Why Dhaulagiri is famous
At 8,167 m Dhaulagiri I is the seventh-highest summit on Earth, the highest point of the Gandaki river basin and the highest mountain whose summit is not on an international border. Its rise from the surrounding land is almost unequalled: it climbs about 7,000 m from the Kali Gandaki, 30 km to the south-east, and its south and west faces drop more than 4,000 m. In clear weather it can be seen from the plains of northern Bihar and as far as Gorakhpur in India, which is how it came to the attention of surveyors. Because of this relief, its prominence parent is K2, more than 1,000 km away, the only Nepalese eight-thousander for which that is true.
Like Everest, its summit is made of limestone and dolomite that formed on the floor of an ancient ocean; the summits of the other Himalayan eight-thousanders are granite. The mountain gives its name to the Dhaulagiri Himal, a massif stretching 120 km west from the Kali Gandaki to the Bheri, with Dhaulagiri II to VI, Churen Himal and Putha Hiunchuli among its many peaks over 7,000 m. Dhaulagiri I stands alone at the east end, immediately east of the French Pass.
Where it is and how to get there
Dhaulagiri lies in Myagdi district of Gandaki Province, about 70 km north-west of Pokhara. Pokhara is the gateway for climbers and trekkers, reached by a six- to seven-hour drive or a short flight from Kathmandu. From there two approaches are used:
- From the south and west (Myagdi valley): drive via Beni (about 850 m) to Darbang (about 1,180 m) or farther as roads extend, then walk up the Myagdi Khola through Magar villages such as Muri to the forests below Italian Base Camp and on up the Chhonbardan Glacier to base camp.
- From the east (Kali Gandaki): Nepal's Department of Tourism lists the caravan route Kathmandu – Pokhara – Beni – Marpha – base camp, crossing the Dhampus Pass and French Pass from the apple-growing village of Marpha (2,670 m) near Jomsom. Jomsom has an airstrip with morning flights to Pokhara.
Some expeditions save the long walk by flying to base camp by helicopter, at the cost of less acclimatisation on the way.
The normal route: north-east ridge
Almost all ascents follow the north-east ridge of the 1960 first ascent; by the end of 2009, 368 of 417 summiteers had used it. Base camp stands at about 4,700 m. Above it the route climbs an icefall below a steep buttress nicknamed the "Little Eiger", an area long known for avalanches, to Camp 1 at about 5,850 m on the north-east col. A long natural ridge leads to Camp 2 at about 6,400 m, then steeper ground to a high camp at about 7,100–7,400 m (some teams add a camp at about 7,500 m). Summit day follows a gully of about 45° and takes around eight hours up. Teams usually allow about three weeks on the mountain, four weeks in all; the camps are far apart and the climb has short technical sections and real avalanche danger, but it is regarded as one of the less difficult eight-thousanders by its normal route. About two thirds of summiteers have climbed without bottled oxygen.
The other faces are far more serious. The south-west ridge was first climbed by a Japanese team in 1978, the south-east ridge later that year with four deaths, the east face in alpine style in 1980, the west face by Czechoslovak climbers in 1984, the south-west buttress by Soviet climbers Yuri Moiseev and Kazbek Valiev with the Czechoslovak Zoltán Demján in 1988, and the direct north face by a Russian-British team in 1993. The full south face has never been climbed and is often called one of the greatest remaining challenges in alpinism; in 1999 the Slovenian Tomaž Humar climbed it solo to about 7,300 m before traversing off to the south-east ridge.
The Dhaulagiri Circuit trek
The Dhaulagiri Circuit (Round Dhaulagiri) circles the mountain from the Myagdi valley to the Kali Gandaki. It is one of Nepal's hardest standard treks: about two to three weeks, with glacier walking, two passes above 5,000 m and nights in tents, since there are no lodges above the last villages. Elevations vary between sources; a typical itinerary is:
- Drive from Pokhara via Beni to Darbang (about 1,180 m); walk via Dharapani (about 1,400 m), Muri (about 1,800 m) and Boghara (2,080 m) to Dobang (about 2,300–2,500 m) and Sallighari or Choriban Khola (about 3,100 m), through terraced fields, then forest.
- Italian Base Camp (about 3,600–3,660 m), with views of Dhaulagiri I's north face and Dhaulagiri II, III and V; usually a rest day.
