St. Nicholas) Monastery and the Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) Monastery. There are too many steps leading up to them for their groups who have already walked up to the Great Meteoron and Varlaam monasteries. Some coach tours have to pick up clients from their hotels and don't arrive at the monasteries until after 09.00. Most coach tours stop at a restaurant for lunch. My recommendation for avoiding the tour groups and crowds is: Great Meteoron Monastery The Great Meteoron monastery only opens at 09.30 so you won't beat the crowds by going early. The best time may be at lunch time around 12.15 pm. That is when we went. Varlaam Monastery We visited the Varlaam monastery at lunch time (12.30 pm) and avoided many of the tour groups. As the Varlaam monastery opens at 09.00 another strategy would be to go early, around 08.30. It takes 10 minutes to walk from the gate at the base of the monastery up to the entrance. I am not sure what time the gate is opened. Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) Monastery You can visit the Aga Triada monastery at any time as it isn't popular with tour groups. Agios Stefanos (St. Stephan) Monastery The third monastery on most tour groups' itineraries is either Agios Stefanos or Roussanou. We arrived at the Agios Stefanos monastery at 08.45 and one tour bus had already arrived. We waited at the gate until it opened at 09.00. It is a short walk to the entrance. As it took time for the tour group to buy tickets we had the chapel to ourselves. By 09.30 there were several tour groups queuing to enter the chapel. When we left there were 13 tour buses outside the monastery! We passed Agios Stefanos at 11.00 a.m. and all the tour buses were leaving. The next day we saw that all the tour buses were leaving just before 11.30 a.m. Therefore late morning is probably a good time to visit. I don't know what Agios Stefanos is like in the afternoons. It is open until 17.30. My guess is that it may be quiet from 16.30. You would have plenty of time to see it before it closes if you arrive around 16.30 to 16.45. Agios Nikolaou (St. Nicholas) Monastery You can visit the Agios Nikolaou monastery any time as it isn't popular with tour groups. It is best to visit the more popular monasteries at the start of the day and at lunch time. Roussanou Monastery The third monastery on most tour groups' itineraries is either Roussanou or Agios Stefanos. We visited Roussanou at 14.00 and there weren't any groups. I didn't observe it at other times but feel that some groups might come here first as for Agios Stefanos. 3. A One Day Itinerary for Meteora This itinerary for Meteora is only feasible at weekends when all the monasteries are open. During the week you will have to visit the monastery that is closed the following morning. Arrive at Varlaam monastery at 08.30. You should then be one of the first to enter when it opens at 09.00. Your visit shouldn't take longer than 75 minutes. Drive to Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) Monastery. The monastery can be seen in 45 minutes. Drive to the nearby Agios Stefanos (St. Stephan) Monastery. You should get there after 11.00 a.m. which is when the tour groups start to leave. You only need half an hour for this monastery. Drive back to the car park at the Varlaam monastery. Have a bit of lunch or a snack there. There are no restaurants at any of the monasteries so you will have to bring something. Walk 10 minutes to the Great Meteoron Monastery and enter by 12.30 at the latest. Drive down to Roussanou Monastery. Drive down a bit further to Agios Nikolaou (St. Nicholas) Monastery. Visit the view points afterwards or at sunset. 4. Summer Opening Times at Meteora's Monasteries Summer is deemed to be from 1st April to 31st October. Great Meteoron Monastery Open from 09.30 to 15.00 Closed on Tuesdays Varlaam Monastery Open from 09:00 to 16:00. Closed on Fridays. Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) Monastery Open from 10.00 to 16.00 Closed on Thursdays Agios Stefanos (St. Stephan) Monastery Open from 09.00 (09.30 on Sundays) to 13.30 and 15.30 to 17.30 Closed on Mondays Agios Nikolaou (St. Nicholas) Monastery Open 09:00 to 17:00. The monastery is open every day Roussanou Monastery Open from 09.00 (10.00 on Sundays) to 16.30 Closed on Wednesdays 5. Dress Code at Meteora's Monasteries The dress code for Meteora requires women to wear a dress or skirt covering their knees and men and women to cover their shoulders. All of Meteora's monasteries, except Varlaam, lend free wraps so you can comply. Varlaam sells them for Eur 3.50 and they only accept cash. I wore long trousers and in late May it wasn't too hot. Lani brought her own wrap to put over her long trousers. Some monasteries in Meteora aren't strict about the dress code but Varlaam and Roussanou are. 6. Great Meteoron Monastery There is very limited parking in front of Great Meteoron monastery and it isn't free. Most people use the free car park at Varlaam Monastery or park on the road. Finding parking can be a problem at peak times. It is a 10 minute walk from the free car park at Varlaam monastery to the Great Meteoron monastery. There are then more than 300 steps up to the entrance of the monastery. The Great Meteoron is the oldest, largest and grandest of Meteora's monasteries. Entry costs Eur 3 and it takes about an hour to see. There is a beautiful chapel, a museum, an old kitchen and excellent views from the monastery. The refectory is now closed to visitors. It is one of the monasteries you should see and for that reason it is always busy. 7. Varlaam Monastery There is a free car park at Varlaam monastery. If it is full you can park on the road. Parking can be difficult as visitors to the Great Meteoron monastery also use this car park and road. There are 142 steps up to the entrance of Varlaam monastery. There you will have to buy a garment for Eur 3.50 in cash if you don't comply with the dress code . They are strict about this. The entry fee is Eur 3.00. At Varlaam monastery you can: Visit the beautiful church dating back to the mid 1500's. See a huge old wooden water barrel. View the old winch which was used to haul people and goods up to the monastery. Visit the museum. The most interesting exhibit is a short film shot in 1924 showing how the monks lived. Enjoy spectacular views from the pleasant terrace. Use the best toilet facilities of the 6 monasteries! 8. Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) Monastery The monastery of Aga Triada isn't popular with tour groups despite being featured in the James Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only". It is more beautiful and interesting than the nearby Agios Stefanos (St. Stephan) Monastery which is visited by tour groups. There is free parking and if it is full you can park along the road. It is a steep climb up about 145 steps to the entrance. The entrance fee is Eur 3. Aga Triada's church has beautiful restored frescoes. There is a garden and there are boulders which you can clamber up to admire the views. 9. Agios Stefanos (St. Stephan) Monastery There is a small free car park in front of the entrance of Agios Stefanos monastery. If the car park is full you can park along the road. This is the monastery with the easiest access as there are very few steps. As a result it is the third most popular monastery in Meteora. The entry fee is Eur 3. The monastery was bombed in World War 2 and rebuilt afterwards. The interior of the chapel is beautiful. The views from the terrace aren't as spectacular as at some of Meteora's other monasteries. 10. Agios Nikolaou (St. Nicholas) Monastery You can park in a small layby across the road from the steps leading up to the Agios Nikolaou monastery. From there it is a 10 to 15 minute steep climb to the monastery. Luckily that deters a lot of people so it is the quietest monastery. The entrance fee is Eur 3. This monastery is the smallest at Meteora. It is very atmospheric and the small chapel is beautiful. I am not sure if it could accommodate a tour group! You can sit in the chairs and admire the fabulous frescoes. You can climb up to the roof top from where there are excellent views of Meteora's stunning scenery. 11. Roussanou Monastery We parked on the road above the Roussanou monastery and had a 10 minute walk down to the monastery. Equally you can park on the road below the monastery which would involve a 10 minute walk up. If there is no parking in one area drive to the other area. There is an entrance fee of Eur 3 and the dress code is enforced. The Roussanou monastery has a small chapel with gruesome seventeenth century frescoes of beheadings, spearings and mutilations! There is a small terrace outside with good views over to the other monasteries. You can see the Roussanou monastery in 15 to 20 minutes but walking to and from the monastery adds another 20 minutes. 12. Viewpoints at Meteora We went to several good viewpoints: The rocks next to Varlaam Monastery's car park. The rocks before the Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) Monastery, when coming from the west. The " Main Observation Deck of Meteora " on Google Maps. They are popular viewpoints and are easy to find. They provide some of the best views of Meteora's monasteries. 13. Accommodation at Meteora Most people visiting Meteora stay in Kalambaka as it has the most accommodation in the area. It is a 15 minute drive to the Great Meteoron monastery Kastraki is a smaller and more attractive place to stay. It is a bit closer to the monasteries but has less accommodation options. We booked a 1 bedroom apartment in Kalambaka through Booking.com at a cost of Eur 61 per night for our 3 night stay. My review of this accommodation is on my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 " (number 12). 14. 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 Naxos, Greece: Travel Guide Mystras, Greece: Travel Guide Tinos, Greece: Travel Guide Syros, 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

Contents Introduction 28 November 2023 - Pairo to Chyolangpati 29 November 2023 - Chyolangpati to Gosainkund 30 November 2023 - Surya Peak 1 December 2023 - Gosainkund to Ghopte 2 December 2023 - Ghopte to Kutumsang 3 December 2023 - Kutumsang to Chisapani 4 December - Chisapani to Kathmandu Links to Other Blogs on the Langtang, Gosainkunda & Helambu Treks Introduction I spent a week doing the Langtang trek ( click here to see my blogs ). I then continued on to the Gosainkunda and Helambu treks which took that another week. I like longer treks and it made sense to do all 3 of these short treks while I was in the area. I had considered adding on the 5 day Tamang Heritage trail as this links up with the Langtang trek. However, it didn’t appeal to me as it is a low altitude trek and I prefer the alpine scenery at high altitude. I met 2 Canadians who had done this trek and there were huge spiders in a couple of their tea houses. I was glad I didn’t do that trek! I was trekking with Niru who was a 31 year old porter/guide arranged through Enjoy Nepal Treks . He was a good guide and it was enjoyable trekking with him. For information on planning the Gosainkunda and Helambu trek see my blog Planning the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek . 28 November 2023 - Pairo to Chyolangpati Niru and I set off from Pairo on the Langtang trek at 07.45 and soon reached the junction of the trails for the Langtang and Gosainkunda treks. We turned southwards onto the trail for the Gosainkunda trek and the trail immediately ascended steeply.  After 1.25 hours we reached a suspension bridge and met the first and only other trekker on this quiet trail to Thulo Syabru. It was so different to the busy Langtang trek. This other trekker was a 70 year old Swiss woman who didn’t speak any English and her 50 year old guide. After the end of the trek I sadly learned that the guide was found dead in his room at a tea house at Gosainkunda Lake. After the suspension bridge there was a trail that ascended. Unfortunately that isn’t the trail to Gosainkunda which descends before climbing up to the village of Thulo Syabru. We later met some Nepali trekkers who had taken the upper trail at the suspension bridge and they wasted several hours hiking the wrong way. From Pairo it took us 2 hours to reach the very pleasant village of Thulo Syabru (2,210 metres). Most of the village is modern and there are several good hotels. This was the nicest village since the start of the Langtang trek. It was only 09.45 when we arrived at Thulo Syabru and so unfortunately it was too early to spend the night there. We therefore ordered an early lunch of dal bhat at the Hotel Mona Lisa. We spent 1.75 hours having lunch and relaxing before continuing the relentless ascent. Most itineraries for the Langtang and Gosainkunda treks take the trail from Thulo Syabru to Shin Gompa (Chandanbari) and then onto Gosainkunda the following day. I don’t understand why as there is a more direct route via Mukharka.  We took the more direct trail via Mukharka and reached our destination of Chyolangpati (3,620 metres) at 16.30 after 7 hours of walking. I descended 1,750 metres yesterday and ascended 1,800 metres today! There is a new tea house at Chyolangpati which is a vast improvement on the other old lodge. Initially there were only 2 other guests but at 19.00 six Nepali arrived in the dark. I had only seen 3 other trekkers on the hike the entire day. It was therefore a surprise to see many Nepali pilgrims passing Chyolangpati on the way back down to Shin Gompa. I learned that most pilgrims don’t stay at Gosainkunda lake due to the high altitude and visit Gosainkunda lake as a day trip from Shin Gompa. There were a lot of high clouds during today’s hike and it spoiled the mountain views. However, the weather cleared in the evening and there was a fantastic sunset over the mountains.  29 November 2023 - Chyolangpati to Gosainkunda Lake It was a quiet night and the temperature fell to 2 centigrade in the room. I feel the cold the most in the mornings and there was no fire in the dining room for breakfast as usual. The path from Chyolangpati (3,620 metres) to Gosainkunda Lake (4,420 metres) was fairly busy with pilgrims going up to the Gosainkunda holy lakes for the day. The path had been concreted in places and safety railings had been installed where there were drop offs. It was sunny but unfortunately high clouds blocked the views of the mountains again. It took 52 minutes to reach Laurebina which has 2 tea houses. There were good views despite the high clouds. We reached a view point near Ganesh Mandir (4,365 metres) after another hour. It then only took another hour on an undulating trail to reach Gosainkunda lake. There are four old and basic tea houses at Gosainkunda lake. Unfortunately they are very similar to the old and dilapidated tea houses on the first section of the Langtang trek! The Tibet Hotel seemed to be the best out of a bad bunch and I reluctantly took a room there. There were no other guests when I checked in. Shortly afterwards 3 Nepali and 2 Chinese flew into Gosainkunda by helicopter and checked into the tea house. They were a strange group and I contemplated moving to another tea house. Later on I wished I had! In the afternoon I slowly walked around the main Gosainkunda lake and enjoyed the views. It was sunny but there was a cold wind. Whenever there was some shelter from the wind  it was warm enough to comfortably sit out. The group of 3 Nepali and 2 Chinese guests were weird. The Chinese man believed in aliens and drew strange images on paper. They were at Gosainkunda for religious reasons and at one point they started chanting and swaying. Two of the Nepali were a mother and daughter. They were unconcerned about altitude sickness even though they were unacclimatised and had flown to Gosainkunda Lake, which is at an altitude of 4,420 metres. They were obviously wealthy as the return helicopter flight cost $4,000! 30 November 2023 - Surya Peak The Chinese in the room next to me were noisy last night. When they started talking at 01.30 I shouted at them to be quiet and they were. Niru wasn't so lucky and couldn’t sleep well because the young Nepalese woman in the room next to him had altitude sickness and her mother was administering oxygen.  The group had intended to spend 2 nights at Gosainkunda Lake but they left by helicopter at 07.00 the next day because of the altitude and primitive conditions.  I had a spare day as we had hiked faster than I had intended after leaving Kyanjin Gompa on the Langtang trek. One option was to return to Kathmandu a day early and the other option was to hike up Surya Peak (5,150 metres). Not many people  hike up Surya Peak as it is difficult to locate and the terrain is very rocky.  