The Annapurna Circuit - Alluring Annapurna [Nepal 4K] - Mannapurnaslu Part 3

The Annapurna Circuit Trek and how we experienced it on our trek in fall 2019: all the details about stages, lodges, trails and more!
Mannapurnaslu:
The Annapurna Circuit - Alluring Annapurna
Deutsche Version: • Der Annapurna Circuit ...
All Mannapurnaslu Videos in one playlist: • Mannapurnaslu
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:26 The Annapurna Circuit
03:07 Day 1: Dharapani to Chame
05:23 Day 2: Chame to Upper Pisang
08:14 Day 3: Upper Pisang to Manang
14:44 Day 4: Manang to Thorong Phedi
18:03 Day 5: Thorong Phedi to Muktinath
24:30 Getting Back
26:33 Summary
This video is about trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal and is meant to be a trek report and guide for anyone interested in hiking this beautiful trail across the Thorong La pass. It's the last part of a 3 part series about our hike along the Manaslu Circuit and the Annapurna Circuit, which we lovingly called the Mannapurnaslu Trek.
In October 2019 we set off to hike from the tiny village of Soti Khola in the center of Nepal, near the old capital of Ghorka, all the way to the famous sacred temple of Muktinath, located in the Kali Gandaki, the deepest Gorge on earth - right between the mountains of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, both over 8000 meters high.
We start our trek in subtropical jungle, far below 1000 meters of altitude and hike along the Manaslu Circuit all the way up and over the 5160 meter high Larke pass, descend to Dharapani and continue trekking on the world famouse Annapurna Circuit up to the Manang Valley, the 5416 meter high Thorong La and all the way down into the desert of Lower Mustang and the Kali Gandaki Gorge.
After completing the Manaslu Circuit, being well acclimatized already, we decide to try to reach Muktinath within just five day of trekking. Our schedule has us staying in the large village of Chame. On our second day we continue on to Upper Pisang. Unfortunately most of these two stages mean hiking on a rather dull and ugly dirt road, rather than on beautiful trail like the ones Manaslu treated us with.
Things get better on day three: We hike from Pisang via the villages of Ghyaru and Ngawal towards Manang and we have brilliant views of the Annapurna range south of us, including beautiful Annapurna II, just short of 8000m high.
From Manang we continue to Thorong Phedi in one day, which actually shouldn't be done in case you're not acclimatized yet. Enjoying spectacular mountain vistas and even some blue sheep sightings, we prepare for the high point of our tour - literally.
The last stage of our big Mannapurnaslu trek takes us in about 9 hours across the 5416m high Thorong La towards the sacred temple of Muktinath in the Lower Mustang Desert.
The trek finishes with an exhausting 11 hours jeep ride down the Kali Ghandaki valley to Pokhara.
A small remark: the mountain labeled as Manaslu at 15:32 is actually Himal Chuli at 7893m. I apologize for the mistake!
Our trek was organized by Prem Rai at Prems Nepal Trek:
/ premsnepaltrek1
We were lucky enough to have Chandi Rai as our lovely, dependable and knowledgeable guide (and meanwhile friend).
If you got any questions about this trek or trekking in Nepal in general, please post them in the comments section!

[@christiankeil7845]

Now it's 400 rupees for an instant coffee at the pass but still nice.I was alone at the pass. Did it 2 days ago and now are in Kagbeni. Much more quite now. Thanks for the video!

[@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains]

Kagbeni is such a great village. Enjoy your stay there and thanks a lot for the tea price update! :)

[@drumetu71]

I was there also in autumn 2019. I miss those places already

[@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains]

Let's hop that pandemic eases off at some point, so that we can get back to trekking!

[@biplavgautam]

I speak Nepali and last time I was in the Annapurna region I asked the locals about all the new roads and expressed my concern that it would be a blight on the area and threaten the trekking and tourism. I was quite surprised to learn that the natives have a completely different view. They claim the roads are economically very beneficial for them and provides much needed access to the rest of the country. It brings them another type of more commercial tourism. Unless alternate trekking routes are created, unfortunately in the future most of the trekking in Nepal will be along roads.

