Trip around Annapurnas

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	We cross à bridge above à river. We are in beginning of the trek, at 800m of altitude.		In bottom of a valley surrounded with 4000m mountain, we cross a torrent.
	Bearing of line pipe. Each tube weighs 10kg.		Big request mill located at the entrance of villages.
	Small request mill located at the entrance of villages.

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Photographs, and travelog:

Open	Arrival in Katmandu airport in afternoon. The weather is covered, but the temperature is soft, perhaps around 22°C.But it will not rain this day.	Open	We are accomodated by the guide (in black), with accompanist, a minibus and a chain of flowers. We are driven in a hotel of Katmandu for the night.
Open	We shall visit Katmandu quickly that evening, and we will satisfy ourselves with making an evening in the Thamel quarter, to do some purchases, and eat a Chicken Tandori in a restaurant recommend by the guide.	Open	The following day, leaving at 5 h, because we have a lot of road to do. A minibus takes us and holders to Khudi. The way is long and we run slowly on the Nepali roads, mot more than 40km/h. The exit of Katmandu takes time, we cross a collar at 1500m, then we go down to 1200m of altitude. It will be cool until 8 o'clock, then it become warm after 9h. At 10h we are stopping to eat a Dal Bath rice, the traditional Nepali dish.
Open	Then we leave again at 11 h and we drive until 13h where we arrive at Besishhar. We prepare our bags before launching on ways.	Open	We have each 2 bags. A big of 80l (theoretically) for the 3 weeks of trek, and a backpack for a day. Club Aventures provide to us red bags thick and waterproof into which we put our bag of 80l. These big bags will be carried by holders.
Open	The beginning of the way is rather broad, we could make pass a 4x4. We discovers the low Himalayan mountains, which are rather low at the beginning, maximum 2000m. We discovers the bridges over the torrents. They were rebuild for tourism, and use several large wire rope. The vegetation is not very dense, with tendency to be like the steppe. We will make this first day 2h of walk, thus we can continue to recover tiredness of voyage by plane.	Open	Monday March 14, wake up at 6h30 in morning, on rising sun, and departure at 7h30... 45. It is early, but we sleep since 20h/21h in the evening, so we have 9h per night to sleep. It will be our traditionalschedules along the trek. We leaves this morning with sunny weather, like almost every morning. Some diarrhoea appear first during the days, and it will be my case this morning. It will be regulated with 2 seals of immodium.
Open	We makes pauses along the course regularly, traditionally every hour. The morning we walks approximately 3h until 11h30 where we stops for the meal of midday. The cooks, who walk with us, need 45min to prepare the meal. They invest the kitchen of a restaurant and prepare us of some good lunch according to what they can buy along the way.	Open	Traditionally, we start again towards 13h30 the afternoon, and rather with clouds or wind. Monday 14 we stops in Bahundanda (1310m), Tuesday 15 in Tal (1700m). In each village we meets terrace cultivation as it is the case on these 2 photographs. It probably require an immense work to cultivate a whole side of mountain, in all cases it is very pretty to look at. The enclosure have an aspect rudimentary, and it is pleasant to look as tourists.
Open	On Tuesday, March 15th, we eat at midday in Chamje (1430m). Mountains become higher, about 3500m, but always no 8000m. In fact, we are one in the bottom of a valley dug in U by old glaciers. The slopes are escap, and this hide from us the view on summits.	Open	We meet on the way a lot holder, and mules. However unconvincing this can seem, a holder can hit 90 kg, and a mule 70 kg.
Open	Arrived close to Tal we enter in the region of Manang. The lodge is at 500m from this door. In Tal, 1700m of altitude, we will try to take a shower in a torrent.	Open	We are now in Tal. The valley around Tal widens, and a broad torrent runs close to the hotel. The most audacious have took a shower in the torrent, which was in about 10°C.
Open	On Wednesday, March 16th, departure for Timang. The way crosses a torrent several times, according to the paces of the mountainside. We are always in the bottom narrow of a valley from Tal.	Open	Then arrived at Bagarcchlap, 2150m, the valley opens a bit. It is here that we take the meal of Wednesday midday. The time becomes covered in the afternoon, as usual.
Open	We advance in the afternoon towards Timang. We begin seeing snowy summits, and panorama begins becoming nice, although there is not 8000m on the skyline.	Open	For time, we are a bit going to rise above the valley to spend the night. We sleep in a lodge located on height, in 2600m of altitude. It will not be warm this evening, because of cumulus which threatens, and because of a border rain-snow around 3000m. I begin having a small anxiety when I see some snow located towards 3000m. It is definitely underneath the 5400m of the collar Thorung-La!
