• Thorung Peak Climbing

Thorung Peak Climbing

Trip Overview

Located to the south of Thorung La Pass (5416m) of Annapurna Region, Thorung Peak (6144m) is one of the popular peaks in Nepal for climbing. Although being less technical, Thorung Peak requires great stamina of the climber as the trail goes long and tiring. The slopes on the trail are normally 30° to 40°.

But the hard effort will definitely not go in vain as the trip rewards with great views of Chulu (6038m), Chulu East (6129m), Yaka Walang (6482m), Khatung Kang (6484m), Mt. Dhaulagiri (8167m), and many other small peaks.

Highlights

  • Enjoy the green terraced farmland of Manang and semi-arid barren land of Lower Mustang.

  • Witness the magnificent views of Mountain peaks including one of the Eight Thousanders from Thorung Peak.

  • Experience the various cultural diversity of the areas and visit traditional monasteries.

  • Amazing views of snow-capped peaks, magnificent waterfalls, floras, and faunas.

Itinerary


Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu

Welcome to Kathmandu. You will be received by one of our office representatives at the TIA exit section and escort you to your hotel afterward.

Depending on your arrival time, you will have the chance to stroll around the places nearby your hotel on your own.

  Hotel

Day 02: Permits preparation and trip briefing day.

Today you will have a free day in Kathmandu while your specialist will take time to arrange permits for your trek. You will have time to explore around the Kathmandu valley on your own or enjoy the cultural tour with an experienced tour guide arranged by Trek Guiders.

In the evening, you will be met by your specialist in your hotel lobby. S/he will introduce you to your guide for the trek and brief you shortly about your trek, things to do/ not to do, and any optional activities you may enjoy during the trip. You can ask any queries or share feelings with your specialist during the briefing.

  Hotel

  Breakfast

Day 03: Drive from Kathmandu to Syange (1080m)

Today after your early morning breakfast, you will be picked up by your trek guide for a long drive to Syange. Starting your drive from Kathmandu along the Prithvi Highway, you will follow the rough road near the Marsyangdi river from Dumre until you reach Besisahar. Here you will have a delicious Nepali Lunch and few minutes rest time before you continue drive. Passing by the village of Khudi and Bahundanda, you will ultimately reach Syange village where you will be staying for the overnight. This approx. nine hours drive will take you along the Trishuli river with wonderful views of landscapes, waterfalls, river, and small local settlements.

 

  Tea House

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 04: Trek from Syange to Jagat (1290m)

Syange to Jagat is a short walk for the first day of trekking. You will gradually make your way uphill from the river first and then descend afterward ultimately reaching Jagat, a village with iconic stone houses.

  Tea House

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 05: Trek from Jagat to Dharapani (1920m)

After breakfast in Jagat, you'll descend along a rocky path until the trail nearly reaches the river before it begins to climb again through a tropical forest. You'll go up and down a few more times like this, and then follow a level track to a beautiful Gurung village of Chamje. Keep an eye out for the long and scenic waterfall on the opposite bank and views of the Annapurna range beyond.

From Chamje, it's time to descend back to the Marsyangdi River and then cross a suspension bridge as you climb to Sattale on a steep path, which at certain points has huge boulders that cover the rushing water. Keep climbing the zigzag path to the top of the hill and you'll catch your first glimpses of the village of Tal situated on a beautiful gorge by the river. 

The valley then narrows and the winding path becomes higher with more areas of strewn rocks. Continue past the small village of Karte and enjoy the cliff-side path before the path drops again to the river. You'll cross yet another suspension bridge, and then climb upstream to the stone entrance marking the larger village of Dharapani.

  Tea House

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 06: Trek from Dharapani to Chame (2630m)

After breakfast, start walking for your next destination of the day, Chame, which is the headquarter of Manang District. You will be walking a series of uphills and downhills today as you start seeing different types of vegetations and landscapes including snowcapped peaks. The first village you will be reaching is Bagarchhap, which is quite well-known for Tibetan architecture with plenty of prayer flags.

