Trip Overview

Amidst the high mountain peaks in the Annapurna Region, 6,419 meters above the sea level rests a mountain peak which we call Chulu West Peak, famous for its jaw-dropping sceneries and challenging climbing route. Whether it be amateur trekkers or experienced climbers, this peak climbing can quench the thrust of any kind of adventure seekers. 

Although the route to climb the Chulu West Peak is more straight-forward compared to its counterpart, the Chulu East Peak, the long tough slog through the snow makes the West Peak equally demanding and technical. Climbers are expected to have some knowledge of using the mountaineering equipment otherwise climbing the Chulu West Peak is not possible. Once you reach the top of the peak, what you see is absolutely pleasant. The panorama of the Himalayas to the south and the mountains of Tibet and China in the north, as seen from the Chulu West Peaks, make it one of the memorable days of your life. We must not ignore the technicalities and difficulties of this route; therefore, our itinerary is designed so as to provide you with proper acclimatization and familiarization to the environment.  

The trip begins with a drive from Kathmandu to Jagat, which is a thrilling experience in itself. Then you begin walking along the ridges, valleys, riverbanks and plenty of plain and rugged landscapes as you can imagine. We pass through plenty of forests and human settlements before setting out to the top of the Chulu West Peak. While retracing our track we divert towards Jomson. During this leg, we pass through the highest pass in the world, Thorang-La Pass, which is an adventure in itself. We visit the popular religious destination of the area – Muktinath before finally flying out of the upper Himalayan region towards Pokhara. 

Spring and autumn are the best seasons for Chulu West Peak Climbing. Winter can also be a great time to complete the trek if you are well prepared for the cold weather. The mountains are crystal clear in this season and the route is also less crowded due to relatively little number of tourists. 

Itenerary

Our Representative will be waiting for you at the airport and welcome you in our typical Nepali culture. You will be quickly arriving at the hotel afterward where you can expect luxurious accommodation. There will be a welcome dinner tonight and afterward a proper sleep which is much needed after the long trip from home.
Today we will discuss our trekking and make necessary preparations and we take a quick city tour of Kathmandu as well. After all the briefings regarding the trek and acquainting necessary permits, we will arrange a short trip to a few UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city such as Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambunath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa and so on. A quick stroll in the streets of Kathmandu and last minute gear shopping is a perfect thing to do in the evening.
It is going to be a long day of a drive from Kathmandu; about 8 hours. We will drive to Besisahar which is approximately 173 km west of Kathmandu. We will be doing this road trip in Prithvi Highway; this highway allows you to travel through beautiful landscapes and adventurous road with twists and turns. We can also see various towns and villages during our drive. We can also see rafters enjoying the swift of Trishuli and Marshyangdi Rivers on the way. After reaching Besi sahar, we change our ride from a bus to a local jeep and drive up to Jagat which is approx. 30 km of dirt road. We stay overnight in Jagat.
The trail of today will be descending along the Marshyangdi River and it will continue along the thick forests of pine and oak. Our path will also cross through a few settlement areas like Sattale, Tal, and Karte to reach Dharapani. The serene views of the Annapurna Range and the scenes of the beautiful green valley along the way will escort us to our today’s destination. We stay overnight at Dharapani.
We are heading to Chame, on the second day of trekking on the beautiful Annapurna Circuit route. Mesmerizing views of Manaslu and Annapurna II makes our day joyous. Moreover, the landscape and the lifestyle of the people living in this region are eye-catching too. As we climb higher, we can see the change in vegetation. We take enough breaks along the way and eventually reach Chame village to stay overnight.
As we gain elevation on each day of our walk, we can feel the change in the landscape, vegetation and lifestyle. The trek of almost 6 hours will take us to the beautiful village of Pisang. Pisang village is the gateway for the Pisang Peak climbing adventure. On our stretch today, we can enjoy majestic views of Annapurna II and Manaslu from Chame and Annapurna IV and Lamjung Himal as we advance along the trail.
The route continues through Pisang to the beautiful Manang village. Our trail will route straight to the Ghyaru village along the bank of Marshyangdi River. The path penetrates through the thick coniferous forests and then opens out to a wide field of Manang village. On our way to the Manang village, we can see astounding views of Annapurna II (7,937m) and Annapurna III (7,555m). We finally reach Manang village and stay overnight there.
The purpose of taking rest days in between is to acclimatize ourselves to the changing altitude and weather conditions as well as to avoid altitude sickness. On this day, we can either rest by do nothing or we can choose to explore the local areas of the Manang village. You will quickly realize that this village is heavily influenced by Buddhist faith and plenty of monasteries can be found in the region.
Our trek will be initiated along the north direction through the rural community of Ghunsang and continues along the winding road taking us to Yak Kharka. We will be following a trail that passes through Gyachung Khola. After about 5 hours of walk, we will reach the small settlement area of Yak Kharka. Yak Kharka is a temporary hut settlement area used to graze Yaks in the pastureland nearby. Therefore, you might spot numerous Yaks in the region. This place is also an amazing viewpoint with the offers of Annapurna (8,091m), Gangapurna (7,454m), and Tilicho Peak (7,134m). We stay overnight at Yak Kharka in a temporary tent.
Our path is now headed towards the ultimate destination – The Chulu West Summit. However, we are going to make few night stops on the way before we summit the peak. The path advances through a suspension bridge taking us to Ledar from where the trail becomes steeply climbing towards the Chulu West Base Camp. We will follow a steep and rough terrain to reach the base camp. The base camp is a perfect viewpoint to enjoy the panoramic views of high mountains in the area. We stay overnight at the base camp.
The 11th day of our trip will be a short day but pretty demanding. We will climb up from the Chulu West Base Camp to the high camp, costing us about 5 hours of our time. The hike is going to be technically challenging as well. Our guide will brief and guide you about the safety measures to be adopted and the technicalities to be understood. After we reach the high camp, we set up a temporary tent for our overnight stay. Since we have plenty of time remaining on reaching the high camp, we can always roam around the place and get used to the atmosphere around us.
The wait for the most fascinating day of the journey comes to an end as we climb to the summit of the Chulu West Mountain. Since, the wind around starts getting quite nasty in the afternoon, we need to start hiking up as early as possible. We need to along the slippery icy ridges using the trekking gears and following our trekking guide. On reaching the summit, the rewards we will get can be expressed in words. The majestic peaks of the Annapurna Range that surround us from everywhere make the view as astounding as it can get. After spending some quality time at the peak, we retrace our way back to the base camp. We stay overnight at the base camp.
This day is kept for reserve, for the delays that might occur due to any reason. If there is no any delay, we continue our trek towards Thorung-La Phedi.
We head along the Kone Khola which runs all the way up to our destination for the day, Thorung-La Phedi. Our trail will be a descending path along the Kone River to the wooden suspension bridge from where the trail ascends through the narrow rough hills to Thorung-La Phedi. We stay overnight at Thorung-La Phedi.
Today is one of the demanding days of the trek as we have to cross the highest pass in the world – Thorang La pass which is located at an elevation of 5,416m. After passing through several false passes and climbing slowly and steadily we eventually pass through Thorang La pass. At the top of the pass, we spend some time to capture the great memories of the highest pass in the world. Later, we start climbing down towards Muktinath where there is a beautiful and sacred temple for Hindus. We can explore the Muktinath area as we reach there. We stay overnight.
Walking on the wonderful landscape of the lower Mustang region along the stretch of Muktinath we reach Jomsom. Initially, the trail descends to Kagbeni village which is situated in the bank of Kali Gandaki River. Then we pass through several beautiful places with a spectacular view. Onwards Kagbeni, we trek along the Kali Gandaki River to Jomson. As the Jomsom valley lies in between two gigantic mountain ranges of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, the trail can get windy in the afternoon. Once we reach Jomsom, we stay overnight.
To reach Pokhara we can also continue trekking but this will add a whole lot of trekking days in our trip. Therefore, to make things simpler, we catch a flight to Pokhara from Jomsom and enjoy the whole day in Pokhara chilling around lakes and enjoying the beauty of the place.
We can either drive back or fly back to Kathmandu. If you choose to take a cheaper option, driving would be preferential. But it takes a lot of time to take a drive. A 30 minutes flight seems to be a good option. We can reach Kathmandu early and take rest. There will be a farewell dinner program in Kathmandu.

