Day 4: Tal to Chame

Approximate Trek Time: 6 – 7 hrs.

Distance: 21k / 13 miles

Overnight Elevation: 2710m/8891ft.

Our hike from Tal to Chame was one of our longer days, made even longer by a very long lunch stop, though didn’t seem as hard as the previous day’s hike into Tal.
We got an early start from Tal, just after 7am, heading northward following the river along easy trails through the ravine, the river to our left and the mountainside to our right, covered in plants and mosses. Waterfalls threaded their way down the mountainsides everywhere you looked, and the views from the suspension bridge into Karte (as with the many other suspension bridges we crossed throughout the day) were stunning in all directions: beautiful mountains, the churning river below, lush greens, and a bright blue sky with puffy white clouds.

Beyond Karte’s well cobbled trail, further down the path we crossed back to the west bank of the river, hiking uphill into Dharapani, where we made a stop at a “German bakery” for our first taste of Tibetan bread along with REAL coffee (i.e., not instant). Here we met Jamie, an outdoor/kayaking/rafting guide from England, whom we would see on the trail and hike with a bit almost daily on our journey toward Thorung La Pass.

In Dharapani we also stopped at a permit checkpoint where informative wall posters proclaimed the “Golden Rule”. “It is ok to get Altitude Sickness. It is not okay to die from it”. Noting this useful tip, we continued on.

Toward the end of Dharapani, there is a split between trail and road, with a sign along the road directing travelers “to Manang”. Not seeing any trail markers, we continued along the forested road, only to look below us down the road and see several hikers trekking through the gorge, so we missed this short section of trail, which rejoined the road at Bagarchhap.

Passing through the entrance kani to Bagarchhap, we entered the Manang Valley to views of Annapurna peaks in the distance. From here, it was a rocky uphill climb into Danaque, followed by additional rock steps and a very muddy, but beautiful trail section through the forest, emerging along a wide rocky road into Timang.

In Timang, we stopped for what we hoped would be a quick lunch on the rooftop of a restaurant/lodge, though it ended up being another 1 ½ hours before we were back on the trail. From Timang the road undulated until eventually returning to trail and descending steeply through forest into a valley, only to cross the bridge and climb steeply back up the other side, eventually spitting us out near the village of Thanchowk.

Thanchowk is one of the most traditional Tibetan villages along the route, with flat-roofed well-packed stone houses. Firewood, corn, wheat, and other crops dried along the rooftops and tattered prayer flags flapped in the wind. From Thanchowk, the way was fairly easy going, with mostly road through Koto, where we registered at another permit station. From here we continued onto Chame, only another 25-30 minutes up the road.

Chame (2710m/8891ft.) was one of the bigger villages we passed through, with several lodging options. We looked through a few guesthouses in the center of town before passing over the river (twice) and settling on the New Tibet Hotel on the far end of town. In addition to having a piping hot shower, this guesthouse had the added benefit of being the closest to Chame’s hot spring.

The hot spring in Chame is small, set in a deep cement pool above of the river, and “hot” is somewhat of a stretch, though it’s still a nice visit. Mostly a luke-warm/cool pool, hot water seeps from inlets in the walls, and I continuously pushed it over me to warm my goose-bumped skin. Here we talked to a couple from Ireland while watching a constant stream of local Nepalese men, or likely a number of porters and guides, flock to the hot spring to wash up. Using two pipes that spouted water at one end of the small pool, they sudsed up in their shorts, washing themselves and shampooing and rinsing their hair. Essentially we were sitting in a giant bathtub.

After a short soak we ran back up to our guesthouse for piping hot showers. Our guesthouse was bigger than the others we’d stayed at thus far and was bustling with trekkers, making for a very cozy dining room. With cool evening temps, I believe this was the first stop we pulled out our sleeping bags. The last night in Tal had also been chilly, though our travel sheets and the provided blanket were sufficient.