Niru was keen to go up Surya Peak as he hadn't been up before. He found out details of the route from the owner of the tea house. The owner estimated that it would take us 4 hours to ascend and 3 hours to descend. We set off for Surya Peak at 07.00 with a packed lunch of Tibetan bread and boiled eggs. My Garmin Inreach said that it would be sunny all day but it was cloudy and cold. Niru found the turn off to Surya Peak and I was surprised to see cairns marking the way. The terrain was extremely rough. We walked across stones and boulders the entire way and had to ensure they were stable before treading on them. There was some scrambling and in a couple of places a slip could have been fatal. I find it easier to ascend than descend on tricky sections and I was concerned about the safety of the descent. It took 3 hours to reach the summit of Surya Peak and I was very happy to have made it. The trail had been well cairned the entire way. There were a lot of prayer flags at the summit but I was surprised that my Garmin Inreach showed the altitude to be only 5,049 metres. Surya Peak is meant to be at an altitude of 5,150 metres. I later learnt that we had climbed to the wrong peak. Someone on the internet called it "Gosainkunda Ri". See my blog on Planning the Gosainkunda Trek for further details. It was cloudy and cold but we could see a few peaks. We probably only spent 20 minutes at the top because of the cold wind. I was relieved when Niru said there was a safer, but longer, way back to Gosainkunda lake. We had hiked up the south side of Surya Peak and the safer descent was initially down the north side. After the initial steep and rocky descent from Surya Peak we ate our packed lunches. We didn’t stop for long as it started to snow lightly. Niru was concerned about the deteriorating visibility as he was relying on being able to see the mountains for navigation. The route back to Gosainkunda lake was far less hairy than the route up although it still involved constant boulder hopping and the terrain was very rough. Every so often we would come across an isolated cairn and it provided reassurance that we were on the correct route. We reached Gosainkunda lake at 13.30 and the circular hike took us 6.5 hours. I immediately ordered lunch and found that there were several other Nepali trekkers in the dining room. In the afternoon it started to snow and up to an inch of snow settled on the ground. I relaxed in the warm dining room for the rest of the day. In the evening a young Nepali couple arrived in the dark. They live in the U.S.A. and were very friendly. The tea house was now full, which I never like. Fortunately it wasn’t noisy during the night and I slept well. 1 December 2023 - Gosainkunda Lake to Ghopte We left Gosainkunda lake at 08.00 and ascended 130 metres to the Suryakund/Laurebina pass. There was some snow on the trail but fortunately the weather had improved today and it was sunny. After the pass we descended steeply for over 2 hours until we reached a tea house at Phedi (3,630 metres). There were 2 newsworthy events here in the early 1990's: In July 1992 a Thai Airways jet crashed just below Phedi and 113 people died. A trainee air traffic controller was at fault. There were parts from the plane at the tea house. A young Australian doctor (James Scott) got lost here in December 1991 and survived for 43 days without food. He was eventually found through the great efforts of his sister. Unfortunately he suffered permanent damage to his eyesight from vitamin deficiency. I had read his book about this and was interested to see where it had happened. James Scott got lost in snow as when he turned back he wrongly thought he had to descend at Phedi. In reality the path from Phedi to Ghopte ascends steeply before descending. Unfortunately we had to do this ascent after having dal baht! We reached the settlement of Ghopte (3,430 metres) after about 7 hours of walking from Gosainkunda lake, including a stop for lunch. There are 2 basic, but reasonable, tea houses at Ghopte. We were the only people staying at the Namaste Hotel & Lodge. It was quieter and warmer than at Gosainkunda lake. There were 2 other trekkers from the Czech Republic and Australia staying at the other tea house. The trail from Gosainkunda lake to Helambu is so quiet compared to the busy Langtang trek and the trail from Chyolangpati to Gosainkunda lake. 2 December 2023 - Ghopte to Kutumsang The day started with a 300 metre ascent to Thadepati Pass (3,730 metres) and it took 1 hour 40 minutes. There are good mountain views from a metal lookout tower at Thedepati . There are 3 or 4 tea houses at Thedepati and we stopped for tea.  After Thedepati we left the trail for the Gosainkunda trek and started a section of the Helambu trek. We were going to hike south on the trail for the Helambu trek until we reached Sundarjal. We could have hiked east on the Helambu trek instead but it would have been more difficult to travel back to Kathmandu from that end of the trail. We hiked for another 1.5 hours to Magengoth (3,390 metres) and had lunch there. Three British trekkers arrived from the other direction. They were very poorly prepared for their Gosainkunda trek and didn’t even have enough cash. They were trying to use a debit card at the tea house and I was surprised that they might be possible. After another 2.25 hours we reached our destination of Kutumsang (2,470 metres). We found a new hotel which had good rooms and my guide negotiated a rate of R800 ($6). It was the best accommodation for some time. I even had a hot shower. The only problem was that the room had a funny smell, even with the windows open. Another trekker told me that it was probably because there wasn’t a U bend in the shower drain pipe to prevent smells coming from the sewer pipe. It seems to be a common problem with cheap hotels in Nepal.  There seemed to be only 3 other trekkers staying in Kutumsang. There was a Czech trekker staying at my hotel and a French trekker and an Australian trekker staying at other hotels.  The French trekker was in a rush to get back to Kathmandu and didn’t have time to finish the Helambu trek. He was taking a local bus from Kutumsang to Kathmandu early the next morning. The bus stops at most of the local villages and takes about 8 hours. 3 December 2023 - Kutumsang to Chisapani The trail had been beautifully quiet ever since we left Gosainkunda lake on 1 December and there were only 2 other trekkers descending on the Helambu trail. The pilgrims that go to Gosainkunda lake fortunately go back down the same way rather than continuing on to Helambu. The scenery was not as spectacular as higher up. However, when looking back there were often views of the Ganesh Himal, Langtang and Everest mountain ranges. Manaslu could be seen and it's the world's 5th highest mountain. After leaving Kutumsang we followed rough dirt roads for a while which I am not keen on. Fortunately the traffic on the dirt road was very minimal. Although we were descending towards Kathmandu there was also a lot of ascent! It took 3 hours to reach Chipling. There are 2 or 3 tea houses there and I had vegetable fried noodles for lunch. After Chipling there was a steep 500 metre descent followed by a steep 400 metre ascent to Chisapani. That took 3 hours. I stayed at a good hotel again and took their best room for R1,500 ($12). The other rooms cost R1,000. There were only 2 other trekkers staying there. There was a youngish trekker from the Czech Republic, who I was now friendly with, and a very quiet South Korean woman. Both were trekking by themselves. The hotel was temporarily being run by a 17 year old girl as her parents are in Kathmandu. She could only cook dal baht for supper. Luckily I hadn’t had dal baht for lunch. For breakfast she could only cook Tibetan bread and omelette and I liked that. In the evening I had a beer with Niru to thank him for the trek and I gave him his tip. I had enjoyed his company and he had been an excellent guide. The room was quiet and very nice except for the noise from stray dogs. A pack of them fought outside my room at 23.00 and 05.30. 4 December 2023 - Chisapani to Kathmandu Niru and I walked through Chisapani, passing an abandoned building that had been drastically tilted by the 2015 earthquake. After Chisapani the Helambu trek enters the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. I had to buy an entrance permit for R1,000 ($8) and I paid R100 for Niru’s entrance permit. The trail for the Helambu trek steeply ascends 300 metres from Chisapani and afterwards descends 1,000 metres to the town of Sundarjal. The trail goes through forest and there are very few views. It took less than 4 hours to reach Sundarjal. We stopped for lunch and then took a taxi to Thamel that cost about R1,000 ($8). 5 & 6 December 2023 - Kathmandu My flight back to the U.K. was at 02.30 on 6 December. I had one full day in Kathmandu and occupied my time with a visit to Bhaktapur. I had been there last year but I always enjoy walking around its quiet streets. The Qatar Airways flight went well and I arrived back in the U.K. on the afternoon of 6 December. I had spent 42 days in Nepal and had trekked for 33 days in Kanchenjunga, Langtang, Gosainkunda and Helambu. It was a very enjoyable trip. Links to other Blogs on the Langtang, Gosainkunda & Helambu Treks Langtang Trek Blogs Planning the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek

I did the Kanchenjunga Circuit trek with a porter/guide in November 2023 and this is a daily summary of my trek. I have also written blogs about Planning the Kanchenjunga trek , the Tea Houses on the Kanchenjunga trek and Day Hikes on the Kanchenjunga Trek . Contents Map of the Kanchenjunga Trek 8 September 2023 - Training for the Kanchenjunga Trek 24 October 2023 - Flight from London to Kathmandu 25 October 2023 - Arrival in Kathmandu 26 October 2023 - Trekking Permit & Monkey Temple 27 October 2023 - Patan & Bouddhanath 28 October 2023 - Packing & Durbar Square 29 October 2023 - Kathmandu to Taplejung 30 October 2023 - Taplejung to Chirwa 31 October 2023 - Chirwa to Sekathum 1 November 2023 - Sekathum to Thangyam 2 November 2023 - Thangyam to Phale 3 November 2023 - Phale to Ghunsa 4 November 2023 - Ghunsa 5 November 2023 - Ghunsa to Khambachen 6 November 2023 - Khambachen & Jannu Viewpoint 7 November 2023 - Khambachen to Lhonak 8 November 2023 - Lhonak 9 November 2023 - Lhonak to Pangpema & Back 10 November 2023 - Lhonak to Ghunsa 11 November 2023 - Ghunsa to Sele La High Camp 12 November 2023 - Selele High Camp to Tseram 13 November 2023 - Tseram to Ramche 14 November 2023 - Ramche to Tortong 15 November 2023 - Tortong to Kengsra 16 November 2023 - Kengsra to Taplejung 17 November 2023 - Taplejung to Bhadrapur 18 November 2023 - Bhadrapur to Kathmandu Links to My Other Blogs on the Kanchenjunga Trek Map of the Kanchenjunga Trek 8 September 2023 - Training for the Kanchenjunga Trek I did training hikes on the South West coastal path in Cornwall to prepare for my Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek. There is a path just minutes away from our house and it provides excellent training as it has a lot of ascent and descent. I had regularly walked this path but on September 8th I put my left foot too close to the path edge and twisted my ankle. For the next five weeks I had to have regular treatment from a chiropractor and could only do limited walking on country roads.  That wasn’t good fitness training! The chiropractor felt that I should postpone my treks until the following year as 35 days of trekking would be too much for my ankle. Ten days before my departure date I was able to resume walking on trails and build up my fitness a bit. I decided to go to Nepal and try to do the Kanchenjunga and Langtang treks. 24 October 2023 - Flight from London to Kathmandu I had booked my flight with Qatar Airways in February, departing London on 26 October and arriving in Kathmandu on Friday 27 October. The flights to Nepal had become expensive since Covid and I was pleased to have got a relatively good deal. In August it suddenly occurred to me that I would be arriving in Kathmandu on a weekend as the weekend in Nepal is on Friday and Saturday. The Department of  Immigration issues the trekking permits for restricted areas like Kanchenjunga and their website showed the office closes in the early afternoon on Friday and reopens on Sunday. My flight from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur was booked for early Sunday morning and for various reasons I didn’t want to postpone this flight. This meant that I had to fly out to Kathmandu earlier and it cost an extra USD 370! An expensive mistake and I also had to pay for 2 extra night’s accommodation in Kathmandu. Lani kindly drove me to Heathrow, which is a four hour drive from our house. The flight took off on time and the flight was as pleasant as it could be in economy class! 25 October 2023 - Arrival in Kathmandu The plane landed in the late afternoon and I managed to buy the visa and get through Immigration very quickly. I was very happy when my 2 bags quickly appeared on the carousel. I always worry about losing luggage and the problems that would involve. I carry my hiking boots in my hand luggage as it would be very difficult to find comfortable replacement boots in Thamel. Last year I stayed at Hotel Thamel House which had only opened a year ago. It was at a very good rate of $50 a night and I was upgraded to a spacious room with a balcony. Unfortunately this year the room rate had doubled so I had to look elsewhere. The new Everest Boutique Hotel in Thamel had been recommended on the Tripadvisor forum and I had booked a room with a balcony for $50 a night. I was very happy with my room and the hotel. Unfortunately it will probably become more popular and the room rates will increase. 26 October 2023 - Trekking Permit & Monkey Temple At 09.00 I met the owner, and his partner, of the trekking agency ( Enjoy Nepal Treks ) . I had to pay for the Kanchenjunga trek and give them my passport so they could obtain the trekking permit from the Immigration Department. I was concerned because the Immigration Department was only open for 2 hours due to the festival of Dashain. The Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek is in a restricted area and at least 2 foreigners must trek together. A solo trekker can circumvent this rule by submitting someone else’s passport (with a valid visa in it) to Immigration. They will then issue a “Ghost Permit” for someone you will never trek with.  One of the reasons that I selected Enjoy Nepal Treks is that their website stated they could obtain “Ghost Trekking Permits” for solo trekkers. I had to pay for 2 trekking permits for Kanchenjunga costing $60 each plus a $35 fee to cover Enjoy Nepal Treks' extra work. I was very happy when Enjoy Nepal Treks called me a couple of hours later to say they had obtained the permits and wanted to return my passport. Luckily they had a contact in Immigration or they may not have succeeded. There was a long line up of people trying to obtain permits during the two hour opening period. The ghost permit was for a young Indian lady who I never met! When on the trek the standard ploy is to state at the permit check points that your trekking partner became sick and had to turn back. I have never heard of a problem arising from doing this. During my meeting with Enjoy Nepal Treks I checked if my porter/guide would carry a duffel bag like most porters do. I was informed that my porter/guide was more of a guide and would need a rucksack.  The guide (Jiwan) was therefore quickly summoned to the hotel so we could go around the shops in Thamel to select a rucksack. Jiwan was 47 years old and seemed very pleasant.  I wanted the largest rucksack possible as I also had a tent and air mattress. The largest rucksacks in Kathmandu are 90 litres and I bought one for NPR 4,500 ($35). It seemed that it would be large enough if my tent was strapped to the outside, which was what I did last year for the Makalu base camp trek (see my blog Planning the Makalu Base Camp Trek ) . In the afternoon I took a taxi over to the Monkey Temple. I would usually have walked but I was still a bit concerned about my ankle. I have been there 3 times before and the last time was a year ago. However, it is always a pleasant outing and good to get off the busy streets of Kathmandu. 27 October 2023 - Patan & Bouddhanath Last year I spent half a day in Patan and really enjoyed it. It is possible to walk on the streets without worrying about being hit by motorcycles and cars. I no longer enjoy walking around Kathmandu as there is just too much traffic and very few sidewalks.  Unfortunately Kathmandu has been spoiled in the 30 years since I first went there. In 1994 I felt safe cycling around Kathmandu and the surrounding villages. I wouldn’t dream of doing that now and would have difficulty in finding my way around. I therefore decided to visit Patan’s Durbar Square again and walk around the streets and temples to the south and north of it. I visited the residence of the Kumari (living Goddess) of Patan for the first time. It is easy to visit her in a room in her squalid “palace” whereas it is difficult to see the Kumari of Kathmandu. It is sad to see a young girl cooped up and it can’t be a nice life. Afterwards I took a taxi from Patan to Bouddhanath and circumambulated the famous stupa numerous times. It is an atmospheric place and fantastic for people watching. 