The Himalayas, which translates to ‘land of snow,’ inspire dreams of remote hiking, climbing granite towers, trekking through the slopes, and being on the veritable top of the world. If you’re ready for adventure, don’t miss these once-in-a-lifetime hikes.
Among the youngest mountain ranges on the planet — and unquestionably the tallest — the mighty Himalayas offer a wide spectrum of granite walls and snowy peaks to explore.
If you’ve been thinking about tackling the most renowned range but don’t know where to start, this list contains a diverse array of hikes across four countries: India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Read on to find the ideal hike for you.
India
Hamta Pass, Himachal Pradesh
![Hampta Pass Best Hikes Himalayas: Hampta Pass](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/HamptaPass-src-Nutan.jpg)
One of this region’s most popular treks that changed the game of commercial trekking in India, Hamta continues to attract a huge surge of visitors to its valley every year. Connecting the lavish green Kullu valley to the dry, barren Spiti valley, the trail is only open during monsoon season (July to August).
Watch for the astonishing change in landscapes as you enter the Spiti side from the pass. The last day of the trek to Chandra Taal lake is an ultimate full stop to this extravagant excursion.
- Trek distance: 26 km
- Duration: 5 days
- Altitude: 4,300 m
- Region: Himachal
- Trek grade: Easy to moderate
Kedarkantha Trek, Uttarakhand
![Kedarkantha Trek](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/10554496674_7b2cf70b91_b.jpg)
- Trek distance: 20 km
- Duration: 6 days
- Altitude: 3,800 m
- Region: Uttarakhand
- Trek grade: Moderate
Rupin Pass Trek
![Rupin Pass Hiking Himalayas: Rupin Pass Trek](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/Rupin-Pass-trek_1-Src-Naveen-Rana.jpg)
- Trek distance: 52 km
- Duration: 8 days
- Altitude: 4,640 m
- Region: Uttarakhand and Himachal
- Trek grade: Difficult
Goechala Trek, Sikkim
![Goechala Trek Trekking Himalayas: Goeachala Trek](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/Goeachala-Trek.jpg)
- Trek distance: 90 km
- Duration: 11 days
- Altitude: 4,600 m
- Region: Sikkim
- Trek grade: Difficult
Kashmir Great Lakes Trek, Kashmir Valley
![Kashmir Great Lakes Trekking Himalayas: Kashmir Great Lakes](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/Kashmir-Great-Lakes.jpg)
- Trek distance: 72 km
- Duration: 8 days
- Altitude: 4,191 m
- Region: Kashmir Valley
- Trek grade: Moderate-Difficult
Markha Valley, Leh
![Markha Valley Trekking Himalayas: Markha Valley](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/Markha-Valley_1-src-Nutan.jpg)
- Trek distance: 65 km
- Duration: 8 days
- Altitude: 5,200 m
- Region: Leh
- Trek grade: Moderate
Nepal
Everest Base Camp Trek (EBC)
![Everest Base Camp Everest Base Camp Trek](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/Everest-src-Christopher-Burns.jpg)
- Duration: 13 days
- Altitude: 5,547 m
- Region: Mahalangur Himal
- Trek grade: Difficult
Annapurna Base Camp Trek (ABC)
![Annapurna Base Camp Annapurna Base Camp](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/AnnapurnaBaseCamp-src-Yatin-Godara.jpg)
- Trek distance: 70 km
- Duration: 9 days
- Altitude: 4,130 m
- Region: Annapurna Range
- Trek grade: Moderate
Annapurna Circuit Trek
![Annapurna Circuit Best Hikes Himalaya: Annapurna Circuit Trek](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/AnnapurnaCircuitTrek-Src-RupamNomad.jpg)
- Trek distance: 170-230 km
- Duration: 15-20 days
- Altitude: 5,416 m (Thorong La Pass)
- Region: Annapurna Range
- Trek grade: Moderate
Manaslu Circuit Trek
![Manaslu Circuit Best Hikes Himalaya: Manaslu Circuit Trek](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/ManasluCircuitTrek-src-Samde-Sherpa.jpg)
- Trek distance: 180 km
- Duration: 14 days
- Altitude: 5,160 m
- Region: Manaslu region
- Trek grade: Difficult
Pakistan
K2 Base Camp Trek
![K2-src-Qazi-Ikram-ul-Haq K2 Base Camp](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/K2-src-Qazi-Ikram-ul-Haq.jpg)
- Trek distance: 100 km
- Duration: 8-13 days
- Altitude: 5,117 m
- Region: Baltistan
- Trek grade: Difficult
Nanga Parvat Base Camp Trek
![Nanga Parvat Base Camp Nanga Parbat Base Camp](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/NangaParbatBaseCamp-Src-Ahmed_1.jpg)
- Duration: 7-9 days
- Altitude: 3,800 m
- Region: Gilgit Baltistan, Indus Valley
- Trek grade: Easy
Rakaposhi Base Camp
![Rakaposhi Base Camp Trekking Himalayas: Rakaposhi Base Camp](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/RakaposhiBaseCamp-src-Abbas.jpg)
- Duration: 10 days
- Altitude: 3,500 m (Thorong La Pass)
- Region: Gilgit Baltistan, Nagar Valley
- Trek grade: Easy
Bhutan
Snowman Trek
![Snowman Trek Best Hikes Himalayas: Snowman Trek](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2020/08/Snowman-Trek.jpg)
- Duration: 25 days
- Altitude: 5,050 m
- Region: Lunana region
- Trek grade: Difficult