VUELTA A LOS ANNAPURNAS (ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT)
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 156.75 mi
- Elevation gain
- 50,203 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 49,390 ft
- Max elevation
- 17,766 ft
- TrailRank
-
82
5
- Min elevation
- 2,430 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Coordinates
- 5114
- Uploaded
- June 17, 2018
near Tribeni Tol, Western Region (Nepal)
Viewed 16637 times, downloaded 952 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
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Without a doubt one of the most famous and complete trekkings that can be done (not to say that it is number 1)
The route can currently be lengthened and shortened to the taste of the consumer, depending on the time available and the desire to walk. We do it completely, that is, from Besisahar (where it officially begins) to Nayapul. Both sites are easily accessible by public transport from both Kathmandu and Pokhara.
There are fewer and fewer people doing it in its entirety since it can be shortened through the eastern part of the circuit to Manang (it can be reached by jeep from Besisahar) or through the western sector even down from Ranipauwa. I recommend that if you have enough time to complete it, since the tracks are hardly stepped on and almost all the time you walk along alternative paths to these, so you can see the evolution of the landscape in a much more complete way apart from the fact that you acclimatize much better by doing it entirely. The sections that can be neutralized in transport, for me were partly the most attractive because they are not as crowded as the central sections of the circuit.
We do not hire any personnel to carry or guide us. Yes, I recommend hiring a guide and / or porter if you do not have some experience in the mountains. We carry a backpack each of about 9 kilos, which is carried without any problem.
When it comes to the material you need, this is always the big dilemma. If the tour is complete, it will be necessary to wear light and breathable clothing (for the first jungle and tropical stages) as well as high mountain clothing that shelters well and withstands adverse weather conditions for the higher areas.
We went with a light trekking boot with a membrane, which can hold some water and snow. We did not bring a sleeping bag as we did the trek in March and April and the lodges were half empty so there was no problem with the provision of blankets. If it takes place in October, which is the highest season, I don't know if I would risk it. We had no problem in this regard and we always had one or two blankets per person (we brought a simple and light sheet sack).
We did not take crampons of any kind (we had bought some lightweight chain, but in the end we gave up to lighten the weight). They really are not very necessary. The Thorung-La pass usually has a lot of snow, but this is not usually in bad condition. Some small sections must be taken care not to slip, but they are not usually compromised steps.
We carry a single pole each and in Manang we buy another one for the higher stages. There I also bought a good down jacket (so I saved myself from walking it in the early tropical stages). And I also bought some cheap leggings, which I didn't use later because they were not needed. He was wearing membrane trousers, very simple but that cut the cold wind very well (he had bought it for four dollars a few years ago in Namche Bazar)
As for the two permits that are required, if you do the trekking, as was our case, on your own, you have to manage them yourself. You have to get permission from ACAP and TIMS. Both are very easy to obtain (although somewhat expensive, about 2000 rupees each) in both Pokhara and Kathmandu.
The stages can be divided to the consumer's taste and how you divide them depends on a thousand factors. The truth is that we had some bad luck with the weather, as we had a kind of premonsoon that gave us good storms almost every afternoon. In fact, the first stage we wanted to do was the same afternoon that we arrived in Besisahar (around 4PM) to get close to Bhulbhule or a little more, but a good storm stopped us as soon as we got to Besi, which left us all afternoon locked in the hotel (bad omen climatologically speaking of what awaited us)
The description of the stages is as follows or they can be viewed separately by copying the title of each stage.
1st stage. Besi Sahar-Ngadi Lamjung.
Length: 9kms.
Elevation gain: 450m
Desnibel descent: 375m
The stage cannot be shorter but it is worth it as it passes through villages and lonely rural places of great beauty. Most of the people who start the trek from Besi Sahar usually neutralize it by taking the bus, I do not recommend it because I repeat that the route is beautiful (although it can be hot, so I recommend leaving early). It was so short because it started to rain and get very ugly when we passed Bhulbhule and we did not want to risk it since the day before we had a good one in Besi Sahar. Then the thing came to nothing, so we played a bit of a fool, but we had already talked to the guy from the accommodation.
2nd stage. Ngadi Lamjung-Lampata-Bahundanda-Ghermu-Syange-Jagat-Chamje.
Length: Almost 20kms
Elevation gain: 700ms
Long and beautiful stage of our recently started trekking. We leave from just before Ngadi Lamjung, taking advantage of an unmarked path that avoids the first section of track to Nadi Bazar and passes through the beautiful and lost village of Ngadi Lamjung. To find this hidden path you have to look at an accommodation called "Peace and love hotel". About 30m before you have to look to the right for the beginning of a path somewhat lost in the undergrowth, which is gaining consistency and views as we move forward. Once we have come out onto the track in Nadi Bazar, we continue along it until we reach the dam, where we turn right to go through the beautiful little village of Ngadi Khola (next to the homonymous river) and continue along the track already gaining height to Lampata. The climb is far from over, but quite the opposite, now is when it really starts up to Bahundanda, high up. From there we begin to descend through beautiful rural places to Ghermu and Syange (neighboring towns) where the Marsyandi, the main river that is marking our route these first stages, is boxing in, forming a narrow and spectacular gorge, which forces almost the entire section to go along the main track, although there are still short variants along much more interesting alternative paths but with much more unevenness. The GPS begins to fail due to the rugged terrain.
After passing through Jagat, we reached the long-awaited destination of the day, Chamje.
3rd stage. Chamje-Tal-Karte-Dharapani-Odar-Bagarchhap-Danagyu.
Length: 16kms. Elevation gain: 1200m and descent: 300m.
The landscape changes radically and goes from the jungle that we had until now to enter the high mountain in which we are submerging almost without realizing it. We start the stage as soon as we leave Chamje, crossing the Marsyandi by a good suspension bridge and gaining height through a narrow gorge until we reach a great plain where the pleasant village of Tal sits. As soon as you leave this town, the valley narrows again and in the background the snow-capped peaks are increasingly clear. We meet Elena, who will become our inseparable travel companion for a few days to Manang. At Dharapani we cross the river and come out onto the main track. Shortly after, we deviate from the track to climb a steep path (marked in white and blue as a variant) to the left that brings us closer to the beautiful and secluded village of Odar. We travel through beautiful places on the main valley and we go down again to Bagarchhap where we rejoin the official path. Shortly after we arrived in Danagyu, where we spent the rest of the afternoon and the night, with incredible views (especially towards Manaslu)
4th stage. Danagyu-Timang-Kurung-Tanchok-Koto-Chame-Thaleku-Bhratang.
Length: 20kms
Elevation gain: Almost 1000ms
We alternate stretches of boring track with others along beautiful paths through the forest, increasingly beautiful. Moving forward, the mass of Annapurna II takes shape with its younger brothers. And if we look back we have the no less impressive massif of Manaslu, which seems almost at hand, without a doubt a stage of high flights in terms of scenery. We also go through beautiful towns and villages full of rural life.
In Bhratang according to the guides there were several lodgings. This information is not real since at the moment this village has disappeared as such and has become a large apple plantation in the center of which is a piece of hotel that has nothing to do with what supposedly existed before. In any case, you can sleep for about 800 rupees (about € 6.5 in 2018) in a comfortable common bedroom, there are showers that you will not find anywhere else in these parts and you can eat luxuriously at the same time price practically than in the other towns in the area, so it is a good option, but the only one and I repeat, the town no longer exists (nor its roads). The location is unique, nestled in a spectacular gorge and with breathtaking views of glaciers and peaks. If you want more of everything and more atmosphere, it is best to stay in Chame, which is what almost everyone does.
5th stage. Bratang-Ghyaru.
Length: Just under 15kms
Elevation gain: 1000ms
Another beautiful stage of the circuit, with an important change in the landscape as we advance and go from a lush forest to a much more arid typical Tibetan landscape. We start walking through an incredible gorge through good patches of forest with yews, firs, pines ... the landscape could not be more beautiful, until you get the first views of an impressive formation that makes the side of the mountain and you realize that it can be more beautiful. This formation is called Paungda Danda (Swarga Dwar) and it is a sloping wall of dimensions difficult to understand until you see it. We continue walking through the interior of the precise forest and gaining height without great effort until we reach the village of Dhukur Pokhari, which receives the name of a lake (almost always dry) that we skirt shortly after to continue flattening through an increasingly arid landscape. although it still has good spots of Himalayan pines (they have a certain similarity with the canaries). Thus we arrive almost without realizing it to Upper Pisang, where we eat already observing impressive views of the north of Annapurna II and its neighbors. Then we continue for a while without gaining hardly any height until we cross a bridge over a good ravine (this area has an impressive landscape very eroded by gullies) in which we turn right to get away from Marsyangdi, which is the main valley bed and begin to really climb (the truce is over) without rest to Ghyaru.
6th stage. Ghyaru-Manang.