Continuing to ascend from here passing through oak and pine forest enjoying the magnificent view of Mt. Manaslu, you will reach Tanchok village with apple orchards. After walking half an hour from Tanchok, you will reach Koto and a further 30 minutes walk will take you to Chame village.

  Tea House

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 07: Trek from Chame to Pisang (3190m).

Start your journey today passing through the pine forest and descend steeply down towards Bhratang village enjoying superb views of landscapes, meadows, and magnificent views of Annapurna II, Annapurna South, and Pisang Peak. From here, you'll come to a long mani wall by a bridge and the lower windswept village of Pisang with views of the Annapurna and Manaslu ranges. This is the territory of Gurung people, an indigenous mountain tribal group that has formed the backbone of Gurkha Soldiers of the British Army for centuries. These people are locally called "Mananges" and have a rich distinct culture of their own. Once settled in Pisang, you can take an optional hour-long climb to Upper Pisang and explore the village's ancient Tibetan-style Buddhist monastery.

  Tea House

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 08: Trek from Pisang to Manang (3520m)

Walking the trail to Manang will be a drier walk experience as the Annapurna range cuts off the clouds and monsoon resulting very less rain in this area. You will come across a very picturesque village clinging on to a cliffside where the houses appear to be stacked on top of each other. Arriving at Braga village,  you will get to see the oldest monastery of the region, Bhakra Monastery,  which is considered to be more than 500 years old.

Upon reaching Manang, you will get to experience the rich culture of this area. Manang is well known for its amazing mountain views and has eye-catching Mani Walls, prayer flags, and monasteries. 

  Tea House

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 09: Acclimatization day at Manang.

Today is a rest day kept for proper acclimatization in the high altitude before being able to cross the high pass of Thorung La. To speed up the acclimatization process, you can take some short hikes around the Manang valley with your guide and explore the areas for more picturesque views from a different angle. Some options to be considered can be a visit to ancient monasteries, local schools, and also hike towards Gangapurna glacier lake. At the end of our day, return to your guesthouse for the overnight stay.

  Tea House

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10: Trek from Manang to Yak Kharka (4010m)

Unless you have some extra days and additional plans to visit Tilicho Lake, you can directly move ahead for Yak Kharka from Manang today. The track leads to the Tenki Manang where you can spot the view of the Annapurna, Tilicho peak, Gangapurna and more. The track winds up in a relaxed way presenting views and passing through a land filled with juniper bushes, the only existing vegetation around this area, reaching Yak-Kharka afterward.

  Tea House

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11: Trek from Yak Kharka to Thorung High Camp (4880m)

From Yak Kharka, you will start your trek with a slow pace to reach Phedi which means 'foot of the hill'. Enjoying the same splendid view of peaks of Annapurna, Gangapurna, Tilicho, Pisang, and many more, you will arrive at Ledar and go on to mount along the east shore of the Jorsang Khola. Descend and cross the river on a bridge and stop for superb view and tea. Walk across a narrow path, uneven incline before reaching to Thorung Phedi. Continue further 400m ahead to reach the high camp to make it easy for you to reach the Base Camp next day.

  Tea House

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12: Trek from Thorung High Camp to Thorung Peak Base Camp (5416m).

Today, you will start walking early morning with whole team towards Thorung La pass (5416m). From here set out with your camping crew for the Thorung Peak climbing trip. With an expert climbing Sherpa and special permits, you will reach Thorung Peak Base Camp in around 4 - 5 hours. 

  Camp

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13: Rest day and preparation day for climbing.

Today will be a rest day at Thorung Peak Base Camp for getting properly acclimatized. You can also practice some climbing techniques from your Sherpa and go up a few meters and return to Base Camp which will speed up your acclimatization process. Today your Climbing Sherpa will also get busy with making paths and finding out the most accessible route for the summit trip next day.

  Camp

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 14: Summit Thorung Peak (6144m) and trek down to Thorung Peak Base Camp.

