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Annapurna Heritage Trek

Trip Length: 15 Days
Highest Point: 3200m (Poon Hill)
Trek Grade: Moderate
Accommodation: Teahouse/Homestay
Walking Time: Approx 6-7 hrs per day
Region: Annapurna
Starting Point: Besishahar (Lamjung)
Ending Point: Beni (Myagdi)

Trip Highlights

  • Cultural trek off the beaten paths of Annapurna region
  • Enjoy Gurung and Magar hospitality at its best
  • Stay in homestays of Ghalegaun, Pasgaun, Lwang and Tikot, among others
  • Enojoy breathaking views of peaks starting from Manaslu in the east to Dhaulagiri in the west
  • An easy trek through ridge lines, forests, river valleys, alpine grasslands and beautiful settlements in the mid-hills
  • A perfect blend of busy and nomadic trails

Overview

The Annapurna Heritage Trek offers trekkers with an opportunity to enjoy walking holiday in the popular Annapurna Region in a whole new way. This section of Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) Low Route connects beautiful Gurung, Tamang and Magar villags. As trekkers get to stay in homestays and not teahouses on most of the days, they get to experience the authentic hospitality of these people. Though the trail doesn't climb to high altitude, the highest point being only 3,200 meters, trekkers can enjoy breathtaking mountain vista extending from Manaslu in the east to Dhaulagiri in the west. Mountains that can be viewed form the trail include three eight-thousanders -- Manaslu, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri -- and plenty of 7,000 and 6,000-meter peaks like Himchuli, Annapurna South, Annapurna III, Lamjung Himal, Gangapurna and Nilgiri. The trek begins with a beautiful drive to Besishahar - the starting point of the popular Round Annapurna Trail. It then passes through beautiful Gurung villages of Ghalegaun, Pasgaun, Bhachowk, Yangjakot, Sikles and Lwang before entering the busy town of Ghandruk. From Ghandruk, the trail passes through Magar settlements of Ghorepani and Tikot and drops to Kali Gandaki river on the road to Jomsom where the trek ends. Except a day on the popular Ghandruk-Ghorepani loop, you can have the trail all to yourself as the trek is on the off-the-beaten paths of Annapurna Region raregly visited by foreigners.
Trip Inquiry

Trip Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival

Welcome to Nepal. Meet our representative at the airport who will escort you to your designated hotel. Remaining time is free for independent activities. Before dinner, meet your guide and attend a trek briefing session at your hotel itself.

O/N: Hotel
Day 2
Drive to Besishahar (810m) – Approx 6 hrs

After early breakfast, get in the bus for a ride to your trail head at Besishahar. The ride takes about six hours and is on the main highway to Pokhara. Besishahar is quite a big town and is the gateway to many trekking trails in the Annapurna Region including the popular Annapurna Circuit. Besishahar has plenty of good hotels for your accommodation.

O/N: Hotel
Day 3
Trek to Ghalegaun (2078m) – Approx 6 hrs

You will gain over 1,200 meters of altitude on the very first day of your trek. Leave the town of Besishahar on dirt track till the settlement of Bhanthok. From here, leave the road and climb on the stairs which takes you to a small pass of Baglungpani at 1,600 meters. Enjoy view of Manaslu, Himchuli and host of other peaks toward north. After lunch at the beautiful hamlet of Baglungpani, continue walking on the ridge through lush forests to the beautiful village of Ghalegaun. Ghalegaun is a Gurung village popular among tourists as a homestay destination. It is one of the successful models of homestays in Nepal.

O/N:Teahouse/Homestay
Day 4
Trek to Pasgaun (1650m) – Approx 6 hrs

Leave Ghalegaun village and walk on the jeep track which goes on the ridge toward the village of Ghanapokhara. After passing a Buddhist monastery, you reach a Y junction. Continuing straight will take you to the village of Ghanapokhara. Take the trail on your left and start descending toward Bhujung village. Bhujung is another beautiful Gurung village in the area. It is made of stone-thatched tight clustered houses sprawled over a big terraced land. Continuing further, the trail descends to Midim Khola. Cross the river and start climbing through terraced land and lush forest to a small settlement of Komagaun. The view of Bhujung across the river is simply breathtaking. After Komagaun, the trail enters thick forest and climb gradually toward a pass to Pasgaun. Enjoy views of mountains including Manaslu and Himchuli and make a descent toward Pasgaun – another beautiful Gurung village on this trek.

