Annapurna Circuit & Nar Phu Valley Trek

After being welcomed at the airport and being transported to your hotel, our Encounters Travel rep will help settle you in and explain the agenda of your tour.

You'll have a free day in Kathmandu today to explore at leisure or join our optional city tour. Whilst you explore the city, our local team will take your passports to obtain the permits required to enter the restricted Nar and Phu Valleys.

Optional Kathmandu Tour:
We begin with an exciting Rickshaw ride through the backstreets of Thamel, to Durbar Square. We'll pass through small back streets full of numerous tiny shops, workshops, temples, and stupas to Durbar Square with its array of wooden and stone carved temples and palaces, where we'll have plenty of time to walk around and explore. After lunch at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the square, we drive to the important Swayambunath Stupa which sits on a hilltop overlooking the city, visible from miles around. Also known locally as the 'monkey temple', we'll see these nimble inhabitants scampering in and around the trees and temple.

We start the day bright and early as we leave Kathmandu and head West along the main road towards Pokhara - here you'll travel in a private car/minibus and, once clear of the city’s surrounding hills, you may be rewarded with a wonderful panorama of snow-capped peaks as you wind your way down to the Trisuli River valley. The journey will also give you your first glimpse of Manaslu, far away to the north. After you arrive at Dumre, you head north to Besi-Sahar where you spend the night - be prepared for a long journey, the drive is expected to be approximately six hours in total.

Today we'll travel along the newly constructed road and start heading up through the Marsyangdi valley to Koto. The classic full Annapurna Circuit trekking route starts from Besi Sahar itself, but since the road has been built we find it a better experience to drive the first section and then to start hiking from further up where we can then spend more time in remote, less-visited areas such as the Nar and Phu Valleys. Our drive will be in a jeep which may be shared with other trekkers - roughly four hours' drive in total today.

We’ll be making an early start today as we journey from Koto to Meta. Our day begins with a hike along the banks of the Soti Khola, passing through pine and rhododendron Forests and crossing suspension bridges before we make our way to Dharmasala, our mid-way point. We then have a steep ascent towards Meta village where you will be rewarded with views of Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal.

This morning, we make our way out of Meta and pass by colourful Tibetan Chortens and through interesting villages. We'll also get good views along the way of the Nar Phedi Monastery which we'll visit - and stay at - on day eight. As we get closer to Phu, you'll cross over a bridge and pass by a line of Chortens which greet you on approach to the village.

The risk of experiencing altitude sickness increases as we increase our altitude even more - we have therefore built in an acclimatisation day today in Phu which can be used for an additional hike to Himlung Himal base camp or exploring the local village. Phu village is very interesting and a good way to the day is by exploring the narrow streets of the village, seeing the locals carrying out their day to day tasks such as processing mustard seeds for oil and spinning wool. You should also definitely make time to visit the Tashi Lakhang Monastery, which is thought to have been the last monastery constructed by the revered Karmapa Rinpoche.

Today we'll begin retracing our route back towards Meta, however, we'll divert off route to Nar Phedi Monastery where you'll be spending the night. The rooms at the monastery are modest but clean and comfortable. In the evening you'll be able to join the novice monks for their evening prayer before joining a communal meal.

Today will be much easier despite gaining altitude again. Expect to arrive at Nar village at around lunchtime. As we say goodbye to Nar Phedi we'll begin our ascent towards Nar following a winding path, which, if the weather is clear, rewards you with views of the snow-capped peak of Kang Garu in the distance. Once you arrive in Nar Village, you will notice that it's livelier than Phu, with the village square being where most of the activity takes place. The village is in a natural bowl and is surrounded by farmland and magnificent mountain views in the distance.

Today will be one of the longest and hardest days on this trek, so expect an early start. As we leave Nar Village, we'll head towards the Kang La Pass on a pleasant path which takes us through farms and yak grazing lands, and once on top of the Pass, you'll want to pause for a moment to appreciate the beautiful views of Annapurna II, Tilicho Peak and Gangapurna. After passing over the Kang La Pass, we'll have a steep descent to Ngawal which will take us through some sections of scree which will need to be carefully navigated. As Ngawal is back on the main Annapurna Circuit route, you'll see a noticeable difference from the traditional villages you've just visited. The lodges here are larger, with more facilities, some may even have Wi-Fi.

