- Route: Arunachal to Ladakh across the Himalayas
- Countries/states: Arunachal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Ladakh
- Total: 3600km / 20km per day = 6 months – Feb till July
- West-East option is documented over here
Contents
- Timeline
- Important notes
- Route
- Monsoon
- Winter snow
Timeline
Important Notes
Going East to West has two limitations:
- High passes in eastern Nepal are open late April / early May – start in Arunachal earliest Feb
- Need to stay ahead of monsoon in Nepal (Jun) and Uttarakhand (July) – start in Arunachal latest Feb
- Conclusion – East-West should start in Feb
- Snowman trek in Bhutan is mostly not possible till April due to too much snow so we must go via the lower route
Route
- More detail on route planning in this post
- GPX files for all sections – download here
- We mostly follow routes mapped in Open Street Maps. Sikkim, Arunachal planned via Survey of India maps
Monsoon
May moderate rains start in Arunachal and Sikkim
Jun heavy rains in Arunachal and Sikkim and moderate in Eastern Nepal
Jul heavy rains in Sikkim, Nepal, Uttarakhand
Winter Snow
Snow cover analysis based on satellite data from ESA Copernicus Sentinel-2 NDSI (Normalized Difference Snow Index) for year 2024
27 Feb – Winter snow in the upper reaches / ridgelines of East Arunachal. Stay in the valleys / lower ridges .Limited snow on the two high passes crossed
12 Feb – Similar situation early Feb
11 Mar – Snow in upper reaches of Western Arunachal. Limited snow on the two high passes crossed
23 Mar – Snowman trek in Bhutan is covered in snow in March-April. Need to reroute via lower route which is snow free
11 Apr – Eastern Nepal still has lots of snow mid April. Preferred entry end April / May.
26 Apr – snow cover reduces significantly end April in Eastern Nepal. EBC still has significant snow.
May 3 – snow cover is reducing early around the EBC region
14 May – central Nepal (Annapurna, Manaslu) are opening up mid May
15 May – Western Nepal is mostly snow free mid May
Jul 9 – Unta Dhura, Kalindi Khal, Lamkhaga appear open
17 Jun – mid June Lamkhaga and Pin Bhaba are slowly opening up well on time for early July crossing