Nar Phu trek is a relatively unexplored treks in Nepal. It was on my to-do list for quite a long time. As it runs through Annapurna area, a special permit is required for this trek. Solo trekking permits (even with a guide) are not issued for Nar Phu trek; a minimum of 2 people are required to do the trek. This is the reason I could not do the trek earlier. In peak trekking season (Sep-Dec & Mar-May) the Nar-Phu trekking permits for SAARC countries including Indians cost $110. The same permit will cost $130 for foreigners. In off peak season, (Jun-Aug & Jan-Feb) the same trek permit costs $85 For Indians & and $105 for foreigners. Trekking permits for other regions in Nepal costs only $10. The extra cost of this permit puts off a lot of hikers.
There are 3 of us on the trek. The other two people accompanying me are doing a multi-day trek for the first time. I’m hoping they will enjoy trekking as much I do!
Day 1: Kathmandu
We took the early morning flight to Kathmandu on 24-Aug,2024. Its noon when we got there. As usual, I’m staying at the Lotus Guest House at Boudha. It has been my preferred place in Kathmandu ever since I started travelling to the Himalayan kingdom. A lot has changed in Boudha in the last 20 years, but Lotus Guest House has remained an island of tranquility.
Nar Phedi Goemba in the adjacent mountain
In the evening I took a cab to Thamel. This is the tourist heartland in Kathmandu. Thamel has everything a traveler would require. Outdoor gear, both original and fake, are available in the numerous shops on either side of the narrow lanes in Thamel. We do our final shopping for the trek. Always bargain at the shops for a good deal. With its numerous restaurants, Thamel, is a popular among tourists and locals alike. I had dinner at a Tibetan restaurant. The food was quite nice.
Crossing landslides
It was past midnight when the third member of our group joined us. A group of determined street dogs barking hysterically could not deter him from reaching the hotel!
Day 2: Kathmandu – Bashishar (602M)- Koto (2610M)
It’s a long day of travelling. We plan to start at 8. The cab is unable to reach my hotel. So we collect our bags and waited for him outside Boudha gate.
Chorten near Koto
We start the journey in earnest by 08:45 Hrs. Most of the roads in Nepal are still in the same pitiful condition. It’s sad to see large sections of newly constructed roads obliterated by landslides after this year’s heavy monsoon. It’s 16:30 when we reach Bashishar. We met our guide and 2 porters at Bashishar. Our guide Ashish from Wonderful Nepal Adventure is a resident of Pokhara. I met him for the first time during Thorong La trek (Click here). After a quick lunch the we got on another jeep and set off for Koto. The roads are in terrible condition and makes for a very bumpy ride. There are 2 magnificent waterfalls enroute. We stop at both, briefly.
Board at Koto
It’s 20:30 when we reach Koto. The jeep dropped us at the Snowland Hotel and sped off. After about 15 minutes, it dawned on me that I had forgotten my trekking shoes in the jeep! I tell my guide about it and he immediately called up the jeep driver. Thankfully, he was halting for night at Chame, a small village 15 minutes beyond Koto. My guide dispatched a person on a bike to Chame and retrieved my shoes. Without my shoes, I wouldn’t have been able do the trek. That was a close call!! It’s dal bath for dinner. We are exhausted after a heavy day of travelling and we crash into our beds.
Sunrise at Koto
Day 3: Koto – Chomcho Gufa hotel – Meta (3610 M)
I woke up early in the morning. It’s a perfect day with clear sky and light winds. The majestic snow-capped Himalayan ranges are visible from the hotel. My friends are super excited. It’s the first time they have travelled to this part of the world. The plan is to have an early breakfast and set off. It’s Tibetan bread and eggs for breakfast. We start walking by 07:30.
Crossing landslide area
There is a government check post beside the village. My guide completed the formalities on our behalf. Then the trek begins. About 10 minutes into the trek and It already feels as if we have crossed a portal into another realm. We are walking through pristine woodland. All I can hear is the sound of wind passing through the woods. Its magical.
An hour later, we reach the first hurdle. There is a landslide om our path. The soil beneath out feet is like slush. The earth sinks when we step on it. With the assistance of our porters, we cross this landslide. After about 30 minutes later, we reach another landslide. This time it’s a landslide made of small pebbles. A road is being constructed up in the mountain and they are dumping the stones here. This was a bit more adventurous than the first.
Chomcho Gufa Hotel
The trail, in general, follows the path of the river below. At many places the trail crosses the river. A few mule convoys pass by. By 12:15, we reach Chomcho Gufa Hotel. The hotel is a small building by the road. And it’s the only building we have seen since we started walking. Its Dal Bhat one again for lunch. The owner of the hotel tells us that we are the first trekkers to come this way after 3 days. The trekking season normally begins by mid-October. We have the whole mountains to ourselves.