Length: 16.5kms
Slope both up and down: 550ms
Unfortunately, a fairly closed day dawned in the heights, totally covered with clouds that prevented the vision of all the heights of the Annapurnas from its north face. This is perhaps the most panoramic stage of the entire trek and, when we saw the day it was doing, we wanted to cry because we knew all the vision that we were going to lose. Even so, the stage is one of the most beautiful because of the beautiful villages with totally Tibetan architecture and landscapes. The entire road is lined with Buddhist religious buildings. It is difficult to choose which of the towns you like the most, from Ghyaru, the town where we had slept, later passing through Ngawal (if possible more beautiful), then visiting Chulu, Mungii and Bragha (beautiful old part) to finally reach Manang , which hides an old town at the height of the best of all the trekking. In summary, a not very long stage, but one that is better savored with time and that allows a good acclimatization by going much higher than the lower track and obtaining impressive views of the valley and the north of the Annapurnas (even with a day cloudy like ours) and visit some of the most interesting Tibetan villages around the circuit. Also as a last prize, much less people walk this way than down (to Mungii, where the two itineraries converge)
Rest day in Manang to acclimatize.
Manang. Gangapurna tal and Chongar viewpoint.
Short excursion to the Gangapurna Glacier Lagoon and then go up to the Chongar Viewpoint (it is a kind of recreational area at the top of the moraine, with a tea house), with spectacular views of the hanging glacier.After going down we visit the old part of Manang, which is a real delight since there are not many tourists and it is undoubtedly one of the best preserved old towns of the entire trek.
7th stage. Manang-Yak Karka.
Length: 9.5kms
Elevation gain: 720ms
Short stage (it needs to be like this to acclimatize better). In my case it was good for me because I got a strong enteritis that gave me the day and practically did not let me walk since I had to constantly stop (this made it a very hard stage for me, but objectively it is not, rather everything otherwise) There are many people who continue to the next settlement with lodgings, Letdar, or even go up to Thorung Phedi. You have to assess whether it is worth gambling with the issue of acclimatization. By the time we arrived at Yak Karka, the afternoon had already closed in and shortly afterwards it began to snow, a foreboding of what awaited us the next day.
8th Stage. Yak Kharka-Thorung Phedi.
Length: 7kms
Elevation gain: 700ms
Short stage between Yak Kharka Village and Thorung Phedi Camp. There are many people who continue to the High Camp. We prefer not to risk because, although it is true that the stage is very short and in a little more than 2 hours you are where you are going to sleep, you risk if you gain too much height to have problems with acclimatization (apart from that in the High Camp it does much colder and the prices go up in proportion to the height you earn). We stayed in the upper barracks of Thorung Phedi (they were almost empty and the atmosphere was much more familiar).
We had a very closed day without stopping snow, but without blizzard, so it was nice and it gave a more beautiful touch to the landscape. Of course, we could not enjoy the views of the snowy peaks that surrounded us at all. We arrived shortly after 10 in the morning, so we had the whole day to despair inside the Lodge. And the weather so closed invited very little to go out for a walk, which was what we had planned to better acclimatize.
9th stage. Thorun Pedi-Ranipauwa.
Length: 14kms
Elevation gain: 900ms
Descent slope: 1800ms
The key to the success of this queen stage of trekking is to be well acclimatized and go up to Thorun-La without haste. We left Thorun Pedi at around 6 in the morning. Most people leave much earlier, but I see it unnecessary because at 3.30 or 4 hours you are on the hill, walking very slowly (which is the key to this stage on the ascent) and you have enough time to even do some Extra stop before the wind picks up at the top of the port or a storm forms. I climbed very slowly because I had been fasting for 3 days because of my bloody diarrhea and because heights are not my strength. The descent is long but logically spreads much more than the rise.
Regarding the matter of the necessary material for the stage, it is essential to have good warm material (a good jacket) and some decent boots (I took some old trekking women that were enough). The issue of whether crampons, gaiters and others, because we do not wear crampons but we saw people who did wear them (both the authentic ones and especially those that are light and that serve only to get out of trouble). There were a couple of steps in which they would have been grateful because the snow was somewhat hard from stepping on it and they had some exposure, but with care it was done well. The issue is to carry the crampons all the trekking ..... it is a very personal choice. Leggings take up and weigh less and you can buy cheap ones in Manang and they also work in case of heavy rain or snow.
The difficulty of the route is set by the height more than the orientation or the technical complexity itself (although in the steps with hard snow you have to be a little careful if you do not wear crampons)
10th stage. Ranipauwa to Kagbeni.
Length: 11.5kms
Elevation gain: 130ms
Descent slope: 850ms
We begin by flattening without losing any height and visiting several beautiful Tibetan-style villages at the head of the valley and then go out on the track and descend towards Kagbeni, immersing ourselves in a very arid but grandiose surreal landscape as we approach the spectacular rocky channel of the Kali Gandaki, entrance to the Upper Kingdom of Mustang, off-limits territory if you don't have a special permit. In any case, the successive villages through which we passed (Congur, Jhong, Putak ...) are worth a good visit, all of them with beautiful Tibetan architecture. Also noteworthy is a spectacular viewpoint in a stupa over Kagbeni that for me has one of the greatest views of the entire trek, with a wide panorama of the Kali Gandaki and the view towards infinity of the High Kingdom of Mustang.
It is a fairly short stage and all downhill, so it serves as a rest for the previous day's stage.
11th stage. Kagbeni-Ekkle Bhatti-Pandkhola-Old Jomsom-Thini-Thini Tal-Monstº Nyingma-Chairo-Marpha.
Length: 22.5kms
Elevation gain: 850ms
Descent slope: 1000ms
Long stage between Kagbeni and Marpha in which there are clearly two distinct parts. The first we wandered through the Lower Kingdom of Mustang. alternating sections by track with others within the immense and stony channel of the Kali Gandaki, along somewhat unstable paths that merge with the infinite scree. So we came through the back door to Old Jomsom, but before reaching the modern part of this small town, we turned left to deviate from the track and the hustle and bustle and climb the slope away from the madding crowd and visiting small villages and the Lake Thini. We approach the interesting site of the Nyingma Monastery, with views over the immense Kali Gandaki. I had intended to cross to the other side of the river to get to Marpha on the track, but I gave up after asking a couple of locals, so we continued along the left bank of this wide channel, approaching Chairo, a Tibetan refugee settlement. Now we only had to cross a beautiful bridge to the main track and go back a few meters to reach the beautiful and busy Marpha.
12th stage. Marpha-Chairo-Chimrong-Sauru-Sirkung-Koketanhi.
Length: Almost 18kms
Elevation gain: 500ms
Descent slope: 800ms
Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful stages both for the landscape and for the towns we pass through and for its solitude. It seems incredible that these stages after Jomson and Marpha are so lonely that almost no one travels them, when they are really one of the most spectacular of the trek. After retracing the last section of the previous day and crossing the Kali Gandaki, we entered a beautiful path through the interior of the forest. Everything is perfectly marked as GR so there is no possible loss. We are getting closer to Chimrong and the landscape is more and more idyllic (it seems impossible that it can improve more), crossing a good extension of apple orchards just before reaching said town. The village could not be more beautiful, without a doubt one of the most authentic of the trek and without any tourist other than us. There is a short section of track downhill to leave the town but immediately we take a path to the left. We then went through a military camp. We pass through the small village of Chocopani and then continue along a path that gains a little height and offers incredible views of the immense channel of the Kali Gandaki, facing the spectacular town of Tukuche.
We continue discovering new little villages and discovering incredible flown paths that seem impossible, a real delight for walkers of we value this type of magical and solitary landscapes. The last stretch before Koketanhi is even more spectacular because of the abundance of interesting trees (I have seen so many yew trees in my life). The village chosen to sleep is one of the loneliest of the trekking (the next day I intended to climb the "Dhaulagiri Icefall" but the weather was adverse)
13th stage. Kokethani-Titi Tal-Tuclun-Chhoyo-Jipra-Phairotaplo-Myagdi-Kopchepani-Bhalebas-Dana.
Length: 21kms
Elevation gain: 800ms
Descent slope: 1800ms
For me one of the most beautiful and complete of all the trekking. And one of the most demanding for its length. A gray day dawned, so I gave up going up to the "Dhaulagiri Icefall", which was the main reason we had slept in Kokethani. The path uphill (smooth) to Lake Titi is beautiful. Too bad not being able to see the views of the Nilgiris, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri because of the clouds as it would have been impressive. We continue a little more to a hill to go down and divert (there are several route options) to the interesting town of Tuclun. We then go down to Chhoyo, where the road makes a great detour to cross the immense channel of the Pangbu Khola. Then we continue through solitary places crossing more narrow channels until we descend again to the bank of the Kali Gandaki in a truly incredible stretch of gorge. The path is simply impressive, you have to see it to believe where paths can be carved when necessary. Thus we reach the end of the stage, where the valley opens up, passing through beautiful villages before reaching Dana, which is on the other side of the Kali Gandaki (on the main track). As soon as they arrive, it begins to rain.
