Annapurna Circuit Part 3, Nepal

Day 6 to 8, from Upper Pisang to Manang

Day 6 - to Ghyaru

We left the hotel at 7:35 am and followed the main trail out of Upper Pisang, until we saw a junction. We took the right side, the one going uphill. We met an older lady carrying a huge basket. She asked us if we really wanted to go to Pisang Peak or follow the main trail. It was good to know that she is looking out for tourists so they don't get lost. It took us 2 hours to get to the viewpoint. We had an awesome view of the valleys on both sides and Annapurna 2 from the top.

We enjoyed the view for a while and made tea and ate granola bars. After looking on the GPS we saw that the next village was about 2 km away in straight line, so we decided to try to find a way in the mountain instead of having to go back down and up again. We followed an animal trail to the forest. We had also seen a group with a guide heading in that direction and as their were not back we assumed they had find a way to get through. But after walking in the forest for about an hour we came to the conclusion that there was no trail to get to Ghyaru, so we turned around, made our way back to the viewpoint and started our descent. We met the group we had seen in the forest back in the trail down to Upper Pisang. They too didn't find a trail. The first hour was fairly flat and it felt really good on the legs after our climb and descent. The last hour to Ghyaru was a different story.

We had to go almost as high as the first mountain and is was very difficult. Being already tired from our first expedition plus the difference in altitude, made this mountain challenging. We finally arrived in the village and decided to stay at the Annapurna hotel. It was a good choice as we got to experiment a very rustic Nepali house. The family was nice even though the communication was not easy between their limited English and our non-existent Nepali.

Tea time

Basic room in Ghyaru

Day 7 to Mugje

We woke up at 6, with the room filled with smoke from the firewood stove. We had breakfast, and started our walk at 7am. It was very cold. We had planned on filling our water bottles in the morning, put the little tablet in the water and then use it later during the day when the water was purified, but it didn't go as planned as the water pipe was frozen shut. It was also pretty cold going to the toilet in the morning! We walked for an hour before stopping for milk tea in a small tea house just by a viewpoint. We decided to follow the lower trail to make it to Mugje. We went down for a while, working those knees. The last section was more flat and went through a different scenery and vegetation again. We arrived in Mugje around 11am and sat for lunch in the "Pie in the sky" restaurant and bakery. We decided to relax for the afternoon and start our hike to the Ice Lake from there the next morning. We showered with "hot" water as advertised. The water was in no way hot, but bearable. We showered quickly anyway as it was getting cold with the wind coming in. We sat on the rooftop terrace to read and enjoy the sun.

Looking back to Ghyaru

Day 8 - to Ice Lake and Manang

Already a week of walking done! We woke up at 5:30, to try and have breakfast at 6, but we finally got our food at 6:30. It was very cloudy and we weren't sure if the sky was going to clear up, but as we ate our breakfast we could see part of the clouds getting higher and moving away. We started our ascent right by the hotel. It was a pretty steep climb almost all the way up. We decided to carry our bags as a practice for the pass. It was very demanding to climb the first 1000m. We took just a few short breaks, and toward the top, we reached a plateau. We were getting very tired and hungry so we sat for lunch. After our lunch break, we decided to leave both our bags behind a little bush and try to get to the lake with only the camera. It was starting to be quite cold as the wind picked up. We made our way up the last few hundred meters and the path was going around the hill to the lakes. The view was stunning, but we didn't take much time to enjoy it as it was cold and we were both getting a headache from the altitude. We climbed from 3400 metres to 4600 metres. 

We then made our way back down, towards the bottom of the hill. We followed what we thought was the main trail, but it turned out to be a path in a field where goats go to eat. We made our way to Braka, and decided to keep going to Manang, hoping to get a room in a hotel that would have WiFi. We should probably have stopped in Braka as the last half-hour was too much after that long day. We arrived exhausted and had to climb a little bit to reach Manang. We started looking for hotels, but they were all full and none of them had free WiFi, just Internet cafe. We finally arrived to the Northpole hotel where the girl working in the bakery told us there was only one room left. We took it, dropped our bags and laid down for a while. We had the opportunity to witness a festival parade going down the main road in Manang. It is a festival that is held only once every 3 years. They wear masks and dance around to chase the bad luck away. We weren't really as excited as the girl working in the hotel due to our headaches but it was still interesting to see.

View towards Manang and Tilicho Lake from the Ice Lake trail

Ice Lake

Ice Lake at 4600 metres

Small "street" in Manang

Part 4 - Manang to Tilicho Lake base camp

Annapurna Circuit Part 2, Nepal

Day four and five, Dharapani to Upper Pisang

Day 4 - To Chame

We woke up at 6am, had breakfast and went our way, only to stop almost right away for the check point. We finally started our trek at 7:30. We stopped for tea in Danaqyu. We asked the lady if she had any bamboo sticks and she did! One of them was a little bit short, but it still made a big difference when it was time to climb up mountains. Especially right before Timang, where we took a 'shortcut' in the forest. It was a very steep climb and we were really happy to have found the sticks. We had to stop for another checkpoint in Koto, about 45 minutes before Chame where we decided to stay for the night. Chame is a bigger village and there are many shops just like in Thamel, in Kathmandu. There are also a lot of tourists. We arrived at 3 pm and the first hotel we had chosen was already full, so we walked to the next hotel, the Himalayan, where we got a triple room for the price of a double room. We were a little bit cold and very tired after the 15.6 km day. The menus are very similar everyday, and today we decided to try one of the Nepali specialities said to be gentle on the stomach and believed to cure everything; Garlic soup. With the amount of garlic in the soup, we can understand why no stomach bug could survive! We had a good time sharing stories with the other travellers. We went back to the room around 7 pm and went to bed at 8:15.

