This is a continuation of my series on the Annapurna Circuit Trek, which we trekked in late November. Check out our itinerary here. On Day 5, we took the Upper Pisang route to Manang. Trekkers have the option of following the Lower Pisang route, which sits lower in the valley and is a much easier hiking route, or the Upper Pisang route, which is significantly more strenuous BUT SO WORTH IT. I think that everyone should choose the Upper Pisang route for three reasons:
In the morning, we trekked past prayer wheels and along the banks of the river. We had heard that this day was strenuous, so we assumed the trail would have a big ascent. Not long after Upper Pisang, it did. We were faced with switchbacks that snaked up the steep slope as high as we could see. The combination of the steep trail, the packs on our backs, and the altitude made for a difficult, slow, and steady ascent. I would trudge up two switchbacks and then pause for a sip of water or quick breather. The ascent on this part of the trail took over an hour and we climbed 420 m (1378 ft). At the top, we dropped our packs, flopped to the ground, and took in the stunning views of the river far below and the mountains around us. At the top of our big climb was the village of Ghyaru, a tiny village with stone buildings and flat roofs. The road to Manang doesn't follow the Upper Pisang route, so these villages are only reachable by foot or animal. In Ghyaru, a man approached us and asked if we were American. When we confirmed this, he explained that he was the headmaster at the school in Ghyaru, and he had been having computer issues. He thought that we could fix his computer since we were American. We agreed to stop by after resting for a short while. Eventually, we made our way to the school, asking for directions along the way. The headmaster greeted us enthusiastically. I know next-to-nothing about computers, but my fellow trekkers knew a bit more and began eagerly plugging in cords and pressing buttons. As they worked, I shone my cell phone light on the computer and looked around the office. There were photographs of volunteer groups who had come to the school and stacks of workbooks for the students, including English workbooks. Ultimately, we could not fix the computer. Later, as we continued our trek, we hypothesized that it might have been malfunctioning from all the dust. The computer was sitting by the open window and was covered in a coating of dust and dirt, which had clearly blown in through the open window. Rachel thought that the dust probably blew into the office and got into the computer system. Even though we were unsuccessful at fixing the computer, it was a cool experience to see the school and meet the headmaster - an unusual pit stop along the trail! Because we had climbed higher than our stopping point of Manang, the Upper Pisang route descended steeply during the second half of the day. The downhill was hard on my joints, particularly my knees, and we lost the route at one point. After descending, the sun was starting to drop behind the mountains, and I was sure that we couldn't be far from Manang. But, we kept walking. And walking. And walking. My feet were hurting, my knees were hurting, and I was so grateful to see a town, until I realized it was not Manang. We had reached Bhraga, only 30 minutes from Manang, but I have to say that was a long 30 minutes after our strenuous day of trekking. At the end of this day, nobody in our group was speaking because we were so exhausted and were literally hobbling into Manang. At the end of this day, I was exhausted. My joints hurt. My feet hurt. But, I would not have traded the Upper Pisang trail for anything. I was glad that I had the opportunity to hike away from the road, take in the glorious mountain views, walk through the tiny villages filled with character, and visit a school in Ghyaru. And, after all, this tough day of trekking was followed by a rest day in Manang! Daily trekking distance: 19.5 km
Total trekking distance: 81 km Starting elevation (Upper Pisang): 3310m/10,859 ft Ending elevation (Manang): 3540m/11,614 ft Costs Technically none, since we did not stop for lunch. We ate snacks that we carried with us rather than stopping on an already long trekking day. I will include costs from Manang on the post about our rest day.
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AuthorMy name is Alyssa Good and I have a passion for travel, adventure, culture, and new experiences! I focus on budget friendly travel, trip planning resources, and seeking out new experiences. Archives
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