Banskharka

We started our day with a group & guide breakfast. Our guides drove in at midnight and we were a go to start our trek. They shared the devastation of the landslides from recent flooding which caused many deaths. Over 200mm fell in 24-48 hours, which broke records.
We loaded into the van and drove 3 hours to Beni. The drive was so beautiful and at times so incredibly scary. We were so high up and with rough potholes, large rocks on the road that had fallen from above, recent landslides and narrow roads. Our driver was very skilled thankfully. We had lunch and 30 min. later started the trek straight up natural rock stairs for most of the day. We passed many homes all the way up the mountain and very friendly locals with Namaste greetings 🙏. Our leader set the pace and it was very comfortable. We stopped regularly, as did our porters, for breaks. We were close to 8 km w 740m elevation gain....a gentle start. We stayed at a village Homestay and had a group meal and bedtime shortly thereafter.Read more