~~~~~ Day 11 ~~~~~
Trekking Day 09
Thorung Phedi - Thorung La - Muktinath/Ranipauwa
Trekking Information
Trekking Time Today: 7 1/4 Hours
~ Thorung Phedi (4450m) - Thorung La (5416m): 210 Minutes
~ Thorung La (5416m) - Ranipauwa (3700m): 220 Minutes
New friends heading up Thorung La pass together
From left: Me, Sylvia and Peter (Netherlands), Mark (Ireland) and Paola (Italy)
And of cos Jose (Spain) who I have met a few times already along the Annapurna Circuit =)
Starting the climb towards High Camp in the morning mist
Almost at cloud level
Mini ice glacier
Reaching High Camp
And looking down towards High Camp
Most parts of trekking routes are quite obvious
Yakawa Kang (6482m) appearing in the mist
And also Thorung Ri (6144m)
Jose having a pose while putting on more gloves
Mark and Paola on a small wooden bridge
Trekking between snow-covered slopes
Getting closer to Thorung Ri
Great view of Putrun Himal (6465m) and Genjang (6111m) as clouds subsided
Putrun Himal, Genjang and Chulu West under the blazing sun
Surrounded by mountains!
Teahouse near Thorung Ri
Clouds come and go
Good views of Syagang (6026m) and Thorung Ri (6144m)
Looking back at the great panorama of Putrun Himal, Genjang and Chulu West
Feels great to be up here!
Almost as high as the mountains!
You can even see Annapurna II, Annapurna IV, Annapurna III in the distance
Me and Mark feeling absolutely euphoric
Chased by an avalanche?
Trails between snows and ices
Close up view of Thorung Ri
And Yakawa Kang
Finally stretch to Thorung La pass!
You can finally see prayer flags in the distance!
Finally, reaching Thorung La! I was already tearing with joy =)
Top of Thorung La pass, marked with prayer flags
New height achieved in my life, 5416m!
A little teahouse on top of Thorung La pass for the tired and cold trekkers
Thorung Ri thru prayer flags
Looking towards Muktinath
Israelis trekkers dancing with joy
Not forgetting to take some pictures with my new friends
Last look at Thorung La pass and its teahouse
Long descend towards Muktinath
Good views of Thorong Ri and Khatung Kang from different angles
Good panorama view of mountains towards Muktinath
Close up view of another awesome eight thousander Dhaulagiri I (8167m), Tukuche (6920m) and Dhaulagiri II (7751m)
Admiring some wonderful sceneries
Dwarfed by mountains
Getting all airborne!
Long descent towards Muktinath and good view of the valleys
First settlements after Thorung La pass
Awesome landscape of Muktinath and towards Upper Mustang restricted area
Welcome to Muktinath!
Looking down onto Muktinath and Ranipauwa
A scared hill behind Muktinath with prayer flags leading up to the peak
Overview of Muktinath Temple complex beneath the hill
Reaching Muktinath proper thru its stone gateway
Little statues in walls of stone gateway
Entrance to Muktinath Temple complex, a holy pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists
Sangdo Gompa, which used to be residence of Muktinath Lamas
Shiva Parvati Mandir Temple surrounded by 4 smaller temples, each dedicated to Vishnu, Rama, Krishna and Ganesh
Vishnu Temple, central temple of the complex
108 brass water spouts behind Vishnu Temple
To bath under freezing water of all 108 spouts is said to bring salvation to Hindus
A serene feeling of isolation
Another peek at Upper Mustang landscape
A local weaving
A Tibetan Monastery in Ranipauwa
1 comment:
Amazing! I remember the descent from the pass- just incredible views! Thanks so much for posting. Was there in 2001, now I'd like head back there a second time :)
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