Dhampus Peak — Thapa Peak on the older maps — is the reason a lot of climbers get their first 6,000 m summit without ever touching a fixed rope. The mountain is a broad snow dome above Hidden Valley, the high plateau behind Dhaulagiri that Herzog's 1950 team named for its complete invisibility from anywhere else. The climb is a long snow plod rather than a technical route, but the setting does all the work: the Dhaulagiri massif on one side, the Annapurnas across the Kali Gandaki on the other, and the deepest gorge on Earth between them. The trek in over the French Pass is a serious undertaking in its own right.
TerraBlaze runs this climb end to end: the NMA permit and park fees, the trek in, a fully staffed base camp, a licensed climbing guide and a climbing Sherpa on summit day, fixed rope on the steep ground and an evacuation plan filed before you land. You bring the fitness — we handle everything else.
Three things that set this permit apart — the mountain itself, and the support that gets you up it.
The approach crosses the French Pass into a high, closed basin behind Dhaulagiri — one of the strangest and emptiest places in the Nepal Himalaya.
A full day of instruction on the glacier before anyone goes for the summit — crampons, ice axe, rope work and how to move as a team on snow.
The approach is a proper Nepali teahouse trek in its own right, which is what makes the acclimatization work and the holiday worth the flight.
Climbs are planned in phases rather than fixed days — the mountain and the forecast decide the exact schedule. Every confirmed booking gets a full dated itinerary before departure.
You are met on landing and taken to your hotel in Kathmandu.
We complete the climbing permit paperwork, introduce you to your guide and go through your personal equipment item by item. Anything missing can still be bought or hired at this point.
The team reaches the mountain by a drive to Beni and a seven-day trek up the Myagdi Khola past Italian Base Camp and over the French Pass into Hidden Valley.
The walk-in is paced for acclimatization rather than speed — short days, controlled altitude gain and rest days where the profile needs them.
We establish Hidden Valley Base Camp (5,100 m) with dining, kitchen and toilet tents, and run a full training session on snow — crampons, ice axe, self-arrest and moving as a rope team — before anyone goes higher.
Your climbing permit — NMA climbing permit and Annapurna Conservation Area entry — is arranged and paid for long before you arrive.
The team moves up to establish high camp, carrying loads and sleeping high before dropping back to rest.
Meanwhile the climbing Sherpas fix rope on the steeper ground above.
When the forecast gives a usable window the team leaves high camp in the dark for the summit of Dhampus Peak (Thapa Peak) (6,012 m) via the North-east slopes, Hidden Valley.
After the summit we descend all the way to base camp the same day.
We strip the high camp and carry everything off the mountain — nothing is left behind.
The return retraces the approach at a faster pace, ending with a celebration dinner in Kathmandu and your climbing certificate.
The same transparent structure we use on every trek and expedition — you know exactly what is in the number before you commit to anything.
From the day you land until the day the last load comes off the mountain, the logistics and the safety net are ours.
Every climb is planned by staff who have stood on these summits themselves
Climbing permit, park fees and liaison paperwork arranged end to end
A real training day on snow, not a ten-minute briefing at the last lodge
Rest days paced to the mountain, never squeezed to shorten the trip
Boots, crampons, axe, harness and down kit available in Kathmandu
Emergency oxygen, pulse oximetry and an evacuation plan filed before you land
A high guide-to-climber ratio on summit day, every departure
One transparent quote — permits, camp, crew and support all included
"They named it Hidden Valley because you cannot see it until you are standing in it. That has not changed."
— Dhampus Peak (Thapa Peak), 6,012 m
Scenes from the ranges we climb in — click any photo to view it full size.
Dhampus Peak (Thapa Peak) — the objective
Prayer flags on the walk-in
Base camp on the moraine
The summit-day panorama
The last lake before the ice
The approachSend us whatever you have walked or climbed before and your preferred season. We reply within 24 hours with a written, itemised quote — and an honest view on whether this is the right peak for you right now.
Fully licensed Nepali agency — Regd No: 125496/078/079
Boots, crampons, axe, harness and down kit available in Kathmandu
We will tell you if a different peak suits your experience better
Dhampus Peak Climbing • 17–19 Days • Free quote within 24 hours
