Annapurna Circuit Trekking

We will begin our trip with six hours of bus ride from the capital city of Kathmandu to Besisahar, the headquarter of Lamjung, a district located in the western part of Nepal. The Lamjung district is the ancestral home of the local Gurung people, who are well known for their unique culture and hospitality. The bus ride introduces us to the green hills and swirling rivers of Nepal. Trishuli river, which is a tributary of Narayani – the deepest river of Nepal,  is our companion for most of the ride. We will take a right-angle turn from Dumre and head upwards the basin of the Marsyangdi river, which is also a tributary of Narayani.

This part of the ride presents us with a walled view of the snowy giants to the north. We will reach Besi Shahar after a few hours of drive from Dumre. Besi Sahar is a medium-sized valley that has turned into a bustling town in the past few years because it is a major trading center for the people of the surrounding region and is also a gateway for many treks in and around the Annapurna mountains. We will stay at a guest house in Besisahar for the night.

We will wake up early today because we have a long day of drive and trek to look forward to. The first part of the trek is a drive up to the village of Chyamje in local transport. We will go up, down, and around the bends in this off-road track which is one of the most captivating high Himalayan roads. The road reaches its end just down from the village of Chyamje.

We will cross an airy suspension bridge over the Marsyangdi river after getting off our transport near Chyamje. We will see Chortens, stupas, mani walls, and prayer flags as we approach the village of Chyamje. The village of Tal is another destination as we move forward from Chyamje. There is a picturesque waterfall near Tal. We will walk for a few hours more from Tal and reach a small but beautiful village of Dharapani where we will stay for the night.

We will begin our trek along the banks of the Kali Gandaki river following breakfast. The trail often passes over tall cliffs and mountainsides. Sometimes the trail zeroes down towards the river but moves swiftly up towards the mountain ridges. Beautiful villages like Bagarchap, Danaque and Timang lie on our way to Chame from Dharapani. These villages are settled by the local Gurung, Sherpa, Tamang, and Magar people.

Chame is the administrative center of the Manang district. It is the largest village in the region and is also a trading center. The last part of the trek before reaching Chame is a walk across the flatlands between large mountains. We will get a wonderful view of Dhaulagiri, Himchuli, and Ganesh Himal from Chame.

We will leave behind the hustle-bustle and commotion at Chame and start our trek in the early part of the morning to the peaceful and serene northern parts of the Manang district. We will see many mule caravans from nearby villages coming towards Chame during the first part of the day. As we move further from Chame we will enter a lush green forest of pines, cedars, rhododendron, firs, and other conifers. The Marsyangdi river thunders and rolls down the mountain slopes while we move in the opposite direction towards its head.

We will reach the village of Barthang (2,950 m) after crossing the forest. The village shows a glimpse into the life of the predominant Buddhist people of the region. Chortens, Mani Walls, Prayer Flags, and Stupas are the main attractions of the village. We will also get a stunning view of Pisang Peak (6,091 m) after we reach Barthang. We will reach Pisang after a tough climb in the last part of the day and stay at a guest house there.

We will head further upwards from Pisang along the Marsyangdi river today, which we will cross via a suspension bridge during the last part of the trek. We will reach the village of Ghyaru after walking along the forest trail for some time. Today’s part of the trek provides us an opportunity to visit Lophelling Monastery, Sher Gompa, Braka Monastery, and Bodzo Gompa. Many other smaller stupas and religious relics adorn our path throughout the trek.

We will cross the Marsyangdi river after walking a short while from the village of Mungji. The view of the river below is breathtaking from the suspension bridge. The namesake village of Manang is another large settlement of the district after Chame. It has been a trading town between Nepal and Tibet for centuries. We will get a wonderful view of the Annapurna range including the often hidden Annapurna III and Annapurna IV. We will stay at a guest house in Manang for the night.

We will head further deep into the heart of the mountains today and our trail brings us closer to the Thorong La Pass. After walking for a short while from Pisang, we will reach the beautiful Jarshang river, which we will cross via a suspension bridge. Walking along the sloped ridges of the mountains we will reach the village of Khangsar which yet again presents us with a beautiful view of the Pisang Peak.

We will head towards the village of Yak Kharka after resting for a short while in Khangsar. Yak Kharka means Yak pasture in Nepali. You will herds of yak grazing on mountain slopes upon reaching Yak Kharka. We will get a stunning view of Tilicho Peak (7,134 m), Khatungkang (6,484 m) and Chulu Peak (6,584 m) from Yak Kharka. There are a few guest houses in Yak Kharka and we will rest in one of these for the night.

