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One very popular trek that does not
involve very steep trails is a week’s walk, starting
and ending at Jomsom (flights from and to Pokhara most days
in season). The flight affords wonderful views of the Annapurna
massif on the right side of the aircraft and the Dhaulagiri
peaks on the left. This trek is suitable for persons 70
and over who are in good health and can walk several kilometers
a day at altitudes below 4000 meters. Horseback trekking
may possibly be arranged for those less agile. For those
with more limited time, either the first or last half of
this trek can be arranged.
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Trekking
Day 1: |
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From Pokhara, walk up the riverbed of the Kali Gandaki,
cross the river on a fine steel bridge, then stop for lunch
at Eklobhatti, a walk of 1.5 hours. At Eklobhatti, you may
have lunch in the attractive, large Nepali kitchen, if you
wish. It’s a short 45-minute hike from there to Kagbeni,
where there are many good guesthouses. There will be time
to tour the ancient Tibetan Red Hat monastery, visit the
row of prayer wheels at the entrance to the Mustang region,
and see the huge old statue of a naked man (designed to
scare away demons) and the ruins of the royal palace.
Dinner here, as at the other guesthouses, normally offers
a very wide range of food, from Nepali dhal bhaat (lentil
soup, rice, vegetables, and pickled vegetables), to buckwheat
dgindo paste (an acquired taste), Chinese, Indian, American,
and other dishes. Dhal bhaat is the ubiquitous and good
food of this region, always very popular especially with
your Nepali companions, and always different, as each housewife
has her own recipe. Beer, soft drinks, good Nepali rum,
and sometimes Western liquor and Western candy bars will
all be on offer, always brought in by porters or mules all
the way from Pokhara!
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The trail from Kagbeni towards Muktinath is fairly steep
at first but soon becomes an easy walk to Jharkot, passing
good views of ruins along the Jhong Khola, the river that
forms the border of Mustang in this area. Soon, there is
a fine panorama of the approach to the Thorung La in the
distance (the major pass on the Anapurna Circuit, 5416 meters,
one of the highest passes in the world), flanked by Khatung
Kang (6484 meters) to the South and Yakawakang (6482 meters)
in the North.
Lunch is at a pleasant guesthouse in Jharkot, where you
can try the delicious seebuckthorn juice before continuing
through settlements to Muktinath village for the night.
If you arrive in time, it may be possible to see the nun’s
afternoon ceremony at the Muktinath temple, further up the
valley. The walk from Kagbeni to Muktinath is about five
hours.
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| First, pay a visit
to the temples at scenic Muktinath, then second most holy
Hindu site in Nepal, where pilgrims bathe in the water that
flows out of many fonts, each having the shape of a bull’s
head.
Muktinath is a perfect example of the
cultural diversity and peaceful coexistence of religions
in Nepal – inside the Muktinath compound there is a
special Buddhist shrine, where natural gas from the mountainside
forms an eternal flame attended by Bhuddist nuns. Water
from this shrine also flows out through a bull’s head
fountain.
If we wish, we can have breakfast at
Jharkot, then the trek continues rapidly and easily downhill
to the Kali Gandaki at Eklobhatti. Before crossing the bridge
again, there may be a chance to taste the superb fresh apples
that are a specialty of this region (although you are unlikely
to have seen any of the apple trees in this arid countryside).
Retracing our steps to Jomsom, we may have strong headwinds,
as this is called the Windy Valley.
From Jomsom, it is an easy walk onward
to Marpha, a total of about six hours for the day.
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| There is an
option to spend the whole day at Marpha, a very clean and
well-arranged Thakali village that boasts two colorful gompas
(Tibetan Buddhist monasteries). There is a fine former mansion,
now open to the public, where a visiting Japanese Zen monk
stayed for three months in 1900, studying the many texts in
the family chapel. You’ll enjoy the many apple desserts
at some of Marpha’s good restaurants. |
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| Continuing
down the right bank of the Kali Gandaki, we come to a bridge
leading across to Chhairo, a well-established Tibetan refugee
community with a pleasant small temple.
Then onward on the right bank to Khobang,
where lunch is at the attractive modern Musk Deer Valley
Resort, known for its excellent food (including apple crumble
and other apple desserts, too).
Our walk is often called The Apple
Pie Trek but could as well be called The Easy As Apple Pie
Trek.
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You
may wish to stop here overnight and even stay several days,
enjoying the alpine scenery and visiting the spectacular icefall
on the slopes of beautiful Dhaulagiri I (8167 meters), which
you can see from the resort. The Makilakan Gompa is on the
hillside above Khobang and the La Thau Gompa is at nearby
Larjung. There might be some ammonite fossils to find in the
Kali Gandaki.
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If we
don’t stay at Khobang, the day’s four-hour walk
continues along the very scenic forested riverbank to Kalopani,
a major town with schools and many good guesthouses. Kalopani
(which means black water) has a grand panorama of the Annapurna
massif peaks including Nilgiri and a large glacier. The scenery
in this part of the Annapurna Circuit is a remarkable contrast
to the barren landscape near Kagbeni.
This region is like a magnified
and even more magnificent Switzerland with the added interest
of Buddhist culture and various Nepali ethnic tribes.
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| Return to Jomsom and fly back to Pokhara
(staying overnight in Jomsom if necessary to meet available
flight schedules.) Alternatively, continue down the river
to Khaniya Ghat, where bus or taxi takes us back to Pokhara
(days 6-8 or 9) |
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| See also : Trekking
|| Strenuous Trekking |
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