Open	Once installed in the lodge, we eat, then we have a campfire in the evening. The weather was covered this afternoon, this is a bit going to warm us up before going to sleep. I try a photograph of fire without flash, this one is rather well.	Open	Then on Thursday morning, fine weather as usual. Snow is vry low, around 3000m in 3500m. There is some houses or farm near to our lodge. I photograph them clearly the following morning by good weather.
Open	We follow a way at 2600m of altitude which takes us to Chame for the meal of midday.	Open	We cross nice figures...
Open	Around Chame, the view is again a bit embarrassed by cliff, sometimes cliffs located near the bottom of the valley. But it is already much better now.	Open	Villages have often entrance doors. The one of Chame is particularly nice and complex. Mills requests are habitually present in these places
Open	In the evening we arrive at Bhratang, village that we see on this photograph. It is a rather poor village, located in 2850m of altitude, but they will find a stove to warm himself up. The evening are cold here, and this does not prevent people to leaving all opened doors. Here the landscape constrict again: there is a high cliff north of the village, and a rather big slope on 1000m easy in the south.	Open	On Friday, March 18th, we leave again as usual with the fine weather. Lamjung Himal (6932m) begins apperaing above Bhratang. We follow this morning a way which rises just like that until 3100m in Dhukure.
Open	Dhukure is a climatic border. We leave here the humidity of the low valleys, and we enter the microclimate of Manang: fine weather all day long thanks to mistral ...finally almost! In any cases the fine weather of the valley of Manang has to be paid by the wind every afternoon. Vegetation becomes just like that much drier, stones and rocks are more frequent. With a little more detachment, we see more distinctly Lamjung Himal (6932m) .	Open	By continuing our way towards Ngawal, we cross a Lake. That day, we will eat in Lower Pisang (3200m). My fears of finding the snow at low altitude diminishes: here they find it from 4000m, a little more high. We also find traces of glaciers which postponed. Our guide explains us that also climate warms itself up and that some glaciers stand back.
Open	In the vicinity of Pisang, Annapurna 2 (7937m) appears. From Pisang, we are more embarrassed by the bottom of mountains, and from this day different 7000m and 8000m are going to scroll under our eyes.	Open	A zoom on the summit of Annapurna 2 (7937m) show the top.
Open	Regularly, Bhakta makes us visit monastery. They are frequent, often of modest size, and at any rate filled with symbols and buddhist painting indoors.	Open	We continue our way towards Ngawal. By turning round behind, we see a slope of mountain, located close to Pisang Peak, and which has quite a lot of snow on its summit (4670m). The curious quoting, is the surface glide downward of this mountain.
Open	Then a little farther in front of us Annapurna 4 (7525m) appears, located close to Annapurna 2.	Open	Here is a village, which is alike a lot between them. The techniques of building vary according to places, however stone and earth (which replaces cement) is broadly used, as well as wood.
Open	We always advance towards Ngawal, when pretty one lake appears, with snowy slopes in background.	Open	We are not very far from Ngawal, when we meet this buddhist building on the way ...must be bypass on the left! It is in effect frequent to meet this type of thing on ways.
Open	Here is finally Ngawal. It is a not very rich village, located in 3600m of altitude, constructed with stone and earth, and a little wood. The landscape is dry, and will remain it during several days.	Open	On Saturday, March 19th, departure to Manang. We have 3 h of walk that day, what allow to have the free afternoon in Manang for walk.
Open	On the way towards Manang, it is Annapurna 3 (7555m) that appears.	Open	Then we meet Braga, a typical village  positioned close to a mountain.
Open	Here is Manang (3540m) , and a street in the centre of town. It is especially the tourist quarter, because the rest of the village is not better than Braga and Ngawal. But Manang cover quite a lot of stores, clothes of the chow, Internet (asset a lot besides).	Open	By turning round, we see some summits of Annapurnas.
Open	In the afternoon, I make a quick jump to glacier View Point. It is a flat place, located at 3800m, with a nice view on surroundings. Here is a photograph of the Lake of Manang.	Open	On Sunday, March 20th, leaving at 7 h 30 of the morning towards Letdar. I take a last photograph on Manang,  in spite of embarrassing backlighting.
Open	By going up on Letdar, Gangapurna (7454m) appears close to Annapurna 3 (7555m) . The massif is splendid with this fine weather.	Open	The valley of Manang seems to go on towards the lake Tilicho. But we turn on right, in the north for the collar Thorung La. We move away from 7000m, to involve in a dry and rocky valley where snow seems to be above 4500m, that clears us the way for some days.
