Mesokanto Pass Trekking

We will have our staff waiting for you at the arrival gate of Tribhuvan International Airport. Our vehicle will be on standby at the parking to escort you to your hotel. Check into the hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu. You will have your trek briefing and introduction to our ground crew in the evening.

Kathmandu Valley is home to 7 of the most iconic UNESCO heritage sites. On this day, you will have a guided tour of 3 of these UNESCO sites after breakfast at your hotel.

Your tour guide will lead your trip to Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, and Kathmandu Durbar Square. Pashupatinath is a revered Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Boudhanath is a respected Buddhist site located on the outskirts of Kathmandu Valley.

Kathmandu Durbar Square portrays the centuries-old Royal Palace of the Mallas, now a museum. We return to our hotel in the evening for a night’s stay.

The first day of our trek is spent driving to the core of Manang district, Chamje. We board our jeep, which will exit Kathmandu Valley via Nagdhunga. We follow along the Trishuli River via Prithvi Highway.

After traversing 130 kilometers, we reach Dumre in the Tanahun district. From here, the road diverges and heads north towards Lamjung district. After 40 kilometers of travel, we reach Besisahar, and the districts headquarter of Lamjung district. You will have a smooth paved road until Besisahar.

From here on, we take the mountainous roadway that travels alongside the Marsyangdi River, originating from the high Annapurna ranges. The road after Besisahar is filled with rocky terrain, uneven pathways, and landslide-prone slopes.

You will have occasional views of Nadi Chuli and Lamgunj Himal along the way. It’s a 3 hours drive from Besisahar to Chamje, our overnight stop.

Your Second day of trekking begins from Chamje. We begin our trek after breakfast at the teahouse. Within minutes of starting the hike, we cross over the Marsyangdhi River through a suspension bridge. This could be a first-time experience for many. The bridge shivers as you step onto it.

After about 1 hour of trek, we reach Tal village on the river bank. You will have repeated sightings of turquoise water, mani walls, horses and mules, small shortens, and prayer wheels. The trail in this stretch is easygoing, with only gradual ascents at some points. The trail, for the most part, takes on the flat plains of the Marsyangdhi river basin through small villages. You will reach Dharapani in the evening for your night’s stay.

Dharapani is the crossroad point for the famous Manaslu Circuit Trek and Annapurna Circuit Trek.

Our 5th day of the trek begins with a riverside walk along the village of Dharapani. After a short trek, we reach a crossroad with the pathway heading north towards Himlung Himal Base Camp.

We continue with the hike along the Marsyangdhi River. Today’s trek stretch traverses towards the district headquarters of Manang, Chame village. The total duration of the trek ranges from 6-7 hours.

The trail first traverses through the UN paved road with a flat surface. As we reach Bagarchhap, the trail ascends steeply through the rocky hills. The trail navigates through the narrow corridors cut by the river.

We cross the river multiple times via a suspension bridge. Before reaching Chame, We make several rest stops between the villages: Lata Marang, Danagyu, and Koto Qupar.

Located in the narrowed alleyways of the Marsyangdhi River, Chame is a bustling village in the Manang district. This village is the district’s headquarters and is densely populated.

There are lots of government offices and administrative organizations here. There is a district regional hospital with sophisticated equipment. Chame will be your overnight stop for the day.

The picturesque valley of the Pisang unveils as you travel from Chame towards Pisang and Manang villages. The first stretch of the trail takes you across deep narrow alleys of the river. You will navigate across the raging Marsyangdhi River multiple times. Bharatan is a small village located after Chame at the duration of 1 hour from Chame.

This village is particularly popular for its colossal apple and apricot farm. Apples grown here are really juicy and account for the major share of Manang’s economic activity. We navigate through the small hamlets along the Riverside.

A widened valley appears before you reach Dhukure Pokhari. Himalayan mountains with their shimmering peaks showcase the magnificence on all sides. We reach the Riverside village of Lowe Pisang for a night stop.

As you leave Pisang in the morning, you will be bestowed by the gaze of Chulu Himal (6584m), Annapurna III (7454m), Annapurna II (7939m), Himlung Himal (7125m), and other numerous mountains. Right above the Pisang village lays Pisang Peak (6091m) which is a famous climbing peak in Annapurna.

Your trek will be amusing with lofty peaks seen in all directions as we reach Humde. Humde has the only domestic Airport in the Manang district and is significant on the trail. Our trail ascends steeply from Humde through a wide River valley to reach Manang village in the evening.

Manang village is the commercial hub of the district with typical Managi homes. You will see muddy-built homes on top of one another. We will stay in Manang village for the night.

Manang village is a prominent settlement of Managi people who adhere to Tibetan Buddhism in their religious practices. This village bestows old-world charm and modern amenities in a picturesque valley below the Himalayas. As an acclimatization day, you can indulge in various activities in Manang village. Located nearby Manang village is the Gangapurna Lake with its pristine turquoise water.

Next, you can hike to a famous cave of 100 monks nearby. This visit to the cave ensures you are blessed by the holy monks for your successful traverse. Also, the nearby village of Brabal is home to several Buddhist monasteries where you can participate in prayer ceremonies. We stay at Manang village for the night.