Going up to Odar in the morning

Odar

Tea break in Danaqyu

Lunch in Timang

Typical Nepali house

View from the room in Chame

Day 5 - To Upper Pisang

On that fifth morning, we decided to shop for more bamboo sticks so we could have 2 each, but unfortunately we waited too long on the trail to start looking for that and as the vegetation and scenery changes, there is less and less bamboo. We couldn't find bamboo stick so we bought two pairs of regular aluminium walking sticks. We found them really useful throughout the day, especially when needing the extra pull going up. We followed the road for most of the day, crossing the river once more, stopping quickly for apples and walking through a forest to arrive in Dhikur Pokani just in time for lunch.

We had Dhal Bat and were enjoying ourselves and the view until a group arrived. It wasn't so quiet anymore but not so bad. And that is when a second group arrived. They were loud and not concerned about the Nepalis' custom and traditions and they quickly took their t-shirt off, and 2 girls ( a younger and an older one) were just wearing sports bra. Not very respectful to the local culture. We left quickly as soon as we were done eating and followed the Upper Pisang trail.

Upper Pisang deserves its name as it is much higher than Lower Pisang! We were rewarded by amazing views of Annapurna when we finally made it to the village. The village is also very different, no colourful buildings built for tourists, but mostly houses made of rocks and wood. We decided to stop in a brand new hotel up the hill. We asked the owner if he has hot water and outlets in the room, but no. We rushed to the bathroom, undressed and tried the water. It was ice cold. The water was coming straight from the mountain, probably from a glacier and it didn't get warmer on the way down. We were just barely able to wash our hair and it felt like our brains were going to freeze right up.

We chatted with a group of German guys who then invited us to join them on their walk to the monastery to see the sunset. We went up a few more steps, and the view was even more stunning! The local community is rebuilding a new monastery to replace the old one, they say it is a work in progress but is was simply stunning. They set up plastic chairs so we could enjoy the view while drinking the very good lemon tea offered by the monk. We were even lucky enough to witness an avalanche and catch in on video. We came back down to the hotel when we were cold enough and went to the restaurant for supper. After talking to the German guys, we changed our plans slightly, we will go up the hill towards Pisang Peak as the views are said to be impressive.

Monastery in Upper Pisang

Inside the Monastery

Part 3 - Upper Pisang to Manang

Annapurna Circuit Part 1, Nepal

The first three days, from Besisahar to Dharapani

We were really exited to start walking on our first morning. It was something we had been looking forward to for over a month now. It is a great adventure, walking hundreds of kilometres surrounded by some of the highest mountains of the world. What is awesome is also going through all the different climates. We started in a jungle, at 760 meters in altitude in Besisahar, and hiked all the way to the white top mountains in a matter of a few days.

Day 1 - To Upper Ngadi

On our first day, the trail already offered us great views of the valley and an insight into the life of people living in small Nepali villages. We took the opportunity to stop and have tea in a small family home and discuss with them about their lives. We stopped for the day around lunchtime in Upper Ngadi, a really small village with only one lodge. We didn't know what to expect from all the restaurants and small lodges regarding the food. We were thinking that we would eat the same thing for three weeks, but the menu is quite extensive considering the remote location of the villages. We already walked 12.6 kilometres today, carrying our own backpacks. We were quite satisfied we could make it that far for our first day. We realized right away that our bed time would be really early on the trail when we went to bed... at around 8:15 pm.

First bridge 

The restaurant and our room

The bathroom with shower

Upper Ngadi

Day 2 - To Jagat

The mornings were quite similar every day, as we picked the same things for breakfast and were getting up at around the same time. On this second day, we were feeling great and were still excited about this adventure. We walked with a good pace along the river that we were going to follow for most of the trail. We were going up in altitude, but the river seemed to stay with us, flowing down the other way. We made it to Jagat on this second day, 13.8 kilometres further up in the valley, and at an altitude of 1281 meters. We stayed at the "North Face" lodge, the sign outside even had the official logo, just as all the clothes in Kathmandu. We were really happy with the basic room and its three windows providing great views. We also enjoyed our hot shower in the shared bathroom. The menus were quite similar so far, but the food is always a little different even when ordering the same meal. It was, again an early bed time as we were quite tired.

One of the many bridges

Basic room

The North Face Guest House

Day 3 - To Dharapani

Our third day was similar, walking 15.4 kilometres. We had to put our fleeces on that morning. We didn't keep them for long as the trail was going up right away, warming us up really quickly. Our tea and early lunch break in Tal was very welcome as it was located right on top of a crazy hill and we definitely needed to stop. We were still following the same river and it was weird to climb a mountain and end on a plateau with the quiet river beside us at the top. We stopped for the day in Dharapani, at an altitude of 1860 meters. We took a shower as soon as we arrived, but the water was very cold. Not easy to get under the water when it is that cold. We were hoping to see a hot shower on the trail again, but we were not sure if this would happen. We had supper while talking with a nice Australian couple that were just back from trekking in Tibet. We had a nice conversation but everybody was tired and wanted to go to bed at one point. That is when we realized it was only 7 pm. It felt like it was much later but it confirmed that we were not the only ones being exhausted at night!

Making new friends along the way

Arrival in Tal

Tal

Locals clearing the road block

Part 2 - Dharapani to Upper Pisang