We start our journey with a scenic drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Along the Prithivi highway, you will be followed by Trishuli River on the right side offering you with its beautiful river view. After then, you will be accompanied by the Marshyangdi River as the trail up streams to its junction. You follow the Marshyangdi gently up through heavily terraced fields and small hill towns to the Seti River that takes you directly into Pokhara. Having pleasant weather, Pokhara is tourist’s paradise with full of natural as well as cultural heritage sites such as lakes, caves, temples of Buddhist and Hindus along with mountains. You can observe views to the north across the hills and Phewa Tal (lake) to the white peaks of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. You can also take a flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara instead of drive which will just take 30 minutes to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu. After arrival, get refreshed and stay overnight in hotel.
Starting our journey from Pokhara, we drive towards Beni for about four hours. Throughout our drive, we will enjoy the beautiful scenario of mountains, forest and country side. Beni is a small town located at the confluence of the Kali Gandaki River and Myagdi River at an altitude of 830 meters. Two rivers meet at the junction so it is named as Beni. It is the district headquarters and has a police check post where your trekking permits will be examined. It is a bustling town lined with stores, restaurants, hotels and various government offices. Anyone can watch panoramic scene of Himalaya and landscape, can observe flora, fauna, and village life style also. Different kinds of tourism activities could occur in a place in a visit like recreational tourism, Eco-tourism, Village Tourism and Cultural Tourism etc. It is a significant pilgrimage itself along with several temples and monuments. It is the head quarter of Myagdi District. It is the main gateway to reach Mustang and Tibet. The sprawling town lies in Dhaulagiri Zone at the confluence of the mighty Kali Gandaki River and the Myagdi Khola. Beni is a hub for trans-Himalayan trade and for travelers heading northward along the western half of the Annapurna Circuit. We stay overnight at this beautiful town.
From the Myagdi district headquarter, one has to follow a gravel road for 24-km to Darbang and start walking. Takam is 37 kilometer far west from Beni Bazaar. It is one of the important historical places of the district. War weapon of medieval time and ancient war trench can still be found in that area. It is a beautiful village with attractive landscape as well as stunning views of Mt. Dhaulagiri and Mukut Himal. It is and ancient settlement of mixed community of all tribes: Brahmin, Chhetri, Damai, Kami, Sarki, Magar, Gurung, Thakali, Chantyal and many others. Main inhabitants are Brahmin and Chhetri. It lies on the way of Dhaulagiri Base Camp and Dhorpatan trek. Takam Kot is archaeologically and religiously important. We spend our overnight in one of the lodge of Takam.
Leaving Takam after breakfast, we move ahead towards Lamsung, today’s destination. From this point you can find the untracked part of Nepal. The wonderful view along the trail will make you always refreshed to walk further. You can find the remoteness here. This remote area with stream and gorges will be a wonderful place to explore. It is now a region of peace, ready and willing to receive tourists. Traveling in this area provides a chance to see rural Nepal and the cultures there unaffected by the commercialization of the travel industry. The beautiful landscape added beauty. Only few trekkers have walked throughout this trail, thus the local people are not used to foreigners. As this part of the area has also suffered a lot during the war, you can hear the stories of Maoist insurgency. You can feel the pain in their eyes while you hear the story. You can read their face, how they had faced 10 years (1996 – 2006) wars. You stay overnight at this village with local peoples.
Leaving Lamsung, we trek through the dense forest of pines. You can also enjoy the musk deer barking behind the bushes. En route, you can also view the 180 degree views of Dhaulagiri which extends up to entire range up to Chure Himal in the west. All along, there are spectacular views of the Dhaulagiri range from high ridges and large meadows fringed by pine forests. The trail has a historic attraction, but there are also challenges of infrastructure and making locals aware of how they can benefit from tourism. After a walk for about seven hours, you will reach Gurjaghat for your overnight stay.
Today, you will cross over from Myagdi to Baglung and into the former Tibetan refugee camp. This trek offers an opportunity to discover areas, which is still virgin without being affected by western influences. This refugee camp was serviced by an airfield built by the Swiss in the 1950s. This is also the entrance to Dhorpatan, a Hunting Reserve, where you can spot mountain goats and blue sheep (Gharal). Dhorpatan is famous for its Moorland and plain land. Dhorpatan hunting reserve is also an attractive destination, controlled hunting allowed with proper license and certain seasons in the year. Dhorpatan reserve is the only one spot in Nepal where licensed hunting is permitted, it is characterizing by alpine, sub-alpine and high temperate vegetation. Common plant species include fir, pine, birch, rhododendron, hemlock, oak, juniper and spruce. Dhorpatan is the prime habitats of blue sheep, other game species are Ghoral, Himalayan Tahr, Black Bear Pheasant and Partridge. Stay overnight at local lodge of Dhorpatan.