- A narrow gorge prone to stonefall and the moraine of the Chhonbardan Glacier lead to Glacier Camp (about 4,200 m) and Dhaulagiri Base Camp (about 4,600–4,750 m), under the icefall from the north-east col; another acclimatisation day.
- Cross the French Pass (about 5,360 m) into the Hidden Valley, a high, treeless basin ringed by Mukut Himal, Tashi Kang and Sita Chuchura, and camp at about 5,000–5,200 m.
- Cross the Dhampus Pass (about 5,200–5,250 m) and descend steeply to Yak Kharka (about 3,680 m), then to Marpha and Jomsom (about 2,700 m), from where you can fly to Pokhara in 20 minutes.
Fit trekkers can add Dhampus Peak (Thapa Peak, 6,012 m) from the Hidden Valley. Guides use ropes on parts of the glacier, and snow on the passes can block the route outside the main seasons. The village sections of the old Beni–Darbang trail have been taken over by a road, and local authorities have explored alternative footpaths.
If you want to see Dhaulagiri without such effort, the best-known viewpoint is Poon Hill (3,210 m), climbed before dawn from Ghorepani (2,870 m) for sunrise over the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna ranges. On the Annapurna Circuit the trail down the Kali Gandaki from Jomsom passes Marpha and Tukuche right under the mountain.
Permits, costs and rules
According to Nepal's Department of Tourism (Facts and Figures 2026), foreign climbers pay a royalty of US$3,000 in spring (March–May), US$1,500 in autumn and US$750 in winter or summer, and each expedition deposits US$3,000 for garbage management. A liaison officer accompanies the team; biodegradable and recyclable waste must be brought down and handed to the local authorities, used oxygen cylinders and batteries taken home, and satellite phones need permission. In 2025 the Department issued 16 Dhaulagiri permits in spring and 36 in autumn; it counted 735 summiteers by December 2025.
For trekkers, the Nepal Tourism Board lists Round Dhaulagiri among the routes where a licensed guide and TIMS card have been required since 31 March 2023. The descent into the Kali Gandaki lies in the Annapurna Conservation Area, whose entry permit costs NPR 3,000 for foreigners (2026). Because the circuit needs tents, cooks and porters, most people book it as a fully supported trek through an agency.
When to go and weather
For climbing, spring is the main season: of about 480 summits recorded by 2016, 310 were in spring and 156 in autumn. The Nepalese government counts March–May as spring and September–November as autumn. For the circuit, October–November and March–May give the best chance of clear weather on the passes; the monsoon (June–September) brings rain to the Myagdi valley and snow higher up, and winter snow makes the French and Dhampus passes dangerous. Jomsom and the Kali Gandaki are much drier, in the rain shadow of the Himalaya, but known for a fierce wind that rises in the valley every afternoon.
Water
In the Myagdi valley water comes from village taps, springs and side streams; treat it all. Above the last villages there are no lodges or shops, so agency crews boil or treat water from glacier streams for their groups; at Dhaulagiri Base Camp and in the Hidden Valley, water comes from glacial meltwater or melted snow and can freeze overnight. Carry two litres for the pass days, when the walking lasts six to eight hours with few safe places to refill. In Marpha and Jomsom lodges sell boiled and bottled water again. On the mountain all water above base camp is melted snow.
Mobile coverage and internet
Expect mobile service in Pokhara and the larger towns on the roads, and lodges in Jomsom have offered Wi-Fi for more than a decade. In the upper Myagdi valley, at Italian and Dhaulagiri base camps and in the Hidden Valley you should expect no reliable signal for several days. Carry a satellite messenger or rely on your agency's satellite phone; expeditions need government permission to use one. In an emergency call 100 (Police), 102 (Ambulance) or 1144 (Tourist Police). Rescue from the glacier and the Hidden Valley is by helicopter, so make sure your insurance covers it up to at least 5,500 m.
Altitude, dangers and safety
Dhaulagiri has a high death rate. As of 2007 there had been 358 ascents and 58 deaths, and between 1950 and 2006, 2.88 per cent of the members and staff who went above base camp died, against 0.65 per cent on Cho Oyu. Most deaths are caused by avalanches and falls: in 1969 an avalanche killed seven members of an American expedition, including its leader Boyd Everett; in 1998 the Frenchwoman Chantal Mauduit and Ang Tshering Sherpa died when an avalanche hit their tent on the north-east ridge; in October 2024 five Russian climbers died high on the mountain.
