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Jomsom Muktinath trek - 12 Days
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This trek is a part of Annapurna trek. In
comparison to others, it is an easier trek. One
of the most significant features of this trek is
that it can be done through out the year as it
falls under rain shadow area. The route actually
crosses to the other side of the main Himalayan
range for some magnificent views of the northern
flanks. The entire route remains below 4000
meters but the trek is purely stimulating. This
is a remarkable trek where you can explore the
Buddhist and Hindu culture as well.
To mention about some attractions of this trek
are that there are spectacular mountain views,
deepest gorge in the world and Jomsom is known
as arid valley stunning you to praise it. On the
other hand, Muktinath is Nepal's most famous
pilgrimage site with one hundred and eight stone
taps and the marvelous temples.
Facts of the Trek
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Duration: 12 Days
Trek type: Tea House
Max Altitude: 3795 m.
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Minimum Pax: 1 +
Mode of travel: Flight
Grade: Moderate
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Itinerary in Detail
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Day 01 : |
Drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara (914m.) which
takes about six hours. You depart early morning
at 7 o’clock for the six hours drive by tourist
deluxe bus to Pokhara (915m,), 200 kilometers
west of Kathmandu. As you climb out of the
Kathmandu valley, only to quickly descend again
to the Trisuli River, you follow upstream to its
junction with the Marsyangdi River. You follow
the Marsyandi gently up through heavily terraced
fields and small hill towns to the Seti River
that takes you directly into Pokhara. Having
pleasant weather, Pokhara is tourist's paradise
with full of natural as well as cultural
heritage sites such as lakes, caves, temples of
Buddhist and Hindus along with mountains. You
can observe views to the north across the hills
and Phewa Tal (lake) to the white peaks of the
Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. This drive will
take most of the morning, leaving much of the
afternoon to fall in love with its beauty.
You can also fly from Kathmandu to Pokhara which
takes about 25 minutes. |
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Day 02 : |
Drive from Pokhara to Beni which takes about
five and half hours and trek from Beni to
Galeshwar and it takes about one hour. The road
up to Baglung is well paved and the vehicle
clambers up the muddy tracks towards Beni. A
small river side town, Beni is the last point
where one can have the comforts of a four wheel
drive. Beni is the districts headquarter of
Myagdi. |
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Day 03 : |
Trek from Galeshawar to Tatopani which takes
about five and half hours. The trail is flat
which continues following Kali Gandaki. You will
come across many small waterfalls. The trail
also continues through the Baisari, Bekhola and
finally reaches Tatopani. |
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Day 04 : |
Trek from Tatopani (1180m.) to Ghasa and it
takes about four and half hours. After
descending through the rhododendron forest, fine
vistas open up as you approach Chitre, with the
Dhaulagiri Range straight ahead. The path then
leads through terraced fields to Sikha, a Magar
village clustered on a ridge. You continue to
descend, gradually at first and then more
steeply to cross the Ghar Khola. After a short
climb, you then cross the Kali Gandaki on a
large suspension bridge and from here it is only
a short distance upstream to Tatopani. Tatopani
takes its name from the hot springs near the
river below the village. Your route ascends
gently up the Kali Gandaki Gorge, the deepest
gorge in the world, towards the village of Dana,
which is surrounded by orange groves. From
autumn to winter, baskets of these oranges are
offered for sale to passing travelers. Just
beyond the small hamlet of Rupse, a thundering
waterfall cascades down beside the trail. From
here, the trail enters the steepest and
narrowest section of the gorge, but the layered
stone path is well-constructed and wide. When
the rock cliffs end, you descend to the river
before making the short climb back up to Ghasa.
This is the first Thakali village you come
across and the houses here are all built in the
flat-roofed Tibetan style.
