A planning guide to the expedition-style Dhaulagiri Circuit — French Col, Dhampus Pass, camping logistics, permits and the best window to go.
The Dhaulagiri Circuit is a committing, expedition-style loop around the world's seventh-highest mountain, Dhaulagiri (8,167 m). There are no lodges on the high section — you sleep in tents, supported by a cook and porters — and you cross two passes over 5,200 m: the French Col (5,360 m) and the Dhampus Pass (5,240 m), linked by the eerie Hidden Valley.
From the roadhead at Beni you follow the Myagdi Khola up through Muri and Boghara to Italian Base Camp (3,660 m), then Glacier Camp and Dhaulagiri Base Camp (4,750 m). After acclimatising you cross the French Col into Hidden Valley (5,050 m), then the Dhampus Pass, descending to the apple village of Marpha in the Kali Gandaki.
Strenuous, with glacier travel and no escape routes once you commit to the high passes. Go in late April–May or October–early November, when the passes are most likely to be open. Budget 16–21 days from Pokhara with acclimatisation and weather buffers.