Annapurna Circuit Trek

Early in the morning, your adventure trip leads off along the winding roadway parallel to Trishuli river. You will be captivated by the green hills and terraced farmland by the side. On reaching Besisahar after 5 to 7 hours of the joyride, you will march along the wide trail for about an hour to arrive at Khudi. En route, the spectacular glimpse of Manaslu range pleasures you to continue your arduous trek. Enjoy shopping at Khudi Bazaar (Market).

You will go on a drive from Khudi to Dharapani via Jeep and set off to trek to Chame. The trek from Dharapani to Chame follows rugged steep trails jumbled with the intoxicating gusto of adventurer. When you make it to Chame, you will experience a new atmosphere of icy winds over the canvas of white snow.

Along the craggy narrow footpath, you will traverse a dense forest. Trekking in this route is quite exhaustive as it accompanies sheer path. Finally, your effort pays off when you rise over the hills to witness majestic valley of Marshyangdi. After a short errand, you will encounter a gigantic rock, Paungda Danda, rising over 1500 m above the track. As you trek few distances ahead, you will come to scarcely populated village of Pisang at an elevation of 3250 m above sea level.

The way to Manang splits into two routes, but you will follow the one that goes through the Geru. Catching glimpse of various mountain vistas including the mighty Annapurna and heavenly Pisang peak, you will notice the climate and landscape changing along the trail. It is an amazing experience to be on the harsh environment of Manang (typically cold and dry). In the village of Braga, visiting the monastery is worth as hundreds of statues of Buddha embellish the monastery with glamour and beauty. 

This place is geographically perfect to acclimatize. Situated on the northern slope, the village of Manang receives the most sunlight and is less affected by the snow making it favorable for cultivation. Besides agriculture, herders of yak are found with their yaks grazing on the hills. On this day, you will hike around the attractions of Manang such as Bhojo Gumba and Gangapurna and prepare yourself for the next day trek. You can also visit the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA). Enjoy the fair and sparkling water of Marshyangdi.

Adjacent to Marshyangdi river, the Manang Sadak diverges into Khangsar Sadak, which leads us to the beautiful village of Khangsar. The path gains the altitude gradually and becomes surrounded by the forests. The people here are very friendly and full of compassion. You can view the spectacular sunrise over the Tilicho peak. This area is full of accommodation facilities.

A nice walk along the river of Marshyangdi headed towards the mysterious lake chases the eccentric landscapes of rocks and hills. En route, you can have a glimpse of many beautiful mountains that carries you towards the Khangsar Kang (a black rock) towering over a great barrier. When you finally reach the base camp of Tilicho, haste to watch the beautiful lake keeps pinching your adventurous soul.

On this day, you will march towards the Tilicho lake from the base camp. Seeing the pristine blue water of Tilicho will undoubtedly keep you in awe. This lake is dumbbell-shaped and seems to be the frontier of two worlds: on the one hand, there is bare landscape, while on the other hand there are peaks of above 2000 meter rising above the lake. At the end of the day, you will return to your base camp.

Trek from Tilicho Base Camp to Yak Kharka follows a series of ups and downs, which makes this trip a bit challenging and tiresome. Yak Kharka is thinly populated with few guesthouses. Herds of yak close to the village confirm the correctness of its name. Probably, you will find some French guesthouses in this region, where you have an opportunity to alter your taste.

This slog is believed to be the shortest in the Annapurnas. Every day, plenty of tourists set off to defeat the Thorung La pass (4538 m), the highest point of the trek, via Thorung Phedi. Along the Yak Kharka, the track gradually rises. After walking about a quarter of the way to Thorung Phedi, you will cross a bridge. You can see the snowy mountain peaks of Annapurna III and Gangapu through a wide V-shaped gorge of Thorung Khola. Following the trail, when you come to the end of the trek, you will cross another bridge and head on towards a way threatened by the landslide. Thorung Phedi is decorated by the Chortens.

Early in the day, we begin our journey to Muktinath through Thorung La pass. This is, perhaps, the longest walk of this expedition (about 13 hours). The way ascends about 500 meters before reaching Thorung la along the zigzag trail followed by the endless Rocky Mountains and subsequently descends about 1600 m to reach Muktinath. In the middle of the descent, you will pass through a beautiful village Charabu, where there are many lodges to acclimatize. But, we make our way straight to the beautiful Muktinath, which is religiously popular.

A happy trek from Muktinath to Marpha is undemanding like the previous one. The dusty paveway features the track to Marpha. Following the Kali Gandaki river, you will come across several high sided, dusty canyons, which are beautiful to look at. However, the dust spreads so quickly in the air by the pacing winds that breathing becomes a problem, which makes this slightly less enjoyable than it should have been. Marpha is a beautiful village to sit on, but you may not feel to ramble around.

Marpha is characterized by its narrow lane: so narrow that walking two people side by side with their backpack is near to impossible. The route continues to follow the flat and broad river valley, and you will see the staggering Dhaulagiri peak on the way. When you come to a wide lane, there is some traffic: few motorbikes, Jeeps, and minibusses. Progressing down the valley, you will cross several small villages- Tukuche, Kobang, and Larjung- peopled by the Thakalis and apparently influenced by the Tibetans. Seeing the lush forests gratifies your adventurous spirit. At the end of the day, you will reach Ghasa.

Tatopani is the fabulous place, which is also one of the highlights of this trek. From the early morning, you will be tempted to visit Tatopani. On the way, you will see large stones jumbled together to form stepping stone stairs. Following down the river by the side of the valley, you will come across several houses: some are beautiful wooden houses. Near to the final point of the trek for the day, a cascading waterfall marks the end of bewildering trek you have been since a fortnight back.  Afterward, you will mix yourself into the civilized world.

YIPEE!!! Perhaps, this is what comes out when you reach Pokhara. The drive from Tatopani to Pokhara is less exciting but more of a relaxing. A sense of completion gives you a feeling of relief and at times makes you nostalgic about the whole trek, for which you have been pushing yourself all the time from the tough terrains to altitude sickness. Welcome to Pokhara.