14th stage. Dana Ghara.
Length: 15.5kms
Elevation gain: 1200ms
Descent slope: 620ms
We leave Dana (on the main track) and cross the bridge over the Kali Gandaki, as soon as we leave, to go to the other side of the river and walk along beautiful paths in a beautiful and lonely rural environment full of villages with small ups and downs ( which has nothing to do with the busy track on the other side of the bridge). We reach a point where we have to return to the main track (along the right bank of the river). I try to avoid it by continuing along a path that goes to a little village and some Thermal Baths. It is in vain since there is no continuity and in the end we have to go back to cross the bridge and go to Tatopani by the main track. Shortly after we left said track and we turned left (we crossed several bridges) to come out to another track that climbs without respite to Ghara, crossing several interesting villages. The track has several shortcuts along old ladder paths, although they are not marked, it is interesting to try to locate them. The stage to Ghara from Dana may be a little short so you can continue for example to Sikha, which is a little further on and has many more accommodations than Ghara. In any case, we were very comfortable in the one we stayed since it is more town and more authentic, as you go up to Ghore Pani, the towns become more artificial or touristy.
15th stage. Ghara to Gore Pani.
Length: 9.5kms
Elevation gain: 1200ms
The stage is basically uphill from Ghara (at just under 1800m) through fairly comfortable terrain and generally avoiding the main track, so the route is pleasant until Ghore Pani (almost at 3000m). The upper section is the most beautiful. In it we immerse ourselves in a beautiful forest of giant rhododendrons, which were in full bloom in April.
We say this and last stage of our "Tour of the Annapurnas".
This stage will be characterized by a continuous descent from about 3,000 meters to almost 1,000 meters, so you have to be prepared
The route can currently be lengthened and shortened to the taste of the consumer, depending on the time available and the desire to walk. We do it completely, that is, from Besisahar (where it officially begins) to Nayapul. Both sites are easily accessible by public transport from both Kathmandu and Pokhara.
There are fewer and fewer people doing it in its entirety since it can be shortened through the eastern part of the circuit to Manang (it can be reached by jeep from Besisahar) or through the western sector even down from Ranipauwa. I recommend that if you have enough time to complete it, since the tracks are hardly stepped on and almost all the time you walk along alternative paths to these, so you can see the evolution of the landscape in a much more complete way apart from the fact that you acclimatize much better by doing it entirely. The sections that can be neutralized in transport, for me were partly the most attractive because they are not as crowded as the central sections of the circuit.
We do not hire any personnel to carry or guide us. Yes, I recommend hiring a guide and / or porter if you do not have some experience in the mountains. We carry a backpack each of about 9 kilos, which is carried without any problem.
When it comes to the material you need, this is always the big dilemma. If the tour is complete, it will be necessary to wear light and breathable clothing (for the first jungle and tropical stages) as well as high mountain clothing that shelters well and withstands adverse weather conditions for the higher areas.
We went with a light trekking boot with a membrane, which can hold some water and snow. We did not bring a sleeping bag as we did the trek in March and April and the lodges were half empty so there was no problem with the provision of blankets. If it takes place in October, which is the highest season, I don't know if I would risk it. We had no problem in this regard and we always had one or two blankets per person (we brought a simple and light sheet sack).
We did not take crampons of any kind (we had bought some lightweight chain, but in the end we gave up to lighten the weight). They really are not very necessary. The Thorung-La pass usually has a lot of snow, but this is not usually in bad condition. Some small sections must be taken care not to slip, but they are not usually compromised steps.
We carry a single pole each and in Manang we buy another one for the higher stages. There I also bought a good down jacket (so I saved myself from walking it in the early tropical stages). And I also bought some cheap leggings, which I didn't use later because they were not needed. He was wearing membrane trousers, very simple but that cut the cold wind very well (he had bought it for four dollars a few years ago in Namche Bazar)
As for the two permits that are required, if you do the trekking, as was our case, on your own, you have to manage them yourself. You have to get permission from ACAP and TIMS. Both are very easy to obtain (although somewhat expensive, about 2000 rupees each) in both Pokhara and Kathmandu.
The stages can be divided to the consumer's taste and how you divide them depends on a thousand factors. The truth is that we had some bad luck with the weather, as we had a kind of premonsoon that gave us good storms almost every afternoon. In fact, the first stage we wanted to do was the same afternoon that we arrived in Besisahar (around 4PM) to get close to Bhulbhule or a little more, but a good storm stopped us as soon as we got to Besi, which left us all afternoon locked in the hotel (bad omen climatologically speaking of what awaited us)
The description of the stages is as follows or they can be viewed separately by copying the title of each stage.
1st stage. Besi Sahar-Ngadi Lamjung.
Length: 9kms.
Elevation gain: 450m
Desnibel descent: 375m
The stage cannot be shorter but it is worth it as it passes through villages and lonely rural places of great beauty. Most of the people who start the trek from Besi Sahar usually neutralize it by taking the bus, I do not recommend it because I repeat that the route is beautiful (although it can be hot, so I recommend leaving early). It was so short because it started to rain and get very ugly when we passed Bhulbhule and we did not want to risk it since the day before we had a good one in Besi Sahar. Then the thing came to nothing, so we played a bit of a fool, but we had already talked to the guy from the accommodation.
2nd stage. Ngadi Lamjung-Lampata-Bahundanda-Ghermu-Syange-Jagat-Chamje.
Length: Almost 20kms
Elevation gain: 700ms
Long and beautiful stage of our recently started trekking. We leave from just before Ngadi Lamjung, taking advantage of an unmarked path that avoids the first section of track to Nadi Bazar and passes through the beautiful and lost village of Ngadi Lamjung. To find this hidden path you have to look at an accommodation called "Peace and love hotel". About 30m before you have to look to the right for the beginning of a path somewhat lost in the undergrowth, which is gaining consistency and views as we move forward. Once we have come out onto the track in Nadi Bazar, we continue along it until we reach the dam, where we turn right to go through the beautiful little village of Ngadi Khola (next to the homonymous river) and continue along the track already gaining height to Lampata. The climb is far from over, but quite the opposite, now is when it really starts up to Bahundanda, high up. From there we begin to descend through beautiful rural places to Ghermu and Syange (neighboring towns) where the Marsyandi, the main river that is marking our route these first stages, is boxing in, forming a narrow and spectacular gorge, which forces almost the entire section to go along the main track, although there are still short variants along much more interesting alternative paths but with much more unevenness. The GPS begins to fail due to the rugged terrain.
After passing through Jagat, we reached the long-awaited destination of the day, Chamje.
3rd stage. Chamje-Tal-Karte-Dharapani-Odar-Bagarchhap-Danagyu.
Length: 16kms. Elevation gain: 1200m and descent: 300m.
The landscape changes radically and goes from the jungle that we had until now to enter the high mountain in which we are submerging almost without realizing it. We start the stage as soon as we leave Chamje, crossing the Marsyandi by a good suspension bridge and gaining height through a narrow gorge until we reach a great plain where the pleasant village of Tal sits. As soon as you leave this town, the valley narrows again and in the background the snow-capped peaks are increasingly clear. We meet Elena, who will become our inseparable travel companion for a few days to Manang. At Dharapani we cross the river and come out onto the main track. Shortly after, we deviate from the track to climb a steep path (marked in white and blue as a variant) to the left that brings us closer to the beautiful and secluded village of Odar. We travel through beautiful places on the main valley and we go down again to Bagarchhap where we rejoin the official path. Shortly after we arrived in Danagyu, where we spent the rest of the afternoon and the night, with incredible views (especially towards Manaslu)
4th stage. Danagyu-Timang-Kurung-Tanchok-Koto-Chame-Thaleku-Bhratang.
Length: 20kms
Elevation gain: Almost 1000ms
We alternate stretches of boring track with others along beautiful paths through the forest, increasingly beautiful. Moving forward, the mass of Annapurna II takes shape with its younger brothers. And if we look back we have the no less impressive massif of Manaslu, which seems almost at hand, without a doubt a stage of high flights in terms of scenery. We also go through beautiful towns and villages full of rural life.
In Bhratang according to the guides there were several lodgings. This information is not real since at the moment this village has disappeared as such and has become a large apple plantation in the center of which is a piece of hotel that has nothing to do with what supposedly existed before. In any case, you can sleep for about 800 rupees (about € 6.5 in 2018) in a comfortable common bedroom, there are showers that you will not find anywhere else in these parts and you can eat luxuriously at the same time price practically than in the other towns in the area, so it is a good option, but the only one and I repeat, the town no longer exists (nor its roads). The location is unique, nestled in a spectacular gorge and with breathtaking views of glaciers and peaks. If you want more of everything and more atmosphere, it is best to stay in Chame, which is what almost everyone does.
5th stage. Bratang-Ghyaru.
