Lunana Snowman trek in Bhutan

Trip Report for Lunana Snowman trek led by Roland Hunter in September/ October '11

2012-01-17T00:33:00.000-08:00

The Mountain Company organised our third successful 28 day Lunana Snowman trek in September/ October 2011.

Photo: Farmhouse in front of Mt Jitchu Drake

The Mountain Company only organises the complete Lunana Snowman trek from Paro to Bumthang whereas these days many other operators are walking the shorter 24 day version of the "Snowman" trek start in Punakha and others Lunana via the Nikka Chu valley. In fact in our group we had two people who had already done this shorter version of Snowman and came back again to Bhutan to do it properly! It was very interesting to hear their views on the differences between the two Snowman treks, they both confirmed that the longer Snowman to Bumthang is far better and this last section includes the best days of the entire trek such as Tshorim Lake, Gophu La, Phorang La & Saga La, Dur Tsachu hot springs and the Djule La pass.

Photo: lake below Kesha La

Our dates worked well as we experienced good weather throughout most of the trek however had some days of light snow towards the end and it is likely the high passes would have been blocked by winter snows shortly after our passage. In fact I recently heard from one person who trekked the Snowman with another group starting a week later and she explained how they had several tough days crossing Gophu la and other exit passes in blizzard conditions.

Photo: Lunap woman

In terms of logistics the crux for organising the Lunana Snowman trek is to arrange the animal transport in advance and work with reliable contractors. We had four changeovers of pack animals: first from Paro to Chomolhari BC; then to Laya; then to Thanza and finally at Dur Tsachu to Minchugang.

It is also important to consider whether to use yaks or horses, in fact these days more groups are relying on horse transport mainly because they are faster than yaks. However yaks are stronger and are able to cross high passes even if there is some snow that would make the trail impassable for horses. We decided to use horses on three sections of the trek and use yaks for the section from Thanza to Dur Tsachu where there are several high passes to cross.

Photo: women dancing in Laya

Lunana Snowman is one of the most challenging treks in Himalaya due to the logistics involved, it is also one of the most beautiful trek visiting a remote area rarely seen by other trekking groups especially if you follow the longer exit from Lunana to Bumthang. Of course Lunana Snowman is a long trek and expensive to join however it is a very special place to visit summarised well by Mark one of the members of our 2011 Lunana Snowman trek- see his comments below:

"The Lunana Snowman trek in Bhutan was for me a dream fulfilled that transcended the magical. Yes - it was long and challenging but now indelibly etched on my mind as the most beautiful place I have been privileged to visit. The highlights were....Karchung La....the rest day in Thanza......Tshorim Lakes....Saga la (surprisingly for me)....simply stunning... and inevitably the Swiss Guest House! Superb leadership by Roland; a master logistician and outdoorsman.....an absolute gentleman." Mark Simmonds 2011 Lunana Snowman trek

Photo: on summit of Karchung la

I have copied links below to read more information on our Snowman 2011 on The Mountain Company’s blog:

Trip report for Lunana Snowman (Bhutan) led by Roland Hunter in September/ October 2011

Selected photos of Lunana Snowman trek in Bhutan (September 2011)

Photo: our wonderful crew at end of trek

The Mountain Company is planning to organise our Lunana Snowman trek in September/ October 2012 (dates: September 21st to October 26th 2012), please get in touch soon if you are interested in joining this group.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Our Lunana Snowman trek in September/ October 2011 is now a confirmed departure

2011-01-20T13:15:00.000-08:00

Photo: Taktsang monastery or Tiger's Nest

The Mountain Company's Lunana Snowman trek in Bhutan during September/ October 2011 led by Roland Hunter is now guaranteed to run. Roland knows the Snowman trek well having led a successful trek from from Paro to Bumthang in 2008. If you are interested in this trek I suggest you read our Trip Report from Snowman in 2008

The daily permit fees in Bhutan will rise by 25% in 2012 so if you are thinking of Lunana Snowman than you should think about doing this trek in 2011!

Please get in contact with us soon if you would like to join our Lunana Snowman group in 2011.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Roland Hunter confirmed to lead The Mountain Company's Lunana Snowman trek in September 2011

2010-10-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

Photo: view from Karchung La on Snowman trek

Roland Hunter will lead The Mountain Company’s Lunana Snowman trek in September/ October 2011. Roland knows the trail well having led a successful Snowman trek in 2008 and is very much looking forward to returning with a group next year.

You might have seen recently the documentary by BBC Natural History Unit in Bhutan where they filmed snow leopard cubs and also tiger high up in the Himalaya for the first time. We will visit this area on our Snowman trek, for more information please take a look at The Mountain Company’s blog

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Gary Pfisterer confirmed to lead The Mountain Company's Lunana Snowman trek in September 2010

2009-06-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

Gary Pfisterer will lead the September/ October 2010 Lunana Snowman trek for The Mountain Company. He knows the trail well having led a successful Snowman trek in 2004. Gary is a very experienced mountaineer and trek leader, click here for his background and experience

For more information take a look at our Lunana Snowman trek webpage

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip Report for Lunana Snowman trek led by Roland Hunter in September/ October '08

2009-02-02T03:59:00.000-08:00

The Lunana Snowman group arrived back to Thimphu yesterday afternoon after successfully completing this epic trek across northern Bhutan. The Snowman trek is known as one of the most challenging in the Himalayas crossing over 14 high mountain passes and covering 400km over 28 days of trekking.