At the hotel, we are joined by a local person for lunch. He does not speak English or Hindi. Yet, we smile and greet each other. My guide told me that he returning to his house at Nar. We start walking immediately after lunch. The trail gradually ascends for most of the time. 2 of us are walking ahead with a porter. The third friend is a bit slow and is with the guide.
We reach a fork in the road and my porter is unsure how to proceed. He spots some animal droppings and decides that the upper trail is the right way to go. After walking for a while on the upper trail, our porter started getting doubts. He tells us to wait and walks ahead to check the road. As we wait there, I spotted someone in a red jacket below us. It was the same person we met at the hotel for lunch. My porter shouted out to him and he replied that we are on the wrong path. We walk down again and joined back on the correct trail.
Mules carry everything to the villages
We continue walking. We are soon greeted by another landslide area. This landslide was much bigger, steeper and more dangerous than the ones I encountered in the morning. The landslide area is made up of powdery white dry sand. Put a step and the soil sinks down. Small rocks constantly falling down. Missing a step or sliding down are not viable options! Crossing this area with my backpack is quite a task. My porter went across and put his bag on the other side. Then he came back for me. I could not have crossed this landslide area on my own. One of my mates, who was on his first trek, was under strict orders to follow list of safety items he was given. This list included all probable scenarios; no standing on ledges, no stepping in flowing waters, no climbing unsafe rocks, stay away from creepy crawlies, no messing around with wild animals etc. etc. Thankfully, he had no instructions on landslide avoidance.
Despite all the adventures, the trail is quite enjoyable. There is a picture perfect section where the trail passes under a waterfall. That was probably the highlight of the day. Soon we reach a place signposted as Dharamshala. The megapolis of Dharamshala consists of a solitary unoccupied ramshackle building. I’m surprised to see the man in red jumper, who was with us in the hotel for lunch, sitting on a rock and having tea and biscuits with his wife! Our guide told us that the elderly lady walked down from Nar carrying tea in a thermos flask and biscuits just to greet her husband. This is the way she has been greeting her husband ever since they got married. Even in her 60’s, she continues with this tradition. Bet this man has good karma from his past lives to get such a devoted wife!
The megapolis of Dharamshala
We continue walking. It’s drizzling occasionally. Thankfully, it didn’t rain. The trail continues to ascend gradually until we cross the river. Then the brutal climb begins. This final 2-hour stretch was easily the hardest part of the day. It is 19:00 hrs when we reach Meta. We reached the Terelha guesthouse with the light of our headlamps. We are exhausted. But we are unsure about the whereabouts of the third person. We are worried for him. My porter went down to look for him. He reached an hour later. It’s quite a climb for the first day. All of us are exhausted. The guesthouse owner offered us honey with hot water. That was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Drying wild mushrooms
Places beyond Koto have rudimentary phone and net connection. But for the last few days, all telecom services in this regions were in-operational. My friend who had urgent business matters to attend to could not wait another 5 days for net connection. He decided to turn back. He plans to spend a few days in Manang before travelling to Pokhara. As we had paid for the full trip, my guide offered to send a porter with him.
Today’s uphill hike proved too much for the second member of our group. I spoke to our guide and discussed possible alternatives. To make the trek easier, we decided to skip Phu village altogether. The new plan is to go directly to Nar. We will spend 2 days at Nar for high altitude acclimatization. Even though personalised treks are expensive, the flexibility it provides makes it totally worthwhile.
Nar Phedi Goemba on the adjacent mountain
Day 4: Meta (3610 M) – Nar Phedi (3530 M)
It’s a beautiful day. After breakfast, my friend started hiking back down to Koto. We started walking only by 9:30. As per the revised itinerary, we will sleep at Nar Phedi. If we had gone ahead as planned, we would have reached Nar Phedi after 3 days (see below).
Day 1: Meta to Phu (7 Hr hike). Day 2: Stay at Phu. Phedi Climb to Himlung base camp (4300 M) for acclimatisation. Day 3: Phu to Nar Phedi
Today is an easy day. In fact, Nar Phedi is visible from Meta. The scenery is picture perfect. We again meet with the person in red jacket and his wife. They happily pose for photographs. After a short 2 hour walk, I’m at Nar Phedi. There is only one building at Nar Phedi; the Nar Phedi Goemba (monastery). In fact, we are sleeping in rooms are rented out by the monastery! As I have a lot of time on my hands, I washed my clothes and hung it out to dry.
In the central area of the monastery, kiddo monks were busy studying something. We went there to have a closer look. I’m surprised to see that the monks were studying mathematics! A senior monk who was overseeing them greeted us and started talking to us in fluent English. He told us about the monastery and their way of life.
