Nepal - Annapurna circuit & Chitwan

2,5 amazing weeks after the craziness of India. I stayed for a while in Pokhara and did a quick version of the Annapurna circuit trek which still reached altitudes of 5416m at Thorong la pass. A quick visit to Chitwan at the end of my travels gave me a complete different impression of the Nepal I knew so far with lush jungle and a lot of wildlife.
Welcome to Nepal!
Good morning Pokhara
Lake Fewa Pokhara
Hotel Angel - I stayed there for a while and can highly recommend it
Departure for the Trek - Pokhara Tourist bus stand
Arrival in Besisahar
Catching the Jepp to Syange
Luckly I got a place inside
Tea break near Jagat
Traffic jam
Tal - I was worried about the snow in the mountains and a closed pass at this time
Inside Tal
dhal bhat - Typical nepal dish- Locals have it twice a day - I just manage one
Manaslu - 8,156m
The 8th highest mountain in the world
Trekking to Danakyu
Annapurna II ?7,937 m
In Chame
Toblerone - Even in the remotest Himalayan village
View from Chame in the morning
Carved Buddhist Mani Stones
Leaving Chame
Outside of Chame on the way to Pisang - Looks almost like back home
Heavens Gate
Another fantastic view of Annapurna II
Heavens Gate close-up - looks like heaven to Ski :)
Typical Nepali dog
Upper Pisang (3310 m)
Trekking up the valley towards Manang
Humde
Just outside of Humde
Gangapurna glacier - View from my Manang hotel
Tilicho Peak - another trek is going up this valley to the famous Tilicho lake - this time of the year its not possible
Manang - a place for acclimatisation for many trekkers
Inside the hotel
View back to Manang in the early morning
Tilicho Peak - on of the smaller peaks at 7.134 m
A good alternative for fire wood. Works perfect today :)
Yuk! - Yaks!
Room at Ledar - one day walking away from Throng pedi and always remembered as the amazing garlic place
View from a 'hill' just above Ledar - must be close to 4400m now and the mountain is possibly the Gangapurna
Gangapurna close up - Icy!
You better trust those bridge builders!
View back down the valley back to Manang
The soup keeps you going and keeps the headache away
Thorong pedi 4500m
Reaching high camp - an exhausting climb - you can feel the thin air now
View from the high camp towards the Thorong La pass. Will I make it?
Acclimatisation walk at Thorong La high camp
Thorong La high camp
View down to Thorung Phedi (4500m)
The snow is melting fast and looks alien
I wonder If I will sleep well tonight
Read for the ascent to the pass tomorrow morning
I did it - Fantastic weather and 5,416m!
Fixing some prayer flags - Thanks Buddhi!
View down to the lower Mustang district
On the way to Muktinath
Muktinath
Muktinath sacred Hindu temple
Another temple in Muktinath
Hotel Bob Marley :)
Dhaulagiri towering above Muktnath 8.167 m
Sri Muktinath
The sacred water that flows in 108 pipes around the temple complex denote all sacred Pushkarini waters
Real spiritual devotion knows no cold
Taking a spiritual bath in Sri Muktinath
Sunrise at Sri Muktinath
The majestic snow-capped peak of Dhaulagiri in the Himalayas, Nepal.
The Dhaulagiri is a truly amazing mountain!
Muktinath pilgrims
Dhaulagiri and Muktinath - a surreal combination
Walking down lower Mustang
Reflections
Why are we walking? There are cars these days
Thorong la pass - So proud we made it
Lower Mustang
Yes - its a dry area
Spot the bridge
Mustang
A rough jeep ride to Jomsom - I had enough of walking in the dust of the Jeeps at some point
View from my hotel room in Jomsom - Nilgiri and airstrip
Apple trees in Jomsom
A beautiful sight in this otherwise deserted part of the world
Buffalo - Looks like they have a day off as proud parents
Jomsom airport - I stayed right begin the departures - not a problem at 5 flights a day
Potato season
Yes - those are official airline offices - I like the hand painted signs
Delicious Jomsom apple juice
Jomsom
Jomsom airport
Taking the plane back from Jomsom to Pokhara
I hope the guys know what they are doing . Flying such a tiny plane in the Himalayas is not easy
No lack of fresh vegetables in Pokhara at any time!
Buddhi and me after the trek at his place - Thanks for the dhal bhat my friend :)
Back in civilisation - those shops know exactly what a westerner needs after trekking
Pokhara
Pokhara
Pokhara
Pokhara
On the way to the Chitwan national park
Little food for a big elephant
Trunk magic
Easy!
Planting the rice
Ready to be planted
Everything is a bit larger at an elephant
Ready for the river tour
Made out of a single tree - No movement allowed!
Canoe tour meets elephant tour
Lucky to spot a rhino on the river banks!
Kingfisher
A medium sized mugger crocodile
Termite hill
Our guide. The stick helps to fight the tigers - honestly!
Elephant breeding center Chitwan
Spotting another rhino at the jeep safari
Jeep safari at Chitwan national park
Boarding the elephant - Raj the hotel manager in the front
Elephant trek in the morning hours
Elephant safari - on the search for rhinos and other wildlife
Not ideal this shot - but you get the idea what is running away at this moment
Our elephant driver
Hotel Utse -my favourite hangout in Kathmandu
Monkey temple Kathmandu
Monkey temple Kathmandu
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