Length: Just under 15kms
Elevation gain: 1000ms
Another beautiful stage of the circuit, with an important change in the landscape as we advance and go from a lush forest to a much more arid typical Tibetan landscape. We start walking through an incredible gorge through good patches of forest with yews, firs, pines ... the landscape could not be more beautiful, until you get the first views of an impressive formation that makes the side of the mountain and you realize that it can be more beautiful. This formation is called Paungda Danda (Swarga Dwar) and it is a sloping wall of dimensions difficult to understand until you see it. We continue walking through the interior of the precise forest and gaining height without great effort until we reach the village of Dhukur Pokhari, which receives the name of a lake (almost always dry) that we skirt shortly after to continue flattening through an increasingly arid landscape. although it still has good spots of Himalayan pines (they have a certain similarity with the canaries). Thus we arrive almost without realizing it to Upper Pisang, where we eat already observing impressive views of the north of Annapurna II and its neighbors. Then we continue for a while without gaining hardly any height until we cross a bridge over a good ravine (this area has an impressive landscape very eroded by gullies) in which we turn right to get away from Marsyangdi, which is the main valley bed and begin to really climb (the truce is over) without rest to Ghyaru.
6th stage. Ghyaru-Manang.
Length: 16.5kms
Slope both up and down: 550ms
Unfortunately, a fairly closed day dawned in the heights, totally covered with clouds that prevented the vision of all the heights of the Annapurnas from its north face. This is perhaps the most panoramic stage of the entire trek and, when we saw the day it was doing, we wanted to cry because we knew all the vision that we were going to lose. Even so, the stage is one of the most beautiful because of the beautiful villages with totally Tibetan architecture and landscapes. The entire road is lined with Buddhist religious buildings. It is difficult to choose which of the towns you like the most, from Ghyaru, the town where we had slept, later passing through Ngawal (if possible more beautiful), then visiting Chulu, Mungii and Bragha (beautiful old part) to finally reach Manang , which hides an old town at the height of the best of all the trekking. In summary, a not very long stage, but one that is better savored with time and that allows a good acclimatization by going much higher than the lower track and obtaining impressive views of the valley and the north of the Annapurnas (even with a day cloudy like ours) and visit some of the most interesting Tibetan villages around the circuit. Also as a last prize, much less people walk this way than down (to Mungii, where the two itineraries converge)
Rest day in Manang to acclimatize.
Manang. Gangapurna tal and Chongar viewpoint.
Short excursion to the Gangapurna Glacier Lagoon and then go up to the Chongar Viewpoint (it is a kind of recreational area at the top of the moraine, with a tea house), with spectacular views of the hanging glacier.After going down we visit the old part of Manang, which is a real delight since there are not many tourists and it is undoubtedly one of the best preserved old towns of the entire trek.
7th stage. Manang-Yak Karka.
Length: 9.5kms
Elevation gain: 720ms
Short stage (it needs to be like this to acclimatize better). In my case it was good for me because I got a strong enteritis that gave me the day and practically did not let me walk since I had to constantly stop (this made it a very hard stage for me, but objectively it is not, rather everything otherwise) There are many people who continue to the next settlement with lodgings, Letdar, or even go up to Thorung Phedi. You have to assess whether it is worth gambling with the issue of acclimatization. By the time we arrived at Yak Karka, the afternoon had already closed in and shortly afterwards it began to snow, a foreboding of what awaited us the next day.
8th Stage. Yak Kharka-Thorung Phedi.
Length: 7kms
Elevation gain: 700ms
Short stage between Yak Kharka Village and Thorung Phedi Camp. There are many people who continue to the High Camp. We prefer not to risk because, although it is true that the stage is very short and in a little more than 2 hours you are where you are going to sleep, you risk if you gain too much height to have problems with acclimatization (apart from that in the High Camp it does much colder and the prices go up in proportion to the height you earn). We stayed in the upper barracks of Thorung Phedi (they were almost empty and the atmosphere was much more familiar).
We had a very closed day without stopping snow, but without blizzard, so it was nice and it gave a more beautiful touch to the landscape. Of course, we could not enjoy the views of the snowy peaks that surrounded us at all. We arrived shortly after 10 in the morning, so we had the whole day to despair inside the Lodge. And the weather so closed invited very little to go out for a walk, which was what we had planned to better acclimatize.
9th stage. Thorun Pedi-Ranipauwa.
Length: 14kms
Elevation gain: 900ms
Descent slope: 1800ms
The key to the success of this queen stage of trekking is to be well acclimatized and go up to Thorun-La without haste. We left Thorun Pedi at around 6 in the morning. Most people leave much earlier, but I see it unnecessary because at 3.30 or 4 hours you are on the hill, walking very slowly (which is the key to this stage on the ascent) and you have enough time to even do some Extra stop before the wind picks up at the top of the port or a storm forms. I climbed very slowly because I had been fasting for 3 days because of my bloody diarrhea and because heights are not my strength. The descent is long but logically spreads much more than the rise.
Regarding the matter of the necessary material for the stage, it is essential to have good warm material (a good jacket) and some decent boots (I took some old trekking women that were enough). The issue of whether crampons, gaiters and others, because we do not wear crampons but we saw people who did wear them (both the authentic ones and especially those that are light and that serve only to get out of trouble). There were a couple of steps in which they would have been grateful because the snow was somewhat hard from stepping on it and they had some exposure, but with care it was done well. The issue is to carry the crampons all the trekking ..... it is a very personal choice. Leggings take up and weigh less and you can buy cheap ones in Manang and they also work in case of heavy rain or snow.
The difficulty of the route is set by the height more than the orientation or the technical complexity itself (although in the steps with hard snow you have to be a little careful if you do not wear crampons)
10th stage. Ranipauwa to Kagbeni.
Length: 11.5kms
Elevation gain: 130ms
Descent slope: 850ms
We begin by flattening without losing any height and visiting several beautiful Tibetan-style villages at the head of the valley and then go out on the track and descend towards Kagbeni, immersing ourselves in a very arid but grandiose surreal landscape as we approach the spectacular rocky channel of the Kali Gandaki, entrance to the Upper Kingdom of Mustang, off-limits territory if you don't have a special permit. In any case, the successive villages through which we passed (Congur, Jhong, Putak ...) are worth a good visit, all of them with beautiful Tibetan architecture. Also noteworthy is a spectacular viewpoint in a stupa over Kagbeni that for me has one of the greatest views of the entire trek, with a wide panorama of the Kali Gandaki and the view towards infinity of the High Kingdom of Mustang.
It is a fairly short stage and all downhill, so it serves as a rest for the previous day's stage.
11th stage. Kagbeni-Ekkle Bhatti-Pandkhola-Old Jomsom-Thini-Thini Tal-Monstº Nyingma-Chairo-Marpha.
Length: 22.5kms
Elevation gain: 850ms
Descent slope: 1000ms
Long stage between Kagbeni and Marpha in which there are clearly two distinct parts. The first we wandered through the Lower Kingdom of Mustang. alternating sections by track with others within the immense and stony channel of the Kali Gandaki, along somewhat unstable paths that merge with the infinite scree. So we came through the back door to Old Jomsom, but before reaching the modern part of this small town, we turned left to deviate from the track and the hustle and bustle and climb the slope away from the madding crowd and visiting small villages and the Lake Thini. We approach the interesting site of the Nyingma Monastery, with views over the immense Kali Gandaki. I had intended to cross to the other side of the river to get to Marpha on the track, but I gave up after asking a couple of locals, so we continued along the left bank of this wide channel, approaching Chairo, a Tibetan refugee settlement. Now we only had to cross a beautiful bridge to the main track and go back a few meters to reach the beautiful and busy Marpha.
12th stage. Marpha-Chairo-Chimrong-Sauru-Sirkung-Koketanhi.
Length: Almost 18kms
Elevation gain: 500ms
Descent slope: 800ms
Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful stages both for the landscape and for the towns we pass through and for its solitude. It seems incredible that these stages after Jomson and Marpha are so lonely that almost no one travels them, when they are really one of the most spectacular of the trek. After retracing the last section of the previous day and crossing the Kali Gandaki, we entered a beautiful path through the interior of the forest. Everything is perfectly marked as GR so there is no possible loss. We are getting closer to Chimrong and the landscape is more and more idyllic (it seems impossible that it can improve more), crossing a good extension of apple orchards just before reaching said town. The village could not be more beautiful, without a doubt one of the most authentic of the trek and without any tourist other than us. There is a short section of track downhill to leave the town but immediately we take a path to the left. We then went through a military camp. We pass through the small village of Chocopani and then continue along a path that gains a little height and offers incredible views of the immense channel of the Kali Gandaki, facing the spectacular town of Tukuche.
We continue discovering new little villages and discovering incredible flown paths that seem impossible, a real delight for walkers of we value this type of magical and solitary landscapes. The last stretch before Koketanhi is even more spectacular because of the abundance of interesting trees (I have seen so many yew trees in my life). The village chosen to sleep is one of the loneliest of the trekking (the next day I intended to climb the "Dhaulagiri Icefall" but the weather was adverse)
13th stage. Kokethani-Titi Tal-Tuclun-Chhoyo-Jipra-Phairotaplo-Myagdi-Kopchepani-Bhalebas-Dana.
