Today is a bit easier as we are not rising in elevation as much to reach the district headquarters of Chame. This village is the administrative headquarters of Manang District. The journey continues through forests with dramatic views of the south face of Mt. Manaslu. The Marsyangdi River is still with us and across it will be a wonderful view of Mt. Annapurna II. We trek for 5 – 6 hours to reach Chame, where we find rest and comfort at a tea house to spend the night.

journey. We are rising in elevation again, and now we begin to see less and less forest and more open areas. The open areas reveal marvelous views of Lamjung Himal (6893 m), a wonderful snowcapped peak. We discover a picturesque waterfall as we pass Brathang Village. Pisang village gets its name because it’s in the shadow of Mt. Pisang. The area is rockier, and we discover Mani walls. These are rock carvings created by faithful Buddhists over the centuries. It will take us around 5 - 6 hours to reach Upper Pisang where we find lodging for the night.

We are turning westward today to make our way to one of the great landmark villages in the Annapurna Mountains. This is the village of Manang which is surrounded by majestic snowcapped peaks. The village is really a major community of the Gurung people. This village is home to many Gurkha soldiers who have faithfully served with bravery in both the British and Indian armies. We first pass through Ghyaru Village where we will enjoy a breathtaking view of both Annapurna II and Annapurna III. We stop and enjoy the views while resting, then continue our journey to Manang. It will take us approximately six hours to reach Manang. The forests are less and less as we are around the tree line. You will notice beautiful grasslands where the Gurung people graze their animals. Along the way, we climb upwards to Nawal to experience on the finest panoramic views of the Annapurna Range. In Manang, we will spend two nights.

We have crossed the 3500 meter mark and we need to allow our bodies to adjust to the thinner mountain air in order to avoid Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). We also deserve a good rest from our trekking. Today we get to explore this fascinating Gurung village. We stop to see Gangapurna Lake, visit the mountaineering school, local museums and enjoy the local hospitality. The Annapurnas nicely frame this wonderful place.

It’s a shorter day of walking as we walk in the thinner mountain air. We are making our way to higher elevation. We have left the trees behind us as the vegetation becomes low-lying juniper bushes. The lack of trees creates more outstanding views of the snowcapped peaks. We cross the Gundon River at Gunsang, a small farming village along the way. We trek for about four hours to reach Ledar where we find a hot meal and a good bed for the night at a local guest house.

We are approaching the highest point of our trek which will be tomorrow. Our destination is the tiny community of Thorung Phedi which is below the Thorung-La Pass. We don’t see much in the way of people today. Very few people live up here where the elevation doesn’t provide for much more than hardscrabble farming. We will encounter the Marsyangdi River which we cross on a wooden bridge. The river is not very big up here near its source. We don’t trek long today, between 3 – 4 hours. We rest up at the guest house in preparation for tomorrow’s climb.

It’s a long day, but well worth the effort as we will have the most magnificent panoramic view of the Annapurna Mountains. The trail up to the top of the pass is narrow. We encounter another bridge over the narrow Marsyangdi River and then upward to the pass. We reach the top and stand there admiring the outstanding view with snowcapped peaks in every direction. From here, it’s downhill to reach the sacred temple of Muktinath. Here the sacred blue flame constantly burns along with 108 water taps of holy water pouring from the temple. This place is sacred to both Buddhists as well as Hindus. The temple itself is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. We explore the temple region, resting for the night at a local guest house.

It’s a short journey to Jomson, a major village in the region. Noted for its excellent accommodations as well as regional airport. Here we will derive to Tatopani where we can pick up transportation to Pokhara to enjoy a nice hotel near the shores of beautiful Lake Phewa.

Pokhara to enjoy a nice hotel near the shores of beautiful Lake Phewa.