28 October 2023 - Packing & Durbar Square I spent the morning buying a few things for the trek and packing my rucksack. The porter/guide carries up to 15 kilograms but the owner said that I could exceed that. Unfortunately my tent and air mattress were bulky and weighed 4 kilograms. I took the tent in case the tea houses on the Kanchenjunga trek were full. I planned to spend 2 nights at Kanchenjunga north base camp at Pangpema, which is at an altitude of 5,140 metres. At night it is very cold there and in the past there has been a lack of blankets.  Last year I was cold when camping in Lower Dolpo with my -13 centigrade Rab sleeping bag. I therefore bought a new and expensive Mountain Equipment -30 centigrade down sleeping bag that weighs 1.5 kg. Unfortunately it is bulky and takes up a lot of space in the rucksack. In the afternoon I walked to Durbar Square in Kathmandu. The buildings in Durbar Square are in much better shape than when I was last there. However, they are still repairing some buildings that were badly damaged by the 2015 earthquake. Durbar Square is always very busy with locals and tourists. I prefer Patan’s Durbar Square which is quieter and in better condition. 29 October 2023 - Kathmandu to Taplejung I had arranged with my guide (Jiwan) to meet me at my hotel at 06.00 and then to find a taxi to take us to the airport. I was a bit concerned about finding a taxi at that time.  However, the evening before the flight Enjoy Nepal Treks' owner recommended that I leave for the airport at 05.00. That seemed way too early since the flight was at 07.40. We compromised with a time of 05.45 and the owner kindly said that his partner would bring Jiwan to my hotel and help obtain a taxi. I should clarify that my personal arrangement with Enjoy Nepal was just to provide a porter/guide for $25 a day, obtain the permits and arrange the flight to Bhadrapur.  The itinerary for the trek, the ground transportation, my meals and my accommodation was my responsibility and the costs for my account. That is what I wanted rather than a more expensive full service trek package. Enjoy Nepal Treks could have provided a full service package if I had requested it. I got up at 05.00 and by the time I got to the hotel reception at 05.45 Jiwan had already found a taxi. At that time of the day there was hardly any traffic and I arrived at the airport at 06.15. It was way too early and we couldn’t even check in! Any way better safe than sorry as I didn’t want to miss my flight. I made sure that I got a front seat on the left side when checking in so I would have good mountain views. Our flight was slightly delayed and my guide and I arrived at Bhadrapur at 09.15. It is a small airport and in front of it is a large parking area for taxis. There is a sign showing the fixed price per destination and the cost to Taplejung, where the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek starts, was NPR 20,000 ($150).  We were allocated a driver who had a Datsun hatchback. I was initially sceptical that a saloon car would make it but Jiwan assured me it would be fine. I hadn’t realised that the road to Taplejung was tarred. I had thought the road would be horrendous like the access road for last year’s Makalu base camp trek . It was a 9 hour drive to Taplejung. It wasn't a safe drive on the winding and mountainous roads as the driver took too many risks when overtaking. On the way we passed the tea plantations at Ilam. Ilam is very popular with Nepali tourists and the viewpoints are commercialised and tacky.  A few sections of the road were in poor condition but not too bad. We stopped on the way for breakfast and lunch and arrived at Taplejung in the dark at around 18.30. Some trekkers break up this journey by spending the night in Ilam. I just wanted to get it over and done with. The hotels in Taplejung used to be awful but I had found good Google reviews for 3 hotels. We went to all 3 of these hotels. They looked fine but they were all busy with pilgrims. It was probably due to Dashain. As the pilgrims wake up at around 04.00 to go to the temple I knew I would have a very disturbed night's sleep at these hotels. I was about to give up and choose one of those three hotels when Jiwan suggested trying the nearby Hotel Blue Star. He had stayed there before and said it was okay. I was sceptical but went to have a look. I decided to stay there as only 1 other room was occupied and it seemed quiet. The bonus was that it was only R1,000 ($7.50) per night for a room with an attached bathroom whereas the other hotels cost around R4,000 ($30). 30 October 2023 - Taplejung to Chirwa It was surprisingly quiet during the night and I had a good night’s sleep. I had fried rice for breakfast as there was very little else on offer. All the food at the hotel was cheap and the dal bhat for dinner only cost NPR 200 ($1.50). Jiwan informed me that the first day of my planned Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek, from Taplejung to Chirwa, was along an unpleasant and dusty road. He suggested that we take a shared jeep instead.  Luckily I had done my homework and I knew there were 2 jeep tracks to Chirwa. Jiwan was referring to the eastern “road” that goes via Lingkhim. I planned to walk along the quiet western jeep track via Mitlung. I had considered taking a jeep but time wasn’t an issue.   We started walking at 08.30 and had to first walk up to the centre of Taplejung. Taplejung looked to be a nice enough town. From there we walked on rough jeep tracks mainly. Fortunately there was very little traffic on this "road" and it was a pleasant walk.  We descended about 1,100 metres to the village of Mitlung where we had dal bhat for lunch. It again only cost R 200 ($1.50). There were 2 French trekkers (father and daughter) there and they were the only trekkers we saw on the trail that day. We continued walking on to the village of Sinwa in very hot weather. Jiwan was really suffering from the heat. He was wearing long trousers and had his personal backpack on his front and my rucksack on his back. I think tomorrow he will put his pack on top of mine like I had suggested at the start of the day! My plan had been to stay at Sinwa but Jiwan continued walking on to Chirwa. I didn’t say anything as I was happy to do this. This meant ascending 300 metres and walking almost another 3 hours. We reached Chirwa (1,185 metres) at 17.00 and the first tea house was more or less full with 5 trekkers. They had one spare room but it didn’t look great. We therefore went across to the only other tea house and it was empty. It was a basic tea house but better than the ones on last year's Makalu Base Camp trek. There were plenty of spiders in the communal toilet but they weren’t large. It was a hard first day of trekking with 8 hours of actual walking in hot and sunny conditions. 31 October 2023 - Chirwa to Sekathum I had another good night's sleep and I was finally over the jet lag. The bill for dinner, breakfast and the room was only R1,470 ($11) of which R500 was for the room. Jiwan and I started hiking from Chirwa (1,185 metres) at 08.30. For the first three hours we were in the shade which made it easier. The trail and scenery were very pleasant. It is now possible to go by jeep from Chirwa to Sekathum but I was pleased to be walking. It took us 4.5  hours to hike to the village of Sekathum (1,650 metres). This was our intended destination for tonight but we hiked on for another 30 minutes to the tiny settlement of Itahari. The next tea house was a 4.5 hour walk away and we were too tired to walk there. My leg was also hurting a bit from yesterday’s long walk and my lack of fitness. There were only 4 simple and clean rooms in the tea house. Some Nepali men who live in the UK passed by and I had a good chat with them. A Greek trekker and his guide came to stay later on and we were the only 2 trekkers staying at the tea house. He seemed to be smoking a foul smelling cigar but it turned out to be weed. 1 November 2023 - Sekathum to Thangyam The tea house was expensive and the cost for all meals and lodging came to R2,900 ($22). They didn’t have a menu so I didn’t know the prices until I settled the bill.  We set off from Sekathum (1,650 metres) at 07.45 and the trail immediately ascended steeply. After a while we crossed a suspension bridge and then followed a path constructed along the side of the mountain and just above the river. It was a proper trail today as the jeep track has ended. We hiked 850 metres up to the village of Amjilosa (2,498 metres) and it took us 4 hours. We had a lunch of dal bhat there. As it had to be freshly cooked the lunch took an hour. There are 2 tea houses at Amjilosa and we had lunch at the basic older one. I had a look at the rooms and they were gloomy and had several beds in each room. The owners told me that a week ago both the tea houses were full and trekkers were sleeping in the dining rooms. I was very glad that I hadn’t started the trek any earlier. The Greek trekker’s guide had told us that there was a new lodge at Thangyam (2,405 metres) which was another 2 hours along the trail to Kanchenjunga Base Camp. We therefore decided to make our way there as it was too early to stop at Amjilosa and I wasn’t impressed with the tea house. The lodge at Thangyam was very nice and cost R500 per night. It was constructed in 2019 but because of Covid was only opened last year. The guy running it spoke perfect English and was very welcoming. He gave me a corner room as requested.  There was a fancy menu with western dishes but I stuck with Dal bhat! This was the first tea house which had a menu. There was a really good shower room, although there was only cold water. I had my first shower for 4 days and it was my last one until I got back to Taplejung on 16 November! The Greek trekker and the French father and daughter were also staying at the tea house. The Greek was pretty stoned as he was smoking weed and drinking Tongba! He was about 50 years old. He irritated me as he played music on a blue tooth speaker whilst walking. This was his first visit to Nepal and thought he knew a lot about Nepal but he was often wrong. The French trekkers’ guide told me that one of his trekkers on the Kanchenjunga trek had to be evacuated last year due to altitude sickness. He then told me that they had only spent 1 night at Khambachen (4,145 metres) whereas the norm is 2 nights. I told him that and he didn’t like it. Later I was speaking to the French father and he was concerned about altitude sickness as he had suffered from it before. When he told me that he was only spending 1 night at Khambachen I strongly advised him to spend 2 nights.  I couldn’t understand why they were only spending 1 night there as they had more days than me for their Kanchenjunga trek. The guide didn’t like me interfering. I was pleased that when I last saw the French trekkers at Lhonak they told me they had spent 2 nights at Khambachen. A noisy Nepali family was staying at the tea house and spent the evening dancing around a fire outside. Thankfully the manager got them to be quiet and go to their rooms at 21.00.  I slept well but started to feel a bit cold in the early morning as the tea house is at 2,400 metres. I had been using the tea houses' duvets so far with my silk liner sleeping bag. I hadn't yet used my new Mountain Equipment -30 centigrade sleeping bag that cost £650. I thought it would be too warm at lower altitude on the Kanchenjunga trek. I will use it tonight as I will be sleeping at 3,200 metres and it will be even colder. 2 November 2023 - Thangyam to Phale My stay at Thangyam cost R1,470 ($11) and my lunch on the trail was R250 ($2). Therefore when taking into account the $25 cost of my porter/guide the total cost for the day was only $38. We started walking at 07.45 on a steep trail that ascended 300 metres to the tea houses at Gyabla (2,725 metres). Gyabla is a very pleasant spot and we must have spent an hour there. There are 2 or 3 tea houses and one of them is large and modern. We continued walking  up to Phale (3,215 metres) and I met a young Nepalese woman coming down the trail. She told me that she was a guide for a group of German and Canadian trekkers doing the trek to Kanchenjunga Base Camp. They had been staying in Ghunsa, which is where I am going tomorrow. She said that a guy working at the Sherpa Guest House in Ghunsa had followed her to her room and forced his way in. He then tried to rape her but she managed to fight him off. The owner of the tea house wouldn't take any action. So she found a temporary guide for her group whilst she was hiking back down to report the matter to the police. We arrived at Phale at 13.30. The few other trekkers on the trail had just finished having lunch there and were walking another 1.5 hours on to Ghunsa. I was in no rush and decided to stay in a simple, but clean, tea house. I ended up being the only trekker in Phale for the night. Another reason for spending the night there was for acclimatisation as Phale is at an altitude of 3,215 metres. As I was planning to climb Drohmo Ri East (5,935 metres) from Kanchenjunga north base camp I needed to be better acclimatised than most trekkers. Phale is an interesting local village with a monastery. It is a Buddhist settlement and probably the most authentic village on the Kanchenjunga circuit. I had a late lunch of dal bhat in the tea house’s Tibetan kitchen. I tried Tibetan butter tea for the first time and didn't like it. I had enough dal bhat for 1 day and ordered vegetable fried noodles for supper. Two dogs at the neighbouring tea house were barking incessantly all evening. Luckily they stopped at 22.15 so I could sleep. There was a cow, with its bell clanging, by my room during the night but it was a pleasant sound. During the night the temperature dropped to 5 centigrade in my room and 2 centigrade outside. It will get a lot colder as I ascend to Kanchenjunga Base Camp! I was warm in my new sleeping bag. 3 November 2023 - Phale to Ghunsa There was no rush in setting off today as my next stop was Ghunsa which was only a 1.5 hour walk away. At 07.00 we walked over to the nearby monastery where the monks had started praying. The monastery is only 50 years old and there are 4 Tibetan monks living there. The scenery on the walk to Ghunsa (3,415 metres) was stunning. The trail runs along the river. The foliage on the larch trees had turned golden and there were snow capped mountains in the background. My guide had reserved a small detached hut with an attached toilet at the Peaceful Guest House. It cost R800 ($6) per night and had free charging of electrical devices. I had a very poor dal bhat for lunch and it was by far the worst of the entire trek. I found out later that there was a large group of 16 Italian trekkers arriving the next day. I don’t like busy tea houses and groups can be very noisy. Also the Peaceful Guest House has a lot of bedrooms but the dining room is small. I therefore decided to move to another smaller tea house with a similar detached hut the next morning. It was recommended to me by 2 Spanish trekkers. I could have hiked 600 metres up to a viewpoint this afternoon. However, I didn't as my hip was hurting a bit due to my lack of fitness. Instead I wandered around Ghunsa in the afternoon. The southern section of Ghunsa is the trekkers’ section and there are a lot of lodges. The northern section is the older section for the locals. There is a medical centre in the northern section which was meant to have internet. Unfortunately it hasn’t worked for over a year and it doesn’t seem that it will be fixed for a long time. Ghunsa is the largest village on the Kanchenjunga trek. There is a lot of decent accommodation and even a cafe serving cake. Ghunsa is the place to have a hot shower. 