Overview

This trek boasts some spectacular mountain views, and the route actually crosses to the other side of the main Himalayan range for views of the northern flanks. From the Kali Gandaki valley you can make excursions to either the 1950 French Annapurna North Face Base Camp or the Dhaulagiri Base Camp. From Kagbeni a steep climb reaches Muktinath, an important place of pilgrimage for both Hindus and Buddhists. Well-to-do Indians fly in to Jomsom and walk or ride horses to Muktinath. The town is set in a grove of the trees and has a Buddhist Gompa and a pagoda-style temple of Vishnu Mandir containing an image of Vishnu. From the temple wall a 108 waterspouts, cast in the shape of cow heads, pour forth sacred water. Even more sacred is the water that issues from a rock inside the ancient Tibetan-style Jwala Mai temple a short distance below the pagoda.

Trip Highlights

Treks starts with a long climb to Ghorepani and then drops into the world’s deepest gorge. Crosses the main Himalayan range to Tibet-like country in Jomsom.

Itinerary