The Snowman Trek

Met at Paro International Airport with khadars and transferred to the hotel. The Snowman is the most committing trek we operate — three to four weeks above 4,000 m with eleven passes over 4,500 m, several over 5,000 m. The first afternoon is deliberately quiet. Evening kit-out and the long-trek pre-departure briefing covering route, satellite-communication protocol with our Thimphu office, evacuation plan, the group medical kit, and a careful walkthrough of the high passes and their typical weather windows.

Stay:

Hotel Olathang, Paro

Meals:

D

Altitude:

2280 m

A purposeful acclimatisation hike up to Taktsang Monastery (the Tiger's Nest) at 3,120 m — a steady 5- to 6-hour return on the well-maintained trail. Beyond the cardio, the day's value is in getting the body above 3,000 m before we commit to the long high traverse. Inside the monastery, several small lhakhangs are open for visit. Hot-stone bath at a traditional farmhouse in the late afternoon and an early night.

Stay:

Hotel Olathang, Paro

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

7 km

Altitude:

3120 m

Short drive to the Drukgyel Dzong ruins where the trek begins, then a long first day of about 17 km along the Paro Chhu river through dense pine forest. The trail climbs slowly, crosses several wooden bridges, and skirts the edge of Jigme Dorji National Park. Camp at Shana in a riverside meadow. The cook crew leaves ahead and has tea ready on arrival.

Stay:

Tented camp, Shana

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

17 km

Altitude:

2850 m

A long climbing day up the narrowing valley — pine yields to rhododendron, then to silver fir and birch as we cross 3,500 m. Several side waterfalls tumble down from the ridges. First night above 3,500 m: drink water aggressively, skip alcohol entirely, eat well.

Stay:

Tented camp, Sio Thangthangkha

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

19 km

Altitude:

3750 m

Climb above the treeline to Jangothang base camp at 4,050 m — a wide grass plateau directly beneath the north face of Mount Jomolhari (7,326 m), with Jichu Drake (6,989 m) to the east. Yak herder camps line the upper Paro Chhu; butter tea offered along the way. The alpenglow on Jomolhari at sunset is one of the great trekking sights anywhere.

Stay:

Tented camp, Jangothang

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

19 km

Altitude:

4050 m

Essential rest day at altitude. Optional walks: Tsophu lake (2 hours up) or the ridge directly south for closer views of Jomolhari and Jichu Drake. Climb high, sleep low — the body adapts on these days. Watch the upper slopes for blue sheep and griffon vultures.

Stay:

Tented camp, Jangothang

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

5 km

Altitude:

4050 m

The first big pass — Nyile La at 4,890 m. A long, methodical climb where you count your steps in the final 200 vertical metres because the air is so thin. From the pass, prayer flags whip in the wind and the view opens dramatically east into the Lingshi valley. Steep initial descent, then a long traverse to camp below Lingshi Dzong — an isolated 17th-century fortress on a hilltop ahead.

Stay:

Tented camp, Lingshi

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

18 km

Altitude:

4890 m

A deliberately easier day to recover from yesterday's pass. The trail descends gently to Chebisa, a tiny village (perhaps a dozen households) tucked into a south-facing fold beneath a tall, narrow waterfall that drops straight off the cliff. Optional short walk to the base of the waterfall. Earlier camp set-up than usual gives everyone a long evening to read and let the body recover.

Stay:

Tented camp, Chebisa

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

12 km

Altitude:

3850 m

Cross Gobu La pass at 4,410 m — a long rewarding day combining climbing with some of the most photogenic alpine meadow walking on the trek. Springy turf scattered with alpine flowers on the western approach; rocky, wilder ground on the eastern descent. Watch for blue sheep and Himalayan marmots whistling alarm calls from boulder fields.

Stay:

Tented camp, Shomuthang

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

17 km

Altitude:

4410 m

Another high pass — Jerela at 4,760 m. Steady climb on rocky ground; trekking poles essential. From the top the view eastward is staggering: wild, unsettled landscape of high ridges and glacial valleys, no road or village in any direction. Afternoon descent through scree and meadow to Robluthang, dropping below 4,200 m for a slightly warmer night.

Stay:

Tented camp, Robluthang

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

15 km

Altitude:

4760 m

Sinche La at 5,005 m — the first 5,000-metre pass of the trek, where every step demands deliberate effort. The climb takes 4 to 5 hours of slow walking with frequent breaks. From the pass, prayer flags strung between cairns whip in the wind; on a clear day the view extends across two distinct mountain systems. Long but straightforward descent into broad alpine meadow.

Stay:

Tented camp, Lingmithang

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

19 km

Altitude:

5005 m

A relatively short, downhill day into Laya village at 3,850 m — home of the semi-nomadic Layap people, one of Bhutan's most distinctive ethnic minorities. Layap women wear conical bamboo hats, long black wool dresses, and remarkable silver and turquoise jewellery; the men still herd yaks across the high pastures. Two nights at Laya give real time to walk through the village.

Stay:

Tented camp, Laya

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

10 km

Altitude:

3850 m

An essential rest day before committing to the high Lunana stretch. Wander the village in the morning with our local guide, visit family compounds, watch traditional Layap weaving (the geometric patterns are unique to this community), and meet the local school day if it's in session. Re-supply day for the cook crew — fresh provisions trekked in by pony from below. Quiet evening, an early night.

