Annapurna Circuit Trekking

An early morning drive Besisahar starts our day, so please wake up early to enjoy a 6 hours drive to Besisahar from Kathmandu. As we reach Besisahar, we start walking through the terraces, bamboo forest and ethnic group of the Buddhists religion densely residing in the area towards Khudi. Khudi is an hour walk away from Besisahar and will be our stop for the night.

The route of the trek initiates from Khudi crossing through subtropical forest and rice terraces of Sera and interacting with typical local people in the area. Adding to this unique features of villages residing in the route, we come across 60 m waterfall after passing Bhulbhule and slowly crossing the Ngadi Khola (river) through a suspension bridge. The route finally taking us gently upwards to Bahundanda. Bahundanda is an attractive village situated at 1,300m saddle of a long ridge.

To reach our destination today, we trek through steep trails reaching the village of Syange. As you cross a long suspension bridge over the Marsyangdi River in Syange, you start ascending to Jagat. The trail takes us through the amazing settlement of rural people which offers a chance to observe the daily living style of the Nepalese from different ethnic communities. Chamje is our stop for the night.

As we leave Chamje behind, we cross the Marsyangdi river from the northern side to enter the pine forest. The route of the trek initiates from Jagat crossing the suspension bridge over the Marsyangdi River. The trail starts ascending and gradually flattens down to reach Tal which is the first village of Manang. Tal, however, is famous for waterfalls and beautiful views of different valleys in the region. As we move forward, we pass through the fields of rice, potato, and barley. Not to forget the beautiful waterfalls accompanying along the route advancing along a stone staircase making our way to Dharapani, from where the trail leads us to the Bagarchhap welcomed by the stoned entrance. Bagarchap is a typical Tibet influenced village with apples and maize fields.

The trek from Bagarchap to Chame offers spectacular views of Annapurna II (7,937 m) throughout the walk. The trail advances on the southern bank of the river as we descend to pass through the Thanchok village. As the region is famous for apple farming, you will even get to see the apple orchard in the village. We then move forward to reach Koto after 30 minutes of a walk then reaching Chame which is the headquarter of Manang District.

As we leave Chame behind, we cross the Marsyangdi river from the northern side to enter the pine forest. Passing through the forest we trail upward through the apple orchard to reach Baratang village. The trail then starts steeping as we advance to meet the road to Manang. As the trek mentioned earlier, is an easy one, we walk on the road to cover the distance to reach Dhukur Pokhari. Also, the trail from Dhukur Pokhari to Lower Pisang is all flat and may take approximately an hour.

Today we head towards Manang from Pisang. The views from these different areas are incomparable. As you enter the pine forest, the stunning panoramic view of the mountains accompanying you through the trail would help you forget all the energy you put in to walk through the Manang trail. The beauty of the views of Hunde and Marsyangdi valley enhances as you move forward to cross the Marsyangdi river.

To adjust to the change in the environment around the region and to buck up to move forward, we stay back in Manang to acclimatize our bodies today. This is a perfect opportunity to enjoy mountain life also. You can wish to visit nearby lakes for amazing views. In the evening, however, you can choose to enjoy with the local people or even visit the different lakes like Gangapurna and Ice Lake in Manang.

The trail today is much-relaxed climbing gentle uphill to Yak Kharka and then to Letdar. However, the elevation in altitude can be a little tiring. We start our trek crossing a stream, climbing to the villages of Tengi and Gunsang. We pass through pastures where we may encounter blue sheep grazing and enjoy in their own way. Also, the views of the Annapurna and Gangapurna accompanying you throughout the trail. The trail after passing the Gunsang is mostly flat, crossing a couple of suspension bridges leading us to Letdar. Overnight at Letdar.

The trail to Annapurna, never ceases to amaze you with a breathtaking view of the snowy Himalayas. We start our day walking along a light trail to Kone Khola. As we cross this beautiful stream, we start elevating a steep climb towards the villages of Churi Ledar and Ledar. This trial has risks of dry landslides, but what is a trek unless you come across a few adventure and surprises in store. Mind the stones rolling over the cliff as you walk along which adds thrill to the adventure. In case you are thinking about any mishap do not forget that we are always prepared for our travelers’ safety. As we route through this slightly risky trail, we climb gently upwards to Throng Phedi.

The main objective of today’s trek is to reach the highest pass in the world; Throng La Pass. the track is slippery and a little risky as we cross the pass from east to west from the Manang area to Muktinath. No lodges or hotels are to be seen throughout the route but is only surrounded by huge white peaks, hence, make sure you carry some munchies along. We start walking for a few hours to reach the highest point of the trek; the Throng La Pass that is surrounded by colorful prayer flags all over. Muktinath from this point is a walk through a steep downhill. We spend the night in Muktinath which is 1600 m downhill from Throng La pass. Overnight in Muktinath.

Our trek today leads us to the city behind the Himalayas; Jomsom. We start our day visiting a temple that is important for Hindu as well as the Buddhist; the Muktinath Temple. We then start walking downhill through barren lands of Jharkot, Khingar Kagbeni and Eklebhatti. The route is very dusty due to the wind that is very strong after midday. Once you reach Jomsom, you won't disagree with the name it has been given, the city behind the hills. The stunning views of Nilgiri and other hills would leave you speechless. Jomsom however, is the last stop of our trek. We fly or drive back to Pokhara the next day.