O/N: Teahouse/Homestay
Day 5
Trek to Bhachok (1314m) – Approx 5 hrs

Leave Pasgaun on a trail that gradaually descends to Rudikhola River. You can see series of green hills in the horizon in front of you. You will first reach a tributary of Rudikhola. Cross the tributary and continuing further reach the settlement of Bagaicha. After Bagaicha, cross Rudikhola and hit the trail that gradually climbs passing through the settlements of Rabaidada and Nagidhar. Continuing further from Nagidhar, you reach a viewpoint from where you can see Bhachok village across a river. The trail soon drops to Bardikhola and gradually climbs through the settlement of Sundarbesi to Bhachok.

O/N: Teahouse/Homestay
Day 6
Trek to Yangjakot (1450m) – Approx 5 hrs

It will be a short walk today. The trail enters thick wood no sooner you leave Ghachok village. The trail is more or less levelled. After a walk of about 45 minutes, you will reach a junction of trails. From here, you can see the settlement of Warchok perched on a ridge across you. After Warchowk, the trail makes a gradual descent through a beautiful forest to Bhujung River. Cross the river on a suspension bridge, and walk the steep trail to a ridge. The trail drops slightly from here but climbs gradually until you reach the beautiful settlement of Yangjakot. The village is spread on a ridge top offering views of Lamjung Himal, Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South, among other peaks.

O/N: Teahouse/Homestay
Day 7
Trek to Sikles (1945m) – Approx 6 hrs

The trail leaves the village and descends through beautiful terraced fields and small settlements to the banks of Madi River which originates from the glacier falling from Annapurna South. Continuing upstream of the banks for sometime until you meet ACAP check post. Show your permit and continue walking along the bank until you reach Sikles Phedi. From here, it's a steep trail along forests and terraced fields to Sikles. Sikles is a bustling Gurung village with clustered stone-thatched houses. There are good lodges and restaurants as it has become a gateway to Kuri Hill and Kapuche Lake Trek in recent years.

O/N: Teahouse/Homestay
Day 8
Trek to Ghalekharka (1674m) – Approx 7 hrs

This will be a day in complete wilderness. Carry packed lunch and hit the trail that goes north of Sikles and immediately enters thick forests. Follow signposts with 'Tara Hill Trail' and continue walking on the trail. The trail opens into beautiful meadows occasionally offering you views of the beautiful village of Sikles below and mountains like Lamjung Himal. After a hike of some three hours, you will reach a junction – the trail on the right takes you to Tara Hill, while on the left contours the hillside toward Nyaulikharka which you will reach in about half an hour. An hour and a half will take you to the ridge top (2650m) from where you can enjoy view of Annapurna South, Machhapuchhre and Annapurna III and other peaks and the valley of Sardikhola. After enjoying the views, the trail descends toward Ghalekharka. A walk of a little above an hour will take you to a campsite in a beautiful meadow. The settlement of Ghalekharka is about half an hour's walk away from here. Ghalekharka is a Tamang village with few lodges.

O/N: Teahouse/Homestay
Day 9
Trek to Lwang (1440m) – Approx 5 hrs

Leave Ghalekharka on a jeep track that heads west and contours a hill rising above Sardikhola River. A walk of about an hour will take you to the settlement of Khadarjung that overlooks the beautiful valley of Seti River. Continue walking to another settlement of Bhurjungkhola by the side of the river of the same name. Show your ACAP permit here, but make sure that they don't put exit stamp on your card as you will be re-entering ACAP region again. Cross the Seti River on a suspension bridge, and reach the settlement of Balabhot. You can enjoy view of different peaks of Annapurna range from the trail itself. Continue walking and cross the small stream of Lastikhola to enter Lhachowk on the valley of Mardikhola. Walking upstream of the river for about an hour, you will reach Khoramukh which is also called Lwang Ghalel. From here, the trail enters thick forest as it gains altitude and open up in terraced fields from where you can see Lwang village in full glory. Lwang is a quintessential Gurung village of clustered stone-thatched white houses.