The Mountain Company only organises the complete Lunana Snowman trek from Paro to Bumthang. Some of the shorter versions of the "Snowman" trek start in Punakha and others Lunana via the Nikka Chu valley. My feeling is that if you are going to do the Snowman it is worth doing the complete traverse rather than smaller sections of it. We found the quietest & most remote part of the trek was from Thanza to Bumthang where we only saw two trekkers in 10 days! This is very unusual in the Himalayas these days during the peak season of October.

As you can see from the photos we experienced good weather and excellent conditions on the passes. The timing of this trek is very important in order to increase the chances of successfully completing the journey as well as getting good views along the way! The optimal time to start the trek is at the end of September when the monsoon should be winding down which places the group in Lunana around mid October hopefully before the winter snows block the exit passes.

The Lunana Snowman is a very special trek passing through a beautiful and unsploilt region of the Himalayas. The area is still heavily forested and this year's group saw the following animals & birds along the trek: Blue sheep, marmots, Himalayan black bear & cub, blood pheasant, lammergeier and birds of prey among others.

Dee, one of the members of our trek last year, summarises her experience:

"Roland was probably the best trekking guide I've ever had. He kept us safe and informed. I am particularly grateful for your resourcefulness and rapid response in replacing my disintegrating boots on Day 2 and making the effort to go back and advise us how much longer it would be till campsite after a long cold and wet day... you really went the extra mile.

The scenery on the Snowman trek was gorgeous and I feel really privileged to have seen this kind of vanishing wilderness. It was arduous but worth every step. It was a real treat to have real coffee as never been on a trek that offered it... you have raised the bar! Thanks for everything, Roland!" Dee Standley (USA)

The Mountain Company is planning on organising the Lunana Snowman trek for September/ October 2009 so please get in touch if you are interested. For further information on this trek please see our Lunana Snowman trek page.

Roland Hunter
www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Photos: Lunana Snowman 1

2009-02-02T03:47:00.001-08:00

Photo: Tiger's nest, Paro
Photo: view from Drukyel dzong

Photo: walking through forest

Photo: near Shana camp

Photo: trail near river

Photo: isolated farmhouse

Photos: Lunana Snowman 2

2009-02-02T03:22:00.000-08:00

Photo: Mt Chomolhari

Photo: farmhouse next to Jitchu Drake

Photo: Mt Jitchu Drake

Photo: approach to Ngele La

Photo: view from Ngele La

Photo: View from Lingshi dzong and camp

Photo: trail near Lingshi

Photo: Goyok village

Photo: approaching Gombu La

Photo: descending Gombu La

Photo: autumnal colours

Photos: Lunana Snowman 3

2009-02-02T03:06:00.000-08:00

Photo: autumnal colours

Photo: children near Robluthang

Photo: Robluthang camp

Photo: Tiger Mountain

Photo: Laya women

Photo: archery near Laya village

Photo: approach to Tsemo La

Photo: rheum nobile plant

Photo: Tsemo La

Photo: view from Tsemo La

Photo: Narethang camp

Photo: approaching Karchung La

Photos: Lunana Snowman 4

2009-02-02T02:48:00.001-08:00

Photo: view from Karchung La

Photo view from Karchung La

Photo: view from Karchung La

Photo: descending Karchung La

Photo: view from Tarina camp

Photo: waterfalls near Tarina

Photo: above Woche village

Photo: yak on trail

Photo: view from Kesha La

Photo: chorten at Tega village

Photo: cantilever bridge

Photo: Chozo dzong

Photos: Lunana Snowman 5

2009-02-02T02:32:00.000-08:00

Photo: annual yak festival at Chozo dzong

Photo: Lunap family

Photo: Yaks taking a bath!

Photo: Thanza village

Photo: Thanza camp

Photo: Table mountain and Thanza village

Photo: overlooking Thanza

Photo: walking to Danje camp

Photo: friendly yakherder

Photo: Danje camp

Photo: approaching Tsorim

Photo: Tsorim

Photos: Lunana Snowman 6

2009-02-02T01:40:00.000-08:00

Photo: near Tshorim

Photo: looking towards Gophu La

Photo: Gophu La

Photo: near Minchugang

Photo: Phorang

Photo: lake near Saga La

Photo: approach to Saga La

Photo: view from Saga La

Photo: Saga La

Photo: Worithang valley

Photo: Worithang camp with Nephu La behind

Photo: descending to Dur Tsachu

Photos: Lunana Snowman 7

2009-02-02T00:58:00.000-08:00

Photo: river near Dur Tsachu

Photo: unloading a yak

Photo: view from Gongto La to Djule La

Photo: Djule Tsho

Photo: descending Djule La 1

Photo: descending Djule La 2

Photo: snowman on Djule La

Photo: approaching Gorsum camp

Photo: river near Gorsum camp

Photo: Jakar dzong

Photo: Thangka painting

Photo: view from Dochu La