4 November 2023 - Ghunsa The temperature in my room dropped down to zero centigrade in the night and the outside water pipe froze. I was warm in my sleeping bag. The other guests (3 Chinese, 3 Japanese and 2 Israelis) were all having their breakfast at 07.00 so I had ordered my pancakes for 07.30. The other trekkers were very friendly but the Chinese were noisy. I moved over to the other tea house after breakfast. They prepared a packed lunch for Jiwan and myself and we walked up a trail towards the Nango La (pass) that goes on to Olangchung Gola. We reached 4,810 metres before I decided to turn around. My hip was still hurting a bit and I didn't want to overdo it. I had also developed a sore throat and runny nose last night. We therefore only walked for about 4 hours in total and it was at a slow pace. 5 November 2023 - Ghunsa to Khambachen I walked up to Khambachen (4,145 metres) today. The walk took 6 hours and I found it hard going. Initially it was cold and icy in places. Then the sun came out and it warmed up. The trail was very scenic. There were a few landslides that had to be crossed. We stopped for dal bhat at a very basic tea house on the way. I stayed at the Khambachen Lodge and got the last detached hut for R700 ($5) per night. There are 4 of these huts plus rooms in the main building. The only downside is that the dining room is small and gloomy. A week ago it was so crowded that the neighbouring White House tea house in Khambachen had to put up large tents for the porters and guides. Many trekkers had to sleep in the dining rooms of the lodges. What a difference one week makes. There were now very few trekkers doing the Kanchenjunga trek and I could choose which lodge to stay in and even be fussy about selecting rooms. Just the way I like it! I walked over to the White House lodge. The owner was very friendly and spoke English well. He gave me a free cup of tea and afterwards I ordered more tea and cake. The White House has a good reputation for its food. The White House’s dining room is much nicer than that of the Khambachen Lodge. It is large and bright. However, its cottages are attached and would be noisier than the detached cottages of the Khambachen lodge. I also think that groups tend to stay at the White House. At the Khambachen lodge there were 4 French trekkers, 2 Spaniards, 3 English women and myself. The French didn’t speak much English but it was enjoyable talking to the others. The three English women were going to do the difficult Lumba Sumba trek after going to the north base camp. They had a team of porters waiting for them back at Ghunsa. I was intrigued to discover that I had followed one of the women’s blogs before. I found out later that they completed the trek successfully. I slept well and the temperature in my room dropped to -4 centigrade. My sleeping bag coped well with the cold. 6 November 2023 - Khambachen & Jannu Viewpoint I stayed at Khambechen for 2 nights to acclimatise to the altitude. Most trekkers do this and aid the acclimatisation process by walking up to a viewpoint of Jannu mountain. It is a very scenic walk and well worth doing even if you are already acclimatised. We set off at 07.30 to walk to the view point. Initially it was cold but after 15 minutes the sun came over the mountain and warmed things up. Soon I was taking layers off as it was too warm.  We were walking right into the sun and it was blinding. They have laid a path of rocks up to a Hindu shrine near the viewpoint. Unfortunately it hasn’t been laid well and a lot of the rocks are loose. I was wearing boots but was still concerned about twisting my ankle again. It took us about 3 hours to reach the Hindu shrine where we had our packed lunches of 2 chapatis and an egg. Afterwards we continued on for another 20 minutes to reach the top of the moraine of the Jannu glacier. We reached a height of 4,606 metres and there were fantastic views of the glacier, Jannu and other peaks. There were only 2 other trekkers at the lodge that night. They were 2 retired Germans, a doctor and a teacher. The doctor spoke good English and we got on very well. I ended up staying at the same lodge as them a few more times. The White House was also quiet as only 4 French trekkers were staying there. 7 November 2023 - Khambachen to Lhonak Jiwan and I hiked for five and a half hours from Khambachen (4,145 metres) to Lhonak (4,792 metres). Initially it wasn't particularly scenic but the scenery soon improved. We reached a large landslide area and there was a sign warning about falling rocks. In the middle of this area was a waterfall and we had to cross an ice and snow covered river. Jiwan found a good route across and it wasn't too much of a problem crossing the river. Since falling on ice last year on the Makalu base camp trek I have been very wary of ice. Actually the biggest danger from ice is on the floors of the tea houses’ toilets. You definitely don't want to fall there! We reached a basic tea shop at Ramtang at 11.25 and had an excellent vegetable noodle soup for lunch. It was much better than the noodle soups on the Makalu base camp trek. It has been a very pleasant surprise that all the accommodation and food is far superior to that on the Makulu base camp trek. We reached Lhonak at 13.45. I chose the Kanchenjunga Guest House as no other trekkers were staying there and they had attached huts. I took an end unit as usual. The toilet was just a long drop but it was fine. I was pleased to discover that this lodge was one of the few that could charge electrical devices. It was also free for guests! There are several tea houses at Lhonak, more than at Khambachen for some reason. There seemed to be about 15 trekkers at the other lodges. A week ago it was very busy, like at Khambachen, and all the lodges were full. My tent would have proved useful then but so far it has just been extra weight for Jiwan to carry. 8 November 2023 - Lhonak It was -6 centigrade in my room last night but again I was warm in my sleeping bag. What I dislike is the cold in the mornings. My hands become cold and sore after washing my face, brushing my teeth and packing up.  The fires in the dining rooms of the tea houses on the Kanchenjunga trek are never lit in the morning. The best place for breakfast is in the kitchen if you are allowed in. You normally are if the tea house isn’t busy. As I was the only trekker there I had my coffee and porridge by the fire in the kitchen and my hands soon thawed out. Most trekkers doing the Kanchenjunga trek spend 2 nights at Lhonak. After the first night they walk to the north base camp at Pangpema (5,140 metres) and then return to Lhonak for the night. I intended to spend 3 nights at Lhonak as I wanted to sleep at Kanchenjunga base camp and ascend Drohmo Ri East (5,940 metres) the next day. I intended to acclimatise for 2 nights at Lhonak before going to Kanchenjunga base camp and then spend another night there on my way back. To improve my acclimatisation I walked up the east side of the Lhonak glacier today. The map actually shows the path to be on the west side of the glacier. However, I had read on another blog that there was a better path on the east side.  The lodge owner confirmed that the east path was best and offered to show us the way as he was visiting a mountaineering camp further on. He was too fast for me but we kept up with him long enough to be sure we were on the right route. There was one slightly tricky section early on that went across large boulders. Then we came across a small bridge consisting of 3 icy logs. The blogger had commented on this and said he had crawled across! I was a bit cross as I had mentioned this to Jiwan and he assured me it would be alright. Anyway the river level wasn’t too high and Jiwan found a way across without using the bridge. 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.  There was little point in going further so we turned back. There was a cold wind on the way back. The entire walk took us almost 6 hours. Before we had set off I had asked the owner of our tea house to radio the tea house at the north base camp to let them know we wanted to come tomorrow and stay for 2 nights. When I returned from my hike the owner told me that the people running the small tea house at Kanchenjunga north base camp were walking down to Lhonak. I met them at Lhonak and they said they were going to Ghunsa for 5 days for the festival of Tihar. Unfortunately I couldn't persuade them to return and open up the basic tea house at base camp for me. I was very disappointed as it meant I would have to go to Kanchenjunga base camp as a day trek instead and wouldn't be able to go up Drohmo Ri East. There were only 6 other foreign trekkers at Lhonak tonight and they all decided to stay at the same tea house as me! They were the 2 Germans and 4 French trekkers that had been at Khambachen during my second night there. Luckily they all spoke English well and I got on particularly well with the Germans.  9 November 2023 - Lhonak to Pangpema & Back I had an early breakfast at 06.00 as I was doing the long day hike to Kanchenjunga's north base camp at Pangpema. Clouds tend to roll in around midday and obscure the peaks. I wanted to get there before that occurred. I ate in the warm kitchen with the 2 Germans as the dining room was freezing. The outside temperature was about -9 centigrade. The previous evening the Germans had ordered Sherpa stew for breakfast. I had decided to try it and ordered it instead of my usual porridge. The sherpa stew certainly makes a good and filling breakfast. Fortunately the 4 French trekkers had breakfast slightly later as there wasn't much room in the kitchen. Jiwan and I set off at 06.30 and followed the west bank of the Kanchenjunga Glacier up to Kanchenjunga's north base camp. The scenery was very impressive. We had to walk steeply up and down a couple of landslide areas. We reached Kanchenjunga's north base camp at 11.00 and stayed there for 75 minutes admiring the views of Kanchenjunga and other peaks. The weather was clear and sunny like it was for the entire Kanchenjunga trek.  We were the first people at Kanchenjunga base camp and it was fairly peaceful for half an hour. Then the other foreign and Nepali trekkers arrived. There were the usual over the top celebrations and silly photo shoots. There was a very small tea house plus 4 tents at Kanchenjunga base camp. Three of the tents would accommodate 2 people in each tent and the fourth larger tent would accommodate a lot of people. However, as I expected the tea house was closed. On the way back down to Lhonak we stopped at a makeshift tea shop in a tent and had dal bhat for lunch. We arrived back at Lhonak at 16.00. It was a long and tiring day. In the evening I went to warn a group of 8 trekkers with Project Himalaya that the tea house at Kanchenjunga north base camp was closed. I did this as I had trekked in Lower Dolpo with Project Himalaya last year and was aware they were doing the Kanchenjunga trek. They said their guide had contacted the owner and he had promised to return to open it up for them.  When I told the owner of my tea house this he just laughed and said he doubted that the Kanchenjunga base camp owner would return. It turned out he was right. It was surprising as about 30 trekkers and their guides and porters had wanted to stay there that night. The tea house would have made a lot of money, although I am not sure that there would have been room for all of them. A Swiss woman also stayed at the tea house tonight. She was part of a mountaineering expedition and had come down due to a weather warning. Her colleagues were following her down tomorrow. Luckily it turned out to be a false alarm and the weather stayed fine. 10 November 2023 - Lhonak to Ghunsa . It was an 8.5 hour walk, and a 1,400 metre descent, back down to Ghunsa from Lhonak. This included a 1.25 hour stop at Khambachen for dal bhat. Everyone says this is a long and tiring day and it was. I stayed at the Mountain River View Side Lodge again. The only other trekker was a 66 year old Nepali trekker who had lived in London for 3 years. We had a good chat at dinner time. Unfortunately I arrived too late to have a shower. There is free electricity charging in the rooms. I made sure that all my electrical devices were fully charged as I was told that there wouldn’t be another opportunity for 5 days. 11 November 2023 - Ghunsa to Selele High Camp Jiwan and I left Ghunsa (3,415 metres) at 08.15. The mornings in Ghunsa are cold as the sun doesn’t reach the valley until late. After half an hour we reached a sunny and warm clearing in the forest and we took off a few layers of clothing. It was a steep 600 metre climb to a small tea shop at 4,010 metres and it took 3 hours. It was mainly through forest, although there were clearings at times that enabled us to look down on Ghunsa and Phale. The forest had ended by the time we reached the tea shop. We were joined by the 2 Germans and 4 French trekkers and we lay on mats in the sun for an hour whilst dal bhat was cooked for our lunch. As we were waiting for our lunch 2 Australian trekkers came from the east side. We started talking and after a while I realised it was Sue and Howard Dengate who provide very useful trekking information on their website. They are now in their mid 70’s and have done many adventurous treks. It was great chatting to them for half an hour. After lunch it was a further 1.75 hour walk to the Selele high camp (4,200 metres) where there are 2 tea houses. Both of them are reasonable and fairly new. I went to the upper tea house as the 4 French trekkers were staying in the lower tea house. The Germans joined me a bit later on. We sat in the kitchen until the dining room’s fire was lit at around 16.30. This is the usual time that the lodges on the Kanchenjunga circuit trek light the fire in the dining room. Normally no more wood, or dried dung, is put on the fire after about 19.00. This encourages trekkers to go to bed shortly after 20.00! There were 2 sections to the tea house and I had the newer wing to myself. It was very quiet as a result. The toilet floor was becoming icy in the afternoon and by the evening we were told not to risk using it! 12 November 2023 - Selele High Camp to Tseram It was a tough 7 hour walk from Selele high camp (4,200 metres) to Tseram (3,868 metres). There were 3 passes to cross and we had to ascend 450 metres to reach the first pass known as the Mirgin La (4,645 metres). The weather was clear until the first pass and we had good views. I was pleased the weather had stayed clear for us. As we descended the first pass the clouds started to roll in and blocked our views for the next 2 passes. It didn’t clear until we began the final 600 metre descent to Tseram.  The 6 other trekkers had taken packed lunches. We hadn't as we had been told there was a small tea house on the way. Unfortunately it was closed but Jiwan had brought several packets of biscuits. I devoured 2 packets. We were fortunate that there was virtually no snow. It would have been an exhausting walk in snow over the rough terrain. One of the better tea houses at Tseram was closed as the owner was ill. Another was taken over by an Alaskan couple and their entourage of 17 porters and guides! They should have been camping with that many support staff. That left the oldest tea house for myself, the 2 Germans and 4 French trekkers. The tea house was very basic so I pitched my tent and kept my belongings in my bedroom for safekeeping. As the owner of this tea house was sick, Jiwan cooked for everyone and the food was delicious. 13 November 2023 - Tseram to Ramche I had a good night's sleep in my tent. Jiwan kindly helped me pack away the tent in the morning. I left Tseram (3,868 metres) at 07.40 and hiked for 3.5 hours up to Ramche (4,610 metres). It was a 750 metre ascent. The mountain scenery was absolutely stunning the entire way.  A British father and his son were the only trekkers staying at Ramche the previous night. I met them whilst they were walking back down to Tseram. They were friendly and warned me that Ramche was very cold at night and that the tea house was very basic. There are 2 tea houses at Ramche but the new tea house was closed. That left a very basic tea house with cow dung drying on the walls. The dining room was mainly constructed of clear plastic. It was very warm in the sun but I knew it would be freezing at night as there was no fireplace. I put my luggage in a dark and basic bedroom and then had a quick lunch of omelette and chapatis. As the weather was still clear we decided to try walking up to the Oktang viewpoint near the south base camp of Kanchenjunga. It took 1 hour 20 minutes to reach the Oktang viewpoint and we were very fortunate that the weather was clear. The British trekkers had informed me that it had clouded over at 12.30 the previous day, but there was very little cloud when we left Oktang at 14.15. At the viewpoint we had great views of the 3 peaks of Kanchenjunga, the other mountains and the glacier. We walked a bit further northwards along the ridge of moraine towards the south Base Camp for Kanchenjunga. Unfortunately, the path to Kanchenjunga's South Base Camp is blocked by a landslide. Most people think that the views from Kanchenjunga's North Base camp are much better than from Oktang. I disagree and prefer the south side. It was the best day of my Kanchenjunga trek. When I got back to Ramche I decided to pitch my tent. The French and Germans had arrived but they decided to go to the Oktang viewpoint the next morning. That suited me as I wanted to get ahead of the French trekkers and stay in tea houses with fewer trekkers. There was an amazing sunset over the mountains and we all stayed out in the cold to watch it. Jiwan ended up cooking supper again as the owner was apparently feeling sick. I was concerned that the owner had cooked my lunch but there was nothing I could do about that now.  