Nar Phedi Goemba belongs to the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The construction of the present Goemba was completed in 2013. The monastery is open all year around, but the kiddo monks stay here only from April to October. During the harsh winter months, they reside at the main Kagyu monastery at Kathmandu. Accompanying them are 2 lady volunteers from Kathmandu. I had seen them serving lunch to the monks in the courtyard earlier. They too will return to Kathmandu before the onset of winter.
Prayer time at Nar Phedi monastery
Only monks who are younger than 10-11 years come to Nar Phedi Goemba. This year, there are 14 monks studying here. They are taught maths, Buddhist sciences, basic theology etc. Languages taught include English, Nepali and sometimes Chinese. All the Buddhist subjects are taught in Tibetan. I asked the elder monk how these kids feel about staying away from the family. He replied that I should not view monkhood from a ‘western’ perspective. The kids go home once or twice a year. Even at this young age, they prefer to live in the monastery (Sangha) over their biological parents. “We are one big family”, he told me. And I believe he’s right.
The senior monk tried to explain the philosophy of Kagyu school, but I’m not sure if I’ve understood it correctly. I will write what I gathered; and perhaps I’m wrong! The main precept of Kagyu lineage are the Vajrayana teachings. Contrary to popular belief, Kagyu does not dismiss in Hinayana or Mahayana teachings. One has to first learn Hinayana and Mahayana to understand the basic tenants of Vajrayana philosophy. On reaching a high level of attainment, the senior Kagyu practitioner discards Hinayana and Mahayana teachings and goes beyond into the realm of the higher Vajrayana teaching.
Wood and stone bridge before Nar Phedi
After their academic lessons, the monks went to their rooms. By 3:30 PM they came out again and started practicing an instrument called Raktung. This flute like instrument has a low pitch sound. There was nobody supervising them or telling them what to do. They were learning it themselves by trial and error. Another group of trekkers arrived by 3 PM. In the evening, we walked around the monastery grounds admiring this incredible location.
Lunch being served to Kiddo monks
The main monastery is opened only during prayer timings. I attended the evening prayers. All the prayers and rituals including playing the horns and cymbals were conducted by the kiddo monks. The ender monk whom we spoke to did not attend the prayers. For dinner, we meet the other trekkers who had arrived in the evening. The 5-member group included Italian, Venezuelan, Korean, American and Dutch trekkers. A miniature UN, I suppose. It’s quite cold at night. We retire early to bed.
Day 5: Nar Phedi (3530 M) – Nar (4210 M)
I attended the morning prayer at the monastery. I am alone at the monastery with the kiddo monks. It’s Tibetan bread for breakfast. As we prepare for today’s trek, the kiddo monks are standing in line for their morning assembly.
At the gates of Nar Village
We start walking by 8AM. It’s a perfect day for hiking. From the monastery, the trail ascends for quite a while. Beyond that is an easy walk. The hike is quite beautiful. Closer to Nar, is a large prayer chorten and a large set of prayer stones. My guide tells me that in days gone by, the king of Nar would conduct his Durbar here. Only later, was the building converted into a Chorten.
Distributing rice at Nar Goemba
I reached Nar by 11 Am. This amazing hamlet is home to about 50 families. After lunch, I take a siesta. Special prayers are in progress at the local monastery. A wealthy benefactor was sponsoring todays prayers. It could for obtaining favours from the Gods or for wishes fulfilled. The person conducing the prayers pays for all the monastery expenses. In addition, all the villagers are provided with food and booze in the Goemba. 1 ‘unit’ of rice per family member is given to all attendees. Prayers like this are extremely rare in modern Nepal. Even my guide has not witnessed it before.
The charming couple conducting the prayers at the monastery
I entered the monastery and sat in a corner. Listening to the Tibetan chants in the monastery is truly mesmerising. As I look around, I can see that almost all the devotees are elderly people. And to my astonishment, the monk leading the prayer was the same person in red jumper we met on the trail for the last 2 days. He saw me and smiled back at me. And then, I noticed his wife sitting on the floor chanting prayers. At that very instant, I am awaked by the supreme spiritual truth. To obtain a perfect, devoted wife who worships her husband as the embodiment of Buddha, become a monk. If you don’t believe me, look what u sinners have to put up with!
I'm treated to food and potent local brew called Rakshi in the monastery kitchen.
I am treated to food in the monastery kitchen. (Click here for full description of Nar Village). The wife of the person who was conducting prayers personally poured me an alcoholic drink called Rakshi. The colourless liquid made from millet was quite potent!
A new chorten is being built in the monastery compound. In a makeshift tent, villagers were making about 20,000 small clay figurines called Tsa Tsa’s.
