Annapurna Circuit Trek

We leave early from Kathmandu to begin the trip to Besisahar. We schedule our own bus transportation. The road leading up to Besisahar is passably good. After arriving at Besisahar, we continue walking for another two hours to reach Bulebule along the Marysangdi River. After a lengthy bus ride, Bulbule just a short distance away. When we get there, we wash up and stay the night.

During the first day of the journey, we pass through woods, rice terraces, and a number of suspension bridges as well as waterfalls. We can see the Marsyangdi Khola below and the rocky hills all around once we arrive at the cliff at Jagat. Today's draw is the beehives at the peak of the cliffs. We will go to Chamje, where we spend the night, in a short while.

As we pass through steep, narrow valleys, woods of rhododendron, pine, and bamboo, and rocky mountain folds, we come over a bridge that leads to a short rise and, eventually, atop a climb that reveals a broadening valley. Before we go to Dharapani, we have to travel through crops of wheat, barley, and potatoes once we arrive at the village of Tal. From there, we take a westward turn to go to Bagarchhap via fir and pine forests.

From Bagarchhap, we proceed on to a Danaque village before making a difficult ascent to a Tamang village, which offers breathtaking views of the Manaslu, Lamjung, Annapurna, and other mountain beauties. We travel along a gentle flat road to Thanchowk, Kolo, and ultimately Chame as we pass through a Tibetan settlement that serves as a transition between the lowlands and high highlands.

We first travel through Chame's historic district, ascend to Telekhu, and then continue on a lengthy, flat route through woodlands to Brathang. After a curve in the route, we must use a suspension bridge to return to the south side of the Marsyangdi River before moving on. The route next leads us on a gradual incline over a ridge covered with pine trees before leveling off as we go from the upper Manang valley to Pisang.

The top section of the Manang district begins with the town of Pisang. On this day, the hike ascends to Braga, a settlement with Tibetan influences. Here, the homes are built on top of one another, producing verandas from their shared roofs. The biggest Gompa in the area, which is the primary draw, is positioned on a high crag with a panoramic view of the entire hamlet and has the largest collection of sculptures on exhibit. We eventually arrive at Manang, where we rest and spend the night.

To reduce the danger of getting altitude sickness when we go to higher elevations, we must acclimatize. Manang is the ideal location because of its stunning natural surroundings and afternoon stroll up to Khangsar for a quick side trip.

We feel refreshed and ready to resume our adventure now that we've had some rest. There are a few horses and yaks grazing in the meadows as we pass by the big trees and head towards the alpine grass and junipers. Yak Kharka's tranquil setting, complete with meadows and steep hills, is the ideal location for us to spend the night. We may alternatively decide to walk for an hour to go to Letdar and stay there for the night.

As we rise along the east bank of the Jarang Khola, trekking to Letdar aids in acclimatization to the rising altitude. After some hours, we arrive at the Thorung Phedi, a meadow encircled by sheer cliffs. While Lammergeyers and griffons are quite abundant, reports of sightings of blue sheep and snow leopards in the region have been few. Here, we stay the night.

We will hike for roughly 7-8 hours today. The path has been traveled for years, making it relatively simple, although it might get challenging in the top parts due to strong winds. The path is thought to have been utilized for hundreds of years to transport sheep, yaks, and other commercial commodities in and out of Manang. In about 6 hours, we arrive in Thorung Phedi. Our climb will be rewarded with stunning views of Annapurna, Gangapurna, and a severely glaciated summit of Khatungkang after we reach Thorung la Pass. After descending roughly 1600 meters, we can see the magnificent Dhaulagiri in the distance. The route eventually flattens out and reaches grassy plains and meadows before reaching Muktinath.Muktinath, a holy location for both Hindus and Buddhists, is a place of nirvana in the Hindu faith that is home to a temple and several monasteries. The Jwalamai temple, which has a spring and an everlasting flame, as well as the 108 water spouts that spray holy water, are the site's primary draws. Thousands of pilgrims travel here each year.

We descend through meadows, streams, and fruit trees on a track that is a part of the Jomsom trek from Muktinath before arriving at Kagbeni. After taking a look around the historic village, we descend. We travel from Kagbeni to Jomson in the Kali Gandaki valley.

Chokhopani, a traditional Thakali settlement, is on the way from Marpha to Kalopani by a new route. Nilgiri, Dhaulagiri, Tukuche, Annapurna, and many more snow-capped peaks may be seen in the panoramic vistas of the Himalayas. From here, we cross a river and a recently built road that will get us to Kalopani at last.

Today we move from Tatopani through villages of midland Nepal with terraced fields and inclined farmlands. As we hike and ascend we move past rhododendron, magnolia and other vegetation of the area. We finally reach Ghorepani as we witness the beautiful mountains in the evening sky. We rest in Ghorepani to make an early start pushing for Poonhill in the morning.

We have an early morning ascent of Poonhill for the sunrise. This has to be the highlight of the trek as we make our trip to the vantage point early in the morning with sunrise. Once you see the snow-capped peaks highlighted in the changing golden rays of the sunrise, it will be one of the most unforgettable moments of your life. The peaks in the scenery include the Annapurna range and Dhaulagiri. Known as a photographer’s paradise, we can spend some time here taking breathtaking pictures of the spellbinding surroundings, capturing the spectacular moments in a frame. We then descend to Ghorepani for breakfast and then trek for 5 hours down to Nayapul. The first part of the trek down until Tikhedhunga is quite steep down hill. From there we move past terraced fields for a few hours to reach Nayapul. From there a short drive will finally take us to Pokhara.

After enjoying beautiful Pokhara and its natural and cultural beauty, we begin our drive towards Kathmandu. After about 6-7 hours, we finally reach Kathmandu. We can either rest or go discover the tourist attractions in the capital city.