Today we head out early, as we have a long day ahead of us. Just past the checkpost, we cross the river leading to the Nar Phu valleys and a new world will open in front of us. Coming from the relatively well-developed villages of the Annapurna Circuit, we can truly feel that this valley has not been as frequently visited.

The route takes us through some beautiful woods and past several small shelters (caves) and a pilgrims’ ‘Dharmasala’. As we emerge out of a narrow canyon, the trail actually passes under a wide waterfall just before the Dharmasala, from which point the woods become thinner and the vistas wider. The last stretch into Meta takes us up a steep hill from where we get amazing views of some of the giant snowy peaks in the area. Meta lies on a big open plain and consists of a few lodges, which are simple but clean and offer you a good hearty meal.

Walking time: Approx. 6-7 hours

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

First day trekking to Meta © Billi Bierling

Trekking out of Meta, we start to see some of the unique, colorful Chortens Nar and Phu are famous for. The trail meanders along the ridge with a good view of the magnificent Nar Phedi monastery, where we will stay in a few days’ time. After another 1 ½ hours hiking through scenic canyonlands and gorges, we reach the “leaning tower of Pisa” monolith, which guards the steep trail up to Phu. From here we get our first view of the three villages as well as the old “Dzong” and the remains of two forts, all now in ruins, but impressively situated atop the flatlands before the village. Just before we cross the bridge into Phu, a line of wonderful Chortens color the landscape and lead into this village, which was built reminds of an amphitheater. Here we truly step back in time!

Once we have settled down in a comfortable lodge, had a warm drink and stretched our tired bones, we go for a gentle and short walk up to the famous Tashi Lhakhang Gompa. Here we can pay our respects to Lama Karma Sonam Rimpoche, a “trulku”, who came to Nepal with HH the Dalai Lama back in 1959.

Walking time: Approx. 6-7 hours

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Phu Village © Suman Thapa

Due to the relatively high altitude, we will spend a day in Phu, where we can rest, explore the tiny alleyways and get to know the life in Phu, or do a longer hike up to Himlung Himal base camp. Phu itself is an incredibly interesting village, and a day is well spent sitting with the villagers as they spin their yak and sheep wool and chat, pound mustard seeds into a paste for oil, or involve themselves in the countless activities that take up a day in Tibetan villages. For photographers, the light is spectacular, and the skies a deep blue, and we may even see some blue sheep on the surrounding hillsides.

Those with lots of energy can go for a hike through a a gorgeous glacial valley leading to Himlung Himal base camp, a 7,125m peak recently opened for climbing. On the trail up you will see endless herds of blue sheep and it is incredible to watch them skillfully clambering up the steep cliffs of the surrounding hills.

If we are lucky, we get to meet an expedition at base camp and enjoy a cup of tea with them. The return trip takes about four to five hours and once you get back to Phu, you will certainly agree that this is an acclimatisation day well spent! Others, who don’t feel like walking so far can explore the surrounding area of Phu and walk west up past the village towards the Chortens on the hillside. This spot provides some incredible vistas and views down over the village and the surrounding fields, forts, valleys and peaks. You will truly be enchanted by this area!

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

On the way to Himlung BC © Suman Thapa

Today starts with a descent as we retrace our steps back towards Meta. Just before we reach the village, we take a right towards the monastery of Nar Phedi. Make sure you have your cameras handy when we cross a bridge over a deep, contoured and narrow gorge. It is worthwhile to spend some time on the bridge to take pictures and observe the raging river underneath.

As Nar Phedi only consists of the monastery, this will be our accommodation for the night. The rooms are neat and clean and the nuns of the monastery are extremely welcoming. We can join them in the kitchen, have a chat to find out more about their lives in this remote valley and watch them prepare our dinner on a modest fireplace. At 5pm they usually do a ‘Puja’ (Tibetan blessing) and they are very happy for us to come and join them. There is also a small donation box in the monastery where you can leave a contribution for the maintenance of this beautiful and friendly place.

Walking time: Approx. 4-5 hours

Accommodation: Monastery Guest House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Nar Phedi Monastery © Billi Bierling

Today is a very gentle day. We climb out of Nar Phedi and follow a windy path up a hill that leads us to Nar. We reach the Nar gate at the top and pass by yet another line of wonderfully painted, bamboo-topped Chortens marking our way into the ancient village. We arrive early, so will have some lunch in the sun before doing some exploring around the village and surrounding areas.

Even though Nar is not far from the main Annapurna trail, it feels centuries away. It is rarely visited by trekkers and is about as picturesque as they come. Nar is bit more social and lively than Phu, and during the day you may find the village ‘square’ teeming with chatting women with their back-strap looms weaving wool fabric for rugs and blankets. Each family in Nar seems to have at least one son or daughter in a gompa, and many live at home or visit frequently, so there is the resonating sound of cymbals, chanting and drums echoing throughout the village.

With a few new teahouses built on the outskirts of Nar, we will stay in a comfortable lodge with an extensive menu. Good and plenty of food is particularly important tonight as we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Walking time: Approx. 3-4 hours

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Chortens on the trail to Nar © Suman Thapa

We get up before sunrise, put on our head torches and head out through the still sleeping village towards the Kang La pass that will take us back to the popular Annapurna Circuit. It is not a difficult pass, however, it can be a long day as we will certainly start to feel the altitude here. Once on top of the pass you will have passed the 5,000m-mark and can enjoy an amazing view over Annapurna II, Gangapurna, Tilicho Peak. The trail down starts off pretty steep but if you enjoy scree running you will certainly have a lot of fun on the descent! After resting our sore knees and shaky legs, we lunch on a plateau overlooking the peak, and then continue to contour to the left towards Ngawal. Ngawal, on the upper Pisang route of the Annapurna Circuit is certainly very different from the ancient villages we visited over the past few days and we are stepping forward in time again. The lodges are big, the menus much more comprehensive and there will be wifi and phone signals in most of the lodges.

Walking time: Approx. 7-8 hours

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

View from Kang-La pass © Suman Thapa

As we have dropped down more than 2,000m since we left the pass, we are back in hotter weather surrounded by greenery. We set off early for our last few hours of trekking to reach Pisang in good time. The trail is wide and comfortable and takes us past some amazing scenery, including a beautiful little lake just outside Pisang. Once in the village we stop for a quick snack, before we get back into the 4WD and embark on the driving adventure back to civilization.

In Besisahar we will stay in a comfortable hotel, where only recently the Prince of Denmark resided during his visit to Nepal.

Walking time: Approx. 2 hours
Driving time: Approx. 8 hours

Accommodation: Tea House
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Harvesting Buckwheat in Ngawal © Suman Thapa

We start early today to drive back to Kathmandu arriving mid-afternoon.

Driving time: Approx. 6-7 hours

Accommodation: None
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Kathmandu by night © Rocky Prajapati