The food was fantastic and the portions were huge. It was a cold evening and by 20.00 everyone went to bed. The warmest place had been the kitchen whilst supper was being cooked over a roaring fire. I kept going in to warm up. 14 November 2023 - Ramche to Tortong It was a cold night and all the condensation on my tent froze. I tried packing up the tent before breakfast but my hands became too cold when trying to remove the ice. I managed to thaw out my hands in the kitchen where Jiwan was cooking breakfast for everyone. Everyone was having Sherpa stew except me. I had chapatis and omelette. When I saw the sick lodge owner put his dirty hands on my chapatis I wished that I had ordered the Sherpa stew as well! I was concerned I would get sick but fortunately I didn’t. The sun came out early at 07.15 but it wasn't strong enough to melt the ice on my tent. Jiwan kindly scraped it all off and packed up my tent. We left Ramche at 08.30 and got back to Tseram at 10.45. I had an early lunch of vegetable fried noodles and Jiwan had dal bhat. It was far too early in the day to stop walking. I also wanted to get ahead of the French trekkers who I knew would be spending the night here. We started walking again at 11.45 and followed the river down to Tortong (2,980 metres). It took 3.5 hours on a path that descended through forest most of the way. We descended a total of 1,600 metres today. There are 2 tea houses at Tortong and I ended up staying at a tea house where the British father and son were staying. I thought I had selected a quiet room but there were 4 young and noisy Nepali boys in the room below me. I therefore moved my sleeping bag to a vacant room and had a good night's sleep. 15 November 2023 - Tortong to Kengsra A new trail was constructed in 2019 on the Kanchenjunga Circuit trek that avoids the large landslide at Yamphudin. It goes directly west of Tortong (2,980 metres) and follows the river (Simbuwa Khola) down to Hellok (1,700 metres). I had passed Hellok on the second day of the trek, although I was on the other side of the river. The first section of the hike was through virgin forest and there were absolutely no settlements for 5 hours. After a while the forest changed from large trees to bamboo. It is red panda territory but we didn't see any. I was concentrating more on my foot placement as the terrain is difficult. On the way Jiwan found 2 ticks on his clothes. I was going to remove my trouser leggings as it was hot but left them on to protect against ticks. It is the first time I have come across ticks in Nepal. After 5 hours we reached a new tea house at Kengsra (2,268 metres). We had descended over 700 metres from Tortong. In reality it was a lot more as the trail went up and down. They call it Nepali flat! It had been a very tough hike. Everyone I have met who has done it felt the same way. We had dal bhat for lunch at Kengsra and asked the helpful tea house owner to try and arrange a shared jeep from Hellok to Taplejung the next day. Unfortunately there were not any shared jeeps the next day as it was a holiday (Diwali/Tihar).  As a result we arranged for a private jeep to come from Taplejung the next morning and take us back there. The cost was R15,000 ($115) for the 3 to 4 hour very rough jeep ride from Hellok to Taplejung. We decided to stay at Kengsra for the night and then walk 3 hours to Hellok the next day to meet the jeep. When we arrived at Kengsra it was very hot and sunny. However, by 14.30 the sun went down behind the mountains and it really cooled down. The British father and son (35 years old) arrived soon afterwards and also decided to spend the night there. Jiwan and I had flights booked from Taplejung to Kathmandu on 19 November. As we hadn’t stayed the night at the Kanchenjunga's North Base Camp it was now possible for us to fly one day earlier. I asked Jiwan to contact Enjoy Nepal Treks to see if our flights could be changed. I was keen to get back a day earlier as I was starting the Langtang trek on 21 November and needed time to wash clothes. I also fancied sleeping an extra night in a good hotel! There is a very limited Nepal Telecoms signal at Kengsra and you can only get the signal with an older type phone. Jiwan borrowed the lodge owner’s phone and managed to arrange for the flight to be changed. There was no extra cost for me but it cost an extra R2,560 ($20) to change Jiwan’s ticket. In the evening we sat outside by a fire and celebrated Diwali with a freshly slaughtered chicken and locally brewed Rakshi. The British son and his guide had far too much Rakshi and felt it the next morning! Fortunately I found the Rakshi tasteless and I stopped the tea house owner from continually refilling my mug. Usually tea houses use wood very sparingly. However, wood was plentiful here and we had a roaring fire all evening. 16 November 2023 - Kengsra to Taplejung We left the tea house at 08.15 and a few minutes later passed another new hotel on top of the hill but it was closed. The terrain was much easier after Kengsra. There were many settlements and lots of cardamom plantations. We walked slowly and it took us 2.5 to 3 hours to reach Hellok. On the way Jiwan spoke to the driver who was coming from Taplejung. He was intending to pick up a person who was seriously sick from drinking too much the previous night whilst celebrating Diwali. Jiwan told the driver that I would have to authorise this. I told Jiwan that I wasn't keen as I envisaged the sick person vomiting in the jeep as the road is very rough. We had a very good dal bhat at a home stay in Hellok and at 13.00 the jeep arrived. The driver wasn't friendly and ignored me. The family of the sick man offered to pay half the cost for the jeep and they insisted he had to sit in the front. I didn’t agree to this and was still concerned that the sick man would be vomiting in the jeep. In the end the family of the sick man agreed to pay the driver R20,000 to take the sick man. The driver agreed, although it was Jiwan and I who had arranged the jeep. So at 14.00 I didn't have any transport to Taplejung. Jiwan contacted the lodge owner at Kengsra who was very annoyed with the driver for reneging on the agreement. He arranged for another jeep to come to pick us up for R15,000. However, the jeep was at Taplejung and it would take another 3 to 4 hours to reach us. I decided to walk half an hour down to Ranipur to meet the jeep there. I waited in a tea house for the jeep to arrive and fortunately there was wifi. The first time for 2 weeks. Whilst waiting for the jeep the British father and his son arrived at the tea house. The father had found a tick on his body that morning at Kengsra and was very worried. There was an ominous red rash where it had been and that can be a sign of Lyme disease. I was surprised when the 2 Germans arrived about 17.00. It was good to see them again. They had trekked from Tortong to Hellok in 1 day. A very hard hike and the one German looked very tired. The jeep finally arrived at 18.00. We drove in the dark and arrived at the Hotel Blue Star in Taplejung at 21.30. When we stayed there at the start of our Kanchenjunga trek the hotel was empty and quiet. It was therefore a shock to see that the hotel was packed with families and was very busy. We stayed as Jiwan had made a reservation. It was too late to look around for another hotel and most of the hotels in Taplejung are full at this time of year. I knew that the other guests would be going to the temple at around 04.00 and I was certain that they would disturb me. I thought we might be too late for dinner but everyone at the hotel, including young children, were waiting for dal bhat to be served. The dining room was full so we ate after the other guests at about 22.30. It was a very long day. As I expected my sleep was then disturbed at 04.00 with all the people setting off for the temple. 17 November 2023 - Taplejung to Bhadrapur Jiwan arranged for another jeep to take us on the 8 to 9 hour journey to Bhadrapur airport. The cost was R20,000 ($150) which is what I paid when driving from Bhadrapur to Taplejung.  We left at 08.30 and after an hour had excellent mountain views back to Kanchenjunga. We stopped for lunch and had a good dal bhat for R200 ($1.50). This is the local price and so much cheaper than on the trek. We arrived at Bhadrapur at 17.30 and spent a night at a small hotel by the airport. It was quiet until 22.30 when several Nepali arrived singing loudly! 18 November 2023 - Bhadrapur to Kathmandu The departure time for our flight to Kathmandu was 09.00. We left the hotel at 07.35 and it was only a 5 minute walk to the airport. Jiwan got me a front seat on the right hand side of the plane so I could enjoy the views of the Himalayas again. The plane was only 30 minutes late. The small domestic arrivals area at Kathmandu airport is always crowded and chaotic. I was relieved when my bag appeared and we then took a prepaid taxi to the Everest Boutique Hotel . I thanked Jiwan for the trek. We were meeting again on 21 November to do the Langtang and Gosainkund/Helambu treks. I didn’t have a booking for a room but got a room with a balcony which is what I wanted. I immediately started washing clothes in the sink and hung them out to dry on the balcony. I didn’t use one of the cheap laundry services in Thamel as I was concerned they might damage my trekking clothes. It was good to be back in a comfortable hotel with a clean bathroom. I had 3 nights of comfort and good food before starting the Langtang trek on 21 November! Links to My Other Blogs on the Kanchenjunga Trek Tea Houses on Kanchenjunga Trek Planning your Kanchenjunga Trek Day Hikes on the Kanchenjunga Trek

I did the Gosainkunda and Helambu trek in late November and early December 2023. My blog provides detailed information that will assist you in planning your trek. I did the Langtang trek before continuing on to Gosainkunda and you can see my blogs on that trek by clicking here . Contents When to do the Trek Getting to the Trail heads of the Trek Itinerary for the Gosainkunda and Helambu Trek Permits Hiking Times Information on the Accommodation The Tea Houses Surya Peak Links to My Other Blogs on the Langtang, Gosaikunda & Helambu Treks 1. When to do the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek The main two considerations are the weather and the number of trekkers: 1.1 Weather The best months to do the Gosainkunda and Helambu trek are: March to early June Early October to mid December The monsoon season is from around 10 June to early October. The views would be restricted and there would be leeches during the monsoon. Click here to see the historic data for the start and finish dates for the monsoon (section 6 of the blog). The winter period from mid December to early March would be cold and there is a greater risk of snow. 1.2 Number of Trekkers on the Gosainkunda & Helambu Treks Nepal Tourism publishes annual statistics of the number of foreign trekkers on the main treks. These statistics show that October and early November is the busiest period and April is the second busiest period. These statistics only provide a partial picture as they exclude Nepali trekkers. Gosainkunda Lake is a holy lake and is very popular with Nepali trekkers and pilgrims. Many Nepali would visit it during the religious festivals and holidays. Most Nepalese use the trail from Dhunche to Gosainkunda Lake. They often spend the first night at Shin Gompa (Chandanbari). They set out early the next day to hike to Gosainkunda Lake, returning to Shin Gompa or Dhunche for the night. They don't often spend the night at Gosainkunda Lake due to the altitude and lack of time. If you are coming from the Langtang trek it is best not to hike from Thulo Syabru to Gosainkunda via Shin Gompa as suggested by many itineraries. Hike the shorter route via Mukharka and Chyolangpati instead. Shin Gompa will always be busy with Nepali trekkers and pilgrims, as will the trail from Shin Gompa to Gosainkunda Lake. I believe that the holiday period during the festivals of Dashain and Diwali (Tihar) would be the busiest period for Nepalese trekkers. The dates of these festivals are based on the lunar calendar and take place in October and November. In 2024 Dashain is from October 3rd to 16th and Diwali (Tihar) is from October 21st to November 2nd. The Nepalese often seem to take a holiday after Tihar and there could still be many Nepali trekkers on the trail 7 to 10 days after the end of Tihar. 1.3 Conclusion The Gosainkunda Lake trail would be very busy in April. March would be much quieter, but colder, and there is more risk of snow on the ground. May and early June would be quieter and it would be warmer. However, there is a risk of some pre-monsoon rain. In autumn the best weather is from late October to mid December. However, the trail is very busy from early October to mid November. The best time to do the Gosainkunda and Helambu treks in the autumn is probably from about 10 days after the end of Diwali (Tihar) to mid December. 2. The Trail heads for the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek The trail heads for the Gosainkunda and Helambu treks are: Near Pairo on the Langtang trail for trekkers entering from the Langtang trek. Dhunche for trekkers only doing the Gosainkunda and Helambu trek and going from west to east. I don't recommend this busy route. It takes 5 to 8 hours to travel between Kathmandu and Dhunche depending on the mode of transport. A private jeep would cost about $150 to $160. Sundarijal for trekkers going from east to west. It is only a R1,000 ($8) taxi ride from Kathmandu to Sundarijal 3. Itinerary for the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek 3.1 Itinerary when continuing on from the Langtang Trek If you are coming from the Langtang trek I would suggest the following itinerary: Take 2 days to hike to Gosainkunda Lake and stop for the night at either Thulo Syabru, Mukharka or Chyolongpati. I took 9.25 hours to hike from Pairo on the Langtang trail to Gosainkunda Lake. Spend 1 night at Gosainkunda Lake or 2 nights if you are hiking up Surya Peak. Gosainkunda Lake to Ghopte (5.25 hours) Ghopte to Kutumsang (5.5 hours) Kutumsang to Chisapani (6.25 hours) Chisapani to Kathmandu (3.5 hours hiking & 30 minutes by taxi) If you start trekking from Dhunche you should take longer hiking to Gosainkunda Lake because of the altitude. I don't recommend taking this trail as it is busy and ascends too quickly for good acclimatisation. See my daily trip report for the itinerary that I followed. 3.2 Starting from Dhunche If you do hike from Dhunche you should probably spend 2 nights at Shin Gompa/Chandanbari (3,330 metres) and 1 night at Laurebina (3,910 metres) before staying at Gosainkunda Lake (4,480 metres). 3.3 Starting from Sundarijal Some trekkers start the Gosainkunda and Helambu trek from Sundarijal and trek from east to west. If you aren't acclimatised this would be a safer route than from Dhunche. 3.4 An Alternative Route through Helambu It is possible to hike from Thadepati to Kathmandu on a trail further to the east of the Thadepati to Sundarijal trail. Thadepati is between Ghopte and Mangen Goth and this alternative Helambu trail turns east at Thadepati. It takes 2 days to descend southwards to Sermanthang from where it is a 6 to 7 hour bus ride to Kathmandu. 4. Permits for the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek The only permit required is for the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. I bought it at Chisapani and it cost R1,000 ($8). 5. Hiking Times on the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek These hiking times exclude stops at tea houses for drinks and lunch. DAY FROM TO TIME 1 Pairo Thulo Syabru 2 hrs 1 Thulo Syabru Mukharka 2 hrs 1 Mukharka Chyolangpati 2 hrs 45 mins 2 Chyolangpati Laurebina 52 mins 2 Laurebina Gosainkunda 1 hr 50 mins 4 Gosainkunda Suryakunda Pass 1 hr 10 mins 4 Suryakunda Pass Gyaje 1 hr 15 mins 4 Gyaje Phedi 35 mins 4 Phedi Ghopte 2 hrs 15 mins 5 Ghopte Thadepati 1 hr 40 mins 5 Thadepati Mangen Goth 1 hr 30 mins 5 Mangen Goth Kutumsang 2 hrs 20 mins 6 Kutumsang Chipling 3 hrs 10 mins 6 Chipling Chisapani 3 hrs 7 Chisapani Mulkharka 2 hrs 30 mins 7 Mulkharka Sundarijal 1 hr 6. Information on Accommodation for the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek 6.1 Quality of Accommodation on the Gosainkunda & Langtang Trek The hotels at Kutumsang and Chisapani are very good and the hotels at Thulo Syabru are excellent. The 4 tea houses at Gosainkunda lake are very basic and run down. They are very similar to the tea houses on the first section of the Langtang trek. The tea houses at the other main stops on the Gosainkund and Helambu trek are basic and don't usually have attached bathrooms. They are better however than the very poor quality tea houses at Gosainkunda Lake. 6.2 Other Guests at the Tea Houses When trekking I try to stay at tea houses that have few other guests and certainly no groups. On most treks you know that no other trekkers will arrive after dusk. Unfortunately this isn't the case with tea houses on the trail from Dhunche to Gosainkunda Lake. On this section Nepali trekkers often hike in the dark with torches and can arrive as late as 21.00 The tea houses on the other section of the Gosainknda and Helambu trek are mainly frequented by foreign trekkers. These tea houses are much quieter as long as you avoid the busy periods of April, October and the first half of November. 6.3 Cost of Rooms on the Gosainkund & Helambu Trek In the off season most tea houses cost R500 ($4) a night and if you negotiated you might get the room for free. Most of these tea houses don't have rooms with attached bathrooms. The accommodation improves as you get closer to Kathmandu. At Kutumsang and Chisapani I stayed in hotels rather than tea houses. The cost of good rooms with attached bathrooms was R800 ($6) to R1,000 ($8). 