What is the most scenic hike in Nepal
Snowcat
Answering the question of what is the most scenic hike in Nepal is actually very difficult.
Indeed when most people think of Nepal hiking in the Himalayas is the first thing that springs to mind, although in Nepal we call hiking trekking.
When it comes to multi-day hikes in the Himalayas then Nepal is home to most of the Classic Himalayan Treks.
And there's no doubt that the these challenging, high altitude treks are well and truly spectacular.
But, here we're looking at "scenic", so rather than it just being high up in a mountain landscape we're considering a mix of scenery and thinking of scenic as being similar to picturesque.
We couldn't possibly just say, "this is the most scenic hike in Nepal", so we'll select three possibilities...
A scenic hike in Nepal that you can do in a day, an easy scenic hike in Nepal that is easy and can be done in just a few days and a hike (trek) to the most scenic lake in Nepal too.
A scenic view looking across the lake at Pokhara to the Annapurna Range
Most Scenic Day Hike in Nepal - Sekong Lake
By day hike, we mean just that.....a hike you can do from start to finish in just one day. In this instance it's a return day hike in Nepal too.
The start and finish for this scenic Nepal hike is from Thasang.
It's about 6hrs drive up through the Kali Gandaki Valley from Pokhara, but there's a great place to stay here and in fact the hike starts right outside the front door of the Thasang Comfort Lodge.
The Thasang Comfort Lodge location is rather scenic in itself
By Himalayan standards the return hike to Sekong Lake is very moderate and all told takes around 4-5hrs walking in total, making the lake the ideal picnic spot too.
Leaving the lodge you firstly head down to the valley floor passing through woodland and terraced fields carved out of the hillside.
Hiking to the Kali Gandaki Valley bottom
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Reaching the valley bottom it's then actually level for around 20 minutes until you reach a signpost for "Sekong Lake & Dhaualgiri Icefall".
Heading up through fragrant pine forests you emerge above the tree line to open wild meadows.
Soon after you reach Sekong and what is in fact just a rather small mountain lake. It isn't so much that the lake is scenic, it's the magnificent scenery you can see around you from the lake.
On one side the broad Kali Gandaki Valley is below you and above the frosted sloped of the hillsides rise the magnificent snow covered peaks of the Nigiris and the summit of Annapurna too.
But on your side of the valley and behind you mighty Dhaulagiri and its spectacular ice fall loom right above.
With both Annapurna and Dhaulagiri being over 8,000m and opposite sides if the valley they form what is regarded as the deepest gorge in the word....that's what we call scenic!
You can enjoy this scenic day hike on our Mustang Magic tour.
Greetings from Sekong Lake- The most scenic day hike in Nepal
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The Most Scenic Easy Hike (Trek) in Nepal
There are some quite scenic short hikes in the Kathmandu Valley and the foothills around Pokhara. But, you're still some distance from the mountains.
This most scenic hike in Nepal is right beneath the mountains, Annapurna and Fishtail to be precise! We'd call it "Himalayas proper" and as far as Himalayan hikes go, it's about as easy as it gets too.
It's all low altitude (maximum is just 2000m) and with the walking days being very short (around 4hrs) it's very leisurely going too.
Now that's what we call scenic!
But, the beauty of this scenic hike is that you get a "bit of everything Himalayan". Sure, you see some big, dramatic peaks, but also pretty villages, attractive terraced fields, you walk through atmospheric woodlands as well as forests of rhododendron, meet the friendly local people and can even stay in luxury trekking lodges every night too.
For all of this you just need to do two and a bit days walking in the stunningly beautiful Modi Khola Valley.
You can do this scenic Nepal hike in either direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise). It's a "horseshoe trek" and you start on one side of the Modi Khola Valley and finish on the opposite side, so you get very different perspectives too.
So, for illustrative purposes we'll go clockwise and from Pokhara drive up to the lovely village of Ghandruk. It's a beautiful journey up to Ghandruk.
Enjoying a scenic al fresco breakfast at Ghandruk
From Ghandruk you descend down to the Modi Khola River and then climb steadily to the lovely little village of Landruk and have now crossed from one side of the valley to the other.
The trail then rises steadily through rhododendron forests to the tiny settlement of Majhgaon for another overnight halt.
Scenic terraced fields with Annapurna South and Hiunchuli as the back drop
The trail continues to rise as you hike up through woodland, but where there are breaks in the foliage you have magnificent views across the valley to Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and the summit of Annapurna 1. Heading down from Deorali you reach Pothana and then follow a mostly undulating trail through farmland to reach the beautiful village of Dhampus for another overnight halt.
Dhampus
The following morning is a very brief descent down a trail to reach the roadbed at Naudanda Phedi from where it's just a very a short drive back to Pokhara.
You can enjoy this scenic Nepal hike on the Annapurna Luxury Lodge Trek or Annapurna and Fishtail Delights. Both follow the same route but utilise different standards of trekking lodges.
Most scenic lake in Nepal - Phoksundo Lake Trek
No "if's or but's", Phoksundo Lake is the most scenic lake in Nepal.
Located in the Shey Phoksundo National Park in the near mythical region of Dolpo the impossibly turquoise waters of the lake flanked by steep-sided mountains are literally breath taking.
The often precipitous path above Phoksundo Lake isn't known as the "Demon's Trail" for nothing and if you've got a head for heights, then this walk alone could well fit into the "most scenic hikes in Nepal" category.
The thing is though, to undertake this hike isn't easy. You've got to get there.
Dolpo is a remote region in western Nepal and to reach Phoksundo Lake involves two separate domestic flights and a few days trekking.
The final approach on the scenic hike to Phoksundo Lake, Nepal
Even though the trek to Phoksundo Lake is moderate, there is a real sensation that you’re in a special, remoter part of the Himalayas. Although the advent of teahouses has increased popularity, it is still very much considered a lesser-travelled route. The trek profile is rather simple. Primarily, you are trekking the course of the river that flows from Phoksundo Lake upstream or downstream. For those who make the effort and venture here, the rewards are many.
Enjoying the scenery at Phoksundo Lake
The very mention of the name Dolpo usually fires the imagination of any Himalayan connoisseur. This is a remote and isolated region of Nepal where the pre-Buddhist Bon Po faith still exists. Trekking in Dolpo has always been considered very special, particularly those following the route taken in Peter Matthiessen's novel “The Snow Leopard” .
For information see our Phoksundo Lake Trek
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