Trek Overview
- 15 days in Nepal
- Trek Grade: High Moderate to Difficult,
- Elevation 2,690 ft to 17,599 ft
- 1 Porter for 2 Members (tea house lodging trek)
- Or 2 to 4 porters for 1 member (camping/expedition)
- Trekking Season: Mid March to Mid June, Late September to Mid November
Trek Highlights:
This custom designed adventure trek is a journey of a life time and this is the best that Nepal's classic trek and rich culture has to offer with the integrations of low land to remote high altitude villages, mixtures of Tibetan and Hindu religions along with the many different ethnic groups. This trek will take you to one of the world’s highest trekking pass called Thorung La which lies between the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri which are both top 10 highest mountains. Thorung La will also be the trek’s highest point (17,599 ft). Some of the other highlights of the trek are: sub-tropical climate of bamboo forests to fresh white alpine snow in the high mountains, a non-technical climb over the famous Thorung La (17,599 ft.), ancient villages and monasteries, Muktinath temple both Hindu and Buddhist’s pilgrimage site, Jwala Mai Temple, where a flame of natural gas burns from a trickle of water, trek along the Kali Gandaki river valley in between the shadow of Dhaulagiri (26,794 ft) and Annapurna I (26,545 ft), Jomsom (the capital of the Mustang District and a famous village for apple farming), rich culture and heritage of ethnic people like Mananges, Gurung, Thakali, Magar and Tibetan people. The trip will also include sight seeing tours around the historic city: Kathmandu and Pokhara (Lake Town). Some of the tour sights are: Boudhanath, Symbhunath, Tilganga Eye Hospital, Nepal Museum, Kapan Monastery, Phewa Lake, Davis fall and Nepal Mountaineering Museum.
This custom designed adventure trek is a journey of a life time and this is the best that Nepal's classic trek and rich culture has to offer with the integrations of low land to remote high altitude villages, mixtures of Tibetan and Hindu religions along with the many different ethnic groups. This trek will take you to one of the world’s highest trekking pass called Thorung La which lies between the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri which are both top 10 highest mountains. Thorung La will also be the trek’s highest point (17,599 ft). Some of the other highlights of the trek are: sub-tropical climate of bamboo forests to fresh white alpine snow in the high mountains, a non-technical climb over the famous Thorung La (17,599 ft.), ancient villages and monasteries, Muktinath temple both Hindu and Buddhist’s pilgrimage site, Jwala Mai Temple, where a flame of natural gas burns from a trickle of water, trek along the Kali Gandaki river valley in between the shadow of Dhaulagiri (26,794 ft) and Annapurna I (26,545 ft), Jomsom (the capital of the Mustang District and a famous village for apple farming), rich culture and heritage of ethnic people like Mananges, Gurung, Thakali, Magar and Tibetan people. The trip will also include sight seeing tours around the historic city: Kathmandu and Pokhara (Lake Town). Some of the tour sights are: Boudhanath, Symbhunath, Tilganga Eye Hospital, Nepal Museum, Kapan Monastery, Phewa Lake, Davis fall and Nepal Mountaineering Museum.
Trek Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu (4,428ft) & welcome, transfer to Sherpa house from the airport: Introduction to Sherpa family, unpack and rest.
Day 2: After morning Breakfast, Sight seeing and explore Kathmandu: tour to beautiful Kapan Buddhist Monastery which is outside of Kathmandu Valley, on the way back tour to one of the largest Buddhist Stupas: Boudhanath then back to house for lunch, afternoon tours to Pashupatinath Hindu Temple and Tilganga Eye Hospital, will use private van for transportation and all the sites are not more than 30 minutes drive, back for dinner and preparation for the next day’s trek: packing, leave items at the house that is not needed in trek.
Day 3: Van ride to Beshisahar (2,624ft): start trekking 3-4 hrs to Ngyate (2,820ft), night in Ngyate village. Leaving early in the morning for 6 hour drive to Besi Shahar (114 miles). Along the drive you will witness stunning scenery of snow capped Mountains, rivers, and villages. This first day’s trek introduces us to the varied cultural of Nepal. The trail goes through subtropical forests, the rice terraces of Sera, the village of Khudi (2,755 ft), and then in Bhulbule. See a majestic 200 ft high waterfall, and views of Manaslu (26,758 ft). We will spend a night at the local village guest house.
Day 4: Ngyate to Jagat (4,592ft) village (4-5 hrs) We will have to cross the Ngadi Khola by a long suspension bridge. Then the trail gently ascent to Bahundanda, an attractive village in the saddle of a long ridge at 4,265 ft. After breakfast, we descend on a steep slippery trail through the rice terraces and get in hot spring small descends. The rest of trail for today will pass the Marsyangdi River few times and we will see a beautiful waterfall near Jagat village.
