Day 7: Manang to Khangshar
Approximate Trekking Time: 1 ½ – 2 hrs.
Distance: 5.6k / 3.5 miles
Overnight Elevation: 3745m/12,287ft.
It is recommended that you take an extra day (2 nights) in Manang to aid the altitude acclimatization process before heading toward the pass. However, many forego the second night, making a side trip out to Tilicho Tal, which serves the same function.
Depending on what books you read, Tilicho Tal is sometimes labeled as the highest (non-navigable) lake in the world… however, a Google search will reveal that there are a lot of categories for highest lakes in the world. I would worry less about this distinction and include the side-trip in your itinerary simply because it is absolutely stunning.
The trip to Tilicho Tal (and back to the main trail) takes from 2-4 days depending on how quickly you want/need to hike to include it in your itinerary. Since we had no set schedule for our trek, it didn’t much matter, so we decided to take a very easy first day, hiking only from Manang to Khangshar (1 ½-2 hours) so we could have a bit of a rest day.
A short day, we took our time leaving Manang, enjoying chocolate rolls and coffee for breakfast before heading out, and stopping at the safe drinking water station and checkpoint on the way out of the village.
Heading out of Manang, you eventually come to a split in the trail, wherein you can head northward toward Yak Kharka and Letdar, or westward toward Khangshar and Tilicho Tal. As a side/alternative trail, the Tilicho Tal route is marked with blue and white trail markers.
Taking the route toward Tilicho Tal and Khangshar, we trekked along the north bank of the river below, following trail and road, and eventually crossing a suspension bridge over the Jarsang Khola, just above its confluence with the Marsyangdi River. Just over the bridge, the trail climbed steeply along a mountain ridge. From the top of the steep ridge, the trail continued to climb more gently through the arid landscape of scrub grasses, bushes, and pines. The slopes along the opposite (south) bank of the river were covered in pine and deciduous trees, the latter variety having leaves of fall – burnt oranges and yellows.
Approaching Khangshar (3745m/12,287ft.), we went from trail to road to trail again, passing through an iron gate with the words “TO KHANGSHAR”. Following the trail, we passed people working in the wheat fields, pulling the wheat by hand and stacking it into bundles to carry into town where it would dry on the rooftops. The entrance kani atop a steep stone stairway was painted with spectacular intricate Buddhist scenes and mandalas. Beyond the archway, the village was eerily quiet, prayer flags lightly flapping in the wind, many of its inhabitants in the fields. Children ran and played in an open dirt space with a mostly deflated balloon. I helped a small boy zip up his jacket when he approached, struggling with the zipper.
Eventually, we were able to find a lodge owner and get a room at the Maya Hotel and Restaurant, where we relaxed in the courtyard and dining room all day and took nice hot gas showers. In the afternoon, a young boy, maybe 4 years old, entered the courtyard and, after finishing the small chocolate bar he had been given, turned his attention to us. I flipped through the few pictures in our guidebook with him, pointing out “mountain” for each one, which he perfectly repeated, eventually flipping through the pictures himself and saying “mountain” unprompted. Later he was entertained by plucking a small stringed instrument that another trekker produced for entertainment.
Days on the trail develop a very simple schedule: wake, pack, eat breakfast, trek to destination, lunch (usually wait until we arrive at destination), shower, relax the remainder of the day with a warm pot of tea – reading, writing, playing cards, etc., eat dinner, and go to bed, usually sometime between 6:30-8pm. We often get anywhere from 9-12 hours of sleep, rising and retiring with the sun. It’s a simple but contenting schedule.