Today’s trek will make our first ascent to an elevation above 4000 meters. From the dry landscape of Manang village, we make our way westward. As we move along the trail, after an hour, we reach the confluence of two rivers: Thorung Khola, originating from Thorang Peak, and Marsyangdhi River, which forms from Tilicho Lake. Our trail ascends steeply through the barren landscape with a sandy pathway to Khangsar.

We have our lunch at Khangsar and prepare for the second stretch of the journey. There is a millennia-old monastery in Khangsar called Tasab Gompa. We gradually climb from Khangsar to reach Shree Kharka in the evening.

The trek from Shree Kharka to Tilicho Base Camp is strenuous via the barren terrain of Pusen Danda. We switch back ascent through the sandy path filled with small rocky pathways. The first stretch of the trek ascends steeply towards the Top of the Col at 4970 meters. Then the trail makes a gradual descent toward Tilicho Base Camp. There is only one teahouse in Tilicho Base Camp that serves the trekkers. We settle down in the teahouse for the night.

The trek from Tilicho Base Camp to the Lake is a treacherous traverse via sandy pathways. Our trail here is full of dry landslides and narrow paths. The journey to Tilicho Lake takes about 3 hours. Upon reaching the Lake, we hike up to the north end to set our campsite for the night. Tilicho Lake is considered one of the highest-altitude lakes in Nepal.

The water of Tilicho remains deep blue with a tranquil ambiance all over. The environment surrounding the Lake is quaint, with the wind howling at enormous speed most of the time. Our ground crew will set up your tent and prepare meals for the night stopover at Tilicho North campsite.

The eleventh day marks the most significant day of this trek. Today we traverse the highest point of the trek, Mesokanta La. The trail begins on a softer side of the pathway with an easily navigable path. The trail demands a gradual ascent until Tilicho northern moraine. From here begins the switch-back ascent with a path leading to the top of Mesokanta La. This pass bestows views of Mt. Shya Gang, Mt. Khatung Kang, Mt. Yakwakang, and numerous other mountains on a clear day. The pass is filled with glacial ice and snow dome. We start our descent from the Mesokanta-La pass, which is pretty straightforward.

That being said, sections of rocky pathways remain slippery most of the time. It is advised to be careful during the descent. We traverse over various cairns scattered along the trail. There are various shepherd sheds scattered along the route. After 3 hours of descent, we reach our campsite for the day at Kharka.

Today is an easy trek, walking through alpine forests and dense green jungles. We follow along the Thini River banks pathway towards Thini Village. In between lays Nama Phug Caves and Prabsa Goat Farm before crossing a wooden bridge over the Thini River.

The majestic Nilgiri Himal unveils itself as you reach Thini village. From Thini, the flatlands of Jomsom, Marpha, and other Thakali villages are visible. You gaze at the mighty Kaligandaki River ragingly making its way over the flatlands. We descend further to reach Jomsom after 5 hours of trek. Jomsom is the commercial capital and district headquarters of Mustang district. It sits right by the bank of the Kaligandaki River.

The day begins with a walk on the flatlands of Mustang villages. We start walking westward, following along the banks of the Kaligandaki River. Mustang’s dry and barren hills are enormous and remain dry for most of the year. This area is howling with strong storms during the winter time.

Our trail takes the graveled roadway through various villages. We cross the Kaligandaki River via the suspension bridge multiple times, taking shortcuts. We pass through various Marpha, Tukuche, Khwanti, Kobang, and Larjung villages before reaching Kalopani. The villages in this area have thatched roof stone-built houses. You will have typical Apple pie and apple crumble, the local delicacy of Kalopani.

Along the way, you will have an amusing view of Mt.Dhaulagiri (8163m), Annapurna I(8091m). Kalopani is surrounded by Sub-tropical pine forests on all sides. You encounter greenery. We stay at Kalopani for the night.

We wake up at the gleaming sunrise at Kalopani over Annapurna massifs. Kalopani is a small Thakali settlement on the roadside of the Muktinath-Pokhara highway. It is a picturesque village with typical village life in the Mustang district. You will experience the unmatched walk of life of Thakali and Gurung people in and around Kalopani.

The hotel in Kalopani is built differently and practices sustainable tourism principles in its operation. Our traverse today is easygoing via Kali Gandaki River bank. The trail descends and crosses the river multiple times, taking the foot trail. We trek via the deepest gorge in the world, Dana Gorge.

The narrow alleyways formed by river Kaligandaki will be our daily trail. We reach Tatopani in the evening. You can submerge yourself in the natural hot spring located here.

Our trek ends with us boarding the vehicle towards Pokhara. It’s a total of 104 kilometers of distance to reach Pokhara from Taopani. We first take the dirt path leading to Beni, a dense settlement on the riverside. The road from Beni to Pokhara is paved and takes about 3 hours to cover. We reach Pokhara in the evening and gasp the evening sun sitting by the lakeside.

We begin our return journey from Pokhara after your breakfast at the hotel. We travel along the Prithvi Highway via small towns between Damauli, Dumre, Mugling, Malekhu, and finally, Kathmandu. Settle down at a hotel in Kathmandu in the evening.

Boundless Adventures representative will take you to the airport for your return flight. You must reach the airport at least 3 hours before departure, so inform our staff accordingly.