Salpa Arun Trek

Also known as Arun Valley Trek / Tumlingtar to Lukla via Salpa Bhanjyang / Old Everest Approach (pre-Lukla expedition route).

Salpa Arun Trek is a moderate 7-9-day homestay/teahouse trek in the Makalu / Everest (Khumbu) — Arun Valley region of Nepal, reaching 3,349 m. It starts at Tumlingtar and ends at Lukla.

Key facts

Region
Makalu / Everest (Khumbu) — Arun Valley (Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Solukhumbu)
Duration
7-9 days, 5-7 hours walking per day
Distance
105 km
Maximum altitude
3,349 m
Difficulty
Moderate — Modest maximum altitude (3,349 m at Salpa Bhanjyang) but constant, steep up-and-down across three ridge systems between the hot Arun lowlands (300 m) and Lukla, with basic lodges and few other trekkers. Cumulative gain rivals much higher treks; heat, humidity and simple infrastructure — not altitude — set the difficulty.
Trek type
Homestay/Teahouse, point-to-point route
Best season
Autumn (Oct-Dec) and Spring (Mar-May); doable most of the year except monsoon
Guide
Not mandatory
Restricted area
No
Budget cost
NPR 70,000–100,000
Comfortable cost
NPR 100,000–150,000
Guided cost
NPR 125,000–200,000
Getting there
Kathmandu → Tumlingtar (Buddha Air/Yeti, 35 min; or night bus ~16-20h via Dharan-Khandbari road) → trek west over Salpa Bhanjyang (3,349 m), Surkie La and Pangum La into the Dudh Koshi valley → Lukla → flight to Kathmandu/Manthali. The route can be walked in reverse (Lukla→Tumlingtar, mostly downhill) or joined to an EBC itinerary at Chheplung/Phakding.
Altitude sickness
Low — the route tops out at 3,349 m and sleeping altitudes stay below 2,900 m; the trek is in fact used to pre-acclimatize gradually for Khumbu.

Weather

A low-to-mid altitude cultural trek: the Arun valley floor is hot (30°C+) even in trekking season and oppressive pre-monsoon; the Salpa and Surkie ridges are temperate with rhododendron bloom in spring. Monsoon (Jun-Sep) brings leeches, mud and landslides. Winter is largely fine — only Salpa Bhanjyang occasionally holds snow. The Salpa Pokhari mela draws Hindu and Kirant pilgrims at Janai Purnima (Aug) and in October.

Permits

Itinerary

  1. Day 1: Kathmandu to Kartike Ghat, 3-4 h, 300 m — Land on Tumlingtar's plateau airstrip (410 m); descend through mango and sal country to the Arun River bridge
  2. Day 2: Kartike Ghat to Gothe Bazaar, 5-6 h, 775 m — Rice terraces and Rai villages of the lower Irkhuwa Khola valley (Bhojpur side)
  3. Day 3: Gothe Bazaar to Salpa Phedi, 5-6 h, 1,680 m — Up the narrowing Irkhuwa valley through cardamom groves and waterfalls to the foot of the Salpa climb
  4. Day 4: Salpa Phedi to Jau Bari (Guranse), 5-6 h, 2,880 m — The big Salpa staircase — 1,200 m of stone steps through rhododendron forest (spectacular bloom Mar-Apr)
  5. Day 5: Jau Bari (Guranse) to Sanam (via Salpa Bhanjyang), 6-7 h, 2,850 m — Salpa Bhanjyang (3,349 m) with its chorten and prayer flags; side trip to sacred Salpa Pokhari (3,414 m, Kirant pilgrimage lake); descent into the Sherpa-Kulung country of the Hongu drainage
  6. Day 6: Sanam to Bung, 5-6 h, 1,900 m — Descend through Gudel and cross the Hongu Khola gorge; Bung — the largest Kulung Rai village in Nepal, amphitheatre of terraces
  7. Day 7: Bung to Najingdingma, 6-7 h, 2,650 m — Climb past Khiraule gompa and over Surkie La (3,085 m) into the Inkhu valley; Mera Peak views
  8. Day 8: Najingdingma to Pangum, 5-6 h, 2,850 m — Cross the Inkhu Khola and climb to Pangum La (~3,173 m); Sherpa village of Pangum with its monastery and cheese-making
  9. Day 9: Pangum to Lukla, 6-7 h, 2,840 m — Contour via Paiya (Chutok) and Chutok La (~2,945 m), pass Surke and climb into Lukla — joining the Everest highway at its very gate