6.4 Food at the Tea Houses I always ate the local rice and noodle dishes so I can't comment on the western food served at the tea houses. Western food is available along the entire Gosainkund and Helambu trek. Dal bhat cost between R400 ($3) at Chisapani and R850 ($6.50). Black tea cost between R100 ($0.70) and R150 ($1.20). The cost of food increased with the altitude. 6.5 Internet, Electricity and Showers at the Tea Houses I couldn't obtain internet through Nepal Telecoms until I reached Ghopte when trekking from the west to east. There was no internet at all at Chyolangpati and Gosainkunda Lake. There was internet at Thulo Syabru but not during the daytime. There was solar power for lighting at all the tea houses. I am sure there would be free charging of electrical devices at Thulo Syabru. The owner of the tea house at Gosainkunda Lake charged my phone for free. There was free charging of electrical devices from Ghopte to Chisapani. 7. The Tea Houses on the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek 7.1 Hotels at Thulo Syabru Thulo Syabru was the nicest village on the Langtang, Gosainkunda and Helambu treks. There were several very good hotels but I didn't spend the night there. I had lunch at the Hotel Monalisa which had been recommended by a guide. The food was good and the hotel seemed very comfortable. The Langtang View Hotel was opposite the Hotel Monalisa and also looked to be a very good hotel. 7.2 Tea Houses at Iba Iba is a 1.25 hour walk from Thulo Syabru. The tea house looked quite reasonable. 7.3 Tea Houses at Mukharka Mukharka (2,997 metres) is a 2.75 hour walk from Thulo Syabru and there are 2 tea houses there. The lady running the Himalayan Guest House was very pleasant and offered me a free room. I decided to hike a further 2 hours and 45 minutes to Chyolangpati (3,620 metres). Mukharka could be a good place to stop as it would be a 5.5 hour walk to Gosainkunda the next day. If you are tired when you reach Mukharka take into consideration that there is a 600 metre ascent from Mukharka to Chyolangpati. 7.4 Tea Houses at Chyolangpati There are 2 tea houses at Chyolangpati. I stayed at the Langtang Lerung View Hotel which is larger and newer than the Hotel Tibet Mountain View. Two rooms at the Langtang Lerung View Hotel had attached bathrooms. I didn't like these rooms as the wall between the 2 bathrooms didn't extend all the way to the ceiling. To make matters worse there was a gap in the wall between the bathroom and bedroom. I had the end corner room without a bathroom and it cost R500 ($4). The rooms with attached bathrooms cost R1,000 ($8). The tea house was fine and much better than the tea houses at Gosainkunda. It was a bit cold as Chyolangpati is at an altitude of 3,620 metres. 7.5 Tea Houses at Laurebina Laurebina is at an altitude of 3,910 metres and there are excellent mountain views. There are 2 tea houses and both of them look better than the tea houses at Gosainkunda. It would be difficult for them to be worse! 7.6 Tea Houses at Gosainkunda There are 4 basic and poorly maintained guest houses at Gosainkunda. They are all about the same standard. I stayed at the Hotel Tibet for 2 nights and it cost R500 ($4) a night. Unfortunately it was the busiest of the 4 tea houses as it is the first one when arriving from the west. A lot of Nepali trekkers and pilgrims visit Gosainkunda lake. Don't despair if it is crowded when you arrive as most of them don't spend the night due to the high altitude and lack of time. They usually commence the trek back to Shin Gompa (Chandanbari) in the afternoon. 7.7 Tea House at Gyaje/Phedi High Camp There is a tea house at Gyaje which is 2.5 hours east of Gosainkunda lake. It looked better than the tea houses at Gosainkunda lake and I had a cup of tea there. 7.8 Tea Houses at Phedi I had lunch at the Hotel Dawa Baby and I think there is another tea house lower down. 7.9 Tea Houses at Ghopte There are 2 basic tea houses at Ghopte. They are fine as long as they aren't busy. I stayed in the Namaste Hotel & Lodge and paid R500 ($4) for a room. I stayed in the new wing which strangely doesn't have a toilet. There was wifi which I negotiated for free. After I left my guide told me that the internet could be accessed on Nepal Telcoms. 7.10 Tea Houses at Thadepati Thadepati (3,730 metres) has 4 tea houses including the Hotel Yak & Yati, which is higher up the hill near the lookout tower. I believe there was only 1 trekker staying at Thadepati the previous night. Thadepati is in a nice location but I am not sure about the quality of the tea houses. 7.11 Tea Houses at Magen Goth The tea house in the photo was in the lower section of Magen Goth and is the first tea house reached when trekking from Thadepati. I had lunch there and it was pleasant sitting out in the sun. After this tea house the trail for the Helambu trek ascends through a forest to upper Magen Goth. There was a fancy tea house on top of the hill. 7.12 Hotels in Kutumsang I stayed at the Mountain View Lodge & Resort. The rooms in the main building cost R1,500 ($12) and the rooms in the outer buildings cost R1,000 ($8). I stayed in one of the outer rooms and Niru negotiated a rate of R800 ($6). All the rooms had bathrooms but I was told to shower in one of the rooms in the main building. The shower was free. There was a bit of a strange smell in my room. I t was probably because there wasn’t a U bend in the shower drain pipe to prevent smells from the sewer pipe. Otherwise it was a very good hotel 7.13 Hotels in Chisapani The first hotel I reached in Chisapani looked very good but it cost R3,500 ($27). We reached the modern Hotel Chisapani soon afterwards. I took their best room which cost R1,500 ($11.50). The other rooms with attached bathrooms cost R1,000 ($8). There were too many stray dogs around the hotel and they disturbed me at night. A South Korean trekker had to change rooms because of a strange smell. Once again there probably wasn’t a U bend in the shower drain pipe to prevent smells from the sewer pipe. It seems to be a common problem with cheap hotels in Nepal.  The main part of Chisapani is 10 minutes further from the Hotel Chisapani. There is a good hotel there but it could be noisy at weekends with people visiting from Kathmandu. 8. Surya Peak I wrote about my ascent of Surya Peak in my My trip report for the Gosainkunda and Helambu treks . This following section provides practical information on the hike as Surya Peak is difficult to locate. 8.1 My Ascent I only made the decision to hike up Surya Peak when I arrived at Gosainkunda Lake so I hadn't done any research. My guide hadn't been there before and he asked the owner of the Hotel Tibet for directions. He was told that the route up Surya Peak started near Surya Kund which is the third lake to the east after the main Gosainkunda Lake. This lake is slightly to the south of the main trail from Gosainkunda lake to Phedi. When we reached Surya Kund there were some abandoned buildings. We left the main trail there and started hiking up to the north. We soon spotted cairns and the route was well cairned all the way to the summit. The terrain quickly became very rough and it was hard going. The route went up the south west side of the peak. There were 2 or 3 sections that involved scrambling and were hairy. It took slightly less than 3 hours to reach the summit which was marked with stones and prayer flags. I was puzzled that my Garmin Inreach showed the altitude to be 5,049 metres whereas Surya Peak is at an altitude of 5,150 metres. This summit was at a latitude of 28.080342 N and a longitude of 85.432000 E. 8.2 My Descent We only spent 20 minutes at the summit as it was cloudy and cold. There would be excellent views in good weather. While we were ascending I had been concerned about our descent along the same route. Fortunately the tea house owner had told my guide that it was easier to descend down the north side. It crossed very rough terrain and we had to be careful walking over the numerous loose rocks and boulders. The route joined the main Gosainkunda trail where the prayer flags were on the path at the eastern end of Gosainkunda Lake. It took 2 hours and 45 minutes to walk back to the tea house. 8.3 The Proper Surya Peak Whe n I returned to the U.K . I did some research to find out why I had only reached an altitude of 5,049 metres when Surya Peak was meant to be at an altitude of 5,150 metres. There isn't much information about Surya Peak but it was clear that I hadn't been up Surya Peak. Other blogs referred to the peak that I went up as "Trekkers' Peak" or "Gosainkunda Ri". I don't think it has an official name. It seems that the peak I ascended has been cairned as it is easier to locate and reach from the main Gosainkunda trail. Surya Peak is further to the east and is shown on the map above. Both peaks are above 5,000 metres and the views from the real Surya Peak wouldn't be any better. 8.4 The Route for Surya Peak I found 3 blogs about the hike to the true Surya Peak that provide details of the correct route: Themtsarecalling.com This blog is by an American who is clearly very confident and able in the mountains. He set off by himself from Gosainkunda lake at 03.10 and took an exploratory route to Surya Peak. He made it up to Surya Peak and then hiked down to Dhunche the same day! I wouldn't recommend walking solo on this difficult terrain. Walkhighlands.co.uk This blog is by a Scottish woman who has hiked a lot in Scotland and is a competent hiker. She had a local guide and ascended by the conventional route to Surya Peak. Her pictures indicate the route and show that there is a plaque at the summit stating it is Surya Peak. The round trip took her 6.5 hours. Summitpost.org This website states the latitude and longitude for Surya Peak are 28.08330 N and 85.43967 E. These coordinates seem to be correct. The route I took back from the false Surya Peak is part of the route to the official Surya Peak. One blog says the route is well cairned and another says it isn't. I agree with the latter as although we saw cairns they only gave us reassurance that we were on the right route. They weren't frequent enough to help us with navigation. In reasonable conditions the route I took up the "Trekkers Peak" and down the north side could be used to go on to the true Surya Peak. Both 5,000 metre peaks could be done in one day. 8.5 Logistics for Surya Peak My guide told a New Zealander and his guide about our route. They went up to the false Surya Peak the following day and came down the same way. They did it faster than us and continued on to Ghopte the same day. He had hidden his rucksack near to where he had left the main trail before ascending the false Surya Peak. This meant he didn't have to hike back to his tea house at Gosainkunda to collect it. A local guide could be hired at one of the tea houses at Gosainkunda Lake for the trek to Surya Peak. It would likely cost about $100. Determine beforehand which peak your guide is intending to ascend. 9. Links to My Other Blogs on the Langtang, Gosaikunda & Helambu Treks Gosainkunda & Helambu Trip Report Langtang Trek Blogs

Contents Syros, Greece - Sea View Studios Naxos, Greece - My Family Home Tinos, Greece - Lefkopetra Andros, Greece - Lorentzia House 2 Parga, Greece - Tresor Apartments Gjirokaster, Albania - Artur's Apartment Himare, Albania - Mihalis Apartments Berat, Albania - Luis Penthouse Kruje, Albania - Hotel Panorama Kotor, Montenegro - Fortress View 2 Apartment Trogir, Croatia - Apartment Roko Brac, Croatia - Little House Rab Croatia - Apartment Stela Rab Croatia - Palit Hills Superior Apartments Rovinj, Croatia - Apartment Dado Ortisei, Italy - Apartment Salman Metz, France -Metz Kyriad Metz Centre Links to my other blogs 1. Syros, Greece - Sea View Studios We booked this through Booking.com for Eur 79 per night for a 4 night stay. We took advantage of an off-season free upgrade to a 2 bedroom apartment. It took us half an hour to drive from the port at Ermoupoli to the apartment near Finikas. The route to the apartment was very well signposted by the owner and there is ample car parking space. The owner (Manos) met us and showed us our apartment. It was in pristine condition and well equipped. The only negative was that one bedroom didn't have an exterior window. The other only had a small window high up on the wall. Both bedrooms had large openings onto the lounge. This made the bedrooms suitable for families, but perhaps not for 2 couples. There are about 6 other apartments. I think they are all studio apartments. The one with the best location seemed to be number 5 on the upper floor. It was a corner unit with an additional side window and an extra terrace on the side. None of the other apartments were occupied while we were there so I can't comment on noise. It was certainly very peaceful when we were there. We really liked the location of the apartment. It is in one of the more unspoilt parts of southern Syros. I highly recommend these apartments. 2. Naxos, Greece - My Family Home We booked this property for 5 nights through Booking.com at a rate of Eur 75 per night. It is in the small village of Galanado, which is a 10 minute drive to Naxos Town. This was our favourite property so far. There is nothing above it and only one end is attached to another building. It has 2 spacious bedrooms, a kitchen/dining room and a modern bathroom. Outside is a large private terrace with some shade and distant sea views. The property is in pristine condition and well equipped. It has a new washing machine and there is air conditioning in both bedrooms. All windows had mosquito screens and shutters. We thought parking might be a problem but there are 2 good sized car parks about 100 metres away. There was always plenty of space in both of them. We really liked the village as it wasn't touristy and the locals were friendly. The only downside was that the church broadcast their Sunday morning sermon on a loud speaker. It was atmospheric to start with, but it went on for at least 3 hours. 3. Tinos, Greece - Lefkopetra We booked this apartment for 4 nights through Airbnb and it cost Euro 70 per night. When I booked it, it seemed that there was only one unit. Unfortunately there are actually 5 apartments, but they are all listed separately on Airbnb. We had apartments on either side of us and the balcony of the upper apartment was above us. I always try to avoid this scenario due to noise issues. The apartment next to us was occupied for the first 2 nights and we could hear them through the wall. For the final 2 nights the top apartment was occupied and we could hear them as well. The accommodation felt a bit neglected. In particular: The floor was painted concrete and some of the paint had worn off. The bathroom was small. The shower was so small that it was impossible to avoid making contact with the shower curtain. There was only 1 bowl and 2 plates for an apartment advertised for 3 people. On the positive side: The terrace was very nice and had good sea views. It had an adjustable awning for shade. The beds were comfortable. It was a 10 to 15 minute drive into Tinos town. 4. Andros, Greece - Lorentzia House 2 We booked this house through Booking.com for 4 nights at a cost of Eur 65 per night. It is spacious as it has 120 square metres of space consisting of 3 bedrooms, 2 living/dining rooms, a kitchen, bathroom (with a washing machine), a large terrace and a parking area. The house is rented out by a very welcoming family. The mother and daughter met us and only the daughter spoke English. They gave us a pack of bottled water, fruit, eggs and raki. The house is a bit dated, except for the modern bathroom, but it is very comfortable and clean. There are excellent sea views from the terrace. The house is reached by driving up a steep paved road for about 10 minutes. The entrance to the driveway requires a sharp turn off the steepest section of the road. I found it a challenge. There is a popular taverna about 5 minutes' walk away. The main coastal resort of Batsi is about a 20 minute drive. We prefer more modern accommodation and didn't like the approach, but it is very good value for money. 5. Parga, Greece - Tresor Apartments We booked this apartment for 1 night through Booking.com for Eur 79. The cost per night would have been less if we had stayed longer. We really liked the apartment and it exceeded our expectations. There are 4 apartments in the building and we had half of the top floor. It is shown in the photo below and our apartment had both the balconies shown in the photo. The apartment has been built and furnished to a very high standard. It is in pristine condition. The main living room has a kitchenette and a sofa bed. The bathroom has an excellent shower. The bedroom is very comfortable and has its own balcony. There is parking on site It is a 10 minute walk down to the waterfront. We really liked Parga even though there were a lot of tourists. It was a nice change to be in a bustling town after the quiet Greek islands. I highly recommend this apartment. 