Limi Valley Trekking

Overview

Limi valley (4000m), is a small village in the far western, north of Humla district of Nepal. Humla itself being a remote part of Nepal, Limi valley is one of the less explored areas with off-beaten trails. Limi valley trek passes through Karnali River, the longest river in Nepal. The route to Limi valley passes through many traditional villages, where people follow a very old lifestyle. In fact, people there have an authentic Tibetan lifestyle, and typical Tibetan language, traditions, and culture. In Some villages like Halji and Gombayok, you can see ancient Tibet at its best. The main attraction of this place is Gyuo Kharka (5150m), from where you can see beautiful mountain views of Mt Saipal, Byas Rishi, Api, Kanjirowa, Kanti etc. The trail also passes through hundreds and thousands of flora and Faunas. Many medicinal herbs and many rare animals like red panda, blue sheep, snow leopard, etc. Limi valley is also very famous for the Matrimonial relation between the people of Tibet and Nepal. This is actually a reason behind the existing Tibetan culture in this place. 

Best season to trek

Situated at a very high altitude, Limi valley is extremely cold even in the summer. The lowest temperature in Limi valley is -20 degrees Celsius. The best season to trek Limi valley is no other than Spring and autumn. Limi valley is located in the Rainshadow area, therefore, it is possible to trek Limi valley in the monsoon season too. Besides, March-September, it is impossible to trek Limi valley due to heavy snowfall and extreme cold. 

Food and accommodation 

Humla is one of the remotest areas of Nepal. If you are interested in this trek, you need to know this has to be a total camping trek. In the Humla district, there is great difficulty with transportation. So, other facilities are also very minimum. There are no teahouses available, or varieties of food. Only a few teahouses are available in Simikot where you can get the necessary supplies. You need to carry all the necessary camping stuff like tents, mats, sleeping bags, cooking utensils, cooking gas, packed foods, etc. since no teahouses are available you need to prepare food by yourself. Or, if you are traveling through any agencies they will manage a cook for you. It is easy to make food like bread, rice, porridge, eggs, etc. 

Getting to Limi valley

There is no easy way to reach Limi valley since there is no direct connection between the two places. The best way is to take a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj which takes 45-50 minutes and costs you 3500-4000 NRS. And from Nepalgunj, you need to take another flight to Simikot which takes around 45 minutes and cost 2000 NRS. From Simikot, you need to start your hike. Or, if you want to save money and travel by bus, there are also buses available from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj which takes around 10-12 hours. The price is around 1200-1400 NRS. However, from Nepalgunj, no road transportation is available so you have to take a flight to Simikot. 

Guides and porters

Limi valley is a very less explored area with very few numbers of people trekking. It is not likely to meet many people on the way. Without a travel guide to give you the right directions, and information about the places, your trek would be quite difficult. They usually charge 30-35$ per day. Since you will be carrying all the camping stuff, it is quite impossible not to hire a porter. They usually charge 20-25$ per day. 

Permits and fees

Limi valley restricted area permit- 

50$ per person for 1st one week 

7$ per person for each additional day. 

TIMS- this permit costs 1000NRS to all foreigners.

Difficulties of Limi valley

The Limi valley trek is very remote with rugged trails and steep roads. Also, it is very long and tiring. Thus, the trek to Limi valley is considered challenging. You will be trekking for 6-7 miles per day which requires an excellent level of fitness. Physical, as well as mental fitness, is a very important part of this trek. It is important to build muscle, ankle, and knee strength so that you do not have any problems during the journey. Is better to exercise, run, jog, and have healthy food before your journey starts. The highest altitude here is Nyalu La (5000m), the village itself lies at the height of 4000m. There is also a risk of altitude sickness in this trek. Even though you will have opportunities for good acclimatization, there is still a low risk of altitude sickness.

*Symptoms of Mountain sickness

-Headache

-Dizziness

-Loss of appetite

-Shortness of breath

-Fast heartbeats

*Preventing mountain sickness

-Walk slow

-Stay hydrated

-Have nutritional food

-Have enough rest

-Avoid smoking and alcohol

*Medicines for mountain sickness

-Acetazolamide

-Ibuprofen, paracetamol (for headache)

-Promethazine (for nausea)

Other requirements

Travel insurance– Trekking to high altitudes can always be risky. Travel Insurance is something you might want to do before trekking anywhere. Sometimes in emergency cases, people need to be evacuated through a helicopter and get medical service. So, in such cases, your travel insurance will be bearing the cost for you. Seeing all these benefits,the government of Nepal has made travel insurance mandatory thing before trekking. However, it is very important to mention the heights and all the places you will be reaching during your trek. Your insurance entirely depends on the details you have provided earlier. Travel insurance costs you around 150$ which is good for 1 month.

Visas/passports– If you are not a Nepalese or Indian citizen, then a visa and a passport are mandatory. You can get your Nepalese Visa at Tribhuvan airport in Kathmandu. The passport must hold a visa of a minimum of 6 months.