Open	We will spend the night in Letdar, in 4200m. By rising slowly, the acclimation is made gently. However some headwache will appear here and there for the days above 4000. Letdar is very small, some houses dispersed. From here we will make steps of acclimation every evening. This consists in going up 100m in 200m above the lodge not to sleep in the highest point attained during the day. In any cases we feel very well by going back down in the lodge.	Open	We wait them for a long time, but we saw yaks. They are not very common on our circuit, because a good party of this circuit is at low altitude, and the yak is rather above 3000m.
Open	On Monday, March 21st, we continue rising towards Thorung-Phedi (4450m) , where the known lodge appears on this photograph. But our guide decides on rise more high. There is a lodge located at 4800m, that allows to reduce the walk up the following day to the pass. A holder leaves to prove if there are place for us, then we follow him 1h afterwards.	Open	Here is therefore the rise in the highest shelter which we meet. There is not name on the card. Anyway we come back into the kingdom of snow, not possible to avoid it now!
Open	Arrival in the lodge, and our bags recovered, we see some 6000m in background. It will be cold in this place, we are definitely dress in the evening in duvet, and unfortunately the lodge has no stove in the common room. We arrived with fine weather, but this is quickly going to cover with snowfall in the night.	Open	Tuesday, March 22nd, is the big day. Wake up at 3h, start at 4 h to the pass Thorung La. But the weather is not clear, and the snowfall come with us all along rise.
Open	They will have a pause in a shack at 5100m where we can drink some tea in shelters one instant. We  leave again with bad weather.	Open	Then at 7 h 10... 7 h 40 everybody arrives on the pass Thorung La. Then It is a festival of photograph near the wooden panel pointing out the pass.
Open	And another shack in the summit, where we can warm ourselves up and drink a hot tea. Undoubtedly Tibetan is everywhere to do business!	Open	During descent, weather become better, that allows to see the sun coming into sight ...that not all in succession! We see the slopes of Khatung Kang (6484m) .
Open	Then we left for a long and difficult descent from 5400m to 4200m. From 5400m to about 4800m we walk in deep snow. The slope is not always very strong, what makes the way a little bit long.	Open	From 4800m to 4200m, the snow thin becomes fine: 3cm sometimes on very flat rocks: we fall  a lot of time, even the holders with bags. Then in 4200m, a small restaurant wait for us, and we recover all members of groups, as well as the holders. Night snow is still present at about 10h, and all day will be needed well to melts this snow at this altitude. We take a tea, then we leave again to Muktinath.
Open	Arrival at Muktinath (3800m) at 13 h for the meal of midday. Muktinath has probably have some snow this morning, but it melt during the day. We visit a temples before the lunch then we take meal in the lodge. We have a free afternoon, We use it to make some purchases, to phone, or walk in the village. Muktinath is build with stone and earth for the essential, lodges is a little better, we had an electrical water-heater in parallel with traditional solar heating.	Open	We have possibility on Tuesday evening to take a hot shower. Second surprise, our cooks have prepare us a very good pizza for the meal of 19 h, accompany with a gateau, the first one during this circuit.
Open	We meet people who wash the dinnerware in the middle of the street in the fountain, but we will do it also the following day for the morning toilet. There is no thermal insulation in lodges, and we can not keep the warmth of the day, all doors remaining opened. In the meal of evening, a daughter of the owner try to carrying the youngest child, they are cute, and I take a photo of them.	Open	The following morning on Wednesday, March 23rd, the water has frozen in pipes during night, and we have no more drop of water. Then departure at about 8h to Kagbeni with the traditional fine weather morning. We meet by taking out from Muktinath a solar oven of which I take a photo.
Open	The region around Muktinath is one kind of wrong plateau. The way is therefore descending soft until 3100m. Mountains are very dry in this place, we see only rocks and no trace of greenery.	Open	The landscape in this place remains very dry, everywhere in the mountains.
Open	A photograph made along way. I put it here, because I think it is interesting.	Open	Then we discover Kagbeni (2800m) stuck in the bottom of a bowl of 300m of height. Around Kagbeni, the first cultures appear, as well as the first fruit trees. Effect bowl and the nearness of torrent are probably the reason. We arrive at 11h30 in our lodge, and we have free afternoon to discover this small village. But it is going to start to rain from in middle of afternoon.