Length: 21kms
Elevation gain: 800ms
Descent slope: 1800ms
For me one of the most beautiful and complete of all the trekking. And one of the most demanding for its length. A gray day dawned, so I gave up going up to the "Dhaulagiri Icefall", which was the main reason we had slept in Kokethani. The path uphill (smooth) to Lake Titi is beautiful. Too bad not being able to see the views of the Nilgiris, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri because of the clouds as it would have been impressive. We continue a little more to a hill to go down and divert (there are several route options) to the interesting town of Tuclun. We then go down to Chhoyo, where the road makes a great detour to cross the immense channel of the Pangbu Khola. Then we continue through solitary places crossing more narrow channels until we descend again to the bank of the Kali Gandaki in a truly incredible stretch of gorge. The path is simply impressive, you have to see it to believe where paths can be carved when necessary. Thus we reach the end of the stage, where the valley opens up, passing through beautiful villages before reaching Dana, which is on the other side of the Kali Gandaki (on the main track). As soon as they arrive, it begins to rain.
14th stage. Dana Ghara.
Length: 15.5kms
Elevation gain: 1200ms
Descent slope: 620ms
We leave Dana (on the main track) and cross the bridge over the Kali Gandaki, as soon as we leave, to go to the other side of the river and walk along beautiful paths in a beautiful and lonely rural environment full of villages with small ups and downs ( which has nothing to do with the busy track on the other side of the bridge). We reach a point where we have to return to the main track (along the right bank of the river). I try to avoid it by continuing along a path that goes to a little village and some Thermal Baths. It is in vain since there is no continuity and in the end we have to go back to cross the bridge and go to Tatopani by the main track. Shortly after we left said track and we turned left (we crossed several bridges) to come out to another track that climbs without respite to Ghara, crossing several interesting villages. The track has several shortcuts along old ladder paths, although they are not marked, it is interesting to try to locate them. The stage to Ghara from Dana may be a little short so you can continue for example to Sikha, which is a little further on and has many more accommodations than Ghara. In any case, we were very comfortable in the one we stayed since it is more town and more authentic, as you go up to Ghore Pani, the towns become more artificial or touristy.
15th stage. Ghara to Gore Pani.
Length: 9.5kms
Elevation gain: 1200ms
The stage is basically uphill from Ghara (at just under 1800m) through fairly comfortable terrain and generally avoiding the main track, so the route is pleasant until Ghore Pani (almost at 3000m). The upper section is the most beautiful. In it we immerse ourselves in a beautiful forest of giant rhododendrons, which were in full bloom in April.
We say this and last stage of our "Tour of the Annapurnas".
This stage will be characterized by a continuous descent from about 3,000 meters to almost 1,000 meters, so you have to be prepared
Waypoints
Wilderness hut
Provisioning
Religious site
Panorama
Mountain hut
Mountain pass
Intersection
9,042 ft
Old Jomson
Lake
Waypoint
8,766 ft
Chairo. Campamento de refugiados tibetanos
Tree
8,947 ft
Manzanal
Waypoint
8,589 ft
Campamento militar
River
Waypoint
4,669 ft
Dana. Final 13ª etapa.
Waypoint
4,052 ft
Tatopani. Lo circunvalamos
Monument
5,069 ft
Guthre
Waypoint
6,624 ft
Ulleri. Inicio de bajada muy larga por escaleras.
Comments (49)
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Hola! impresionante! Nosotros nos vamos este octubre a hacer una versión acortada de este circuito. No me había planteado lo de los crampones, cuando dices que en algún tramo os hubieran venido bien, te refieres a tramos peligrosos? en plan, el camino helado al lado de un precipicio o algo similar... me está costando decidirme, ya descarté el EBC por miedo a volar a Lukla… gracias por las indicaciones. Saludos!
Buenas bieta. No te preocupes por lo de los crampones , realmente son muy prescindibles. No hay ningún precipicio en las zonas que comento , simplemente que tienes que ir con más cuidado. En cuanto al miedo a volar a Lukla, si te interesa mucho el BEC, puedes empezarlo más abajo y te ahorras el vuelo. Aunque en sí el propio vuelo a Lukla es una experiencia inolvidable. Sí necesitas más información de cualquiera de los dos treks o del ACB no dudes en preguntarme, los he hecho los 3! Un saludo!
Me refiero al EBC y al ABC, que el autocorrector no para!
Hola!! Muchas gracias por tan detallada información del tour!! Creo que me va a venir de gran ayuda!!.. Enhorabuena por el tour, las fotos son maravillosas.
Quiero ir en el 2019, y puedo optar entre los meses de Marzo a Mayo, que me aconsejáis??... he visto que decíais que os llovió bastante por la tarde. Voy sólo, pero estoy muy acostrumbrado a caminar y me saqué el titulo de guía de montaña para tener mas conocimientos, de hecho organizo excursiones por Cataluña sin ánimo de lucro. Obviamente llego GPS, un garmin, y creo que vuestro Track me puede ir genial. Gracias!!!
Saludos
Muchas gracias Graciasunivers por tus comentarios! La ruta es obviamente una de las más espectaculares y accesibles de todos los treks que se pueden hacer por tu cuenta (y de los que no también). Te respondo a tus preguntas. Sin duda, mejor marzo que mayo (a priori, porque el tiempo está muy loco en todas partes), pero mayo lo veo muy tarde y es mucho más fácil que en mayo tengas el premonzón o el monzón, así que si puedes elegir, mejor marzo. La lluvia no es que sea un gran problema, pero te quita buenas vistas de todo, y eso es una putada grande. No te preocupes por la orientación o por ir solo, en algunos tramos hay bastante gente, si bien es cierto que en otros realmente iras solo de verdad, pero ya te digo, las indicaciones y el marcaje del itinierario están muy bien. Píllate en Pokhara o Kathmandú un mapa de la zona (son muy buenos pero por la escala les falta mucho detalle para que te sirvan, pero sí que te valen para organizarte y saber por ejemplo por donde salen las variantes). Te recomiendo también que te descargues el mapa de Nepal, tanto de Wikiloc como de MapsMe, este segundo te dará más detalle de los caminos que el primero, pero ambos son bastante precisos. Y no te fíes del todo de la señal de GPS, porque hay algunos sitios (tipo gargantas) en los que la señal se te irá casi seguro, pero ya te digo si estás acostumbrado a andar no tendrás mayor problema. Si te quedan más dudas no dudes en preguntarme. Un saludo!
Nosotros volamos para Katmandu mañana 24.09.18 Llevaremos este trak ya que lo encuentro muy completo y currado!que ilusion!muchas gracias por compartirlo!gracias por tu tiempo!
Muchas gracias Lineta por tu comentario y tú valoración! Os va a encantar el trek y el viaje, ya que Nepal nunca deja indiferente. Y sus montañas menos. Mucha suerte y a disfrutarlo! Cualquier duda que tengas no dudes en preguntarme!
Hola lamorosangel!
Aprovecho tu experiencia en la zona para preguntarte alguna cuestiones que me van a ayudar a organizarme mejor:
Vivo, en la otra punta de Nepal (Mexico), entonces creo que voy a poder ir una sola vez, por esto me gustaria saber tu opinion de que trek harias, tomando en cuenta mejores paisajes, cultura, experiencia en la montaña, etc. Te cuento que ya soy un viejo Trekkero, entonces las distancias no me molestan y vivo a 2,200 sobre el nivel del mar y mis salidas de fin de semana son a volcanes que llegan a 4,500 SNM. Tenia pensado dedicarle dos semanas a la caminada y una semana a turistiar.
El camino que me recomiendes, se puede hacer solo (voy con otro viejo trekkero) o tengo que contratarme guia o porteadores?
Que permisos necesito sacar y donde?
Si vas solo, como organizas el hospedaje, reservas antes, o llegando vez donde te quedas?
Me dijeron que el mejor mes es Octubre o Noviembre?
Bueno eso seria todo y de gran ayuda.
Te agradezco de antemano tu amabilidad al contestarme, te devolvere el favor cuando necesites orientacion por Mexico, Estados Unidos y Canada, que usualmente donde viajo a hacer Trekking.
Gracias por esta descripción tan completa. Recomiendas hacerlo solo si se está en buena forma?
Buenas maxriveron!
Es difícil recomendarte cual de los dos treks es mejor o más atractivo. Para mí los dos, tanto el de la Vuelta a los Annapurnas como el del Campo Base del Everest son igual de interesantes. Lo mejor es que si vas a ir una sola vez a Nepal, los hagas los dos y así los puedes comparar tú mismo.
En cuanto a lo de los permisos los puedes tramitar en Katmandú. En la misma oficina los tramitan todos los permisos, que son dos, tanto para un trek como par el otro. En ambos casos necesitas el TIMS. Y luego necesitas para el trek del Annapurna el ACAP y para el del Everest otro permiso que no recuerdo. Ya te digo que todos se tramitan en la misma oficina. Si te metes en internet puedes encontrar donde está la oficina.