We have a relatively easy day today - trekking along the Marsyangdi River for about an hour before entering Braka Village to explore the monasteries. After time in Braka, we’ll push on and trek the remainder of the distance to Manang - Manang is by no means a large town, however, you will find a good selection of guest houses here and even some trekking supply shops.

On leaving Manang, the trail follows the Jargeng Khola, a tributary of the bigger Marsyangdi Khola. Here, we'll continue to gain altitude as we travel through small villages eventually arriving at Yak Kharka (3,950m). Excellent views abound, especially of the Glacier Dome.

Pressing on from Yak Kharka, anticipate a trek through the tiny cluster of buildings at Churi Leather where you'll cross the Jargeng Khola - just a bit further to Thorung Phedi. This is second short day's walking, but you are gaining altitude still and taking this steadily is sensible, especially as there is a long hard day tomorrow.

The day kicks off early with a long, slow, and steep ascent ahead and you need to lose considerable altitude again after crossing the high pass before you can rest for the night. Leaving early helps to ensure better weather as the views are spectacular. Your guide will check reports on the weather and snow conditions on the Pass before you set off. After a tough, steady walk in the high altitude, around late morning you reach the highest point of this trek, the Thorung La Pass at 5,416m, and you cross from the Marsyangdi Khola to the Kali Gandaki river valleys. As you descend it becomes very steep in places, and hard on the knees, but the views and the beautiful Hanging Meadow on the way down will reward you. You can rest your legs and be proud of your accomplishment when you arrive in Muktinath - having covered over 2,400m in height today.

After yesterday's long hard day crossing the Thorung La, you have the choice of either taking the quicker and easier route downhill from Muktinath, following the road along several sections of the route to Kagbeni or a longer more scenic trek avoiding the road - the alternative route takes you through the dramatic village of Jarkot and across the Lubra Pass before a long descent into the Kali Gandaki Valley and the village of Ekle Bhatti. You could spend the night here or walk a little further up the valley to Kagbeni, which is a beautiful village in Lower Mustang. Either way, you should enjoy great views of Dhaulagiri across the valley.

You could finish the trek today and take a jeep back down towards Pokhara. However, we like to add another couple of days here to make the most of your time high in the mountains. This itinerary's route, therefore, leaves the main Annapurna Circuit path again today to head into the hills on the western side of the Kali Gandaki valley. There are many routes to choose from to get from Kagbeni or Elke Bhattia to Dhagarjung village, and you can discuss which to take with your guide.

Your final day's trekking today takes you over one last pass, the 'Windy Pass' of Bhatase Bhanjyang at 3472m before you descend back into the valley floor at Jomsom. There is an airport in Jomsom with an option to fly to Pokhara if you'd like to shorten the tour - ideally this needs to be booked in advance but may be available locally too. Our route crosses the valley again to avoid the road and continues to descend through Thini and on to the welcoming village of Marpha - unlike some villages on the route, Marpha has worked hard to preserve its unique heritage and architecture, with stone-built houses nestling against the cliffs.

Expect an early morning as we'll be driving the rest of the journey - we'll take a bus or shared jeep further down the Kali Gandaki valley through Kalopani and Ghasa and on down to Tatopani. This drive should take around 3 1/2 hours. In the afternoon, the hot springs can provide welcome relief from the past few weeks walking. Only the good food on offer is enough to drag some out of the steaming pools.

Your final drive out of the mountains leg takes you the remainder of the way from Tatopani by shared jeep or bus to the lakeside town of Pokhara. The city is enchanting and dominated by views of the Annapurnas and of Machhapuchhare. The Lakeside area is refreshing and crowds with travellers in the evenings. If you'd like to extend your time in the Annapurnas we can arrange a trek extension up from Tatopani to Ghorepani to the famous viewpoint of Poon Hill where you descend again before returning to Pokhara - contact us for details and pricing.

We leave the Annapurna region behind this morning and take a tourist bus back to Kathmandu (approx. 7-8 hours). An upgrade to a domestic flight is available on request. The remainder of the day and evening is free to settle back into busy city life again!

You'll have some free time in Kathmandu until being transferred to the airport for departure. Extensions are available if you'd like to do some other trekking, try some white-water rafting, or add a visit to one of Nepal's national parks.