Today get ready for the summit trip with full gears on before the sunrise. Put on your crampons, gaiters, and carry your ice axe to start walking with your crew to summit Thorung Peak. You might need to use rope support where needed which will be arranged by the Climbing Sherpa. 

The peak will give you a splendid view of Mt. Dhaulagiri, Tilicho, Nilgiri along with Khatung Kang and Syagang Peak at close distance.

After enjoying the views with some great picture snaps, descend safely back to the base camp for overnight. 

  Camp

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 15: Trek from Thorung Peak BC to Muktinath (3800m)

From Thorung Peak BC, descend down to Thorung La pass once again and take the way down left towards Muktinath. The descend down too is quite demanding and will raise your fatigue. You can have some rest at a locally available tea house for a cup of hot tea/ coffee before continuing another 3 hours trek to Muktinath.

 

  Tea House

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 16: Trek from Muktinath to Jomsom (2720m).

After breakfast at your teahouse, pay a visit to Muktinath Temple, an important place of worship for Nepalese Buddhists and Hindus. You will have the opportunity to visit the main temple and its surrounding area before you hit the trail.

From here, begin your trek back to Jomsom along an easy route that heads straight downhill. While you retrace your steps, you'll be able to enjoy good views of Mount Dhaulagiri. Pass through Jharkot where you can visit one more monastery, and take in the views of snow-capped mountains and ancient caves. Admire the signs of rich Tibetan culture and keep an eye out for Mustang people who will come out and sell handicrafts to pilgrims.

  Tea House

  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 17: Fly from Jomsom to Pokhara.

Early morning, you will fly back to Pokhara. Upon reaching Pokhara, the day is free to be spent on leisure exploring the market or undertake some adventure activities like Paragliding (time and weather permitting). 

  Hotel

  Breakfast

Day 18: Fly from Pokhara to Kathmandu.

Sometimes, the weather in Jomsom won't be favorable to undertake flight to Pokhara. This is for the security and safety of the passengers. In case if you won't get to return back to Pokhara the previous day, today will have a good chance of having a flight without affecting your flight back to Kathmandu. That's the reason why your return to Kathmandu was not placed on the same day before. You will be catching the afternoon flight back to Kathmandu today.

Upon reaching Kathmandu, the day is free for last minute shopping or relaxation.

  Hotel

  Breakfast

Day 19: Depart Kathmandu.

You will be picked up from your hotel 3.5 hours prior to your international flight time by one of our office representatives to escort you to the TIA. Trip concludes !!

  Breakfast

Commencing this trip

The trip to Thorung Peak follows the trail of Annapurna Circuit Trail which is a rain shadow area of Nepal after the Upper Mustang and Dolpo area. With the development roadways in Annapurna, the trip starts from Kathmandu up to Syange passing the Besisahar village which used to be the trek starting point before. Enjoying the scenic beauty of landscapes, you will slowly enter the Manang region. Depending on your time availability, you can also extend your trip to visit the Tilicho Lake which is the lake located at the highest altitude of 4919m.

After summiting the peak, walk down to the Lower Mustang region enjoying the barren lands and visiting Muktinath Temple en-route. The trek will end at Jomsom and a flight to Pokhara from here will conclude the trek.

Best time to do this trip

Normally this trip is best to be commenced during the spring or autumn time in Nepal. These seasons have the best weather conditions for clear visibility and see different vegetation. But the area of Manang also lies in the rain shadow zone which makes this trip a good option to undertake during monsoon time too. However, having some extra days for Jomsom sector flight contingencies is strongly advised. Depending on the season selected for the climbing trip, the peak permit fee will vary.

19 days

Trip at a Glance

  •    Country: Nepal
  •    Trip grade: Moderate to Challenging
  •    Destination: Annapurna Region
  •    Activities: Peak Climbing
  •    Accommodation: Tea Houses, Camp
  •    Meals: City (B), Trek (B,L,D)
  •    Maximum altitude: 6144m
  •    Group size: 2 - 12
  •    Best Season: Spring and Autumn

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