Otra cosa, no hay ningún problema en realizar solo cualquiera de los treks. Están bien marcados y si tienes experiencia y estás fuerte puedes llevar una mochila con todo lo que necesites e ir alojándote sin problema en los lodges. Lógicamente si haces el trek en octubre o noviembre es posible que los lodges de más altura estén a tope, pero al ser una sola persona será más fácil encontrarte sitio.
Espero haberte podido aclarar algo. Suerte!
Buenas Jaume.
Gracias por tu comentario y tu valoración.
No es ningún problema el realizar el trek en solitario. De hecho para mí es más atractivo hacerlo así. Tanto el tramo primero como el último son los más solitarios, pero al mismo tiempo son en los que tienes más fácil acceso a la civilización en caso de tener cualquier percance. En cambio, los tramos más remotos y de altura, que son los centrales, hay mucha más gente, así que no te sentirás en absoluto solo. Así que sí que te lo recomiendo hacerlo en solitario. De hecho nosotros vimos a bastante gente que lo hacían solos (y algunas eran chicas) y no tuvieron ningún problema.
Suerte ya disfrutar!
Muchas gracias Lamorosangel!
Ya te contare como me fue, lamentablemente por cuestión de tiempo voy a tener que escoger uno solo.
Estamos en contacto.
Te mando un saludo.
Hola, tengo vacaciones del 16 de septiembre al 16 de octubre y me gustaría hacer este trekking.
¿Me recomiendas empezarlo en septiembre o más tirando a octubre?
Por otro lado, he leído que sugieres hacer Annapurnas y Campo Base. ¿Cuánto tiempo se puede tardar?
Tengo costumbre de andar y realizado marchas largas (Camino de Santiago, Circuito O en Torres del Paine...).
Muchas gracias por tu ayuda y si puedo devolverte el favor, cuenta conmigo.
Buenas Moxmy! Con las fechas que me comentas yo no tendría ninguna duda, cuanto más tarde mejor. Septiembre es demasiado pronto y puede estar demasiado activo el monzón, octubre es la mejor época y si puede ser la segunda quincena mejor, de hecho es la temporada alta (este detalle es un punto en contra porque estarán más saturados los lodges y habrá más competencia para poder dormir en ellos).
En cuanto a lo de hacerlo todo completo con el ABC para mí es una buena opción porque ya que estás allí solo implica alargar el recorrido unos 5 ó 6 días más, ya que la forma y la aclimatación ya está más que garantizada. En unos 20 o 21 días se puede hacer todo si no hay ningún contratiempo a un ritmo normal (se podría quizá acortar si estás muy fuerte y si aclimatas muy bien, pero yo no lo recomiendo). Si haces la extensión del Tilicho (que nosotros no hicimos por problemas intestinales tanto de mi chica como míos) habría que añadirle un par de días más.
Espero haberte aclarado algo. Un saludo Moxmy!
Moxmy..nosotros hicimos el trekking el otoño pasado. Volamos desde Barcelona 24 de septiembre y de vuelta 13 de octubre. El tiempo fue espectacular-no nos llovio ningun dia :)hicimos desde Besisahar hasta Jomsom y luego pasamos 3 dias en Pakhara.
Buenas Lineta, me alegro de que tuvierais tan buen tiempo. Está claro que octubre es el mejor mes. Nosotros lo hicimos entre marzo y abril (más abril que marzo realmente) y el tiempo nos dejó mucho que desear. El próximo trek que haga por la zona tengo muy claro época en la que lo haré. Una pregunta Lineta ¿tuvisteis problemas para encontrar sitio en los lodges?. Lo digo porque en esas fechas supongo que habrá mucha más gente que en primavera. Gracias!
Lamorosangel que va!para nada.al ser principio de temporada habia un monton de sitio a elegir.donde mas "problemas" tuvimos fuen en Besisahar..pero por que tardamos 14h en llegar de Katmandu hasta alli en bus y era muy tarde...es de donde parten las rutas por lo que hay mas concentracion de gente..pero por los pueblos -sin problema 😄 intentar buscar casas mas lejos del rio...pq las vistas son muy bonitas pero cuando caye la noche sera lo unico que escuchereis jaja
Muchas gracias por vuestros comentarios. Si alguna vez puedo echaros un cable, contad conmigo.
Un abrazo
Chacho mil gracias! Es la que mas me tienta con diferencia sobre todo porwue no pareces un anormal de "quiero hacerlo en el minimo tiempo posible pa probar que soy el mas macho" sino que es por gusto aue vas y a disfrutarlo. No se hasta que punto la copie pero de momwnto me la descargo y me da aue sera sehun la que pida el permiso
Nunca salgo al monte a batir récords sino a disfrutarlo. Y desde luego en zonas como estas tan espectaculares y con tanta distancia, menos. Sí a eso sumamos la altura y el tema de la aclimatación.... mejor ir tranquilo.
Venga piedrecillas, que lo disfrutes!
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great trail, maybe the best i've ever done.
must have some experience and good equipment.
people died by highness disease doing this trail, you really must respect your body!
Moito obrigado pedrosanches!
I was thinking about making a joke with your name (the same as our president).
This trail is of course one of the best you can walk all over the world and to tackle it you need good experence on mountain hiking and appropiate equipament.
If you take your time you don´t have to have big troubles with the high acclimatation but it´s very important of course to detect the first sintoms of highness disease to stop and even go down in this situation!
Hola lamorosangel! En primer lugar muchas gracias por compartir toda tu experiencia. Resulta muy útil. Somos un grupo de 4 españoles de 27 años que estamos dudando entre hacer parte se este trekking: Tal, chame, upper pisang, manang, churi ledar, thorung phedi, ranipawa y kagneni o hacer tipico trekking del campo base subiendo y bajando por el mismo recorrido en unos 8 dias. Cual nos recomiendas? El primero que menciono es mas completo pero quiza nos perdamos la experiencia de esta en el campo base. Muchas gracias de antemano!
Buenas Fernando! La pregunta que me haces es un poco complicada de contestar porque para mí ambos treks son muy interesantes. Por lo que comentas entiendo que no disponéis de mucho tiempo (porque si no te recomendaría que hicieras los dos). Si vais tan ajustados con el tiempo quizá no sea mala idea hacer el Trek del Campo Base ahora (siempre se puede hacer una variante en la vuelta subiendo a Ghorepani y Poon Hill desde Chhomrong) y dejar para un futuro en el que dispongáis de más tiempo el de la Vuelta a los Annapurnas (el cual siempre recomiendo hacerlo completo tal como lo hicimos nosotros). En fin, es una decisión muy personal porque los dos treks, tal y como los planteas (en versión corta el de la "Vuelta") los veo bastante similares. Quizá en cuanto a paisajes el de la "Vuelta" (incluso la versión que propones) da más amplitud de paisajes y abarca más territorio por el que caminas, mientras que el del "ABC" se encajona más y la visión que da de los tres grandes macizos de la zona (Annapurna, Daulagiri y Manaslú) es más limitada (a excepción de la subida a Poon Hill, claro), pero también hay que contar con el tiempo que necesitáis para llegar a los dos sitios (en el caso del ABC mucho más corto y fácil de gestionar porque son dos puntos muy cercanos a Pokhara y bien comunicados con ésta, en el caso de la "Vuelta Expréss", mucho más complejo llegar a los puntos de inicio y fin). En fin, no se si te he aclarado algo y te he creado más dudas!
Un saludo Fernando! Y no dudes en seguir preguntando si lo necesitas.
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Ruta muy bien planificada, con las anotaciones justas, la hemos seguido muy bien y las etapas bien marcadas.
es una ruta dura por los kilometros y el desnivel que realizas y que todos los dias caminas, es necesario un entrenamiento previo.
Muchas gracias Javi, me alegro que os haya gustado el trek y os haya servido la información. Obviamente no es ningún "paseo", pero se puede hacer con tranquilidad disfrutando cada momento. A ver si no tardamos en vernos!
Excelente aportación lamorosangel. Me voy al Nepal este mes de Abril 2020. Estaba planeando el circuito y tu aportación me ha ayudado a adentrarme por unas aldeas que no había contemplado, alejándome así de las zonas de pistas.
Mi idea es hacer también el gran circuito del Anapurna desde Besisahar, con la idea de hacerlo caminando desde ahí, todo el circuito sin acortar trayectos en transporte y si me diera tiempo compaginarlo con el el circuito al campo base Anapurna.
