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The Snowman Trek
Twenty-five days and eleven high passes through Laya and Lunana — the long traverse along the roof of the kingdom, for walkers with a month to give it.
Duration
25 Days
Distance
347 km
Max altitude
5,320 m
Grade
Challenging
Group
8–12
Overview
The Snowman is the long walk — twenty-five days along the spine of the Bhutan Himalaya, from the hot springs of Gasa through Laya and into Lunana, the high district that still has no road. Fewer people finish it in a year than stand on Everest; not because it is technical, but because it simply keeps going, pass after pass, eleven of them above 4,500 m.
We stage it slowly, with rest days built in at Laya and Thanza and a crew that has walked every stage before. Nights are cold and the country is empty in the best sense — glacial lakes below Table Mountain, yak trains on the move before winter, villages that see a handful of outsiders each season. It asks for a month of your life and repays every day of it.
Day by day
Fly into Paro, drive north to the roadhead beyond Gasa, and walk in through the hot springs and the deep gorge of the Mo Chhu. By day four you reach Laya, the highest village in Bhutan, where the women still wear conical bamboo hats and the yaks outnumber the people.
The trail climbs out of Laya over the Ganglakarchung La at 5,080 m and drops into Lunana. A week of high camps, glacier-fed rivers and the twin villages of Lhedi and Thanza beneath Table Mountain — with a rest day at Thanza to wash, acclimatise and watch the light move.
East of Thanza the route crosses its highest ground — the Rinchen Zoe La at 5,320 m — through a chain of turquoise lakes and empty valleys where blue sheep graze. This is the loneliest week of the trek, and for most walkers the finest.
The last passes ease you south past the lakes of Om Tsho toward the Nikka Chhu and the first road at Sephu. A drive brings you into the Bumthang valleys for a hot-stone bath, a proper bed and the slow return of ordinary life.
What’s included
Included
- A licensed Bhutanese guide & camp cook
- All camping gear & meals on trek
- Pack ponies or yaks to carry the loads
- Permits & the Sustainable Development Fee
- Airport transfers in Paro
- A pre-trek briefing in Paro
Not included
- International flights to Paro
- Travel & medical insurance
- Sleeping-bag hire
- Tips for your crew
- Drinks & personal items
Best time to go
Late September to mid-October is the only window we trust — after the monsoon has cleared and before snow closes the high passes. The Snowman does not fit spring; the passes hold their snow too long. We run one, sometimes two departures a year, and never outside that window.
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Ready to walk into the kingdom?
Tell us how much time you have and how high you’d like to stand. We’ll send back a tailored route — usually within two days.