Mini Annapurna Trek

Kathmandu Valley Sightseeing and Trek Preparation

This day will be spent touring pilgrimage sites: Pashupatinath and Boudhanath, both enlisted in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. After a half-day sightseeing in Kathmandu Valley, your trekking guide will brief you about your entire trip.

Kathmandu to Dharapani (1860m/ 6102ft) Jeep Drive approx 7-8 hours

Today our journey begins with an exciting drive on the Prithvi Highway. The highway passes through beautiful forests, landscapes, and the gorging Trishuli river. About 5 hours of drive covering 173 km brings you to Besisahar, from here we will do an off-road drive of about 35 km alongside the Marsyangdi river. The roadway passes through beautiful waterfalls and hills. It takes around two hours to reach Dharapani.

Trek to Chame (2610m/8562ft)walk approx 5-6 hours

We will trek into the foothills of the Annapurna region. We continue our journey through a valley that houses two small settlements: Bagarshap and Denayaque. After a hard climb through the forest up to Timang village, we will stop for lunch while absorbing the beauty of Mt Manaslu and Peak 29. Our trail descends to the fir and pine forest after which it is undulating. We will pass through Koto village before finally reaching Chame village, the administrative centre of Manang district. Overnight in Chame.

Trek to Pisang (3200m/10498ft)walk approx 5-6 hours

You will experience a dramatic change of landscape and scenery as you leave the alpine vegetation behind. We will reach Bhratang, where Nepal’s largest commercial apple and potato farming is done. This farm produces more than 200,000 kgs of apples in a year. After a short jungle hike, we will reach a spectacular place with an impressive curved rock, also called Phaugdi Dadha. The river Marshyangdi is alongside our trail and Phaugdi Dada rises 150m from the riverbank. We then continue our trek to Dhukur Pokhari for lunch. From this point we skip the road track, gradually walk through serene scenery, and ultimately reach Upper Pisang. On arrival, we will go explore a monastery before returning to the lodge. We will spend the night here.

Trek to Manang via the upper route (3540m/11614ft) and walk approx 6-7 hours

Today, we follow the higher route which helps us to acclimatize our bodies to the thin air of the mountains. This route leads us via a steep climb to Ghyaru. A gentle climb brings us to Nawal village. This route offers panoramic mountain views of the Annapurna range. From Nawal, we drop down to the main trail bypassing the pasture fields, and reach the ancient monastery of Braga. We will have a tea break and explore the monastery of Braga. Afterwards, we will follow the undulating trail to Manang. Overnight in Manang.

Acclimatization and Rest Day

Today we spent the day doing a short acclimatization walk around Manang, gently adapting to the thin air. Most trekkers climb the hills behind Manang up to an ancient monastery about 400m from Manang. The monastery offers magnificent views of the Annapurna range, Ghangapurna icefalls, Gangapurna Lake, and Manang village. Alternatively, we can also walk to Gangapurna Lake for acclimatization. We will return to the lodge and stay the night.

Trek to Yak Kharka (4050m/ 13287ft)approx walk 3-4 hours

Our journey ascends to Yak Kharka, where you will steadily gain elevation. You will pass a small stream, numerous Chortens (small Buddhist prayer stupas), and Mane walls, and finally reach Tyanki Manang, a permanent settlement village above Manang. After this, we exit the Marshyangdi valley and turn northwest to the valley of Jarsang Khola. The trail passes through meadows of horses and yaks. You will be on Yak Kharka (Yak Pasture) by lunchtime. After lunch, we will go on an acclimatization walk. **AMS enter link**

Trek to Thorongla Phedi (4450m/ 14600ft)approx walk 3-4 hours

Today, we will go through a narrow landscape. We will enter a wilder territory on this day. The trek marches forward to Thorongla Phedi. After we reach the village of Ledar, we will descend briefly, cross a suspension bridge, and then ascend to Phedi. You will reach the only teahouse after the ascent. After a brief tea break, an undulating trail brings you to Phedi. We will have lunch in Phedi. You will go on a short acclimatization walk after lunch. This greatly enables the body to adapt to changing surroundings and ensures you don’t encounter problems while sleeping.

Trek to Thorong la pass (5416m/14816ft) and decent to Muktinath (3760m/12139ft)walk approx 9-10 hours

This is a challenging day of our trekking. We are going to attempt the most popular trekking pass: the Throngla Pass (5416m/17764ft). This day will feel like a long day, but it is equally rewarding. We start our journey very early in the morning with a head torch and proper trekking gear to hit our destination. The first section of the ascent is very steep. However, since we go slow and steady, you should be able to do it fairly well. Hopefully, we will hit the summit at around 9. The peak is marked by countless prayer flags hung by travellers. The stupendous view will impress you–the Himalayas are tempting and time will slip ever so quickly. The way down to Muktinath is as steep as the way up. You will reach this sacred valley at around 4 pm.

Trek to Jomsom (2743m/ 9000ft)approx trek 3-4 hours

After the morning dawn, we will have breakfast and explore the sacred Buddhist and Hindu shrine, Muktinath. The Muktinath temple is frequented by Nepali and Indian pilgrims year-round because the place is regarded as the place for salvation and nirvana. After this, we will follow the route next to the nearby village to avoid dusty roads. This also allows us to explore ancient monasteries on this part of the trail. We continue our trek through the village of Kagbeni and finally reach Jomsom.

Fly to Pokhara (850m/2788ft)approx flight 30 minutes

Since strong winds during the day make flights impossible, we will board an early plane to Pokhara. You will enjoy the spectacular mountain flight over the world’s deepest George with amazing views of the snow-capped mountains. We land at Pokhara airport and head to the hotel. You will get a free day in Pokhara to explore this city of lakes. Overnight in Pokhara.

Drive or Flight to Kathmandu

Today you will have an option to either fly or drive to Kathmandu. It takes an entire day to drive to Kathmandu. On the other hand, the flight takes only about 30 minutes. While you will get a fabulous bird’s-eye view from a plane, getting a bus is cheaper. Today you will get a free day in Kathmandu. If you are interested in exploring Kathmandu’s medieval valley, you can visit Kathmandu Durbar Square, Thamel, and other places. Warm farewell dinner with a cultural performance.

Departure

According to your flight schedule, our representative will drop you at the airport