Chulu East Peak Climbing and the Annapurna Circuit

Upon your landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in the capital city of Kathmandu, a representative of Icicles Adventure shall be waiting for you at the airport terminal to greet and welcome you. Afterward, you shall be escorted to your hotel rooms where you can rest and loosen up your tired bodies. Later in the evening, you have the doable option to go outside and take a stroll around the iconic Thamel area which is very popular touristic place.

Stay overnight at Kathmandu.
Accommodation: Hotel

This day is entirely planned to take you on a heartwarmingly guided sightseeing tour of UNESCO World Heritage sites around the Kathmandu valley. So, after having your breakfast, we take you to the famous Buddhist stupa called the Boudhanath Stupa which is also one of the largest stupa in Asia. Next on the list are the scared Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath Temple which is also popularly known as the “Monkey Temple”. At last we also take you to the enchanting Kathmandu Durbar Square before finally ending the tour. Later, we shall have a short pre-trek meeting and get introduced with your trekking guide. So, if you have to do some last-minute packing or shopping for your trek then this is the right time for that.

Stay overnight at Kathmandu.
Accommodation: Hotel – Included: Breakfast

Waking up early, we are planned to make an early morning departure to Besisahar from Kathmandu. Initially setting off our journey via scenic road trails away from the polluted tracks of capital city, we head west towards the scenic lake city of Pokhara. Accompanied by the magnificently gushing Trishuli River, our drive goes through several exotic ethnic local villages where you can see the incredible diversity of Nepalese scruples. We travel past numerous terraced farmlands and hills filled with vibrantly flourishing vegetation. Later on, the mid-way of our trip, we reach Muglin which is where the confluence of Trishuli and Marsyangdi river come to encounter with each other. Luckily, if you are seated at the right side of your transport vehicle, you are offered with picturesque mountain views as we get closer and closer to Besisahar.  We make an early departure from Kathmandu this morning for Besisahar. After passing Besisahar, we drive up through narrowing trail route filled with ever more verdant hills and ultimately end our drive by reaching Chame where you can get eye catching mountain views. By now, you have covered about 239 km which takes nearly about 8-9 hours to complete via Prithvi Highway and Besisahar road trail.

Stay overnight at Chame.
Accommodation: Local lodge.
Included Meal: B, L, D

Situated at 2,710 m Chame village is a beautiful place to wake up at. As the sun rises over the Himalayas, you shall wake up with a view of the astounding Lamjung Himal (6,893m) before your very own eyes. Hence after having your breakfast, you head onward to our next destination by walking on a scenic hill trail filled with mesmerizing forests of pine and fir trees. Initially on our trek today, we arrive at the Brathang village which can be an alluring place to be as it once was a resistant camp for many Tibetan people who were fighting against the Chinese Government over the border. Ahead we shall cross a bridge after walking over a cliff side and later on climb a very inclined forested trail. Another amazing sight that trekkers shall witness will be of the Mui Tscho which is often called the Paunde Danda. As the trail gets steeper, we move into the locality of Upper Manang district which seemingly turns into a plain landscape with very few vegetation thriving on it. Continuing our trail onward we walk along the shadowed trail of Annapurna II and reach our final destination of Pisang village. Upon reaching here, trekkers can get up-close perspectives of the majestic Annapurna range including Pisang Peak and Chulu East Peak.

Stay overnight at Pisang.
Accommodation: Local lodge
Included Meal: B, L, D
Walking Duration: 5-6 hrs.

We leave the Annapurna Circuit trail behind today and climb up above the river on the slopes of Pisang Peak. We begin with a gentle climb across the hillside through scrub pine and Juniper before a steeper section on a zig-zagging trail to the village of Ghyaru (3673m) with its collection of dry-stone-walled medieval houses built one on top of another. Our route continues on a superb contour trail offering tremendous views of the Annapurna range until reaching the extensive fields and houses of Ngawal which is similar though bigger than Ghyaru. At Ngagwal we climb steadily to the small village of Chulu with its flour mill. We now climb up beside the stream for around 45 minutes to cross the khola on a wooden bridge. The steady ascent continues through fir and juniper to a small meadow and herder’s hut in view of two splendid waterfalls, which we should reach in around 1 hour from the bridge.

