Day 13
From Muktinath, the circuit descends down the Kali Gandaki River valley to the village of Tatopani. Until recently, the only route to many of the villages in this region was the trail itself and all supplies were brought up on donkeys or, just as commonly, on the backs of porters. Inevitably, however, came roads, and there is now a road up the Kali Gandaki valley to Muktinath and a road to Manang is currently under construction in the Marsyangdi valley. From the point of view of most villagers, these roads are essential to their livelihoods, education, and health. From the point of view of most trekkers, of course, these roads are a bane, ruining a trail once celebrated for its isolation.
After coming down from Thorung La pass to Muktinath, trekkers now have the option to jump in a jeep and ride in (dis)comfort back to civilization. Popular opinion seems to be that, after Muktinath, the trail has been diminished because of the dusty road and its bus and jeep traffic, and most do ride out for that reason (others just want to trim a few days off their trek). Thankfully, we heard reports that a new network of trails had been marked along the opposite side of the river, avoiding the road for most of the hike out. Full of optimism, we decided to test the waters and try to walk out, knowing that we could call it quits at any point.
Our first day hiking on this side of the pass turned out to be one of the most interesting. In the morning, we visited the Muktinath Temple complex, a pilgrimage site for both Buddhists and Hindus. Then, rather than following the road out of town toward Jomson, we crossed the valley and hiked through the beautiful Tibetan villages of Chongur, Jhong and Putak, across the barren landscape along the boundaries of the Mustang Valley to Kagbeni (2,810m/9,219ft), situated in a beautiful location along the eastern shore of the Kali Gandaki river.
Day 14
We walked along the riverbed most of the way to Jomson, but in some places it was impossible to avoid the road. We were passed by only three vehicles, which were full of the familiar faces of trekkers we had met along the trail. After Jomson, we had no choice but to follow the road for the next two hours to Marpha. It was hot and a little dismal, with a strong wind blowing up the valley into our faces.
Marpha is a lovely, white-washed village where we had an excellent lunch and spent some time exploring. After Marpha, we were able to cross the Kali Gandaki and avoid the road for the rest of the day. As we walked in near-isolation through tiny villages and peaceful, quiet forests, any thoughts of quitting and jumping in a jeep were dispelled. We crossed back over the river at Tukuche (2,590m/8,497ft) to find a teahouse for the night.
Day 15
A great day of hiking almost entirely avoiding the road, except at Kalopani where we stopped for lunch. Although there were scattered clouds, we were able to catch glimpses of the peaks of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, and Nilgiri looming above us (the Kali Gandaki valley between Annapurna I and Dhaulagiri is supposedly the deepest in the world with more than three miles of relief!). When we got to Ghasa (2,010m/6,594ft), we walked through town to check out our lodging options. A friendly toddler followed us until his mother came and got him. When we reached the end of town, we were surprised to see him again, running down the path to greet us. We decided to take a picture of this cute kid but sadly fumbled the exchange of the camera and dropped it, knocking it out of commission until we could get to a camera shop.
Day 16
Ghasa marked the point where re-entered the sub-tropical environment. The forests were noticeably greener and lusher, and the air was warmer. Again we were able to avoid the road all day, walking through some amazing, tiny villages, observing the locals woodworking, drying crops, tending gardens, and sifting grains. We even saw a family of monkeys along the trail.
At Tatopani (1,190m/3,904ft), our stopping point for the day, we merged with the road one last time before our trail diverged from it permanently. From here we would ascend to the last great viewpoint of the trek, Poon Hill, and then descend to our finishing point at Naya Pul.
The Poon Hill trek can be completed independently of the Annapurna Circuit, and is very popular because of its excellent views, short time commitment, and proximity to Pokhara. Tatopani was filled with trekkers who had come to complete this trek – something we hadn’t experienced in the near empty guesthouses we had stayed at throughout the Kali Gandaki valley. Luckily, we were able to purchase a disposable camera here to document the rest of our trek.
Day 17
We were both dreading this day, a huge 1,670m ascent to Ghorepani (over a mile!), our biggest ascent of the entire trek. It was a long, difficult slog but it was made enjoyable as we passed through beautiful, sub-tropical villages and shared the path with young school children in their uniforms walking more than an hour to their school. Somehow our exhausted legs got us to Ghorepani (2,890m/9,481), where we got a room with amazing views of the peaks surrounding us and rested up for our last day of trekking.
Day 18
Despite our exhaustion from the ascent of the previous day, we were able to get on the trail at 5:15 a.m. for one last uphill to catch sunrise at Poon Hill (3,210m/10,531ft). We hiked in the cold under the light of the stars, the moon, and the increasing light of the rising sun and made it to the top around 6:00 am. Sadly, it was a bit crowded with around 100 people up there, but we were able to enjoy some remarkable views of Dhaulagiri, Tukuche Peak, Nilgiri, Annapurna I, Annapurna South, and the famous Machhapuchhre (Fish Tail Mountain) as the sun came up over the peaks.
After descending to Ghorepani for a quick breakfast, we still had a huge descent ahead of us to Naya Pul (1,070m/3,510), 1,790m downhill from Ghorepani. Somehow we made it all the way down, even down the never-ending section of steep, narrow rock steps. After a final permit checkpoint, we were officially finished with the trek and we caught a taxi into Pokhara.
Click on the photo below to view our Annapurna Circuit Part 4 photo album.
