Nar Phu Valley and Thorong La Circuit

Our representative meets our team at Tribhuvan International Airport and transfers us to our hotel in Kathmandu. We gather in the evening for a team briefing and a welcome dinner.

We spend the day in Kathmandu preparing our equipment and handling final administrative tasks for our restricted area permits.

We depart early by private vehicle, driving along the Prithivi Highway and heading north toward Besishahar at 830 m, marking the start of our journey.

Our trail begins along terraced hillsides and small settlements, climbing steadily toward the ridge settlement of Bahundanda at 1310 m.

We walk past waterfalls and suspension bridges crossing the Marshyangdi River, reaching the stone-paved village of Chamje at 1400 m.

The path enters dense rhododendron and pine forests, ascending gradually into the Manang district until we arrive at Dharapani at 1920 m.

We continue up the valley through pine woods and alongside rushing river waters, arriving at Koto at 2600 m where we prepare to enter the restricted zone.

We leave the main Annapurna trail, following narrow forested gorges along the Phu Khola river up to the seasonal herders' camp at Dharmasala at 3230 m.

The canyon walls narrow sharply as our trail climbs through wild, arid terrain toward the remote resting place of Kayang at 3740 m.

We ascend higher above the tree line into the ancient fortified settlement of Phu Valley at 4050 m, surrounded by towering rock faces.

Descending from Phu, we retrace our steps down the valley before branching toward the grazing pastures of Junam at 3550 m.

Our route contours across high arid hillsides, leading us into the alpine stone village of Nar at 4150 m.

We spend a rest day in Nar to allow our bodies to adjust to the elevation, visiting local monasteries and observing daily pastoral life.

We undertake a demanding climb to cross the Kang La pass at 5315 m, descending past glacial streams to reach the village of Ngwal at 3690 m.

Following the classic Annapurna trail past ancient gompas, we walk through wide valley floors to reach the trading village of Manang at 3550 m.

We leave Manang behind, climbing steadily through alpine scrub and yak pastures toward the small settlement of Letdar at 4255 m.

A short but steep uphill push brings our team to Thorong High Camp at 4970 m in preparation for our second major pass crossing.

We start before dawn to scale the Thorong La pass at 5416 m before a long, sustained descent into the sacred pilgrimage basin of Muktinath at 3800 m.

Our route follows the windy Kali Gandaki river valley downhill through arid desert landscapes to the medieval walled village of Kagbeni at 2810 m.

We complete our final morning of trekking along the riverbed flats into the windswept district headquarters of Jomsom at 2700 m.

We board an early morning mountain flight from Jomsom to Pokhara, followed by a transfer back to Kathmandu to conclude our expedition.