Stuart is an award-winning travel journalist and guidebook author who has been visiting and trekking in Nepal for over thirty years. One of the world's leading authorities on Nepal trekking, he is the author of Lonely Planet’s Trekking in Nepal, the Rough Guide to Nepal, the Tibet chapter of the Rough Guide to China and the Bradt guide to Kashmir & Ladakh. He is also regularly published in The Independent, BBC, Time Out, The Telegraph, among many other UK and international publications.
- Best trek for: Getting well off the beaten path
- Difficulty: Moderate to difficult
- Trek duration: Seven to nine days
- Max. elevation: 5,320m
- Accommodation: Camping and basic trekking lodges
- Start/end point: Koto/Ngawal
Most Annapurna Circuit trekkers heading through the village of Koto won’t know that a trail off to the east leads to a magical, hidden world. The Nar and Phu valleys were closed to tourism until 2002 and when they finally opened up the first trekkers discovered a landscape of narrow gorges, 7km high mountains, timeless stone villages festooned with prayer flags, and a distinct local culture based on yak herding and trade with neighbouring Tibet.
Still rarely trekked (a restricted area permit and camping gear is required), the route follows a dark, deep and shady gorge up to the mediaeval village of Phu, which consists of around 40 or 50 mud and stone houses and red painted monasteries huddled together on the top of a hill. Entry to the village is via a spectacular old gateway.
It’s worth allowing a couple of nights in Phu to explore the upper valley. To leave, you have to retrace your steps halfway back down the valley before veering west up the Nar valley, over yak pastures to the large traditional village of Nar where there are four gompas (Buddhist monasteries) worth visiting. Independent trekkers relying on lodges will probably have to turn back here and retrace their steps to Koto, but camping groups and acclimatised trekkers can make the exciting crossing of the Kang La (5,320m) down to Ngawal back on the Annapurna Circuit.
This trek works well either as an add-on to the Annapurna Circuit or as a short, stand-alone trek in its own right. For adventurous trekkers with all the correct permits on fully-organised camping treks, it’s possible to take a wild, difficult and very rarely walked route from the village of Nar into Upper Mustang via the taxing Teri La Pass (5,595m).
At a glance
Destinations
Annapurna Region
Activity
Adventure, Backpacking, Hiking & Trekking, Active, Walking, Camping, Nature & WildlifePhysical Level
Moderate
Duration
7 days
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