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Day 05 : |
Trek from Ghasa (2080m.) to Kalopani which takes
about two and half hours. The trail continues to
ascend and pass through Lete at 2470m, shortly
before arriving at Kalopani, where you obtain
superb views of the Nilgiri peaks to the east. |
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Day 06 : |
Trek from Kalopani (2560m.) to Tukuche and it
takes about four and half hours. This day you
start the trek by crossing to the eastern side
of the river, but cross back again further up
the trail before entering Larjung at 2560m. The
trail continues on a short distance to the
interesting village of Khobang with its narrow
alleyways. Then you reach at the ancient Thakali
village of Tukuche at 2590m. |
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Day 07 : |
Trek from Tukuche (2590m.) to Jomsom which takes
about three and half hours. You trek through
almost flat level. On the way, you see the
apple, peaches, walnut orchard which looks very
fascinating. As you trek, you come across many
Thakali villages such as Syang, Marpha and so
on. Late morning onward, the Kali Gandaki valley
is featured as windy areas. In Marpha, you can
visit Tibetan Refugee camp. The people living
here wander to sell their Tibetan goods to the
visitors. It is one of the sources of their
income. |
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Day 08 : |
Trek from Jomsom (2713m.) to Kagbeni and it
takes about three hours. You begin your trek to
Kagbeni following along the bank of Kali Gandaki
river. En route, you pass through arid part of
Kali Gandaki river.
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Day 09 : |
Trek from Kagbeni (2810m.) to Muktinath which
takes about four hours. The Trail steeply
ascends for couple of hundred Meters. While
gradually walking you can enjoy beautiful
deserted landscape, Caves, old Tibetan Style
Villages, apple Garden, Yaks Herds, Sheep Herds
and so on. You can look at Thorong La valley
straight up to the Muktinath. You can enjoy
delicious lunch at Jharkot and visit Monastery
believed to be built in 15 century. Now you head
towards Muktinath following steep ascent path
for half an hour. You stay overnight at
Muktinath village. From here you hike to Rani
Pauwa (3700m.), an important pilgrimage site for
both Hindus and Buddhists. Here you come across
Natural flaming which really exhilarates you. At
this point, you can see splendid view of
Dhaulagiri (8165m), Nilgiri (7061m.) and others.
Now you walk for fifteen minutes to reach
Muktinath Temple, where you can enjoy a holy
bath of 108 Taps. The people of Kagbeni, Jharkot
and Muktinath are close to the life style,
culture, religion and idea of Tibetan people. |
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Day 10 : |
Trek from Muktinath (3800m.) to Jomsom and it
takes about four and half hours. You now begin
the trek descent down the dramatic Kali Gandaki
Gorge, initially through arid country in the
same geographical and climatic zone as Tibet.
After passing through Jharkot and Khingar
villages with typical Tibetan architecture, you
follow path steeply down to Kagbeni, a primitive
village famous for Tibetan architectures. People
living there follow the Tibetan life style and
culture. There is situated a monastery said to
belong to 15th Century. Now your trail passes
through the bank of Kali Gandaki passing through
the Eklebhatti. The trail is windy after late
morning. The river flows through broader course.
Jomsom is the headquarter of Mustang and it is
split into two towns and between these two towns
passes through Kali Gandaki river. There is
access of internet and banking facilities. From
Jomsom, you can enjoy the magnificent views of
Nilgiri and Tilicho peak. Here you stay
overnight at hotel. |
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Day 11 : |
Fly from Jomsom (2713m.) to Pokhara which
takes about 35 minutes. You stay overnight at
hotel in Pokhara.The flights are available
during the morning time. The strong breeze blows
during the after and frequent change of the
weather prevent the flight being landed and
taken off in the afternoon. During the flights
in morning, the sky looks very clear which makes
you able to enjoy the splendid views of
different mountain peaks. |
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Day 12 : |
Fly from Pokhara to Kathmandu which takes about
25 minutes and overnight stay at hotel Yak and
Yeti in Kathmandu. |
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Services
Included
National Park entry permit, Trekking permit,
Land transportation to and fro, Accommodation in
lodges during the trek, Food: three meals a day,
A guide & required number of porter(s),
Essential equipment.
Services
Excluded
Personal expenses, Insurance, Tips, Emergency
evacuation by Helicopter, Alternative
transportation in case of heavy rain, landslide,
strike, road blockade etc.
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