Day 5: Jagat to Dharapani (6,373 ft) village (5-6 hrs) The trail continues along the river hill side and after about an hour hike, we will come upon beautiful Chamche waterfall. The first part of the trail descends to the river and after crossing a suspension bridge, we begin a climb to Sattale (5,085 ft). The trail continues through the gorge nearby river and the zigzag path from Tal Beshi goes up to the hill. We will slowly come upon the narrow valley path and we can start getting higher and windier, soon we will reach Karte village (6,233 ft) village. After crossing a suspension bridge, and hiking the short distance to the stone marking which is the entrance to Dharapani (6,430 ft), we will reach our camping site.
Day 6: Dharapani to Chame (8,898 ft) village (5-6 hrs) After breakfast, our trail gradually ascends through the Tibetan and Gurung settlement: Bagarchhap and Danakyu then steep hike to the Timang village (8,923 ft). From here, our trek will lead us through the pine forest to Thanchok and Koto then we will reach in Chame village which is the headquarter of the Manang district and our lodging site. We will have amazing views of Annapurna II, Manaslu and Lamjung Himal from the Chame village and there are two small hot springs by the town.
Day 7: Chame to Pisang (10,446 ft) village (4-5 hrs) The trail will take us along the bank of Marsyangdi river and will climb up through pine forest to the Telekhu (9,317 ft) village. After that we will take a long enjoyable and easy hike to Brathang forest. We will come upon some rocky trail and we will cross back to the south bank of the Marsyangdi river on a suspension bridge. Around the end part of the day, we will make a long gentle climb over a ridge through blue pine forests to the Dhukur Pokhari then we will come upon the Pisang village.
Day 8: Pisang to Manang (11,615 ft) village (4-5 hrs) After breakfast, the trail will slowly climb through the valley with pine and juniper forest towards the Tibetan-style village of Bryaga (11,482 ft). Here, we will see houses stack one atop the other, each with an open veranda formed by a neighbor’s rooftop and the gomba (monastery), perched on a high crag overlooking the village. Then, we will continue through a very arid countryside, dominated by strange cliffs of yellow rock, eroded into dramatic pillars alongside the trail to reach today’s destination Manang village. During the afternoon, we can walk around the town where we can meet local Mananges people and check out their beautiful shops. People who live in Manang are mostly Mananges who are Tibetan descents and practice Buddhism.
Day 9: Manang to Yak Kharka (4-5 hrs) After hot breakfast, we will hike through the farm terrace to Tanki Manang then gradually hike towards the high alpine zone to Gunsang village where horses and yaks graze. Now, we will get closer panoramic mountain sceneries and we will spend a night in Yak Kharka village.
Day 10: Yak Kharka to Thorung Phedi (15,416 ft) (3-4 hrs) Today’s trail will be relatively short due to the elevation gain and we will have to acclimatize well at this elevation before we begin our long and difficult ascend the following day to Thorung La Pass summit at close to 18,000 ft. From Yak Kharka, we will continue to climb along the east bank of the Jarang Khola to Thorung Phedi, a rock-strewn meadow surrounded by upright cliffs at 14,501 ft. Blue sheep and even snow leopards can be sometimes seen in this area. Depending on how we feel, we can either spend a night in Thorung Phedi or continue our trek to the High camp another 1 hour hike after lunch.
Day 11: Thorung Phedi, Thorung La Summit (17,764 ft to Muktinath (12,388 ft) village (6-8 hrs) This will be a hard and long day trek. We will wake up very early morning for breakfast and to make lunch for the day, we will leave the lodge before sunrise. Normally after 9 or 10am, the wind start blowing harder on the high Himalaya, so our goal will be to reach the summit at early as possible and we need to wear warm clothes for the freezing morning. The trail makes stiff ascent to the High Camp through the treeless rocky desert and continues with some frozen slippery ice trail offering a tremendous mountain panorama and changing colors during the sun rise. At the Thorong- La pass (17,769 ft), with its traditional prayer flags and stone cairn we will have an outstanding view of Annapunas, Gangapurna and Khatung Kang, heavily glaciated peaks. Amazingly there is a teashop here on top of the pass. From here, we start descend of about 17,221 ft to another valley (Mustang) with outstanding views of Dhaulagiri mountain standing alone in the distance across the Mustang valley Muktinath; place of Nirvana and is home to the Hindus temple as well as several Buddhist monasteries. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and has 108 waterspouts around it and this is also a site of Jwala Mai Temple, an eternal flame fed by natural underground gas.
