Pikey Peak
A permit-free trek with a distant view of Everest, and a proper taste of eastern Nepal.
- Permits
- None. You'll find plenty online claiming otherwise, but we checked and needed nothing for this one.
- Guide
- Not required
- Time
- 4–7 days
- Local dog aggression
- Low
- Other dangers
- Motorbikes on the trail
- Can combine with
- Dudhkunda
Overview
People often pick this trek because it doesn't require permits and you can see Everest from here — a distant view, but a real one. For the wider background, Wikipedia's Pikey Peak page is a good starting point; this page sticks to the dog-specific side of things.
A nice option if you want an Everest view and a feel for the eastern side of Nepal, without the commitment of a longer trek.
Good to know
One thing worth a caveat: we went shortly after major flooding in Nepal had closed most of the roads, so we had the trail almost entirely to ourselves. I don't think that's a fair representation of what the trek is normally like — expect more company under normal conditions. Still, it was a genuinely nice trek for us, and we saw plenty of Danphe, Nepal's national bird, which was a real highlight.
Watch for motorbikes
One annoyance on the way back was the number of motorbikes on the trail — it seems some people use this route as a motorbike track, and large groups can turn up at once. That might just have been the timing of our trip rather than a constant feature, but worth keeping your dog on a lead and your wits about you if you hear engines coming.
Photos from the trek
Dog-friendly tea houses on this route
We haven't logged specific tea houses for this route yet — check the Tea Houses page as we add them, or get in touch if you know one that's happy to take dogs.