Voy hacerlo sólo, la verdad, va a ser un acto de fe, más bien, pero estoy mentalmente preparado y físicamente mas o menos, pero ya me he adentrado en treks en islandia como los 6 días del landmanalaugar y recorrer la isla haciendo trek diario y treks en las rocosas de Canadá, también treks diarios, pero claro, pude hacerlo porque me fascinaban esos paisajes aunque físicamente acabé KO técnico XD; no se en comparación, que tal será este trek en cuanto a dificultad y cansancio, lo que me da más respeto es el mal de altura. Me gustaría saber en que fechas fuistes exactamente, he leído que realizastes este circuito en los meses de Marzo-Abril y que los lodges no estaban muy llenos; yo espero estar en Besisahar sobre el 30 de Marzo y comenzar el trek el 31 de Marzo. Estaré un mes más o menos. Al no contratar guía ni porter el peso de la mochila me preocupa, he leído que el saco de dormir es imprescindible en foros pero comentas que en las fechas que fuistes había mantas suficientes porque no estaban muy llenos, de ahí mi curiosidad de saber las fechas exactas, yo he calculado que acabaría el trek sobre el 25 de abril si hiciera los dos circuitos, ¿estarían muy llenos los lodges en el mes de Abril, incluso los últimos días que serían casi a finales?. Mi saco de dormir pesa sobre el 1,5kg, aguanta bastante el frío pero es voluminoso y si me lo pudiera ahorrar, ganaría en espacio y un peso menos. Por otra parte yo soy partidario de los crampones, bueno, los microspikes, tengo unos ice master que me fueron de miedo en Canadá (pesan 450gr), gracias a ellos no hubiera hecho la mayoría de treks, ya que fui en el mes de septiembre (un mes de estancia) y me pilló 12 días de nevadas continuas y durmiendo en tienda de campaña, en campings habilitados está claro, toda una experiencia, para mí mortal, pero almenos podía calentarme en el coche de alquiler antes de meterme en la tienda con el saco de dormir. Y aún con las botas decentes que llevaba los caminos resbalaban mucho. Así que para mí es un imprescindible, ya que pasos comprometidos con nieve si no llevo ese tipo de seguridad no sería capaz de pasar. También me preocupa mucho la bajada desde el thorung La pass a Muktinath, he leido que hay tramos de laderas
Buenas Salvagillo! Te comento varias cosas para ver si te pueden aclarar algo a tus dudas. Nosotros fuimos unas fechas muy similares a las que tu tienes planeado ir, y como comento en el relato, no tuvimos ningún problema con el tema de mantas, que realmente sólo hacen falta a partir de cierta altura, por lo tanto, a menos que haya cambiado mucho la situación, lo normal es que no tengas ningún problema en que te presten en los alojamientos una o incluso dos mantas. Respecto al tema que comentas de compaginarlo con el Trek al ABC, por supuesto que me parece una excelente idea, si tienes tiempo y ganas. Nosotros no lo hicimos así porque mi chica estaba ya un poco cansada, pero ya que está por allí es una oportunidad de seguir conociendo y disfrutando la espectacular zona. Te puedo asegurar que no te va a defraudar.
En cuanto a tus miedos por el paso del Thorung La hacia Muktinath, si llevas los microspikes no debes de tener ningún problema, a menos que le de por hacer un tiempo infame durante varios días y cierren el paso (lo cual no suele ocurrir casi nunca). Nosotros lo pasamos sin ningún tipo de sistema de seguridad para las botas y con cuidado no tuvimos ninguna dificultad, así que no tengas ningún temor si encima te llevas los microcrampones, no son laderas tan empinadas.
En cuanto al tema de realizarlo en solitario, para mí es más bien un factor positivo, ya que te permite relacionarte mejor con la gente. Nosotros cuando lo anduvimos nos encontramos con bastante gente que lo realizaba sola (varias de ellas eran chicas) y es una zona segura.
Espero que tengas más suerte que nosotros con el tiempo, ya que a nosotros nos pilló una especie de premonzón que nos quitó bastantes vistas de estas impresionantes montañas.
Mucha suerte y a disfrutarlo.
Cualquier duda más que te pueda solucionar no dudes en preguntarme!
Un saludo!
Muchas gracias lamorosangel. Al final parece ser que escribí demasiado y se redujo mi comentario XD. Pues me quedo más tranquilo con la bajada del thorung la pass, le estaba teniendo hasta pánico XD e incluso había barajado la posibilidad de llevarme un piolet (400gr) para asegurarme a las paredes de las laderas. Voy a hacerlo en solitario ya que no he podido convencer a nadie que me acompañara XD, siempre viajaba en pareja pero la cosa ya acabó y he decidido envalentonarme. Mi nivel de inglés no es mu y allá, pero me servirá para espabilarme, lo que si me gustaría saber si en el tema de los lodges, yendo solo, es posible disponer de habitación doble o habitaciones privadas, aunque sea pagando más ya que así evito molestar a nadie o viceversa si comparto habitación con un desconocido, pq igual a mi me apetece ir a dormir pronto y la otra persona más tarde, aparte de incompatibilidades, quizás a la hora de levantarse, ya que mi idea es estar caminando cuando amanezca. Imagino que se puede desayunar a horas tempranas en los lodges; ¿ves factible buscar alojamiento cuando llegue a las aldeas después del trek o es preferible llamar antes?...Para finalizar, sabes desde donde salen exactamente los autobuses de katmandu a besisahar? encontré una web de reserva pero me piden donde me voy a alojar y no me dan con antelación ninguna información, no me dicen de donde salen, por que así podría mirar un sitio para dormir cercano a la parada de autobuses. Sabes si se puede reservar mismo día? o ha de ser mínimo un día antes? hay autobuses directos? . Llego un Domingo sobre las 11am a Katmandu, imagino que me dará tiempo sacar los 2 permisos y coger el bus al día siguiente. Muchas gracias por contestar tan rápido y perdona por el tostón escrito XD.
Buenas Salvagillo. Perdona por el retraso en contestarte.
Sobre lo que me comentas. No hay ningún problema en que te den habitaciones individuales. En teoría no te deberían de cobrar nada o casi nada. Nosotros íbamos en pareja y normalmente te daban gratis el alojamiento si desayunabas y cenabas allí, yendo uno sólo quizá te cobren algo pero no debe ser más de 1€ o 2 por noche. No hace falta que reserves los lodges (de hecho no hay manera de hacerlo). Cuando llegas a las aldeas, te das una vuelta y buscas. No suele haber ningún problema, y más para una persona sola. En cuanto a lo que comentas de que llegas el domingo, no tengo muy claro que puedas gestionar los dos permisos el mismo domingo, primero porque creo recordar que los domingos no abren y segundo, entre que aterriza el avión, recoges equipaje, pasas y pagas visado, llegas al centro y te acercas a donde se expenden los permisos (que lleva también un buen rato), me temo que lo vas a tener imposible el llegar antes de que cierran (por la tarde no abren), repito, en caso de que funcionen los domingos.
No recuerdo exactamente desde donde salían los autobuses que iban a Besisahar. Lo que sí recuerdo es que no hacía falta reservar, simplemente vas a la "estación de autobuses" y te las entiendes con veintemil, que querrán que te vayas en su bus, realmente es una lotería y es muy difícil que no te engañen un poco (nosotros acabamos en una tartana que tardó muchas horas, con pinchazo incluido, en llegar a Besisahar, por lo que ya no pudimos empezar a andar ese día el trek por la tarde). Si buscas en google no creo que te sea difícil localizar el sitio desde donde salen los buses.
Venga, no dudes en volver a preguntar si necesitas algo.
Muchas gracias lamorosangel. Para el tema del bus he encontrado esto http://tourenepal.com/right/bus-ticketing/. Se reserva vía mail y en principio te envían el ticket al alojamiento, pero no te cobran nada por adelantado aunque cuando les preguntas precio final (en web pone unos 10 euros pero si lo envían al hotel cobraran comisión imagino), horario del bus (en la misma web pone 7.30 o a partir 6.30am), donde se realiza el pago (hotel o estación bus), punto exacto de salida del bus o foto del bus/indentificación o algo para saber cual es el bus suyo no obtengo respuesta; eso sí, el único mail que recibí es que ok a la reserva y que me enviarian el ticket al alojamiento pero nada más, sólo saben mi nombre sin los apellidos, raro raro. LLevo un par de semanas para algo tan supuestamente sencillo, enviando mails donde toca pero no obtengo respuestas. Supongo que allí todo funciona así, me tendré que acostumbrar :).
Gracias de nuevo.
Gracias por la ruta grabada. Nos ha servido de mucha ayuda a la hora de realizar esta maravillosa caminata. Hemos tenido que alternan algunos tramos de carretera por tema de monzones, ya que había tramos de GR intransitables por barrizal, sanguijuelas etc. Pero nos ha servido de mucha ayuda tener esta ruta a mano. Gracias👍
De nada Iker! Me alegro que os haya sido útil.
Un saludo!
Atención etapa 3:
Estamos haciendo el circuito y no pudimos ir de Tal a Karte por el camino de senderistas. Nos quedamos bloqueados casi llegando a Karte por un desprendimiento que se cargó el camino.