On the circuit the risks are altitude, cold and isolation. The route climbs from about 3,600 m to above 5,300 m in a few days and then sleeps two nights around 5,000 m or higher, with no road or lodge to escape to. Watch for stonefall in the gorge above Italian Base Camp, crevasses on the glacier and deep snow on the passes, and turn back if anyone shows signs of altitude sickness before the French Pass.
History and name
The name comes from Sanskrit: dhavala, "dazzling, white, beautiful", and giri, "mountain". William Webb and John Hodgson calculated its height in 1808–1809; their figure of about 8,190 m made it the highest mountain then known, a title it held until Kangchenjunga was measured in 1838. In 1950 Maurice Herzog's French expedition came to climb Dhaulagiri, found no feasible route and switched to Annapurna. Expeditions from Switzerland, Argentina, Germany and Austria failed between 1953 and 1959, the Austrians reaching about 7,800 m on the north-east ridge.
In 1960 the Swiss Max Eiselin led a small international team that used the first fixed-wing aircraft ever to support a Himalayan climb, a Pilatus Porter named "Yeti" flown by Ernst Saxer. It ferried people and loads to the north-east col and set a record for the highest landing by a fixed-wing plane, at 5,750 m, before crashing on take-off on 5 May; the pilot and mechanic were unhurt and walked out to Pokhara, and the wreck still lies in the Hidden Valley. On 13 May 1960 Kurt Diemberger, Peter Diener, Ernst Forrer, Albin Schelbert, Nawang Dorje Sherpa and Nyima Dorje Sherpa reached the summit without bottled oxygen; Michel Vaucher and Hugo Weber followed on 23 May. Nawang Dorje became the first Nepali on top. Dhaulagiri was the penultimate eight-thousander to be climbed, before Shishapangma. Eiselin died in July 2026, aged 94.
The Belgian Lut Vivijs became the first woman on the summit on 6 May 1982, and on 21 January 1985 the Poles Andrzej Czok and Jerzy Kukuczka made the first winter ascent after seven weeks of hurricane winds and temperatures below −40 °C.
Interesting facts
- The Nepal Tourism Board likes to point out the number 13: the 1960 team had 13 members, reached the top on 13 May, and Dhaulagiri was the 13th eight-thousander to be climbed.
- The Kali Gandaki between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna I, about 7 km downstream from Tukuche, runs at 2,520 m, more than 5,500 m below Annapurna's summit; the valley is known for shaligram fossils revered by Hindus.
- In 1995 Anatoli Boukreev climbed from base camp to the summit in 17 hours 15 minutes.
- A 6,182 m peak in the western Dhaulagiri Himal, Pota Himal, has been informally renamed Peak Hawley after Elizabeth Hawley, the chronicler of Himalayan expeditions.
FAQ
How high is Dhaulagiri? 8,167 m, the seventh-highest mountain in the world and the highest entirely within one country.
How long does it take to climb Dhaulagiri? About four weeks: a few days to reach base camp (or a helicopter flight), around three weeks on the mountain and a few days back to Kathmandu. Summit day takes about eight hours up from the high camp.
How difficult is Dhaulagiri? By the north-east ridge it is a serious but not very technical eight-thousander, with an avalanche-prone icefall, long distances between camps and a steep final gully. It has one of the higher death rates among the eight-thousanders.
How long is the Dhaulagiri Circuit trek and how hard is it? About two to three weeks from Pokhara, with glacier walking, camping and the French Pass (about 5,360 m) and Dhampus Pass (about 5,200 m). It is suited to experienced trekkers with a fully supported team.
What permits do I need? Climbers: a royalty of US$3,000 in spring or US$1,500 in autumn (2026) and a US$3,000 garbage deposit. Trekkers: a TIMS card with a licensed guide and the Annapurna Conservation Area permit (NPR 3,000).
Is there water on the way? In the villages and from streams, but not for sale above the last villages; all water must be treated, and on the high camps it comes from snow or meltwater.
Is there mobile coverage? In Pokhara and the road towns, and Wi-Fi in Jomsom lodges; in the upper Myagdi valley, at the base camps and in the Hidden Valley, generally no. Emergency numbers are 100 and 1144.
When is the best time to go? Spring for climbing; October–November and March–May for the circuit.