Day 16: Larjung to Ghasa
Approximate Trekking Time: 4 ½ – 5 ½ hrs.
Distance: 15.9k / 9.9 miles
Overnight Elevation: 2010m/6595ft.
Ahhh, the sounds of morning in Nepal… twittering birds, barking dogs, throat clearing, spitting, and loogie hawking. Leaving Larjung, we followed the road, curving through pine forest around the wide river valleys of the Kali Gandaki and a side tributary. Depending on the season, there are supposedly sometimes temporary bridges set up, creating shortcuts through the floodplain, though we never found any bridges or suitable places to skip across on rocks, so we stuck to the road.
The road followed the Kali Gandaki, its small streams fanning out in all directions across the wide riverbed, until finally crossing the river over a suspension bridge to the east bank where a wide trail lead past grazing cows and through the village of Kokhethanti.
Beyond Kokhethanti, we followed signs for Titi Lake up a jeep trail and steep switchbacks shortcutting the trail. After 45 minutes, the wide jeep trail continued to the lively village of Titigaon – bustling with activity. Villagers washed clothes, hauled harvest bundles, laid grains and hay to dry on rooftops, and children ran through the village, some playing in small dark pond toward the end of the village – the position of which seemed poised to contain a lot of livestock feces. But, one small boy seemed very happy to be rowing a giant log into the mud brown waters.
Just past the village, we eventually came to Titi Lake. If we’d been expecting anything like Tilicho Lake, we’d have been sorely disappointed. The lake was actually much more of a swamp and sat far below the trail, a giant marsh of tall grasses, scum, and mostly brown water. An important habitat, no doubt, but not the type of lake you might have imagined taking a refreshing mid-morning swim in. Nevertheless, the trek to the lake was worth it, and the views of Nilgiri and Annapurna ahead, and Dhaulagiri behind, were spectacular.
Following the wide trail along the large lake and beyond, we eventually came to a ridge with three chortens. Along the ridge, we shortcut through a rocky path before eventually emerging onto a tree-lined tractor road that we followed down to the valley and through the village of Konjo. Further down the path, the village of Chhayo was also very active with midmorning activities: laundry, bathing, and fieldwork. Livestock herded itself through the villages among roaming chickens and children.
Walking through Chhayo, we initially turned left at a T, heading in the direction of a sloppy sign reading “Tatopani”. We hiked southward along this trail for awhile, a beautiful section of trail shaded in trees along a wide floodplain, before determining that we needed to backtrack to cross over the Kali Gandaki before continuing south. Making our way back through Chhayo, we continued northward to a bridge crossing over the Kali Gandaki.
Crossing over the river, we headed south, hiking along the road for the remaining trek to Ghasa, though it is possible to avoid much of the road along a trail through the forest above the west side of the road, shown/mentioned in maps/guidebooks. The road was muddy and rocky, surrounded by pines, grasses, and wildflowers along its slopes, and while the occasional bus, jeep, motor scooter, or mountain bike passed us by, it was mostly quiet.
Ghasa (2010m/6595ft.) is a rather large village, with several lodging options stretching from north to south. We opted to stay at the Eagles Nest Guesthouse, south of the village, where we had a nice en suite room with hot shower. The pleasant courtyard was also nice while the sun was shining.