Demasiado arriesgado seguir bajando por la ladera de arena y rocas. Tuvimos que deshacer 5km de camino hasta Tal, donde los locales nos confirmaron que sólo se puede continuar por la carretera principal.
Enlace a foto mapa:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FDhmT6zHindtxkY59
Triste que no hubiera ninguna indicación en Tal.
Ojalá le sirva a alguien, buen camino!
Atención etapa 3:
Estamos haciendo el circuito y no pudimos ir de Tal a Karte por el camino de senderistas. Nos quedamos bloqueados casi llegando a Karte por un desprendimiento que se llevó el camino.
Demasiado arriesgado seguir bajando por la ladera de arena y rocas. Tuvimos que deshacer 5km de camino hasta Tal, donde los locales nos confirmaron que no se podía pasar.
Enlace a foto mapa:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FDhmT6zHindtxkY59
Triste que no hubiera ninguna indicación en Tal.
Ojalá le sirva a alguien, buen camino!
Muchas gracias xavicosco por la información actualizada tan importante que aportas. Seguro que le será muy útil a los futuros caminantes que hagan esta impresionante ruta a corto plazo.
Ojalá tengáis más suerte el resto del recorrido! Buena ruta!
Un saludo!
Buenas, me podrías decir aproximadamente, sin contar los gastos de vuelo, por cuánto sale el viaje en total?. Gracias.
Buenas vladtormento! La verdad que a día de hoy no te puedo decir nada de nada porque han pasado bastantes años desde que estuvimos nosotros por lo que los precios seguro que son ahora mucho más caros. Lo siento!
Un saludo!
Ok, gracias igualmente, a ver si alguien que lo haya hecho recientemente me puede iluminar!
Muy buena descripción del trekking. Actualmente solo es posible hacer trekking en Nepal con guia local, por lo tanto será difícil que podamos seguir tu track. De todas formas, muchas gracias, si que ha servido para animarnos a tomar el camino. Saludos.
Lamentablemente desde abril de este año ya no es posible hacer trekking en Nepal por libre, así que para los amantes como nosotros de estas aventuras sin necesidad de ir "cogidos de la mano" se nos ha acabado esta posibilidad.
Muchas gracias a tí, Vila-Llivina por tus palabras!
Un saludo!
Último comentario, y te parecerá una frivolidad pero para mi es importante, ¿habéis encontrado muchos bichos? Tipo sanguijuelas o mosquitos. Nuestra idea es ir en otroño. Ya me contarás. Muchas gracias. Saludos.
Las tres veces que he hecho trekking en Nepal nunca hemos tenido sanguijuelas, mosquitos, ni nada significativo pero supongo que en épocas postmonzón puede que haya algunas. Aun así en otoño no creo que sea un problema eso!
Saludos Vila-Llivina!
Hola lamorosaangel. Muy instructivo lo que has descrito. Y también las distintas respuestas que has dado cada vez que te preguntan por aquí. Me ha ayudado bastante a orientarme. Justo leía entre los comentarios que desde abril 2023 es necesario contratar obligatoriamente un guía local. Es un bajón de verdad, puesto que yo ya tenía planeado hacer en el 2024 por mi cuenta esta ruta y el trekking hacia la Base del Everest. Yo ya tengo relativa experiencia en montaña y en trekkings entre los 4000 - 5500 msnm. Me oriento bastante bien con el GPS, el wikiloc y el maps.me.
Si alguno por aquí lo ha realizado recientemente o en los próximos meses, por favor su ayuda en cuanto a lo de pagar por el uso de guía local. Cúal es el costo? Por cuántos días se contrata? Tienen ya un itinerario fijo? Alguna empresa de confianza para contactarlos vía web?
De antemano muchas gracias por la información!
Buenas Alfredo!
Te comento varias cosas. Efectivamente desde abril se ha cambiado la regulación con respecto a los treks en Nepal y es una verdadera pena porque para mí uno de los mayores atractivos que tenía (entre muchos otros) es el poder ir a tu aire y a tu ritmo, sin sentirte una oveja. Por no hablar de lo que supone a nivel económico. Sí vas a la zona del Everest quizá tengas suerte. El gobernador de esa región supuestamente ha implantado una norma, que en cierta medida es una excepción. Te copio y pego lo que dice la revista desnivel (revista de montaña de España) por si te puede aclarar algo:
"La nueva normativa del Nepal Tourism Board referente a las expediciones de trekking que tenía que entrar en vigor a partir del 1 de abril y que obligaba a los extranjeros a contratar guías locales, tendrá importantes excepciones. Nada más y nada menos que la región más frecuentada por este tipo de viajeros, la zona del Everest.
En un comunicado, el gobierno del municipio rural de Khumbu Pasang Lhamu anuncia que los guías de trekking no son obligatorios para los senderistas que vayan por su cuenta a la zona del Everest. Según publica The Himalayan Times, los extranjeros podrán realizar trekking en el Phading Trail simplemente sacando una tarjeta de trekking en la correspondiente oficina de permisos y mostrándola en el punto de control. Dicha tarjeta tiene un coste de 2.000 rupias (unos 14 €), que hay que sumar al precio de la entrada al Parque Nacional Sagarmatha. Tampoco las autoridades del Parque Nacional parece que vayan a hacer nada por evitar que los senderistas recorran sus senderos de trekking".
Por lo tanto yo intentaría ponerme en contacto con las autoridades locales o buscar más información porque igual tienes suerte y puedes hacerlo por libre.
Por cierto Alfredo, he estado mirando tus rutas en tu país y la verdad que me encantan. De hecho Perú, junto a Nepal, son mis dos destinos favoritos a nivel de trekkings, así que enhorabuena! De hecho este verano espero viajar a Perú para hacer algo de montaña y turismo por allí.
Espero haberte aclarado algo con lo de los treks de Nepal. Aún falta tiempo para que vayas, así aún puede cambiar a mejor o a peor. Cualquier duda que te surja no dudes en contactarme.
Un saludo Alfredo!
Hola lamorosangel! Muchas gracias por tomarte la molestia en responder! Lo del circuito Campo Base Everest al menos es un alivio por ahora. El tema es que me ilusionaba más el Annapurna Trek. Me gustan más los trekkings donde se tenga que evitar el mismo camino de regreso. Igual estaré muy a la expectativa mientras pasen todos estos meses. Ojalá el tema cambie a lo que era antes pues hacerlo con guía local ya saldría bien caro para mi.
Sobre tu otro comentario, efectivamente, soy de Perú y aquí tenemos infinidad de trekkings. Me quedaría corto en recomendar que regiones visitar pues casi todas tienen paisajes increíbles. Normalmente para la gente que viene de afuera, por temas de tiempo, prefieren darle prioridad a Huaraz, Cusco y Arequipa. Cualquier consulta que necesites no dudes en contactarme. Te puedo ayudar con toda la información que se encuentre a mi alcance. Quizás incluso por allí podemos coincidir en algún trek de acuerdo a mi disponibilidad de tiempos. Un gran abrazo!
Hola Alfredo, te envío el treck que realizamos nosotros en la zona del Campo Base del Everest:
"Trek Campo Base del Everest. Valle Gokyo-Cho La Pass-Valle del Khumbu-Valle Imja Khola (Chukhung). Desde Lukla."
Es una ruta muy completa y es bastante circular (excepto la parte primera y última, que son la misma). A mí tampoco me gusta demasiado repetir el mismo camino.
Ya estuvimos hace años en Perú y realizamos varios trecks, el de Chavin de Huantar y el de Huaihuash. Los dos nos encantaron. Y ahora vamos a la zona de Cuzco para hacer el Trek del Salcantay por nuestra cuenta y el del Ausangate con agencia. Luego queremos ir a la zona de Puno y de Arequipa (posiblemente vayamos al cañón del Colca). Luego igual te envío un mensaje privado para consultarte más detalles. Tienes un país maravilloso para recorrer montañas, junto a Nepal son mis favoritos.
Seguimos en contacto!
Un saludo!
Genial lamorosangel! Acabo de revisar la ruta que adjuntaste y está de lujo y bien detallada. Definitivamente la voy a tener guardada para estudiarla bien.
Qué bueno que ahora en Cusco piensen hacer las rutas que detallas. Salkantay Trek tranquilamente se puede hacer con sólo mochila de ataque, puesto que en cada tramo al final llegas a comunidades donde hay hospedaje, cena, desayuno y abasteciemiento básico de alimentos para el día siguiente de trekking. El Ausangate Trek si es necesario ir con carpa y autonomía para 4-5 días. Esta muy bien que lo hagas mediante agencia si es que no tienes el equipo completo. Ambas rutas las hice por libre. Por eso la recomendación de hacer el Salkantay con solo mochila de ataque, que es lo que haré en otra ocasión que vuelva a Cusco.
Cualquier consulta me mandas nomas mensaje privado. En caso que quizás no vea el mensaje aquí por el Wikiloc me escribes nomas a mi Instagram, que está colocado en la descripción de mi perfil.