Stay:

Tented camp, Laya

Meals:

B/L/D

Altitude:

3850 m

Out of the village and back into the high country — a long day climbing steadily through pine and rhododendron forest, then up into open alpine pasture along the Rodo Chhu river. Camp at Rodophu in a wind-protected meadow at 4,160 m. The character of the trek shifts here: from Laya onward we are in Lunana, the most isolated region in Bhutan, with no roads in any direction and the closest town two weeks of walking away.

Stay:

Tented camp, Rodophu

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

19 km

Altitude:

4160 m

Cross Tsomo La at 4,900 m on a long, steady climb through high meadow. From the pass the view extends north into Tibet's high plateau. Eastward descent to Narithang camp at 4,900 m — one of the highest camps on the route, set on an open shoulder with views of the Lunana peaks ahead. Cold night; deep sleeping bag in use.

Stay:

Tented camp, Narithang

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

17 km

Altitude:

4900 m

A spectacular day. Cross Gangla Karchung La at 5,120 m — the second 5,000-metre pass — with an enormous east-facing view onto a wall of unnamed Lunana peaks and several active glaciers, including the moraine lakes that drain into Punakha. Long careful descent through moraine and across patchy snow to Tarina camp in a sheltered valley at 3,980 m, dropping more than 1,100 vertical metres in a single afternoon.

Stay:

Tented camp, Tarina

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

18 km

Altitude:

5120 m

A welcome easier day after yesterday's big pass. The trail follows the Pho Chhu river upstream through pine, birch and rhododendron — the same river that flows past Punakha Dzong far to the south. Woche is the first Lunana village, perhaps eight households scattered across a high pasture meadow, where time visibly slows to the pace of the yaks. Camp on the meadow edge.

Stay:

Tented camp, Woche

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

12 km

Altitude:

3940 m

Cross Keche La at 4,650 m on a steady morning climb. From the pass the view is into the heart of Lunana — a wild, glacier-fed landscape with peaks above 7,000 m on every horizon. Long descent past the village of Thaga to Lhedi in the upper Pho Chhu valley, which after Laya is the second-largest settlement in Lunana — perhaps thirty households tucked into a sheltered fold. Small school, small clinic, no road in any direction.

Stay:

Tented camp, Lhedi

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

17 km

Altitude:

4650 m

A long but mostly level day up the Pho Chhu valley, with the Table Mountain peak of Zongphu Gang (7,094 m) growing closer and more dramatic by the hour. Thanza is the highest village in Bhutan at 4,180 m — about forty households, the trek's resupply point, and the place from which the Snowman's most committing high passes begin. Camp on the meadow edge with views across to the glaciers.

Stay:

Tented camp, Thanza

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

17 km

Altitude:

4180 m

A second essential rest day before the trek's highest pass cluster. Optional walks for those feeling well: up to the moraine of the Thanza glacier for a closer look at the icefall, or a long contour walk south for a different angle on the village. Re-supply day for the cook crew — pack ponies bring in fresh provisions from below. Quiet afternoon, early dinner, deep sleep.

Stay:

Tented camp, Thanza

Meals:

B/L/D

Altitude:

4180 m

The trek's most demanding day. Jaze La at 5,150 m — the third 5,000-metre pass, with a steep loose-rock approach and a hard, slow climb at altitude. From the top, the view extends across an enormous glaciated basin to the north and the still-higher Rinchen Zoe La ahead. Long careful descent across moraine to Tshorim camp at 5,120 m — the highest camp on the trek, beside a glacial lake.

Stay:

Tented camp, Tshorim

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

16 km

Altitude:

5150 m

The trek's highest pass and the climax of the route. Rinchen Zoe La at 5,320 m — a long, exposed traverse of rock and snow with prayer flags strung across the highest cairn. On a clear day the view extends north into Tibet and south across the unnamed peaks of the Black Mountain range. Steep descent into the Maurothang valley, dropping more than 1,500 vertical metres into pine forest and a noticeably warmer evening at 3,610 m.

Stay:

Tented camp, Maurothang

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

18 km

Altitude:

5320 m

The final trekking day — a long, mostly downhill walk through bamboo, pine and farmland into the road head at Sephu on the main east–west highway. Vehicles waiting; lunch in a roadside restaurant. Afternoon drive of about three hours east to Trongsa — the ancestral home of the Bhutanese royal family, with the country's largest dzong perched dramatically above a deep gorge. Hot showers, real beds, and a long celebratory dinner at the hotel.

Stay:

Hotel in Trongsa

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

18 km

Altitude:

2750 m

A long but scenic drive west — about 8 hours by road, recrossing Pele La at 3,420 m and Dochula at 3,100 m, with the eastern Himalaya in the northern view on clear afternoons. Lunch in Punakha or Thimphu en route. Arrive Paro in the late afternoon for hot showers, a quiet evening and a final farewell dinner. Many trekkers find that the contrast of being back in warm air, hot water and crowded streets after 21 nights in a tent above 3,500 m is the strangest part of the whole experience.

Stay:

Hotel Olathang, Paro

Meals:

B/L/D

Final breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Paro International Airport. Final khadars at the security gate and a last 'tashi delek' from your guide and trek leader before you board. Most onward flights connect through Delhi, Kolkata, Bangkok or Singapore — your guide stays at the airport until your flight is wheels-up. Take the trip home: 25 days, eleven passes, two 5,000-metre crossings, and one of the longest and highest treks on the planet, all complete.

Stay:

—

Meals:

B