From Nepal’s eastern frontier to Darchula: Nigel Roberts’ 1,500 km journey
At 75, Nigel Roberts is walking about 1,500 kilometers across Nepal on the lower section of the Great Himalayan Trail of Nepal. He set off on September 10, 2026, heading east to west from Nepal’s eastern frontier to Darchula on the far western border. The walk should take about 120 days, which puts his finish in early January 2027.
The Great Himalayan Trail, also written Great Himalaya Trail and known as the GHT, links existing paths across the full length of Nepal. For Nigel, who first came to Nepal in 1973, the walk fulfills a dream he has carried for years.
Who Is Nigel Roberts?
Nigel Roberts has lived in Nepal for about eight years in total, starting in 1973. He worked here for the Britain-Nepal Medical Trust, Save the Children Fund and the World Bank. His World Bank career lasted 30 years, with postings that included Nepal, Kenya and Ethiopia, and he speaks Nepali fluently.
Over five decades, Nepal became his second home. He has traveled widely across the country, often to its most remote corners.
In September 2016, at 65, he spent two months trekking through Dolpo, following the route Peter Matthiessen and George Schaller had taken more than 40 years earlier. That trek became his memoir, The Leopard and the Moon: A Journey in Dolpo, Nepal, published in May 2026. He also writes regularly about Nepal in ImperfeCt Contrition, on his Substack.
Nigel is the producer of On the Trail of the Bhote Khampa, a documentary about a small nomadic community in Nepal’s far west. It is due for release in early 2027.
What Is the Great Himalayan Trail of Nepal?
The Great Himalayan Trail of Nepal is a long-distance route that crosses the country from east to west by linking existing trekking trails, village paths and mountain passes. It is not one marked footpath. It forms part of a proposed 4,500 km trail along the whole Himalaya, from Nanga Parbat in Pakistan to Namche Barwa in Tibet.
Nepal’s section is the most developed part. A team led by Robin Boustead first walked the Nepal route over two seasons in 2008 and 2009, a total of 162 days. From 2009, a three-year tourism project backed by SNV Nepal, the ST-EP Foundation and UNWTO helped develop the trail. Its aim was to bring visitors and income to remote mountain communities.
Nepal’s GHT has 10 sections. Walkers choose between two main lines: a high route and a lower, cultural route.
High Route or Lower Route: Which Is Nigel Walking?
The high route stays as close to the big peaks as possible. It runs about 1,700 km from north of Kanchenjunga Base Camp to Hilsa, on the Tibet border in Humla, and crosses passes above 6,000 meters. Most teams take about 150 days and need mountaineering gear and skills.
The lower route, also called the cultural route, runs through Nepal’s middle hills. It covers about 1,500 km at an average altitude of about 2,000 meters. Its highest pass is the Jang La, at 4,519 meters, between Dhorpatan and Dolpo. The route takes about 100 days and passes forests, pastures, rice terraces and the villages of many ethnic groups.
Nigel is walking the lower section, about 1,500 km over roughly 120 days.
Nigel’s Route Across Nepal, East to West
Nigel’s walk passes some of Nepal’s best-known mountains and several national parks and conservation areas.
He started on Nepal’s eastern frontier, in the hills below Kanchenjunga, which at 8,586 meters is the world’s third-highest mountain. Heading west, he passes the Sagarmatha region, home of Mount Everest, then Gauri Shankar and Langtang, north of Kathmandu.
In central Nepal, his route runs past Manaslu and Annapurna, and on toward Mustang and Dhaulagiri.
Farther west lies Dolpo, the region Nigel crossed in 2016 and wrote about in his book. Beyond it is Lake Rara, Nepal’s largest lake, and the Karnali region of the far west of Nepal. His route also takes in Shuklaphanta, in the far-west lowlands, before he finishes at Darchula, on Nepal’s border with India.
Walking Through the End of the Monsoon
Nigel arrived in Nepal just before the flash floods of August 26, which hit the Bhote Koshi area and left many people dead and missing. He set off two weeks later and has walked through the turbulent last weeks of the monsoon, when rain and landslides make the hills hard going.
At 75, he sees this walk as more than a trek. It is a personal dream and a tribute to his love for Nepal and for its many peoples, cultures and landscapes. He sees no reason to stop, and he urges travelers who are hesitating to go ahead with their plans.
“Nepal remains one of the safest places in the world,” he says. “Statistically speaking, the chances of my dying in a flood or landslide are considerably less than the possibility of being killed in a car crash or from gunfire back home in the USA.”
Trail conditions in Nepal can change quickly after heavy rain. Before you travel, check the latest official updates and plan your route with a registered trekking agency.
Follow Nigel’s Journey
Nigel set off on September 10, 2026. Watch our video, A Journey Across Nepal’s Great Himalaya Trail, on YouTube. We will add dated updates here as he moves west, with photos from the trail.
Walk a Section of the Great Himalayan Trail With Basanta Adventure
Few people have 120 days to cross Nepal, but you can walk the Great Himalayan Trail one section at a time. Basanta Adventure runs treks in many of the regions on Nigel’s route, from Kanchenjunga in the east to Dolpo and Rara in the west. For quieter trails, browse our remote area treks and restricted area treks.
Our team knows Nepal’s far west well. In June 2024, we organized the logistics for the filming of Nigel’s Bhote Khampa documentary near Mount Saipal.
Contact our Kathmandu office to plan your own section of the Great Himalayan Trail of Nepal.
About Nigel Roberts
Nigel Roberts first came to Nepal in 1973 and spent 30 years with the World Bank. He is the author of The Leopard and the Moon: A Journey in Dolpo, Nepal (2026) and writes about Nepal on his Substack. He also produced the documentary On the Trail of the Bhote Khampa.
