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Nar Phu and Thorung La starting mid July 2018 – 14 days on trek

Having trekked in Nepal 16 times (Annapurna Circuit, ABC, Everest region and Gokyo – a few times, Lakes, Manaslu, Tsum Valley, Upper Mustang) it is time to go to a more remote area which is only now starting to become popular, the Nar Phu valley. this is a monsoon trek, but most of it is in a Trans-Himalayan valley, sheltered from the rains. Going in the (northern hemisphere) summer (starting mid July), means we will have milder temperatures at altitude, not the bitter cold one usually has to endure once over 3500m altitude, in the usual trekking season between October and April.
Appart from the Tibet-like high altitude villages of Nar and Phu, we will cross two high passes, Kang La – 5320 and then we will join the middle (and most spectacular) part of the Annapurna Circuit (at Ngawal/Pisang) crossing the mighty Thorung La (5416m) before finishing our trek in Muktinath/Jomsom.

For those interested, I can post a detailed itinerary –
I am employing Santaman to organise this trek. I have employed him and his group to organise the last 15 of my 16 treks (he’s excellent, obviously, else I would not have stuck with him for all these years). This is the cost of the trek once you are in Kathmandu, what is included (at the end I will specify what is not included):

The cost will be 1500 USD, and it includes:
– international airport transfers (to from Tribhuvan international airport to the hotel, and return
– two nights at a 3 star hotel in Kathmandu (either the ubiquitous Kathmandu Guest House in the middle of the tourist ghetto of Thamel or Holy Himalaya, nearby at the entrance of Thamel in Jyatha)
– guides and porters for the trek – you will not carry your gear in your backpack, unless you are a masochist, but I have had those as well…)
– all food (breakfast, lunch, dinner) on trek, including tea and coffee (good tea, bad/instant coffee, unless you bring your own ground coffee, which I do)
– all trek accommodation (this is a lodge trek, not a tenting trek, so we will sleep in lodges)
– transfers by 4×4 and minibus from Kathmandu to Koto (the starting point of the trek) and from Muktinath/Jomsom (end of the trek) back to Kathmandu.
– all trekking permits and national park fees necessary (for the restricted area of Nar Phu, as well as the Annapurna Circuit, since the last 4 of the 14 days trek is on that particular route)

NOT included:
– extra nights (beyond two nights included) in Kathmandu
– accommodation in Pokhara (after the trek, the return to Kathmandu goes through the beautiful holiday town of Pokhara, situated on the Phewa Lake, and with views of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna ranges, Machapuchare – Fishtail mountain etc). If you decide to stop there to chill after the trek, some of us will do that, the accommodation there is not included
– transport from Pokhara to Kathmandu, should you decide to stop in Pokhara and not go straight to Kathmandu after the trek
– food in Kathmandu
– extra activities in Kathmandu (visiting Baktapur, patan, Monkey Temple/Swayambunath, or Boudanath, Passupatinath etc), or elswhere, like white water rafting or paragliding, smoking hash and getting caught and going to prison – or whatever other crazy stuff you decide to do in Nepal – NOT included).

Final remarks:
I have trekked many times in Nepal, and I am addicted (as you might have already guessed), and very enthusiastic about it. I already have a small group of friends (two of them have been with me before) but I always open it to new people. It does not matter if they are experienced or new to trekking in Nepal. I am a sucker for sharing the experience, and I made some beautiful friendships this way. We have another 4 places max in the group (not going beyond 10).
If you can walk up and down hills 4-6 hours a day (that is the average) and have no major health issues (check with your doctor if you have heart issues), you should be fine. We do NOT walk fast, we take our time, taking in the amazing scenery, the cultures/people/villages we pass by, stop to take photos etc. By the way, not walking fast helps a lot with acclimatizing to higer altitudes.