6. Gjirokaster, Albania - Artur's Apartment We booked this apartment for 1 night through Booking.com for Eur 38 and it included a good breakfast. Incredible value! It is a bit old fashioned but was clean, spacious and comfortable. There was a terrace off the bedroom and a seating area outside the entrance to the apartment. Both areas had shade if required. The apartment was on the ground floor, but we didn't have any problem with noise from above. All windows had mosquito screens so no problems there either! There was parking on the street just outside the apartment. It is a 10 minute walk to the centre of town and half an hour to the castle on top of the hill. 7. Himare, Albania - Mihalis Apartments We had booked a Penthouse Apartment for 3 nights through Booking.com for Eur 50 per night. The Penthouse Apartments are on the top floor (4th). They don't have a kitchen and are the smallest apartments (30 square metres). When we arrived we asked to see some of the other apartments. The normal apartments are double the size of the Penthouse Apartments and they were very spacious and looked very appealing. We were then shown a Delux Apartment which was fantastic. There are only 2 of them and they are both on the top floor (4th). They are 70 square metres consisting of a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. We were shown Delux Apartment 403 (Lizeta) which is a corner unit with 2 huge balconies. The other Delux Apartment isn't a corner unit and only has 1 balcony. The Booking.com price for a Delux Apartment was Eur 105, but we were offered it for Eur 80 and took Delux Apartment 403. The apartment is a 10 minute drive from Himare along a dirt road. The road is a bit rough in places, but we didn't have a problem with our Ford Focus. We did drive carefully as we had broken a front spring in Greece. It is a 12 minute walk down to Livadi beach, which is one of the best beaches in Albania. It is a long pebble beach with restaurants, umbrellas and sun loungers. The sea is great for swimming. I highly recommend Mihalis Apartments and its location is much better than scruffy Himare. 8. Berat, Albania - Luis Penthouse We rented this apartment for 1 night through Booking.com for Eur 45. It is a penthouse apartment on the 7th floor. It is amazing value as it has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a large open plan living/dining/kitchen area, a huge terrace and underground parking. It is really well furnished and even has satellite TV and Netflix. It is a 20 minute walk into the centre of Berat. The underground parking is down a steep ramp and a bit tight. The host directed me in and out of the space and we had no problems. Unfortunately they have just started to build on the site next to the apartment. It didn't disturb us as we were there at the weekend. It is very likely there will be daytime noise on weekdays. It is probably not a big issue if you are sightseeing during the daytime. 9. Kruje, Albania - Hotel Panorama We initially reserved a standard room with a balcony for Eur 66 with Booking.com. Shortly before our stay they advised us of upgrades and we paid an extra Eur 2 for a standard triple room with balcony. It is very good value for the best hotel in Kruje. The front desk clerk kindly offered to show us the room. We were delighted that it had a fantastic view of the castle and bazaar. The room was not close to the elevators, nor did it have a connecting door, two of my pet hates. A couple who checked in shortly after us weren't so lucky. They had been given a room facing the street. They requested to be moved to a room facing the castle but there were none available. Everyone wants a room with a castle view. The later you check in the less likely that you will get one. There is free parking in an underground car park opposite the hotel. It was very busy when we arrived as it was a Sunday. A friendly attendant helped us find a parking spot and helped us with our luggage. I gave him a couple of Euros for his efforts and he was delighted. A Tripadvisor review mentioned that the food at the hotel was good and very reasonably priced. We don't normally eat at hotels but gave it a try. I can confirm that the reviewer is right. It can get busy so it is probably best to make a reservation. A few hotel reviews mentioned that the early morning call to prayer from the nearby mosque disturbed them. We certainly heard it, but for us it added to the atmosphere and wasn't a problem. We found that there was very little to see in Kruje. There is the reconstructed bazaar, consisting of an alley lined with shops, and a ruined castle. It was disappointing, but we really liked the hotel and the great view from our room. 10. Kotor, Montenegro - Fortress View 2 Apartment We booked for 6 nights at Eur 77 per night through Airbnb . It is a 2 storey apartment in a separate building. This building is at the rear of the owner's house and there is another rental apartment on the top floor of their house called Fortress View 1. The apartment is a very short walk to the estuary and we went there several times to swim. It is possible to relax on small concrete piers. It is very convenient but close to the road and there is a bit of algae in the water. The centre of Kotor is a 20 minute walk away along the road running along the estuary. Initially there isn't any side walk and we didn't particularly enjoy the walk. Most of the time we drove in and parked for about Eur 1 per hour. The ground floor of the apartment comprises a living area with a sofa bed, dining table, kitchen and bathroom (with a washing machine). There is a staircase to the bedroom and balcony upstairs. The upper bedroom is open to the lower floor. The apartment is very comfortable, quiet and has an off-road parking spot. The only negatives were: There was no shade on the balcony until the afternoon. The ground floor doesn't have enough natural light. There is no place to eat outdoors as there isn't a table on the balcony. The parking could be a bit tight when there is another car in the carport. The Fortress 1 apartment above the owner's premises would have better views, but one reviewer stated that there was some noise from the owners. 11. Trogir, Croatia - Apartment Roko We booked this apartment through Booking.com for Eur 69 per night for 3 nights. The apartment has: Covered parking A living area with a sofa bed, dining table and kitchenette. There is an air conditioner in this area. A bedroom with a 5 foot bed. There is a fan but no air conditioner. A bathroom with a washing machine. A balcony with a retractable awning. The apartment is in a very convenient location as: It is a 10 minute walk into the centre of Trogir. It is on the coastal road so it is convenient for getting out of Trogir by car. There is a large supermarket about 200 metres away. We received an extremely warm welcome from the family who own the apartment. On the day we left it was the wife's birthday. They gave us a big plate of various cakes that took us several days to eat. They take great pride in their apartment and it is very clean and well equipped. It was very quiet. 12. Brac, Croatia - Little House We booked this apartment through Airbnb, but it is also available with Booking.com. Our apartment had 1 bedroom, but there is also a 2 bedroom apartment available on Booking.com. We paid Eur 292 for 4 nights. The apartment is compact but very clean, well equipped and comfortable. It has a nice small garden to sit out in, but we were bothered by mosquitoes. Fortunately there are mosquito screens on most of the windows so they weren't a problem inside the apartment. It is an easy and pleasant 10 minute walk to the centre of Supetar. There is a car parking spot opposite the apartment and the main road is easily accessed from the apartment. The main road is very close to the apartment, but the traffic noise didn't bother us. 13. Rab, Croatia - Apartment Stela We booked this apartment from Booking.com for Eur 71 per night. It is a very spacious 2 bedroom apartment with 2 bathrooms and on-site parking. When booking the apartment it appeared it would be the ground floor. I try to avoid booking ground floor apartments as I am concerned about noise from above. I booked it anyway as it was difficult to find a better alternative. It also seemed that the owners lived above the apartment. I presumed they would be quiet for their guests. The apartment was on the ground floor as expected. Unfortunately an extremely noisy family was in the apartment above us. The owners were in the attic apartment at the top. I complained to the owners and they were very apologetic. They had learnt how noisy this family was over the previous nights. They had never had such a problem before. They very honourably offered us a refund for the remaining 3 nights. Luckily I managed to find alternative accommodation on the internet. Apart from the issue of the noise the apartment was good. It was only a 10 minute walk into the centre of Rab. The exterior of the apartment building doesn't look great but the inside is well done. 14. Rab Croatia - Palit Hills Superior Apartments We booked this apartment through Booking.com for Eur 117 per night. It would normally cost more but there was a last minute cancellation and the rate was discounted. The apartment is managed by an agency in Rab. The keys have to be collected from their office. There is parking and the agent was very pleasant and helpful. The rental must be paid for in cash, even though Booking.com states that cash isn't accepted! The apartment is on the 1st floor with a 1 bedroom rental apartment below it and the owners' apartment above. We had no problems with noise. The apartment is very modern, nicely furnished and spacious. There is an open plan living, dining and kitchen area with a balcony leads off it. Both bedrooms open onto another balcony and one of them has an ensuite bathroom. The main bathroom has a washing machine. It is apparently a 15 minute walk into Rab but it looked further and we always drove in. There is parking in front of the apartment. 15. Rovinj, Croatia - Apartment Dado We booked this apartment through Booking.com for Eur 61 per night. It was very good value despite it being a 10 minute drive from Rovinj. The apartment is on the top floor of the white building shown in the photo below. The owners live below and we didn't have any problems with noise. The hostess was very welcoming and takes great pride in the apartment. It is spacious, very clean, nicely furnished and well equipped. There is parking in the carport of the building. I highly recommend this apartment. 16. Ortisei (St Ulrich), Italy - Apartment Salman We booked this apartment through a German website called Bookiply.com for Eur 111 per night. The apartment is also available on Booking.com but costs about 10% more. It was a very good price for an apartment in the Dolomites in July. It is a spacious 1 bedroom apartment with a modern bathroom, dated kitchen and a lounge/dining area with a sofa bed. There are 2 balconies on either side of the apartment so if it is sunny one of the balconies always gets the sun. There is a washing machine in a utility room by the apartment's entrance and it is shared with the owner. It is a fairly steep 10 to 15 minute walk down to the centre of Ortisei. The walk back up was a bit tiring,especially after a long hike. An advantage of being higher up is that the apartment had good views of Ortisei, the surrounding mountains and Sassolungo. We made a conscious decision not to use our car at all during our 6 night stay. There is good parking in front of the apartment. The apartment is on the first floor and there are apartments above and below it. Noise was never an issue, but we could sometimes hear people walking above us. The hosts live in the apartment next door. 17. Metz, France - Kyriad Metz Centre I booked the room for Eur 89 on Kyriad's website as members (free to join) receive a 10% discount. It would have cost Eur 99 if I had booked with Booking.com. The hotel is in the centre of Metz. Fortunately it was in a quiet area as it was a Saturday night and Metz was buzzing. We stayed in a Kyriad hotel in Troyes at the start of our trip and it was excellent. The Kyriad in Metz wasn't as good and the rooms are small. It is a bit like an Ibis hotel. The hotel has an agreement with an underground car park about 5 minutes walk away and it costs Eur 9 to park a vehicle overnight. It seemed fairly secure and we left most of our luggage in the car. We probably wouldn't have done that at the start of our trip! The highlight of our stay was Metz itself. It is a very pretty town and it was packed with locals eating and drinking at the numerous cafes and restaurants. 18. Links to my other blogs UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 Cornwall to Venice - Week 1 Venice to Serbia - Week 2 Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4 Nafplio, Greece to the Peloponnese - Week 5 The Peloponnese to the Greek Islands - Week 6 The Greek Islands - Week 7

Contents: Our Booking Process Dover, England Troyes, France Bern, Switzerland Vicenza, Italy Koper, Slovenia Ljubljana, Slovenia Lake Bohinj, Slovenia Our Booking Process Novi Sad, Serbia Tetovo, North Macedonia Ohrid, North Macedonia Meteora, Greece Arachova, Greece near Delphi Nafplio, Greece Monemvasia, Greece Koroni, Greece Links to my other Blogs 1. Our Accommodation Booking Process When I initially thought of doing the trip I intended to book accommodation only a few days in advance. I wanted to have flexibility over the length of stay in each location. I changed my mind once I had researched in more depth. I then knew more or less how much time we would need in each location. Delaying booking would probably have resulted in missing out on the best accommodation, particularly towards the end of our trip when we were getting into the peak holiday season. So in January I booked all the accommodation for our trip from 17th April to 17th July. We had the option for cancelling accommodation depending on the property. We only cancelled once for an overnight stop in Corinth, Greece. For this apartment we were able to cancel the day before our arrival. Having all the accommodation booked up could have been an issue if there had been serious problems with our 10 year old car. We did have problems with our car on the Greek islands when we needed new brake pads, springs and shock absorbers. All these parts had to be shipped in from Athens. Luckily it didn't delay us in getting to our next accommodation. In the past I have mainly used Tripadvisor and VRBO to research the various accommodation options. This time I mainly used Booking.com and then Airbnb if I couldn't find anything suitable on Booking.com. I prefer Booking.com over Airbnb as: Accommodation is usually cheaper on Booking.com. It is much easier to search, filter and sort properties on Booking.com. The property descriptions on Booking.com usually state the square footage whereas Airbnb don't. I found the square footage to be one of the most useful metrics. Hosts on Airbnb do sometimes cancel bookings, but that doesn't seem to happen on Booking.com. When searching for properties on Booking.com I mainly used the following filters: "Your Budget" - I entered Eur 40 to Eur 100, except for expensive locations like in the Dolomites. In most cases we paid around Eur 60 to Eur 80 for an apartment. "Review Score" - I entered "Superb: 9+" for apartments and "Very Good: 8+" for hotels. Reviewers are often less critical of private accommodation as they have met the host. "Parking". "Free Wifi" - Virtually all accommodation has this. There are many other useful filters and if my initial search resulted in too many results I used a few more filters. I then sorted the results by price and reviewed the properties for: Type and positioning of building. I don't want to be disturbed by noise and therefore prefer top floor apartments or standalone small buildings. Customer rating. Square footage. Number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Number and size of beds. Negatives and positives in reviewers' comments. Position of the property on the Booking.com map. Once I found suitable apartments I would Google the property name and look at any reviews and prices on Google or other booking websites. Usually Booking.com was the cheapest, but occasionally Airbnb was more competitive. Our apartment in the Dolomites was 10% cheaper when booked through the German booking website Bookiply.com. I used Airbnb's website when I couldn't find anything suitable on Booking.com. There are various filters that can be applied, but frustratingly none for reviewers' scores. This meant that the results showed far too many properties. To make matters worse I couldn't find any way to sort the results, for example, by price or reviewer scores. Also the square footage isn't indicated which makes it very difficult to ascertain the spaciousness of properties. It was therefore a real chore finding suitable properties which is why I only used Airbnb as a last resort. I booked 32 properties for our trip and the average cost per night was Eur 77. They were very good value as most of the properties were apartments, or small houses. Most of them were very spacious and of a high standard. The best value accommodation was a deluxe 3 bedroom penthouse apartment in Berat, Albania for only Eur 45 per night. The most expensive was a hotel room in Bern, Switzerland for Eur 126 per night. It was a very time consuming process but worth it. We saved a lot of money and the good accommodation made our long trip much more enjoyable. I wouldn't have enjoyed staying in cramped hotel rooms for 3 months. 