Our first day of the trek starts early in the morning. After breakfast, we take a bus from Kathmandu to Bhulbhule. The route takes us out of the Kathmandu valley along the picturesque Trishuli river to Besisahar, and finally to Bhulbhule. Bhulbhule lies by the side of Marsyangdi river. Throughout the ride, you will get to see the terraced farms, traditional villages, and Ganesh & Manaslu snow peaks. At Bhulbhule, we register our permits at the check post for trek entry.
After a nourishing breakfast, we will set foot on the trails this day. The route follows a pleasant path through the fertile jungle and terraced fields upriver, along the flowing Marsyangdi river. We take a leisurely lunch break and pass through several rural settlements and more farmlands to gradually reach the peaceful village of Jagat, a former trading post.
We begin our 3rd day of the trek following the Marsyangdi river, and after a steep climb, we enter the vicinity of the Manang region at Tal village. Here we can see several waterfalls forming a river by the sandy beaches. We will hike through the barley, rice, and potato fields and reach Kodo – one of the biggest villages in the Manang valley. Moving forward, we cross a suspension bridge, and after a short climb of the stone Kani, we reach Dharapani – the destination for this day.
We leave Dharapani and follow the trails through the forests with pine, fir, oak, and maple trees along the Marsyangdi river to reach Chame – the district headquarter of Manang district. You will find yourself surrounded by the green forests around and over you, and as you look up, you will see remarkable views of Lamjung Himal, Annapurna II, and Annapurna IV (7,525m). We will also stop by a small hot spring for a short rest.
This day, after breakfast, we walk through a steep and narrow valley to have our first view of a massive rock wall – the Paungda Danda Rock, considered very sacred by the local people. The Paungda Danda Rock is a curved rock face rising 1500m from the Marshyandi river. From the trails, we also see clear views of Annapurna II in the south and Pisang Peak in the northeast. Then our path descends taking us to the Manang Valley floor into the Pisang village, where we will spend our night.
On our sixth day, we will be trekking on the upper trails through Upper Pisang via Geru, from where we can catch outstanding views of the north face of Annapurna II, III, IV, Gangapurna, Tilicho, and Pisang Peak. As the path ascends, you will feel the air turn cold, dry, and harsher. This trail goes through the Tibetan settlements, and we get a chance to explore Buddhist culture. We will not miss visiting Barge Monastery, the largest monastery in Manang. You will find that the path is dotted with Buddhist shrines as we pass more monasteries and finally reach Manang bazaar- an area that caters to tourists.
We will be acclimatizing on this day. However, we will remain busy throughout the day exploring Manang village. In the morning, we will visit Gangapurna & Ice Lakes, and spend the rest of the day soaking in the magnificent views of Annapurna III, Tilicho, Pisang, and Chulu Peaks. In the afternoon, we may visit the Himalayan Rescue Association in Vraja village, where we will be briefed about acute mountain sickness, its symptoms, and prevention methods.
After a day in and around Manang, acclimatizing to the high elevation and allowing our bodies time to rest and get used to the environment, we move Yak Kharka. First, we cross a stream and climb to Tenki village, then head out of Marshyangdi valley northwest to Jar Sang Khola valley. The trail ascends slowly, as we head northwards.
We will be passing through several pastures and juniper forests. As our trek continues, we will pass through a small village called Gunsan that has houses made of flat mud roofs. You will also get to see yak and horse pastures. After crossing a small river on a wooden bridge, we make our way up the spectacular valley to an open, peaceful meadow known as Yak Kharka.
Today we head to the foot of Thorong La pass, Thorong Phedi. From Yak Kharka, we will climb up to a ridge, then head down and cross the Marsyangdi river on a wooden bridge. After climbing up the mountain, we follow a narrow trail across a slope and descend to Thorung Phedi. The uninhabited, rugged terrain is otherworldly and much different than the lush lowlands that we passed on the way up during the initial phase of the trek.
This day will be remarkable as we will trek from Thorong Phedi (4,525m/14,525ft) to Muktinath Temple (3,760m/12,623ft) via Thorung La high pass (5,416 m/17,756 ft). It is also one of the most challenging parts of the trek as Thorong La Pass is one of the highest passes in the world, and it is the highest point of the trek.
We start early in the morning and push ourselves through the icy air and high altitude, but the views from the pass are totally worth it. Northwards, towards Tibet, we will see a panorama of majestic Himalayan peaks, and if you look back, you will see the Annapurna range.
We then descend to Muktinath – a sacred place for Hindus and Buddhists. The Buddhists call Muktinath – Chumig Gyatsa, which in Tibetan means Hundred Waters. Muktinath Temple is known for 108 stone sprouts with water flowing from the Kaligandaki. You can also see the eternal flame that has been burning there for more than 2,000 years.
In the morning, we visit Muktinath Temple and then continue our journey on a local bus ride to Tatopani. It will be a rough drive as the road passes through some of the deepest gorges in the world. We will be moving from the arid highlands to lush green forests. Tatopani is famous for natural hot springs, and it is a place where we can immerse ourselves in the hot springs and relax. The waters of Tatopani are said to have curative properties against skin diseases.
Take a flight from Jomsom to Pokhara which takes around 30minutes. During the Flight, You can take a Panoramic Views of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Manaslu Range.
Your Annapurna Circuit Package ends today. We wake up in Pokhara this day, and after breakfast, we drive back to Kathmandu on a tourist bus. It’s a 200 km route that initially follows the Marsyangdi River and Trishuli River later. You may also choose to return by a 25-minute flight (not included in the package) from Pokhara. Our trek package completes at Kathmandu.