Overview
Dhaulagiri I is 8,167 metres, the seventh-highest mountain in the world, standing alone at the head of the Kali Gandaki. Forty-five days: six of them walking in through a gorge with no lodges, and a great many of them waiting at base camp for the wind to stop.
The mountain's problem
Dhaulagiri has nothing around it. Annapurna is across the deepest gorge on earth; on every other side the land falls away. The north-east ridge is exposed along its entire length, and the wind on it — not the difficulty of the climbing — is what turns most parties back.
The approach
Up the Myagdi Khola from Darbang: steep, forested, landslide-prone, and without lodges once past Boghara. Six days to Italian base camp, three more along the Chonbarden glacier to base camp at 4,750 m.
The way out
The classic exit crosses French Pass at 5,360 m into the Hidden Valley, then the Dhampus Pass down to Marpha on the Kali Gandaki — one of the best finishes to any expedition in Nepal. Teams short of time fly out instead.
What it costs
USD 18,000 to 42,000. The royalty is USD 1,800; the expense is a fully carried approach, four camps on an exposed face, and the long wait the mountain demands.
Day by day
The 45 days itinerary
Distances, walking times, altitudes and accommodation for every stage — stored as structured data, not written into the prose.
- Day 1
Kathmandu — briefing and load-out
Ministry briefing, permits, packing
- Altitude
- 1,400 m → 1,400 m
- Sleep
- Hotel, Kathmandu
- Meals
- Breakfast, dinner
- Day 2
Kathmandu to Darbang
Kathmandu (1,400 m) → Pokhara → Beni → Darbang (1,110 m)
- Walking
- 10 hours by road
- Altitude
- 1,400 m → 1,110 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Darbang
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 3
Darbang to Italian base camp
Darbang (1,110 m) → Muri → Boghara → Italian base camp (3,660 m)
- Walking
- 6 days
- Altitude
- 1,110 m → 3,660 m
- Elevation
- +2550 m
- Sleep
- Tented camps
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
A committing walk-in through the Myagdi Khola gorge — steep, forested, landslide-prone and with no lodges once past Boghara. Everything is carried.
- Day 4
Italian base camp to Dhaulagiri base camp
Italian base camp (3,660 m) → Japanese camp → base camp (4,750 m)
- Walking
- 3 days
- Altitude
- 3,660 m → 4,750 m
- Elevation
- +1090 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- The Chonbarden glacier
- Dhaulagiri's north-east face
- Day 5
Base camp — puja, skills, rest
Base camp (4,750 m)
- Altitude
- 4,750 m → 4,750 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 6
First rotation — camp one
Base camp (4,750 m) → camp one (5,900 m) → base camp
- Altitude
- 4,750 m → 4,750 m
- Elevation
- +1150 m / −1150 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 7
Second rotation — camp two
Base camp → camp one → camp two (6,400 m) → base camp
- Walking
- 4 days
- Altitude
- 4,750 m → 4,750 m
- Elevation
- +1650 m / −1650 m
- Sleep
- Tented camps
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 8
Third rotation — camp three
Base camp → camp two → camp three (7,200 m) → base camp
- Walking
- 5 days
- Altitude
- 4,750 m → 4,750 m
- Elevation
- +2450 m / −2450 m
- Sleep
- Tented camps
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 9
Base camp — rest and the wait
Base camp (4,750 m)
- Altitude
- 4,750 m → 4,750 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Dhaulagiri stands alone at the head of the Kali Gandaki with nothing to shelter it. Teams wait a long time here for the wind to drop.
- Day 10
Summit push to camp three
Base camp (4,750 m) → camp two → camp three (7,200 m)
- Walking
- 3 days
- Altitude
- 4,750 m → 7,200 m
- Elevation
- +2450 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp three
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 11
Summit day
Camp three (7,200 m) → north-east ridge → Dhaulagiri I (8,167 m) → camp two
- Walking
- 14–18 hours
- Altitude
- 7,200 m → 6,400 m
- Elevation
- +967 m / −1767 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp two
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
A long exposed ridge of snow and ice, fixed on the steeper sections, with the summit a broad plateau. The ridge is where the wind is, and where most attempts turn back.
- The north-east ridge
- Annapurna across the Kali Gandaki
- Day 12
Descent and clear-up
Camp two (6,400 m) → base camp (4,750 m)
- Walking
- 2 days
- Altitude
- 6,400 m → 4,750 m
- Elevation
- −1650 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 13
Out over French Pass and Dhampus Pass to Marpha
Base camp (4,750 m) → French Pass (5,360 m) → Hidden Valley → Marpha (2,670 m)
- Walking
- 4 days
- Altitude
- 4,750 m → 2,670 m
- Elevation
- +610 m / −2690 m
- Sleep
- Tented camps, then lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The classic exit — over two high passes into the Hidden Valley and down to the Kali Gandaki. Teams short of time fly out from base camp instead.
- French Pass
- Hidden Valley
- Dhampus Pass
- Day 14
Marpha to Pokhara and Kathmandu
Marpha (2,670 m) → Jomsom → Pokhara → Kathmandu
- Altitude
- 2,670 m → 1,400 m
- Meals
- Breakfast
Route map
Where the trail goes
Route line, start and end points, and every overnight stop. Locations are shared entities — the same record powers the destination and itinerary pages.
Frequently asked questions
What makes Dhaulagiri hard?
How remote is the approach?
Is the walk out over French Pass worth it?
How does it compare with Manaslu?
When should you go?
About the author
Tom Eriksen
Gear editor & photographer
Tom tests trekking equipment the only way that produces honest answers: by carrying it for weeks at a time above 4,000 metres. He shoots most of the photography on this site and writes the gear reviews, comparison tables and packing lists.
Writes about: Trekking gear · Photography · Packing and weight