Early in the morning, you can stroll around the place for sometimes and enjoy the natural flora and fauna of this place. If you are lucky, you will be able to see the wild life of this place like: Ghoral, Himalayan Tahr, Black Bear Pheasant and Partridge. This place is also known as a paradise for birds. Watch Danphe (National bird of Nepal), pheasants, and other migratory species that you have seen only in bird guides. It is very hard to imagine that people have fought a war in such a peaceful place. There are cow sheds in the monsoon, but in the winter these high pastures are deserted. We will walk for about five hours to reach Nisi Dhor where we will stay for overnight.
Trekking from Nisi Dhor, it takes about seven hours to reach Tallo Sera. Tallo Sera is rich in dense forest making it easy for the Maoist to hide during the insurgency. We have to cross over from Baglung and then to Rukum into Magar community and then enter the former Maoist base area. The village is very beautiful and one can have a wonderful sight form this place. Scenic beauty of this region is unmatched. One can have a breathtaking view of the Dhaulagiri range and wide meadows with pine trees.
On the following day, we have to walk for about six hours to reach Rujhi Khola. Passing through Rukum, we walk through a pleasant trail today. Rukum is inhabited by Magars and Dalit (Low cast). This place is also not much explored by the tourist. Rukum has so many things to offer and will be fascinated by traveling though several unspoiled villages, innocents people, their unique cultures, awesome Himalayan ranges of Sisne, Putha , Dhaulagiri, Chauri peaks. A great opportunity to learn Rich Kham Magar cultures, exceptional people’s lifestyles, seeing the war remnant, amazing view of Mt. Sisne (virgin), Putha, Chauri and beautiful landscapes are the main attraction in Rukum. Rukum, also known as the district of “52 lakes and 53 hills” could be a hit among tourists. There is plenty of sunshine for the remoteness of Rukum and Rolpa that was quelled into a seething pot of war once upon a time. We stay overnight at one of the lodges of Rujhi Khola.
Leaving Rujhi Khola, we continue our trail further up to Thabang. Thabang is the cradle of the Maoist revolution. It was damaged in army attacks and parts of the town were flattened by ‘tora bora’ mortar shells dropped from helicopters. There has been some development of infrastructure after the war ended, and the people are eager to welcome the visitors and are very friendly and hospitable. The village is made up chiefly of Dalit and Magar and a giant, black and white mural greets you at the entrance with depictions of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao. We stay overnight at one of the lodge of Thabang or Tented.
Commencing our trek, we can see mixed forests of Rhododendron & Oaks. We can also view the scenery of beautiful forests, high mountains including Dhaulagiri Himal, Gurju Himal, Churen Himal, Putha Himal etc which can be observed on the way of Thabang to Jaljala where we will stay for our overnight. The highest point in Jaljala is Dharampani (3900m) and there is a great view from Api and Saipal in the west to Dhaulagiri in the east. Jaljala is open grassland, seasonally inhabited by herders. There are many shepherd huts and two small, rock built temples as well as a stone-walled, central pond. Ascend any of the smaller hills to improve views of the snowbound Himalayan peaks. The area and environment was a former highland training ground for guerrillas and now has a multi-storied temple, Bujuthan, with three water taps and nearby is Bhangma Pup (“Torch Cave”) a large cavern that also serves as a shrine. Dharampani, the name of a ridge top (11,572 ft, 3527 m) to the southwest, has a Maoist memorial.
On this day, we will descend down from the high mountains on a flat trail. The group or people who are settled here are mixed of different tribes and they own have their own culture, customs and traditions. They live peacefully in harmony. After a walk of about six hours from Jaljala, we reach Jelbang passing through, forests. Here we will spend overnight.
This is the last day for trek as we will only be driving on the next day. At this point, we finally get to Rolpa and the road head. Rolpa was also a rebel base area and for many of the ten years of war under total Maoist control. We can eat at one of the many commune restaurants run by Maoist cooperative, where staffs are relatives of those who were killed in the fighting. After six hours of walk, we reach Sulichaur where we will stay overnight.
On the last day of our journey, we take our breakfast in Sulichaur and then drive towards Kathmandu which will take about nine hours ride. With all the beautiful memories, we reach Kathmandu. Then you will be transferred to your respective hotel. Take some rest or take an evening walk. You will spend overnight at Kathmandu.
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