The Annapurna circuit is one of the best and most spectacular in Nepal with marvelous views of Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and other peaks of the Annapurna massif. The village of Manang, the gateway to the circuit, opened to foreigners in 1980. Since then, more and more hikers used this as a stopover. Therefore, beside the old village a real accommodation center has developed with many "lodges”. The highlight of the tour is the Thorong Pass (5415m) located between the sources of two large rivers: the Khali Gandaki and the Marsyangdi. The Valley of the Khali Gandaki is the deepest in the world since it is surrounded by nearby peaks of 8000m or more, namely Dhaulagiri (8167m) and Annapurna II (7937m), III (7555m) and IV (7525m) ,.
The conventional circuit and the shortest involves first driving 6h from Kathmandu to Ngadi or Jagat where the trek to Manang starts. The route then goes via the Thorong pass before descending to Muktinath.
A magnificent and spectacular alternative is to leave the classic route in Koto and go to Manang through the villages of Phu and Naar on a path through bamboo and juniper woods, then via the Kang La pass (± 5200m) from where there is a magnificent view of Annapurna and rejoining the classic route just before Manang. The path then leads up to Tilicho Lake for an overnight stop. The following day, after passing Eastern (± 5300m) and Mesokanto (± 5400m), the route descends towards Jomsom.
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