Walk the Kali Gandaki from Jomsom to Marpha

We leave Jomsom after breakfast and walk south along the west bank, then follow paths that keep off the jeep road where they can. The valley is broad here, with gravel flats and braided channels of the Kali Gandaki. Behind you Nilgiri stands above Jomsom; ahead, Dhaulagiri and Tukuche Peak fill the view as you descend gently, about 30 m of height loss over 6 km. Most of the walk is on flat or gently falling ground.

Along the way are the orchards and fields of Syang, one of the Teen Gaunle Thakali villages, and the old trail used for centuries by mule and yak caravans carrying salt and grain. Your guide will point out the old chortens, the irrigation channels and the dry hillsides where blue sheep sometimes come down to graze in winter. Stop for tea in Syang if you want a break; it is roughly halfway.

We reach Marpha in about two hours, in time for lunch and an afternoon in the orchards or at the gompa. If the wind has started early, it will be at your back on this direction of walk, one reason we prefer it to the uphill direction. Luggage goes by jeep, so you only carry a daypack with water, sunscreen and a windproof. In winter, start a little later, once the sun has reached the valley floor.