Open	In a descending line to Kagbeni, we see the entrance of the Mustang valley.	Open	We are here in Kagbeni. On the tourist streets, houses are painted, they have nicer facades, and wood is then used, in spite of the fact that it is expenseve here. But in their quarter, the Nepali does not get bored with that!
Open	We have free afternoon in Kagbeni. Bhakta help us to visit the local monastery. It is entirely constructed on earth with stone, they can do it in this dry region. Inside is nice, as always.	Open	On Tuesday, March 24th, we take back the way. Here, we are going to walk along a torrent which have dug a flat riverbed between mountains, easily 500m. It have snowed and rained all night, and we leaves this morning with the last drops of rain. The sides of mountains are white above 3000m, this gives a news aspect on mountains.
Open	The weather become better in the morning, and we cross small villages, as well as holders and mules.	Open	At midday we eat in Marpha, with the sun. Marpha is a pretty small village, where the main street is renovate for the tourists. This gives white and clean facades, paving street with broad stone, and a lot of boutiques to tourists.
Open	They stay in Marpha about 3h. Then we leave again at 15h for Tukuche (2500m) where we stop for the night. I am a bit tired by arriving, that surprises me because we descent down of 200m only. I ask the guide about the distance we walked, he says me 25km! It is the first time that we walk for 25km a day. But the place is well for that: the valley was flat broad and regular thanks to riverbed, and the way have more or less follows it. This allows to line up km more easily!	Open	On Friday, March 25th, start again at about 7h30. The weather is cool and clear. We continue walking down along the riverbed, where water is low on this season. In the middle of the morning we cross the village of Larjung (2550m). And shortly after a special panorama presents herself to us. Here Daulagiri (8167m)...
Open	... then Tukuche Peak (6920m) which was above our heads for some time, but that appears apparently now favour only at the valley which enlarged and in mountain who go up from 2500m to 7000m in one times.	Open	I either do not resist to make a photograph of torrent with mountains snowy at the bottom.
Open	Then we take back our way towards Lete, because they cannot stay here forever. Mountains in front of us are not very high and are white because of the recent torrential rains.	Open	They will take the meal of Friday midday in Lete (2480m) . It is a splendid place where we see once again Annapurnas which remained hidden several days since our departure of Manang.
Open	Here is the first visible panorama since Lete: in bottom Annapurna 1 (8091m) , then on right Annapurna South (7219m) .	Open	By looking behind, the massif of Tukuche Peak and Daulagiri remains splendid, although it begins hiding behind mountains.
Open	We take meal in a restaurant in Lete, that our cook invest, then at 13h15 we leave again to Ghasa. But here quiet flat and soft valley at 2500... 2800m stop after Lete, we find escarp way. Cumulus come with us this afternoon until our arrival in Ghasa which is at 2050m.	Open	On Saturday, March 26th, departure to Tatopani.We cross more and more village encircled with green cultivated field, we meet citroniers, and perhaps orange trees. Ways are more and more broad and maintained well, and we are accompanied with the sun all morning long.
Open	We find the first forests, and more below she become dense and more humid.	Open	A Nepali child crossed in a ways. We will take our meal of midday in Dana (1400m). The return to a low altitude becomes more and more nice, in spite of cumulus who block the sky in the afternoon and replace the wind which we had in altitude.
Open	Stone ways and encircled with herbes, are also encircled with original bush. It is very pretty. Then we arrive in the evening at Tatopani (1100m). We still walk down well, and we find warm air in the evening, what is good after many frozen nights. There is a source of hot water in Tatopani, that I did not take in photograph. Two basins in concrete were created, and water belongs easily to 50°. And the river is at 15°!	Open	On Sunday, March 27th, start at 7 h 30, as usual. In a village, we see children doing their duty in front of the family home. You know what they learn? Some English...
Open	On Sunday, we start a strict rise then. First until Sikha (1935m) where we take the meal of midday. Then we take back rise until Ghorépani. We discover a whole forest of Rosebay! I arrive in the evening at Ghorepani (2750m, located on a pass) in tong, because the big footwear hurts me in the foot. because of altitude, we find the poor weather and the rain late in the afternoon.	Open	On Monday, March 28th, wake up at 4 h 15 in the morning, and immediate departure without taking time for lunch. We walk up 400m until Poon Hill (3193m), a summit which gives a nice view on the 8000m around. At about 5h55 place, the sun rise, and Daulagiri (8167m), on this photograph, takes colour in orange.