We will take an early morning breakfast which also includes the option of Tibetan bread and exotic Himalayan tea. We will stroll around Yak Kharka for a while because we can catch a glimpse of the national bird of Nepal – Danphe – and the rare Himalayan Blue Sheep in the pastures in the early part of the morning. We will return to our guest house and start a trek towards Thorong Phedi. We will first come to the village of Ledar and then cross the Jarshang river via a wooden bridge after walking for a short while from Ledar.

Thorong Phedi means the base of the Thorong La Pass. It is situated right at the bottom of the pass, with a steep slope connecting the two together. We will get a glorious all-around view of the mountains after we reach Thorong Phedi. We will start to see the Himchuli and other peaks in the south, which is a rare view instead of the easy view of these mountains towards the north. We will rest at Thorong Phedi for the night.

We have a hard day of trek to look forward to today as we will be climbing from 4,400 m altitude to 5,400 m altitude in a single day. Moreover, we will still have to go downwards to the other side after crossing the highest altitude point at Thorong La Pass. The climb is steep and takes us along the glacial slopes, making life more difficult for our team. However, we will easily reach the pass before midday with proper coordination on our part. It is ideal to reach the pass before midday because of the strong afternoon mountain wind which makes climbing more difficult.

We will spend some time at the Thorong La Pass and descend to the other side of the mountains. The pass connects the Manang district with Mustang District. As we enter Mustang, we will see the Kali Gandaki river valley sprawling its wing in between tall mountain peaks. We will reach Muktinath at the end of our trek. Muktinath is a famous pilgrimage destination of the Hindus. The Muktinath and the Jwala Mai temple attract visitors from all over Nepal. We will rest at a guest house in Muktinath for the night.

You must definitely have heard about thrilling motorable mountain roads in Nepal where vehicles turn and swivel in sharp bends on the tracks carved on the edges of the mountains with a seemingly bottomless valley below. Well, let your imagination turn into reality because you are about to take part in a bus/jeep ride that you are going to remember for a lifetime. We will board a vehicle from Muktinath that will take us along dusty mountain roads that often pass through waterfalls (yes, really).

Our destination for today is the village of Tatopani wherein lies the most famous natural hot water spring of Nepal. In fact, the name Tatopani translates into hot water. We will spend some time at the hot water spring and then come back to our guesthouse for an early rest following a day of a bumpy ride.

We will resume our trekking today after an interruption yesterday because of the bus ride. We will enter the forest in the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) today. We will see wide rhododendron valleys crisscrossed by streams and rivers on our way. Animals like deer, foxes, langur, etc. which were absent in the upper belt start to reappear as we move south-east.

Ghorepani is located at the connecting point of many mountain ridges. It is a joyful village perched atop the mountain and is famous for its homestays. The last part of the trek before reaching Ghorepani is particularly hard and steep. We will get a panoramic view of mountains like Annapurna, Gangapurna, Himchuli, and Dhaulagiri from Ghorepani. We will explore the culture of the local Gurung people by taking a tour of the village and staying at a guest house or homestay for the night.

Poon Hill is located at a hike of about an hour from Ghorepani. It provides an even better view of the mountains compared to Ghorepani as it is situated at a considerably higher altitude with no visual distraction between our eye and the spectacle around. There is also a view tower at the top Poon Hill from where you can get an even better view. Watching northwards from Poon Hill you will see gigantic Himalayan peaks like Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Ganesh, Manaslu, HImchuli and Machhapuchhre. In between the mountains and us have located a series of hills and hidden valleys.

We will climb down to Ghorepani after enjoying the sunrise from Poon Hill and continue our trek via a paved path towards the foot of the mountain. We will often meet other trekkers and passersby as we head down from Ghorepani. Beautiful villages like Nagethanti and Tikhedhunga lie on our way. We will board a bus to Pokhara upon reaching Nayapul.

Our trek ends with a drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu on a tourist coach. We will drive along the picturesque Prithvi Highway which runs over the banks of the Trishuli river between Muglin and Galchhi. We will see typical Nepali villages with green agricultural fields on our way.

We will reach Kathmandu during mid-day. The bus will drop us off near Thamel, the tourist center in Kathmandu. We will drive to our hotel and the trip ends after you check in to your hotel.