Nar Phu Valley Trek

From Kathmandu by private Jeep drive start early in the morning to Dharapani. The road up to Besisahar is quite good. Once we reached the Besiahar from there on it dirt road scenic drive for 4-5 hours from here until we reach Dharapani, where we will spend the night. The trek will be 9-10 hours long.

The trek from Dharapani to Koto takes around 7 hours. The valley extends westward through thick Fir and Pine forests. After 30 minutes of walking, we reach Bagarchap (2,160m). The village was swept away entirely by an avalanche few years back. From there, we will walk through Danaque and Temang Village. The view of Manaslu, Lamjung Himal, and Annapurna Himal (1 and 2) is breathtaking. From Temang, we will trek to the higher and dry areas of the Manang Valley. The path uphill is flat to Thanchowk, from where we will trek to Koto to spend the night. Koto is a small village mainly inhabited by Gurungs who follow Tibetan Buddhism.

Early morning we will head out for trekking. The trekking is comparatively challenging than previous days. We will cross a river that will lead us to the beautiful Nar Phu Valley and hike up through the beautiful woods and caves known as “Dharamshala” by the Piligrims. We will pass under a wide waterfall just before reaching Dharamshala. From here, the woods become sparse and the vista of mountains wider. One step closer to the Nar Phu Valley, we will spend the night in the holy region of Dharamshala.

We will start the day with a steep climb up the valley along a small river that brings us to the high pastures on a 3,200m plateau. We will walk through the scenic settlement of Kharka of Meta at 3,560m. The landscape here is similar to the Sierra Nevada – milky rocks, juniper shrubs. An hour trek from Meta, we will reach Junam, the second permanent settlement, where the “Khamapas” from Tibet come in winter. The next semi-permanent settlement, we will hike along is Chako, previously a Khampa settlement. After few hours of uphill and downhill trekking we will reach our campsite at Kyang, an extensive winter settlement of Phu, lying on a plateau high above the dwindling river.

We will start the day’s trek by dropping steeply down to river. We will trek for some time along the bank of the river. We will see beautiful and unique Chortens on our way today, for which Nar and Phu are well renowned. A little adventure in store for you – we will have to rock-hop across a small glacier stream right before crossing a larger one on a bridge made out of slabs. After 90 minutes of trekking from here through narrow Canyonlands and gorges, we are greeted by a monolith that reminds us of leaning tower of Pisa. After going across the ancient Phu Gate, Pupigyal Kwe we can view the three villages of Phu and “Dzong” a fort, in ruins now. Just before crossing the bridge to reach Phu, a line of wonderful Chortens color the setting and lead the way to the main village of Phu. We can visit the famous Tashi Lhakhang Gompa and receive blessings from Lama Karma Sonam Rinpoche, who came to the highlands in ’59 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

We have allocated a whole day to explore this ancient village of Phu. We will meet the locals and explore the wide valley looming above us. Tibet is two days walk from here, but we can visit the summer grazing settlement of the Kharka people. We can visit the famous Tashi Lhakhang Gompa and receive blessings from Lama Karma Sonam Rinpoche, who came to the highlands in ’59 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We can be part of the ancient Tibetan culture here, and take beautiful photographs as the lighting here is simply spectacular. If we get lucky, we might even see Blue Sheeps here!

Back through the historical Phu Gate, we go down along the river and hike down to Junam Karka. It is a beautiful place, perfect for out campsite for the twelfth day.

Yet another day of trekking! At first, we will trek down the very old bridge stretching over a deep and narrow gorge, and all the way up from here. From here, we can view the Gyalbu Khumbu and Satte Gompa, built in the 17th century, both empty now. After another hour of trekking, we finally reach Nar Gates situated on top of the hill. We will walk along delightfully painted, bamboo-topped Chortens. After a tiring trek we are greeted by the amazing views of Nar, the stretched Barley and Mustard fields, four ancient colorful Gompas and the silver peaks guarding all these!

Although Nar is not very far from the mainstream Annapurna Trial, it seems a hundred miles away. Uncharted and unexplored, this region is as beautiful as they come. Nar is comparatively more vibrant and lively than Phu. The squares are filled with smiley faces chatting away their time, weaving pounding mustard seeds. Every single family seems to have at least one son or daughter sent to live in the Gompa. The echoing sounds of chanting, drums and cymbals fills the squares and the village. You can observe the villagers painting in the prayer flags, indulged in carpentry, harvesting crops, spinning prayer wheels and so much more!

We will cross the Kang La Pass at 5,240m. The pass is not a difficult one, but a long one, especially if there is heavy snow or the altitude sickness occurs. The pass is, however, in no way less thrilling and gratifying than others. The view of Annapurna 2, Gangapurna, Tilicho Peak is excellent from here. Before entering Ngawal, we are greeted by colorful Chortens and prayer flags. Ngawal is a wonderful old village of cobbled streets, prayer wheels and beautiful architecture, an old religious hub.

Leaving Ngawal in backdrop, we will gradually descend to Manang. We will trek through remote village of Paugha. From here, we will hike slowly to Mungli and then to main Annapurna trial. After a healthy lunch, we will walk up to the village Braga. It is a beautiful village with houses built in traditional Tibetan style. We can visit a local Gompa that houses beautiful statues, thankas, and religious manuscripts. From here, we will trek for an hour to reach Manang for the night.

After a day of exploration in Manang, the trail leads to a gradual climb for an hour to Tenki Manang. From here, we can have a wonderful view of the mountains. The trail from here winds up offering views of beautiful terrains, and juniper bushes as the only surviving vegetation in the adversity. After hiking for some time, we will reach Yak Kharka for the night.

The trek will start at a slow pace at first. We will walk uphill with view of the regal mountains welcoming us. After an hour. We will reach Ledar and then move east to Jorsang Khola, then descend to cross the stream on the wooden plank bridge. From here, we follow a narrow path across a high, unstable slope before heading to Thorong Phedi for the night. Phedi literally means “foot of the hill”.

On this day, we make the quite long hike of about 7-8 hours. The trail is comparatively easier having been trodden for years, but could get difficult with strong winds at the upper regions. The trail is believed to have been used for hundreds of years to take sheep and yaks in and out of Manang along with other trading goods. We reach Thorung Phedi in about 6 hours.

After we reach Thorung la pass, our entire hard walk will be rewarded by the beautiful views of Annapurna, Gangapurna and a heavily glaciated peak of Khatungkang. After a 1600m of descent, we view the glorious Dhaulagiri standing in the distance. After a while, the trail becomes less steep and enters grassy fields and meadows to finally reach Muktinath.

In Hindu religion, Muktinath refers to a place of nirvana which houses a temple and a number of monasteries, making it a holy site for Hindus and Buddhists alike. The main attractions of the site are the Jwalamai temple with a spring and an eternal flame as well as the 108 water sprouts that pour holy water. These are visited by thousands of pilgrims every year.

From Muktinath, we follow a path of the Jomsom trek where we descent through meadows, streams and fruit trees to reach Kagbeni. Look around the old village then keep moving downwards from Kagbeni we reach Jomson, Kali Gandaki valley.

Early morning we will board a flight to tourist capital Pokhara. The flight will be 20 minutes long and we can have a wonderful view of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri range. We will have the whole day to ourselves to explore this beautiful lake city.

After breakfast, we will travel to capital via Prithvi Highway. Once again the scenic bus ride will keep you refreshed throughout the journey. On reaching Kathmandu, you can once roam around this vibrant city and buy gifts and souvenirs to take back home.