[@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains]

Hello Biplav! Thanks for sharing your view and experience! The road is a much needed improvement in getting supplies there and give the people access to medical care. The benefits are huge! As for tourism: I also think that the road has a positive impact on tourism in the Manang valley! It's just a different kind of tourists. Now, that you don't have to walk a single step to get to the heart of the Himalaya, the Manang valley is accessible for pretty much everyone who wants to go there. Not just for physically fit hikers. The lodges in Manang are really huge. And they're full. Business was booming when we were there. It's not longer just one of many villages on the way to the pass. Most people stay there for multiple days and just do day trips from there. All this is economically very beneficial for the upper Manang valley. Actually I think there are just two groups of people that probably don't like the road: The hikers (like us - or at least like me) and the people in the smaller villages in the lower Marsiyangdi valley. Because while the hikers all had to do several overnight stops in these villages on the way up, today's majority of toursts just drive by and only leave dust instead of money.

[@barunmondal990]

very good😛😛😛

[@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains]

Thank you! 😛😛😛

[@gabymotuloh6347]

Very nice informative video. Thanks a lot for sharing.

[@yogavacararahula]

I did the Annapurna circuit in 2014, starting in Dharapani. At that time the road went only as far as Chame. At that time I thought,"enough is enough". It was wishful thinking that it wouldn't go further. In this video, on the way up to Thorung La I did not see evidence of a road. But going down the other side it looked like there is a road apart from the trail. Was I seeing things or is that for real; are they building a road up from Muktinath? OMG. Glad I went when I did. The alternate trekking trail from Jomsom down the left side of the river (going down) should really be included in an itinerary, at least down to Tatopani for a soak in the hot spring. It is a good way to wind down the trek with great views instead of a bone jarring cramped 8-12 hour bus/jeep ride.

[@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains]

Hello Bhante! Thanks a lot for leaving a comment! The road now goes to a bit beyond Manang. Afterwards is either walking or taking a pony (as many visitors do). On the west side there is a road to maybe 200m of altitude up from Phedi there. I think they stopped building it though. We met people who took the jeep to Manang, rode a Pony to Muktinath and took the Jeep down to Pokhara from there, doing the full Annapurna Circuit without walking a single step! I also agree, that the road/trail ratio is nowadays much better in the Kali Gandaki, as the trail is usually on the other side of the river, giving you more separation from the road. However the Kali Gandaki road was built first, while there wasn't yet a road to Manang, so since more than ten years now the Kali Gandaki has a bad reputation because the road there, while most people don't seem to ntice, that by now the Manang side is a lot worse. It's paradox... Only the stage from Kagbeni to Jomsom follows the road mostly, which makes this a pretty sad stretch to hike. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to walk down the Kali Gandaki side this time.

[@acezary]

Hi, you started the movie with the coldest night - what temperatures did you have on October? especialy during the night

[@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains]

Inside the bedroom at Thorong Phedi, the temperature was around freezing. Some of our water was slightly frozen over. Outside was much colder than in the room, though. I would guess somewhere between -10°C and -15°C. But it immediately get's a lot warmer, as soon as the sun comes out.

[@acezary]

@@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains thanks for fast answer. Did you have similar temperatures in Manang? How hot was in lower parts like Bessisahar? I heard it can be 25/30stC

[@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains]

You got to keep in mind, that we started towards the pass before sunrise. That's the only day people usually do that, so night temperatures are not too relevant anywhere else. When hiking during the day at like 1000 meters altitude (Besisahar), it can really go up to 30°C. In Manag (3400m) we probably still had between 10°C and 15°C in the afternoon. At night freezing outside, but not in the rooms. The sun is really strong in Nepal.

[@acezary]

@@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains thanks - it is very helpfully

[@WanderwithXander]

Haha man what a difference with the springhike! I made a video of the circuit of march 2019, almost unrecognisable! And what a climb to Ghyaru, can still feel the pain if i see you climb it haha

[@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains]

Hey Xander! I've done ABC in spring, but never the Circuit. What does it look like in spring?

[@WanderwithXander]

@@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains Its amazing! Abc aswell! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXzPhaSvZrinb8k The Circuit starts at 4:40 and i added subtitles ;)

[@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains]

Great Video Xander! Subscribed! :)

[@WanderwithXander]

@@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains thanks man! Same!

[@viktor.egelund]

Nice video, but the music selection is terrible.

[@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains]

Thanks Viktor! What kind of music do you like?

[@viktor.egelund]

No music or something mellow on low volume.

[@TheMenWhoStareAtMountains]

I'll look around to see if I can get something more quiet for the next bunch of videos. Thanks again for the feedback Viktor!

[@viktor.egelund]

Test an edit with mostly nature sounds or silence. After all, that is the natural ambiance of the Nepali mountains. For inspiration on video without music: kzbin.info Viktor (KarlEdvard on TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet forums)