Open	Annapurna 1 (8091m) and Annapurna South (7219m)  remains in shade a long time. The wind on summits appears distinctly via the white fumarolic gases.	Open	We go back down for lunch, the time to fold baggages, and we leave again at about 8h30 towards Ghandruk. Slightly later Annapurna 1 (8091m) and Annapurna Sud (7219m) are better sunny, and I use it to do again a photograph.
Open	By going back down, we find our rather humid and dense forests close to mountains. Ways are always very well maintained, what gives interesting photographs.	Open	Then we arrive at Ghandruk (1940m) late in the afternoon. Although one it is distant from high summits, this does not prevent that they have to be paid a torrential rain in the evening. But the following morning, on Tuesday, March 29th, the weather is again clear, and we have a pretty view on Annapurnas.
Open	Then we continue going back down until Biréthanti (1025m) where we take the meal of midday. Ways are always good maintain, what is remarkable for a country where everything is made by hand.	Open	Cultures in terraces are very common a bit at low altitude, and is always nice to see for tourist. This must really be a job arrassant to cultivate whole slopes of mountains in that way..
Open	We often meet holders and mules. Here is one going up that I could take a photo, and it is better in front instead behind.	Open	We find the bus on Tuesday early in the afternoon, and the trek is finish. We go to a hotel of Pokara, then we leave for walking in city. The following morning, on Wednesday, March 30th, the sky is clear, and the view on Annapurnas is splendid.
Open	Then after lunch, I leave to make some photographs of Pokhara before departure to airport. Here is a photograph of the tourist street of Pokhara, near the lake.	Open	The same street a little farther. There is numerous stores, we find a lot of things, and Internet is inexpensive and quicker than in Kathmandu.
Open	Pokhara have a lake. Here it is, and in front of the city we meets forest. We have not enogh time, but there is nice walks around this lake.	Open	On Wednesday, at the end of morning we are in Kathmandu, and we visit some place of the city. Here this is a Yogi who make photograph in exchanges of some rupees.
Open	We are in the temple of Pashupati Nath. It is a Hindu temple, it is very big, there is a lot of people permanently, and he takes place regularly some open-airincineration .	Open	At midday we leave the temple to go to eat somewhere. By leaving the temple we find street and tourist stores of Kathmandu.
Open	By running in bus, the landscape changes, and the not tourist zones are very poorer and give impression to be in permanent construction!	Open	Another street of Kathmandu a little farther.
Open	We are on Wednesday afternoon in a temple Hindu where the monkeys eat banana which they steal from the tourists. Here, it is big one status of Buddha close to the Temple of Swayambhunath.	Open	An other view of Kathmandou take on top from temple of Swayambhunath.
Open	In monastery, Buddha is ubiquitous. Statues are very nice, and sometimes they are put inside glass box. The height makes several metres easily, even in the small villages.	Open	Then in the evening, we finish the day in a restaurant of Kathmandu.
Open	On Thursday, March 31st in morning, we can approach Everest (8850m) by air for $120. I takes several photographs. We were in about 6500m of altitude.	Open	Then to middle of morning we go in the morning to Bhaktapur. In the old city, we cross a manufacture of pottery.
Open	Temples of Bhaktapur.	Open	And of course also the sellers. In some street, they come on us as a cloud. We have to go off quickly and to change place.
Open	Then on Thursdays afternoon, we go to Patan. There is also a pretty old city with the different temples.	Open	On Friday we have free day in Kathmandu. We go to the old city, where we find the ancient royal palace, which can be visits.
Open	The place in front of the royal palace. There is also a small temple and statue, as well as a big place in front of the royal palace.	Open	Another street of the centre of Kathmandu.

Quelques liens intéressants:

photograph of Kathmandu - big photograph of the Nepal - big photograph of Annapurnas - photograph of Besishhar - photograph of Nepali holder - photograph of Bagarcchlap - photograph of Lamjung Himal - photograph of Bhratang - photograph of Annapurna 1 - photograph of south Annapurna - photograph of Annapurna 2 - photograph of Annapurna 3 - photograph of Annapurna 4 - photograph of Manang - photograph since glacier View Point - photograph of Gangapurna - photographs of yak - photograph of the collar Thorung La - photograph of Khatung Kang - photograph of Muktinath - photograph of a solar oven - photograph of Kagbeni - photograph of Tukuche - photograph of Daulagiri - photograph of Tukuche Peak - photograph of Nepali child - photograph of culture in terrace - photograph of pokhara - photograph of the temple of Pashupati Nath - photograph of Buddha - photograph of statue of Buddha - photograph of the everest - photograph of the temples of Bhaktapur - photograph of Bhaktapur - photograph of Patan - photograph of the trade of Kathmandu