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 | | Kali Ghandaki Gorge This trek, to Jomsom and Muktinath, follows the Kali Ghandaki River upstream as it bisects the Himalayas in the world's deepest gorge between Dhaulagiri (26,800 ft) and Annapurna (Photo). The mountain views are breathtaking and the route crosses the Himalayas, providing views of the northern flanks and the high desert plain stretching into Tibet.Indeed this trail has been a major trade route for centuries with yak and donkey trains bringing salt down from the Tibetan salt lakes. If you stop at Kagbeni and do not go to Muktinath (12,500 ft), the altitude on the trek never exceeds 10,000 ft, making this a good strenuous trek if you wish to avoid high altitudes. The classic route north out of Pokhara climbs to Deorali (9,300 ft), the village at the spectacular Ghorapani Pass. From the village, an early morning hike to close-by Poon Hill (10,500 ft) provides an amazing vista as the sun rises over the Himalayan range (Photo 14, 19). From the pass, the trail descends steeply to cross the Khali Ghandaki River at Tatopani (4,000 ft) (Photo), a lovely village with mandarin orange trees and cherry blossoms in the gardens. The village name translates as "hot water," so called because of the hot springs by the river there. They are very relaxing to soak in after a day's hiking. The trek now starts up the Kali Ghandaki gorge. Dhaulagiri and Annapurna summits, both over 26,000 ft, are just over 20 miles apart, and the river flowing between them is at 7,000 ft, cutting a gorge almost 20,000 ft deep! As you leave the gorge, the river valley broadens, providing apple orchards and nut trees. Don't miss the apple, apricot, and peach brandies available in the lodges at Tukuche and Marpha (Photo 22, 23, 24, 25, 26). The trail continues past Jomsom (8,900 ft) to Kagbeni, starting point for the Mustang trek (see the "Restricted Areas" link on the left) and a medieval town with a strong Tibetan influence. Along this part of the river, if you're lucky, you may find nautilus fossils (Photo), a reminder that although you are at 9,000 ft, geologically this was once seabed squeezed between the Asian and Indian tectonic plates. From Kagbeni the trail heads east via the charming hill fortress of Jharkot (Photo 33, 35) to Muktinath, an important pilgrimage village with Buddhist and Hindu shrines, tucked under the Thorong La Pass (see the "Annapurna Circuit" link on the left). The trek as described above, returning to Jomsom for a flight back to Pokhara, will take 8 to 10 days, but this is one of the most flexible treks in Nepal. For example, we can avoid the long climb to Ghorapani Pass by starting at Baglung and following the river upstream to join the main trail at Tatopani. Or the trek can be extended to 16 - 18 days if we skip the Jomsom flight and go via Ghorapani and hike out via Baglung. Also, because of the relatively lower altitudes, the season for the Kali Ghandaki trek is October to May. | | Images in this section (click on the thumbnails to see larger ones):  Terraces View from Poon Hill Sunrise on Macchapuchare, from Poon Hill  Tatopani Lodge  Marpha Street  Tukuche Lodge  Tukuche Street, rainy day  Tukuche Lodge Kali Ghandaki River between Jomsom and Kagbeni (fossils)  Mustang-Jharkot Village  Jharkot |
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