INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
The Annapurna
Circuit on Two Wheels
by Jocelyn Powelson
The track on the Mustang side of Thorung La is dotted with ancient villages like this one, Jharkot. Photo: Jocelyn Powelson.
After two days of
slow and bumpy
bus rides, with
my bike carefully
strapped to the
roof, I finally
arrived at Ghasa,
the starting
point for my
two-wheeled
adventure.
Uphill sections were long and tiring, especially in the hot weather, but the
amazing views made them a little easier. Photo: Jocelyn Powelson.
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www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
“Alright, fifty more steps and then you
can rest. one, two, three...” For the past
four hours, my thoughts have been
dominated by counting my steps and
controlling my breathing. Every time
my legs get too tired to go further,
I pause, look around, and enjoy the
view. The sun is slowly rising up from
the horizon, lighting up the barren but
beautiful landscape of Lower Mustang.
I reposition my mountain bike on my
tired shoulders and continue to trudge
up the steep trail towards Thorung La.
During the Dasain holiday at the end
of September 2017, I escaped from
Kathmandu with my mountain bike for
a trip around the Annapurna Circuit.
The route is famous for the Thorung
La crossing, a pass at 5416 metres
elevation that separates Manang and
Mustang districts. Most people start
the trail at Besisahar and gradually
gain elevation while moving northward
through Manang district, before
reaching the pass. Following the pass
is a rapid descent into Lower Mustang.
I decided at the last minute to do the
circuit in a clockwise direction, which is
in reverse from what is normal. I wanted
to do this so I would have a bit more
time at the start of the trip to ride on
the Lower Mustang side of the route,
where the weather is generally better,
before crossing the pass into Manang,
where there were forecasts for rain and
snow. Charabu, 4230 metres), the highest
place to sleep on the Mustang side of
the pass.
After two days of slow and bumpy bus
rides, with my bike carefully strapped
to the roof, I finally arrived at Ghasa,
the starting point for my two-wheeled
adventure. From Ghasa, I rode on jeep
track to reach Kalopani, from where
I crossed the Kali Gandaki River and
found myself on a beautiful singletrack
trail that went along the river almost all
the way to Jomsom. For the most part,
this trail is easy to ride since there’s not
much steep uphill or downhill. After a
full day of riding, I made it to Kagbeni,
where I settled in for the night. After a cold night, I woke up early and
began hiking at about 5:30am. Though
the distance from Phedi to the top of
the pass is only about 6 km, the net
elevation gain is nearly 1200 metres,
making the trail too steep to even push
my bike. Instead, I hefted it onto my
shoulders and carried it the whole way
up, reaching the top nearly five hours
later. The views from the top of the
pass are amazing, and it’s the perfect
vantage point to see how the ecology
and climate shift from the very dry,
barren, and vast landscape of Mustang,
to the wetter, more colourful, and more
topographically squashed landscape
of Manang.
Doing the Annapurna Circuit in the
clockwise direction is usually not
recommended, due to the very rapid
ascent from Kagbeni (2804 metres)
towards the Thorung La (5416 metres).
I decided to spend an extra day
acclimatising and rode up to Muktinath,
from where a spectacular singletrack
trail crosses down into the Lubra Valley.
The riding here is amazing, though a
bit sketchy at times, with some very
steep, slippery, and off-camber trails
and a lot of tight switchbacks. The next
day, I rode up towards Muktinath again,
but continued a few more kilometres
to stay at Muktinath Phedi (also called
From the Thorung La, I spent the full
afternoon descending a net of almost
2000 metres to reach Manang village.
After five grueling hours of carrying my
bike up to Thorung La, I could finally
fly down the other side of the pass
towards Manang. After descending
towards Thorung High Camp, the
valley views became dominated
by Annapurna III and Gangapurna,
towering in the distance. Below my
wheels, the trail gently flowed down,
with the occasional steep, tight
www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
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