O/N: Teahouse/Homestay
Day 10
Trek to Ghandruk (2040m) – Approx 8 hrs

The trail will enter one of the busiest sections of the Annapurna region today. Leaving Lwang, the trail enters a beautiful tea garden and gradually enters forested area offering breathtaking views of snow-capped peaks every now and then. The trail keeps climbing until it reaches the beautiful ridge-top settlement of Pitam Deurali where you will stop for lunch. Pitam Deurali is a junction of trails going to Mardi Himal, Landruk, Dhampus and Ghandruk. It offers amazing view of Annapurna South, Annapurna I and Himchuli, among others. You can see lot of tourists here as well as shops and lodges where you can restock your stuffs. After lunch, take the trail that drops toward Modi Khola passing through the settlements of Tolka and Landruk which is a big Gurung village. From Landruk, the trail drops steeply to a suspension bridge over Modi Khola. A steep climb of about an hour and a half from here through the settlement of Kyumi will take you to Ghandruk. Ghandruk is one of the largest Gurung villages in the region. You will see plenty of good hotels, lodges, restaurants and shops here as it is a gateway to the popular Annapurna Base Camp trek and beginning or ending point of the popular Ghorepani-Poon Hill-Ghandruk loop. It offers one of the best views of Annpurna South, Himchuli, Machhapuchhre, Gangapurna, Annapurna III, II and IV.

O/N: Teahouse
Day 11
Trek to Ghorepani (2885m) – Approx 8 hrs

This is going to be a comparatively longer day. Leaving Ghandruk, the trail is uphill till Tadapani. The trail enters lush forests and opens up in some places like Bhaisikharka which offers amazing mountain views. After early lunch at Tadapani, the trail then drops for about half an hour to reach a river. Cross the river, and continue on the trail to Banthanti. Banthanti is a small settlement with few lodges. Continuing further on a steep trail, you will reach Deurali located at the foot of Deurali Pass. You can take a short detour here to Gurung Hill which offers mountain views similar to Poon Hill. Climb to Deurali Pass, which offers view of a wide panorama stretching from Dhaulagiri in the west to Himchuli in the east. A walk of about an hour will take you to Ghorepani which is a busy tourist town with lot of lodges, restaurant and shops. You have the option of staying in Deurali or Banthanti if you feel the day is too taxing.

O/N: Teahouse
Day 12
Morning hike to Poon Hill (3200m) and trek to Tikot (2270m) – Approx 5 hrs

Hike to Poon Hill is one of the attractions of the trek. Start early from your lodge so that you can catch the sun rise over snow-capped peaks from the viewpoint. The hike takes about an hour. Poon Hill offers view of a beautiful Himalayan panorama – as many as 12 peaks including two eight-thousanders. After watching the sunrise over these beautiful peaks, return to your lodge for breakfast. After breakfast, leave Ghorepani on a busy trail to Tatopani. After a short walk, however, take a least-trodden trail on the left which enters rhododendron forest pretty soon. The trail opens in beautiful pasturelands as it gradually climbs to a small lake going by the name Pyari Barah just below the ridgeline. Continuing further you reach the ridge-top from where you will get view of Tikot and other settlements. From here, take the trail on the left which drops through forested area before climbing another ridge. Again take the trail to the left which descends through lush forest and opens into a beautiful terraced field at the foot of Tikot village. Tikot is a beautiful settlement of Magar people who look similar to Gurungs but have different language, culture and way of living. Stay in one of the homestay facilities at the village.

O/N: Teahouse/Homestay
Day 13
Trek to Kali Gandaki bridge and drive to Pokhara – Approx 3 hrs trek, 4 hrs drive

Last walking day of the trek. Leaving Tikot, the trail climbs briefly until it reaches ridge, and makes a steep descent on a forested trail, which meets jeep track occasionally, to the settlement of Tikotbesi and descends further to the Kali Gandaki River. Crossing the river on a suspension bridge, you will reach Beni-Jomsom road. Board a waiting car and drive to Pokhara where you have all the comforts at your disposal after nearly two weeks on the trail.

O/N: Hotel
Day 14
Fly/drive to Kathmandu

Start early from Pokhara, if you are taking the surface route. The drive takes about seven hours and it's pleasing. If you are taking aerial route, you have the luxury of spending a leisurely morning in Pokhara. Upon arrival in Kathmandu, attend a farewell trek organized to celebrate the success of your trek.

O/N: Hotel
Day 15
Departure

Our representative will reach your hotel lobby about three hours before your flight time and transfer you to the airport. On the comfort of your aircraft seat, you will have plenty of time to reflect on the amazing time that you had in Nepal and plan your next holiday.

*** Trip Ends ***

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Annapurna Heritage Trek

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