Day 12: Muktinath to Jomsom (8,891 ft) village (5-6 hrs) After breakfast, we will hike down hill to ancient Jharkot village then to Kagbeni village. On the way down, we will see close views of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri right across and some 19,685+ ft surrounding peaks. On the right side, there is Jharkot village where there are still remains of ancient fortresses, monasteries, houses and temples. This was a site of war between Tibetan guerrilla fighters and Chinese at one point and we can still see some of the ruins. We will be in high alpine desert land with thin air, high wind and powerful sun until we reach Kagbeni. Kagbeni will be our lunch site and this is a last stop for regular trekkers because to go beyond this point towards the Upper Mustang which is also known as forbidden kingdom, you need a special permit from the Nepalese government. Most of the habitants in this area are Tibetan descents and they still practice Tibetan culture and speak Tibetan language. After lunch, we will hike along the Kaligandaki river for almost two hours to Jomsom the district headquarter of Mustang. Along the Kaligandaki valley, we will encounter high winds and dust. This area is also famous for finding “Saligram” which is a fossil and Hindus believe that it is an incarnation of God Bishnu. We will spend the late afternoon visiting Tibetan local markets near our lodge.
Day 13: Jomsom to Pokhara. We will take a short early morning hike back to Jomsom to catch our flight (30 minutes) back to Pokhara and we will spend remaining day visiting beautiful lake town Pokhara.
Day 14: Pokhara to Kathmandu: Drive back to Kathmandu.
Day 15: Last day in Kathmandu: Explore around Thamel and vibrant bazaars for great souvenirs, farewell dinner.
Day 16: Transfer to airport for departure
Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu (4,428ft) & welcome, transfer to Sherpa house from the airport: Introduction to Sherpa family, unpack and rest.
Day 2: After morning Breakfast, Sight seeing and explore Kathmandu: tour to beautiful Kapan Buddhist Monastery which is outside of Kathmandu Valley, on the way back tour to one of the largest Buddhist Stupas: Boudhanath then back to house for lunch, afternoon tours to Pashupatinath Hindu Temple and Tilganga Eye Hospital, will use private van for transportation and all the sites are not more than 30 minutes drive, back for dinner and preparation for the next day’s trek: packing, leave items at the house that is not needed in trek.
Day 3: Van ride to Beshisahar (2,624ft): start trekking 3-4 hrs to Ngyate (2,820ft), night in Ngyate village. Leaving early in the morning for 6 hour drive to Besi Shahar (114 miles). Along the drive you will witness stunning scenery of snow capped Mountains, rivers, and villages. This first day’s trek introduces us to the varied cultural of Nepal. The trail goes through subtropical forests, the rice terraces of Sera, the village of Khudi (2,755 ft), and then in Bhulbule. See a majestic 200 ft high waterfall, and views of Manaslu (26,758 ft). We will spend a night at the local village guest house.
Day 4: Ngyate to Jagat (4,592ft) village (4-5 hrs) We will have to cross the Ngadi Khola by a long suspension bridge. Then the trail gently ascent to Bahundanda, an attractive village in the saddle of a long ridge at 4,265 ft. After breakfast, we descend on a steep slippery trail through the rice terraces and get in hot spring small descends. The rest of trail for today will pass the Marsyangdi River few times and we will see a beautiful waterfall near Jagat village.
Day 5: Jagat to Dharapani (6,373 ft) village (5-6 hrs) The trail continues along the river hill side and after about an hour hike, we will come upon beautiful Chamche waterfall. The first part of the trail descends to the river and after crossing a suspension bridge, we begin a climb to Sattale (5,085 ft). The trail continues through the gorge nearby river and the zigzag path from Tal Beshi goes up to the hill. We will slowly come upon the narrow valley path and we can start getting higher and windier, soon we will reach Karte village (6,233 ft) village. After crossing a suspension bridge, and hiking the short distance to the stone marking which is the entrance to Dharapani (6,430 ft), we will reach our camping site.
Day 6: Dharapani to Chame (8,898 ft) village (5-6 hrs) After breakfast, our trail gradually ascends through the Tibetan and Gurung settlement: Bagarchhap and Danakyu then steep hike to the Timang village (8,923 ft). From here, our trek will lead us through the pine forest to Thanchok and Koto then we will reach in Chame village which is the headquarter of the Manang district and our lodging site. We will have amazing views of Annapurna II, Manaslu and Lamjung Himal from the Chame village and there are two small hot springs by the town.
Day 7: Chame to Pisang (10,446 ft) village (4-5 hrs) The trail will take us along the bank of Marsyangdi river and will climb up through pine forest to the Telekhu (9,317 ft) village. After that we will take a long enjoyable and easy hike to Brathang forest. We will come upon some rocky trail and we will cross back to the south bank of the Marsyangdi river on a suspension bridge. Around the end part of the day, we will make a long gentle climb over a ridge through blue pine forests to the Dhukur Pokhari then we will come upon the Pisang village.