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What is Included?

  • For both international and domestic flights: Airport transfer.

  • Drive from Kathmandu to Jagat.

  • Flight from Jomsom to Pokhara

  • Flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu

  • Luxurious hotel accommodations in Kathmandu 

  • Variety of meal choices during the trek.

  • Boiled water during the trek.

  • Luxurious accommodation at teahouse in the trek route.

  • Welcome and farewell dinner with cultural program.

  • All necessary permits.

  • Supplementary oxygen cylinders.

What is Excluded?

  • Nepal entry Visa fees.

  • Travel Insurance

  • International Airfare

  • All Drinks and main meals in cities.

  • Tips 

  • Any items of personal use like beverage drinks, telephone, etc.

Trip Info
Trip Highlights:

  • Trek along the amazing sections of the Annapurna Circuit Trek

  • Explore one of the highest trekking peaks in Nepal.

  • Climb the technically challenging Chulu West Peak

  • Cross Thorung-La Pass- the highest pass in the world.

  • Astounding views of the Annapurna massif

  • Walk along pristine alpine vegetation

  • Enjoy a thrilling flight from Jomsom to Pokhara

  • Visit the religious temple of Muktinath

  • Explore the super windy terrain of Kagbeni

TREK OVERVIEW

  • Trek Duration : 18 Days

  • Difficulty : Strenuous

  • Highest Elevation : 6,419m (Chulu West Peak)

  • Accommodation : Teahouses(Lodges)/Tented Camps

  • Transportation : By land/By Air

  • Group Size            : 4-16 pax

  • Best Season        : Spring (March-May) and Autumn (Sept.-Nov.))

  • Walk Duration : 6 hours Daily (Average)

TREKKING GEARS

  • Rain coat, poncho, or combination jacket/trousers.

  • One down jacket.

  • Windproof trousers

  • Two pairs of light pants

  • One pair of shorts

  • Three to four T-shirts

  • One or two long-sleeved T-shirts

  • One fleece jacket or jumper

  • One pair of tracksuit pants or thermals for sleeping in

  • Two to three pairs of light hiking socks

  • Two pairs of gloves

  • Undergarments

  • Trekking boots

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