2. Dover, UK - Premier Inn at the Eastern Ferry Terminal This hotel is only a 5 minute drive from the ferry terminal. Unlike most Premier Inns they do have rooms with twin beds rather than one bed and a pull out sofa. All twin rooms are on the upper floor which is a positive for me. As there is no air conditioning the windows can be opened, which is something else that I like. We had a room overlooking the main road, but it wasn't a problem as there was a constant traffic flow rather than vehicles stopping and starting. The rooms facing the sea would be better and quieter. You can phone them about a week before check in to try and request the location of your room. They usually won't change your room on the day of arrival. I always find the duvets at Premier Inns to be a bit too thick and warm. I am a bit precious so I always take my own blanket. I booked about 3 months in advance and got a good rate of GBP 39.00 for 2 people in a twin room. 3. Troyes, France - Kyriad Troyes Centre Before trying to find accommodation in Troyes I had never heard of Kyriad Hotels. I was therefore surprised to learn that they had an extensive chain of hotels in and outside Europe. I booked due to the good guest reviews, reasonable price and central location. We booked through Kyriad Hotel's website as their free to join loyalty program provided the best price. We paid Euro 81.90 for a twin room and Euro 10 for underground parking. There is free parking opposite the entrance to the underground parking but we were concerned about the security of our belongings. Breakfast is extra. We brought some muffins to eat from home and used the free coffee and tea in the room. Both the front desk staff spoke excellent English and were very helpful. As usual I asked for a room away from the elevators and with no connecting door and they got that right. The hotel is a 10 minute walk from the centre of medieval Troyes and it is certainly very worthwhile having a 1 night stopover there. 4. Bern, Switzerland - Los Lorentes Apartments In 2023 the newly opened Los Lorentes Apartments in Bern were offering a reasonable rate by Swiss standards of CHF 120.60 for a room with a kitchenette. Parking is available in the car park below the hotel for an extra CHF 10 per night, but it must be reserved before arrival. The parking is convenient as there is an elevator going directly up to the guest floors. There is an Aldi store about a minute's walk away. Just outside the Aldi store there is a bus stop for the buses going into Bern. The hotel provides a Bern pass that allows free use of these buses. Check in is done on a self service machine. We had a problem but there were 2 very helpful staff in a nearby room that sorted it out. The only potential drawback is that there is a large skateboard park at the back of the hotel. We overlooked it and no one used it while we were there. Perhaps it is no longer in use. It would be best to check guest reviews before booking or request a room away from this area. 5. Vicenza, Italy - Mansarda Al Ferrazzi We booked this apartment through Booking.com at a cost of Euro 78 per night. It can also be booked directly with the owner and the rate should be cheaper. The owner may require a deposit by bank transfer. The accommodation consists of a very large open plan apartment on the second floor. This is the top floor, there are no other apartments adjoining it and the owners live below. We didn't have any issues with noise. The furnishing of the apartment is perfectly adequate but not of a luxurious 5 star standard. There is a balcony running along 2 sides of the apartment building and some part of the balcony always gets the sun. There is a bathroom with a small shower stall, bidet, toilet and sink. In the basement there is a washing machine and dryer that guests can use. Parking is about 100 metres away in an area just off the quiet road. We were always able to find a space. There is a supermarket, a good pizza restaurant and a bus stop a few minutes walk away. During weekdays the bus leaves about every 15 minutes and costs about Euro 2 for the 15 minute ride. There is also a Lidl supermarket about 2 kilometres away. The owner (Christina) is very helpful and speaks fluent English and we really enjoyed our stay. 6. Near Koper, Slovenia - Apartmaji Sobe Zvezda We booked this apartment through Booking.com for Eur 75 per night. It can be booked directly for about 25% less, but you would have to transfer a deposit. We were allocated Apartment Lavandar 1, which has an extra large double bed. This consists of 2 single beds right next to each other with 2 separate thin duvets (with extra blankets available). This was ideal for us and we got an excellent night's sleep. Only 2 of the 6 apartments at Apartmaji Sobe Zvezda have extra large beds. The apartment was compact, but of a very high standard, exceptionally well equipped and clean. Lani loved it but our room had a connecting door with apartment Lavendar 2. Usually I try to avoid this as noise easily transmits through connecting doors. Luckily our neighbours in apartment Lavandar 2 were quiet. The apartment is about 4 km inland from Koper and we easily visited Piran, Izola and Koper from it. 7. Ljubljana, Slovenia - Luxury Studio Apartments This apartment cost us Euro 89 per night through Booking.com. I had several messages with Mateja (the hostess) before arrival. On the day of arrival she notified us that she was away and her mother would meet us. We arrived at 15.15 as agreed but found that both parking spaces were occupied. Mateja's father soon vacated 1 parking space and then her mother let us into the apartment. Everything in the apartment was fresh and clean. The mother then indicated that the shared garden was a mess. They were both working on it. There was a huge mound of soil 3 metres from our patio door and only 1 metre from the patio itself. The mother indicated that they would be clearing it the next day. We weren't too bothered at the time. Soon both parents were working in the garden and talking very loudly. Then another couple came to help and the volume of noise increased. By 18.15 I had had enough and messaged Majeta that it was like being on a building site. They did stop work at 18.30 and it was agreed that they would only continue the next day while we were out. It was a very bad start to our stay. The apartment is about a 25 minute walk into Ljubljana. There is a small supermarket 5 minutes walk away. We drove to the Lidl's supermarket in central Ljubljana. It took less than 10 minutes to reach it. Driving in Ljubljana is very easy without any congestion. In the end we enjoyed our 2 night stay there. I would be reluctant to recommend it as the parents talk very loudly and use the shared garden a lot. However, the apartment does receive very high review scores. 8. Lake Bohinj, Slovenia - Apartment Katja We booked this apartment through Airbnb for Euro 98 per night. It is in the village of Stara Fuzini and is a 10 minute walk from Lake Bohinj. The apartment is on the top floor of a Swiss style wooden chalet and consists of: A bedroom with a 5 foot wide bed and 2 individual duvets. There is also a sofa and balcony. A kitchen with a double induction hob, microwave and dishwasher. A dining room, with another bed, reclining chair and balcony. A bathroom with a shower and a washing machine. The wife (Katja) welcomed us and spoke good English. She was very pleasant and gave us some very potent honey liquor. We liked the apartment as it was spacious, clean and comfortable. Unfortunately we could hear noise from Katja's family. It was irritating at times as they didn't seem to be concerned about disturbing us. There was too much slamming of doors. However, it was very quiet when we were sleeping. None of the reviews on Airbnb mentioned a problem with noise so we might just have been unlucky. When we left Katja apologised for any disturbance the previous night as it was her husband's birthday. She then gave me a bottle of Slovenian liquor. 9. Novi Sad, Serbia - Green Oak Riverside Apartment We booked this spacious 2 bedroom apartment through Booking.com for only Euro 45 per night. It has excellent guest reviews because it is very spacious, on the bank of the Danube and a 10 minute walk into the centre of Novi Sad. There were no photos of the exterior of the apartment block nor of the apartment's common areas. We were quite shocked when we arrived to find the apartment was in a very ugly communist era apartment block. The lobby, stairs and elevator all looked a bit grim. There was graffiti outside and as it was a holiday a lot of kids were playing in the area around the apartments. The inside of the apartment was very spacious and generally nice. However, some of the interior walls needed to be repainted. The toilet seat in the 2nd bathroom was broken. The cooking and eating utensils were inadequate. The apartment can sleep six people, but there was only 1 table knife! There was also 1 cooking pot and a limited number of plates and bowls. After getting over the initial bad impression we had a comfortable stay and it was very good value. The apartment was quiet at night and we slept well. 10. Tetovo, North Macedonia - Tetovo Apartment We booked this apartment through Airbnb at a cost of Euro 112 for 3 nights plus Euro 20 for underground parking. It is very central as it is just one street back from the main street in Tetovo. The apartment is on the 3rd floor. We liked the apartment as it was modern, spacious and centrally located. Both the main bed and the sofa bed were comfortable. Emil met us and was very pleasant and helpful. We didn't hear any noise from the apartments surrounding us. On the Friday and Saturday nights we had people passing by late at night and talking loudly. Despite this we slept well. There is street parking near the apartment but parking spaces would be very difficult to find. We therefore paid Emil to park below the apartment. The parking bays were very tight but luckily no one parked in the spot next to us. There is a small balcony but there is no table and chairs. There is a washing machine, but the spin cycle is weak. There is a portable electric stove but it only has one hot plate. 11. Ohrid, North Macedonia - Tedi & Kiki Apartment We booked this apartment through Booking.com at a cost of Eur 108 for 3 nights. There are 2 apartments listed and we booked the 2 Bedroom Apartment with a Lake View as it is on the top floor. The top floor is in the attic space so it does have some slanting ceilings with reduced heights. There are: 2 bedrooms with double beds. A bathroom with a shower and a washing machine. A combined dining and living area with a dining table, chairs and sofa. A small kitchen with a 2 burner stove, but no microwave. A balcony with a table and 3 chairs. The apartment is in a quiet residential area and there is a parking space in the grounds that is easy to access. It is a 10 minute stroll along the promenade to the centre of Ohrid and supermarkets are nearby. The host's father checked us in and was very pleasant and helpful. The apartment was very quiet until the very last afternoon. They keep an Alsatian in a small enclosure outside and it barked quite a lot. Apart from that we really liked the apartment. 12. Meteora, Greece - Enjoy Meteora One We booked this 1 bedroom apartment through Booking.com at a cost of Eur 61 per night for our 3 night stay. The listing states that it is a 2 bedroom apartment, but we knew from the guest reviews that in reality there was only 1 bedroom. The other peculiar aspect of the listing is that the building number is stated to be 42, but is in fact 53! That caused us a few minutes of confusion when trying to find the apartment. There are about 4 apartments in the building and they were on the top floor except for apartment number 5. Apartment number 3 is not in such a good location as it is right on the road. Our apartment was number 1 and it faces the back garden which is used for parking. The apartment is compact, but it is newly furnished and in a good condition. Apartment number 1 has: A bedroom with a 5 foot bed and a small table with 2 chairs for meals. A kitchen with a 2 plate stove and a sofa bed. Guest reviews state that the sofa bed isn't comfortable. A nice bathroom with a good sized shower. A balcony with a table and 4 chairs. Parking on the premises. We didn't have any problem with noise, but we could occasionally hear the guests in apartment 2 during the day. 13. Arachova, Greece near Delphi - Patriko We booked this apartment through Booking.com at a cost of Eur 45.50 for 1 night. There are 3 apartments being rented out in the building. Two are on the top floor and one is on the ground floor. We had a top floor apartment. The apartment was clean and very spacious compared to our previous apartment. There was a smoky smell from the fireplace, but it dissipated once we opened the window. The apartment consisted of : A bedroom with a 5' bed A living room with a sofa bed, fireplace and kitchenette. I used the sofa bed and it was comfortable. A bathroom with a shower. The hosts were very friendly and helpful. We collected the key from their apartment, which is in the same building. A few other reviews had mentioned that the roads around the Patriko were narrow and that parking was difficult. I have to concur with this. The host had kindly saved a parking space for us on the street outside the hotel. I thought the road was too narrow to park there and parked a bit further down the street. It is necessary to park very close to the buildings on the side of the road. We walked around Arachova in the evening and it was very pleasant. It is a 10 to 15 minute drive away from Delphi. 14. Nafplio, Greece - Angelos Sweet Home We booked this apartment through Booking.com at a cost of Eur 77 per night for 3 nights. It is our favourite accommodation on the trip so far! It used to be the home of the hostess (Biggi) and it is very spacious, well furnished and comfortable. The apartment is on the top floor of the building and has 2 levels. The lower level consists of: A large open plan living room, dining room and kitchen. There is a comfortable sofa bed. A bathroom with a shower and a washing machine. A large covered balcony with a table and chairs. The upper level consists of: A large room with a 6' bed and a sofa bed. A bathroom with a shower. A balcony with a table and chairs. There is a parking place very close to the entrance to the apartment building. There are several supermarkets very close by and it is a 20 minute walk into the centre of Nafplio. The only negatives are that: The lower floor is a bit gloomy because of the balcony on the upper level. There is noise from the main road about 100 metres away and the vacant land in front of the apartment doesn't look nice. The noise didn't bother us. I highly recommend this apartment. 15. Monemvasia, Greece - Chrysoula's Convenient Triple Room with Yard We booked this apartment for 2 nights through Booking.com for Eur 53 per night. The apartment is on the ground floor of the building and there are 2 other apartments next to it. The owners live on the 2 floors above. The room is compact and is similar in size to a hotel room. There is a 4' 6" double bed, a single bed and a kitchenette in the room. The bathroom has a shower. There is a table and 2 chairs on the small patio outside the apartment. The hostess speaks very little English but was very welcoming. She left oranges, cake, eggs and some jam for us. The room was furnished well and was very clean. It was a 5 to 10 minute walk along the sea front to the new town of Monemvasia and about a 20 minute walk to the old town. We didn't have any problems with noise. There were small mosquitoes outside the room and at night we used the airconditioner as the bedroom window didn't have mosquito mesh. We had a good stay and the price was reasonable for Monemvasia. 16. Koroni, Greece - Lemoni Split We rented this 2 bedroom house through Simply Owners. In May 2023 the cost was GBP 675 per week and the minimum rental period is 5 nights. It is in a very peaceful rural location with 2 good beaches about a 10 minute walk away. It is a 10 minute drive, or a 40 minute walk, to Koroni. We enjoyed our stay but we felt that the house should have been cleaner. The twin room hadn't been cleaned. The other negative is that in the mornings there is no shade on the balcony. When it got too hot we had to sit in the front of the house away from the sea views. 17. Links to my other blogs UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 2 Cornwall to Venice - Week 1 Venice to Serbia - Week 2 Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4 Nafplio, Greece to the Peloponnese - Week 5 The Peloponnese to the Greek Islands - Week 6 The Greek Islands - Week 7