This is a continuation of my series on the Annapurna Circuit Trek, which we trekked in late November. Check out our itinerary here. Sufficiently rested after a full day in Manang, we set off again on Day 7, headed for Letdar. The landscape was a stark contrast to the first few days of trekking. We were above treeline in the alpine zone, a barren world of rocky slopes, broken up only by low shrubby plants. Still towering above us were snow-covered peaks. I had never been at an elevation this high, so the scenery was completely new to me. The hiking on Day 7 passed quickly. We had to complete shorter distances now, so that we did not gain altitude too quickly. Initially, I was breathing hard due to the altitude, but I felt stronger than at the beginning of the trek. I could tell that I was building my endurance and acclimatizing well. I was sure that we were moving slowly, but our group actually hiked faster than the estimated trekking times. Our group took our time leaving Manang, since the day's hike was shorter than usual. We mailed postcards to family and friends on the way out of town. I wrote in my journal that "people will probably get them weeks after we return", which was a bit of an underestimation. Our postcards arrived in the United States four months later! The good weather and sunshine continued on our route to Letdar, and we were able to hike without hats or jackets though it was late November. As a note, we were told that we trekked the Annapurna Circuit during an unseasonably warm year, so the best course of action is to plan for layers, just in case. When we stopped moving, we typically had to pull out our down jackets. Along the trail, we passed some Maoist graffiti. C.P.N. stands for the Communist Party of Nepal, which briefly became the ruling party of Nepal after the Civil War. We saw similar graffiti in a few places along the trek, so it seems that Maoist support continues in these areas. Also, as we were promised by a young Nepalese boy, we saw yak above Manang. We were quite excited to see these animals, as they are native to the Himalaya. Letdar, pronounced like "letter", cannot really be considered a town. Rather, it is a collection of only a few buildings, and three of these buildings are teahouses for trekkers. Due to the short distance on Day 7, we arrived in the early afternoon, even though we stopped for lunch in the previous town ( Yak Kharka). This gave us plenty of time to relax, order pots of tea, and add to our circle of trekking friends. While Wikitravel says, "Yak Kharka is a small collection of 3 guesthouses and lacking in other amenities, although it is preferable to Letdar which has even less in the way of accommodation", our evening in Letdar was one of my favorites, due to the fun, social atmosphere in the dining room that night. The great thing about the limited lodging options was that the trekkers were more concentrated, so we saw many of our trail friends in the dining room. In my journal, I wrote, "This place is bustling - the first place we've stayed that has a full, busy dining room of trekkers at night." With the amount of people inside and a fire burning in the fireplace, the dining room was a cozy and pleasant place to spend the afternoon and evening. Daily trekking distance: 10 km
Total trekking distance: 91 km Starting elevation (Manang): 3540m/11,614 ft Ending elevation (Letdar): 4200m/13,780 ft Costs Lunch Yak Kharka: 490 NPR ($4.74) Room + food Letdar: 1085 NPR ($10.50) *The only downside to arriving in Letdar early and spending hours in the fun, social dining room atmosphere is that we ended up spending a lot more on snacks and pots of tea.
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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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