Walking Time: 6-7 hrs.
Accommodation: Local lodge.
Included Meal: B, L, D

This is a necessary that you spend an acclimatization day at Julu Khola Meadow Camp prior to heading up to high camp. The order of the day is rest or perhaps a gentle walk. In the afternoon the guides will take us through the simple techniques of roped glacier travel and using fixed lines for safety. This is also a good opportunity to catch up on laundry, diary writing or other trek chores.

Walking Time: 2-3 hrs
Accommodation: Camping
Included Meal: B, L, D

The trail up to the high camp follows scree and snow slopes. Steep and relentless climb of about three hours to the top of the escarpment which generates the waterfalls which are in view from the camp. As we reach the top of this ridge, Chulu East comes into view. Our base camp for the mountain is set in a wide bowl an easy 15 – 20 minutes walk beyond the ridge top. It is important that we take an easy afternoon resting and drinking lots of fluid as part of the acclimatization process.

Walking Time: 4-5 hrs
Accommodation: Camping
Included Meal: B, L, D

From our base camp a clear trail climbs up the moraine. Cresting the ridge we encounter a moonscape of glacial debris, the remnants of a receding glacier and we make a high camp beside a small glacial lake. Altitude at High Camp is 5255 metres. Approximately 1½ hours walking. Depending on the group we may take this day as a second acclimatization day at base camp and make the ascent to high camp on the following day. Your trip leader will decide. Resting at the high camp, we take a plenty of time to relax and prepare equipment and strategies for the next day.

Walking Time: 3-4 hrs
Accommodation: Camping
Included Meal: B, L, D

Today is a very long and strenuous day for us. At 1am our climbing Sherpa will wake you up with a cup of hot tea. Have a very early breakfast before getting ready and stepping out into the cold night air. Dawn will be well on its way by the time we set off up the initial slopes to a prominent col which we should reach in about an hour from camp. Fabulous views of all the Annapurnas, Manaslu, the Ganesh Himal to the and to the north we can look over the dry barren landscape of Mustang and Tibet. Having had our fill of the scenery we can enjoy some more sensational climbing situations as we reverse our route first to the col and then to high camp. After some rest and refreshment here we continue the descent to high camp.

Walking/climbing Time: 11-12 hrs
Accommodation: Camping
Included Meal: B, L, D

In case on the planned summit day i.e. day 09, the weather turned bad, we will wait a day and try summit today.

We drop down from Chulu High camp to Julu Khola Camp.

Walking Time: 6-7 hrs
Accommodation: Camping
Included Meal: B, L, D

A day of downhill starting with the return to Chulu village. We continue the descent to reach the main trail coming from Nagwal which turns and runs parallel to the Marsyangdi before dropping to Mungdi at which point we have rejoined the Annapurna Circuit trail. From Mungdi it is a further about one hour up valley to the bustling town of Manang where we rest the day and perhaps enjoy a celebratory food and drinks.

Walking Time: 6-7 hrs
Accommodation: Camping
Included Meal: B, L, D

Just like any other day of our trek, we shall wake up with an enthusiasm to trek further and reach our next destination with in this day. After having our breakfast, we leave Manang by walking through an antediluvian town and reach the Gangapurna Lake which can be a very soothing sight for the trekkers as the emerald blue water of the lake turn the arid landscape into a lively & vivacious zone. Ascending our way up through the valley, we little by little get closer to the village of Tenki. After that, we make a beeline towards the north direction while being accompanied by clear all-encompassing mountain views of the snowcapped Annapurna II, IV and Gangapurna. Later on, we cross a small river and ascent up to reach the anticipated Yak Kharka which lies at very high altitude so be wary about your health conditions from this moment onward. Stay overnight at Yak Kharka.

Accommodation: Local lodge
Included Meal: B, L, D
Walking Duration: 4-5 hrs.

After waking up and having a hearty breakfast, we continue on with our trek with a fuel filled tummies to help us carry on with our trek today. While enjoying the great Himalayan perspectives along our dramatically arid trekking trails filled with breezy cold air, we start ascending towards Thorong Phedi. The place which we shall reach after leaving Yak Kharka will be Ledar which can be reached by a simple one hour walk. From here the view of Chulu mountain peaks is clearly visible to the naked eye so taking a moment to click some photos of this incredible mountain is kind of necessary for trekkers. Moving forward, you can see amusing herds of Yaks and Himalayan sheep grazing along the hill slopes, later on the trail gradually descends down to Jarsang Khola. Now we shall cross the Jarsang Khola to again make an attempt to hike up to a steeply inclined trek route. Afterward, with some few more steps we reach Thorong Phedi which is also the last destination of our trek today. This place is a minute settlement which serves as a place where trekkers can take some much-needed rest, eat locally cooked delicacies and sleep overnight. We shall also have a short walk around in the afternoon as to help our bodies get acclimatized properly for our demanding hike tomorrow. Stay overnight at Thorong Phedi.