Day 8: Pisang to Manang (11,615 ft) village (4-5 hrs) After breakfast, the trail will slowly climb through the valley with pine and juniper forest towards the Tibetan-style village of Bryaga (11,482 ft). Here, we will see houses stack one atop the other, each with an open veranda formed by a neighbor’s rooftop and the gomba (monastery), perched on a high crag overlooking the village. Then, we will continue through a very arid countryside, dominated by strange cliffs of yellow rock, eroded into dramatic pillars alongside the trail to reach today’s destination Manang village. During the afternoon, we can walk around the town where we can meet local Mananges people and check out their beautiful shops. People who live in Manang are mostly Mananges who are Tibetan descents and practice Buddhism.
Day 9: Manang to Yak Kharka (4-5 hrs) After hot breakfast, we will hike through the farm terrace to Tanki Manang then gradually hike towards the high alpine zone to Gunsang village where horses and yaks graze. Now, we will get closer panoramic mountain sceneries and we will spend a night in Yak Kharka village.
Day 10: Yak Kharka to Thorung Phedi (15,416 ft) (3-4 hrs) Today’s trail will be relatively short due to the elevation gain and we will have to acclimatize well at this elevation before we begin our long and difficult ascend the following day to Thorung La Pass summit at close to 18,000 ft. From Yak Kharka, we will continue to climb along the east bank of the Jarang Khola to Thorung Phedi, a rock-strewn meadow surrounded by upright cliffs at 14,501 ft. Blue sheep and even snow leopards can be sometimes seen in this area. Depending on how we feel, we can either spend a night in Thorung Phedi or continue our trek to the High camp another 1 hour hike after lunch.
Day 11: Thorung Phedi, Thorung La Summit (17,764 ft to Muktinath (12,388 ft) village (6-8 hrs) This will be a hard and long day trek. We will wake up very early morning for breakfast and to make lunch for the day, we will leave the lodge before sunrise. Normally after 9 or 10am, the wind start blowing harder on the high Himalaya, so our goal will be to reach the summit at early as possible and we need to wear warm clothes for the freezing morning. The trail makes stiff ascent to the High Camp through the treeless rocky desert and continues with some frozen slippery ice trail offering a tremendous mountain panorama and changing colors during the sun rise. At the Thorong- La pass (17,769 ft), with its traditional prayer flags and stone cairn we will have an outstanding view of Annapunas, Gangapurna and Khatung Kang, heavily glaciated peaks. Amazingly there is a teashop here on top of the pass. From here, we start descend of about 17,221 ft to another valley (Mustang) with outstanding views of Dhaulagiri mountain standing alone in the distance across the Mustang valley Muktinath; place of Nirvana and is home to the Hindus temple as well as several Buddhist monasteries. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and has 108 waterspouts around it and this is also a site of Jwala Mai Temple, an eternal flame fed by natural underground gas.
Day 12: Muktinath to Jomsom (8,891 ft) village (5-6 hrs) After breakfast, we will hike down hill to ancient Jharkot village then to Kagbeni village. On the way down, we will see close views of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri right across and some 19,685+ ft surrounding peaks. On the right side, there is Jharkot village where there are still remains of ancient fortresses, monasteries, houses and temples. This was a site of war between Tibetan guerrilla fighters and Chinese at one point and we can still see some of the ruins. We will be in high alpine desert land with thin air, high wind and powerful sun until we reach Kagbeni. Kagbeni will be our lunch site and this is a last stop for regular trekkers because to go beyond this point towards the Upper Mustang which is also known as forbidden kingdom, you need a special permit from the Nepalese government. Most of the habitants in this area are Tibetan descents and they still practice Tibetan culture and speak Tibetan language. After lunch, we will hike along the Kaligandaki river for almost two hours to Jomsom the district headquarter of Mustang. Along the Kaligandaki valley, we will encounter high winds and dust. This area is also famous for finding “Saligram” which is a fossil and Hindus believe that it is an incarnation of God Bishnu. We will spend the late afternoon visiting Tibetan local markets near our lodge.
Day 13: Jomsom to Pokhara. We will take a short early morning hike back to Jomsom to catch our flight (30 minutes) back to Pokhara and we will spend remaining day visiting beautiful lake town Pokhara.
Day 14: Pokhara to Kathmandu: Drive back to Kathmandu.
Day 15: Last day in Kathmandu: Explore around Thamel and vibrant bazaars for great souvenirs, farewell dinner.
Day 16: Transfer to airport for departure