From Muktinath, the circuit descends down the Kali Gandaki River valley to the village of Tatopani. Until recently, the only route to many of the villages in this region was the trail itself and all supplies were brought up on donkeys or, just as commonly, on the backs of porters. Inevitably, however, came roads, and there is now a road up the Kali Gandaki valley to Muktinath and a road to Manang is currently under construction in the Marsyangdi valley. From the point of view of most villagers, these roads are essential to their livelihoods, education, and health. From the point of view of most trekkers, of course, these roads are a bane, ruining a trail once celebrated for its isolation.
After coming down from Thorung La pass to Muktinath, trekkers now have the option to jump in a jeep and ride in (dis)comfort back to civilization. Popular opinion seems to be that, after Muktinath, the trail has been diminished because of the dusty road and its bus and jeep traffic, and most do ride out for that reason (others just want to trim a few days off their trek). Thankfully, we heard reports that a new network of trails had been marked along the opposite side of the river, avoiding the road for most of the hike out. Full of optimism, we decided to test the waters and try to walk out, knowing that we could call it quits at any point.
Our first day hiking on this side of the pass turned out to be one of the most interesting. In the morning, we visited the Muktinath Temple complex, a pilgrimage site for both Buddhists and Hindus. Then, rather than following the road out of town toward Jomson, we crossed the valley and hiked through the beautiful Tibetan villages of Chongur, Jhong and Putak, across the barren landscape along the boundaries of the Mustang Valley to Kagbeni (2,810m/9,219ft), situated in a beautiful location along the eastern shore of the Kali Gandaki river.
Day 14
We walked along the riverbed most of the way to Jomson, but in some places it was impossible to avoid the road. We were passed by only three vehicles, which were full of the familiar faces of trekkers we had met along the trail. After Jomson, we had no choice but to follow the road for the next two hours to Marpha. It was hot and a little dismal, with a strong wind blowing up the valley into our faces.
Marpha is a lovely, white-washed village where we had an excellent lunch and spent some time exploring. After Marpha, we were able to cross the Kali Gandaki and avoid the road for the rest of the day. As we walked in near-isolation through tiny villages and peaceful, quiet forests, any thoughts of quitting and jumping in a jeep were dispelled. We crossed back over the river at Tukuche (2,590m/8,497ft) to find a teahouse for the night.
Day 15
A great day of hiking almost entirely avoiding the road, except at Kalopani where we stopped for lunch. Although there were scattered clouds, we were able to catch glimpses of the peaks of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, and Nilgiri looming above us (the Kali Gandaki valley between Annapurna I and Dhaulagiri is supposedly the deepest in the world with more than three miles of relief!). When we got to Ghasa (2,010m/6,594ft), we walked through town to check out our lodging options. A friendly toddler followed us until his mother came and got him. When we reached the end of town, we were surprised to see him again, running down the path to greet us. We decided to take a picture of this cute kid but sadly fumbled the exchange of the camera and dropped it, knocking it out of commission until we could get to a camera shop.
Day 16
Ghasa marked the point where re-entered the sub-tropical environment. The forests were noticeably greener and lusher, and the air was warmer. Again we were able to avoid the road all day, walking through some amazing, tiny villages, observing the locals woodworking, drying crops, tending gardens, and sifting grains. We even saw a family of monkeys along the trail.
At Tatopani (1,190m/3,904ft), our stopping point for the day, we merged with the road one last time before our trail diverged from it permanently. From here we would ascend to the last great viewpoint of the trek, Poon Hill, and then descend to our finishing point at Naya Pul.
The Poon Hill trek can be completed independently of the Annapurna Circuit, and is very popular because of its excellent views, short time commitment, and proximity to Pokhara. Tatopani was filled with trekkers who had come to complete this trek – something we hadn’t experienced in the near empty guesthouses we had stayed at throughout the Kali Gandaki valley. Luckily, we were able to purchase a disposable camera here to document the rest of our trek.
Day 17
We were both dreading this day, a huge 1,670m ascent to Ghorepani (over a mile!), our biggest ascent of the entire trek. It was a long, difficult slog but it was made enjoyable as we passed through beautiful, sub-tropical villages and shared the path with young school children in their uniforms walking more than an hour to their school. Somehow our exhausted legs got us to Ghorepani (2,890m/9,481), where we got a room with amazing views of the peaks surrounding us and rested up for our last day of trekking.
Day 18
Despite our exhaustion from the ascent of the previous day, we were able to get on the trail at 5:15 a.m. for one last uphill to catch sunrise at Poon Hill (3,210m/10,531ft). We hiked in the cold under the light of the stars, the moon, and the increasing light of the rising sun and made it to the top around 6:00 am. Sadly, it was a bit crowded with around 100 people up there, but we were able to enjoy some remarkable views of Dhaulagiri, Tukuche Peak, Nilgiri, Annapurna I, Annapurna South, and the famous Machhapuchhre (Fish Tail Mountain) as the sun came up over the peaks.
After descending to Ghorepani for a quick breakfast, we still had a huge descent ahead of us to Naya Pul (1,070m/3,510), 1,790m downhill from Ghorepani. Somehow we made it all the way down, even down the never-ending section of steep, narrow rock steps. After a final permit checkpoint, we were officially finished with the trek and we caught a taxi into Pokhara.
Click on the photo below to view our Annapurna Circuit Part 4 photo album.
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