Accommodation: Local lodge
Included Meal: B, L, D
Walking Duration: 3-4 hrs.

Hope you have gained back your strength after a proper sleep as today marks one of the challenging and strenuous day of our entire trek. As per our itinerary we are to cross the exhilarating Thorung La Pass to reach our next overnight destination. So, we are to start our trek early in the morning at 4 -5 am as the weather conditions may alter rapidly in the afternoon time period which can make it tough for us to cross the pass successfully. Moving away from Thorung Phedi, we make hike up on a steep trail but nonetheless it’s easy to follow but as the elevation of the trail increases, you can face some unwanted problems. Further on, after walking up for about 4 hours, trekkers are greeted with tantalizing view of the fluttering Buddhist prayer flags which signifies the fact that they have managed to reach the top of the Thorung La Pass which is situated at an elevation of 5,416 m. Atop from here you can get an all-encompassing 360o view of the Himalayas which include Chulu West, Annapurna range, Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, Tukuche, Yakgawa Kang, Khatung Gang and many others. Here onward, we are to make a decent downhill walk to the Kali Gandaki valley floor. After a short while of descending down we reach the revered pilgrimage site of Muktinath Temple where you can witness an enchanting scenery of religious devotees flocking around several gompas and pagoda temples. This is a culturally significant site for Hindu and Buddhist believers who utterly take care of the temple. During September thousands of devotes make their journey to come and cleanse their past sins in this temple. Stay overnight at Muktinath.

Accommodation: Local lodge
Included Meal: B, L, D
Walking Duration: 7-8 hrs.

We will move through trail of Kagbeni to reach Jomsom. Today is comparatively easier downhill and level walk through through settlements of Jharkot and Eklebhatti settlements and then through wide Kali Ghandaki floodplains with fantastic views of Mustang valley, the Nilgiri Mountains and Dhaulagiri Ranges. Jomsom, capital of Mustang district  is a windy and a little cold valley but like the beautiful wet hills and the view of Tilicho mountain as well.

Walking Time: 4-5 hrs.
Accommodation: Local lodge.
Included Meal: B, L, D

A 30-minute morning flight takes us to Pokhara from Jomsom. Once we arrive at Pokhara airport, we then drive to the hotel. In the afternoon either we relax in our hotel or may have a sightseeing tour around Pokhara valley, which covers Fewa Lake, Devi’s water fall, Museum, Tibetan refugee settlement and Gupteshower cave, etc.

Flight Time: 30 minutes
Accommodation: Local lodge
Included Meal: B

Note: You have the option to extend your trip with an extra day at Pokhara (Pokhara is a beautiful city to relax after a long trek), Chitwan jungle safari, rafting adventure, Bunjee Jum ping, Kayaking, Canoeing, Kathmandu valley shopping tour, Bhaktapur and Patan sightseeing, scenic Everest flight, mountain biking and other activities.

We drive back to Kathmandu today. Try to get left pane of your vehicle to enjoy the river gorges, greeneries, mountains, villages and terraces during the drive. In the evening, we will have a farewell dinner in a traditional Nepalese restaurant with cultural performance.

Driving Time: 6-7 hrs.
Accommodation: City Hotel.
Included Meal: B, D

Note: You have the option to extend your trip with an extra day at Pokhara (Pokhara is a beautiful city to relax after a trek), Chitwan jungle safari, paragliding, rafting adventure, Bunjee Jumping, Kayaking, Canoeing, Kathmandu valley shopping tour, Bhaktapur and Patan sightseeing, scenic Everest flight, mountain biking and other activities.

It's day 19th which means that it is the day we say farewell to you as your departure flight is scheduled for today. But still if you have any desire to extend your trip days with us or want to join on another trek then we are sure to help you with that too. If not the, a representative of Icicles Adventure shall drop you off at the International Airport terminal and bid you farewell until your next adventure in the Himalayan nation. And we hope to accompany you again in the future.

Meals: B