Making Tsa'Tsa's
A sacred talisman will be placed into every Tsa-tsa’s and consecrated. These Tsa Tsa’s will be placed inside the Chorten and the chorten is sealed shut. It’s the consecrated Tsa Tsa’s that gives the Chorten its spiritual prowess. All the work is being done by the villages themselves. They expect the whole process to take about 6 months.
I went back into the monastery and sat through the prayers. It’s amazing. When the ceremony got over, I lined up along with others to receive blessings. The monk gave me a ceremonial cloth called Khada. This is most probably the only time I will ever attend an event like this. Ii was disappointing to cancel the trek to Phu village. If I had gone there, would have missed this incredible ceremony. Someone wanted me to attend this amazing Buddhist festival. I too have good karma.
Beautiful sunrise over Nar Goemba
Day 5: Nar (4210 M) – Nar View point (4600 M) – Nar (4210 M)
As per our revised itinerary, we spend a day here for acclimatisation. There is a statue of Padmasambhava in the adjacent mountain. That’s where we plan to go today. As usual, I got up in the morning before my friend. I went for a walk around the village. The buildings of this ancient village are quite unique. They are built for the extreme Himalayan winters.
Nar village viewed from "view point"
After a late breakfast of Tsampa porridge, we walk to the “view point” beside the Padmasambhava statue. It’s an easy 30 min hike. My friend decided to rest here. Me and guide went up higher. We stopped at a point where it looked risky. We have reached about 4600 M. The village of Nar looks gorgeous from this high vantage point. The trail from Nar to Damodar Kund is visible. After a while, we started descending to the village.
Having tea with the monk and his wife
My friend went to the room, but I decided to have a walk around the village. As me and my guide were walking through the narrow village lanes, I run into the monk’s wife. She invites us into her house for tea. We have a cuppa but she asks us to come back once again in the evening with my friend!
Collection of structures outside Nar village
After lunch I went to the collection of structures in the village outskirts. I’m not sure what they are for. Later in the evening we went to the monk’s house with my friend for tea. (Click here for full description of Nar Village). We sleep early.
Day 6: Nar (4210 M) – Kangla Pass (5320 M) – Narwal (3670 M)
Started walking at 4AM with out headlights
The alarm wakes me up at 02:30 AM. I wake up to the sound of the wind howling. It’s cold, windy and drizzling outside. It’s an ominous sign. Rain in Nar village means fresh snowfall in the high altitudes. There is no habitation between Nar and Narwal. Once we start from here, we are at the mercy of the elements until reaching Narwal. I’m a bit worried. We have tsampa porridge by 03:30 AM. Started walking by 4 AM with the light of our headlights. And it’s true! There are weirdoes on this planet whose idea of a nice relaxing holiday is to wake up at 2:30 AM and walk for a whole day; starting at 4 in the morning.
For those who cannot handle the intoxicating joy, mules can be hired from Nar village (Nrs 7000/-). The mules generally drop the rider at Kangla pass and return to Nar. Thankfully, the rain and wind stopped after a while. Beyond Nar village is pristine wilderness. We are treated to a gorgeous Himalayan sunrise. Yaks are grazing peacefully. Picture perfect! It’s an easy ascent or a couple of hours until we cross a small bridge. Beyond that, the trail becomes quite steep.
We are above the tree line. Thin air is making the hike difficult
We plod along leaving the vegetation line below us. Even grass does not grow at these high altitudes. it’s bare rocks on either side. The thin air is making the walk quite difficult. Soon Ice makes an appearance. At many places steel poles have been driven into the ground. During heavy snowfall, these tall poles stick out snow and act as “road” markings. Quite close to the top is a small lake called as Kang La pass lake. This lake is a regular stop for the horsemen. This is perhaps the highest lake that I have seen, even higher than Tilicho lake (Click here)
Kangla Lake
By 11:00 Am, I am at Kang La Pass. I am elated; and exhausted. At 5320 M, Kang La Pass is the highest point on the trail. The view from the top is stunning. But, we have to descent quickly. The winds might pick up soon. I treat myself to a congratulatory snack. Then it’s time to go down.
Kang La pass is the highest point of the trek
The descent is quite steep. We are walking on ice over rock with jagged edges. Without a walking stick, this would have been very difficult. We pass by a large convoy of mules going up. They were carrying tents and supplies for almost 20 Nepalese students who were enrolled in high altitude mountaineering course. The trainees will spend over a month beyond Kang La pass honing their skills. After the mules pass us by, we continue descending.
We begin the steep descent
The gradient of the descent becomes apparent only after I turned back to have a look as Kang La Pass. I am below the snow line and vegetation slowly starts appearing. We come across a solitary man walking up. My guide strikes a conversion with him. He was a resident of Nar village but his wife resides in Narwal. He had gone to pay her a visit and was returning home. He normally makes these trips 2-3 times in a month. He was talking and singing as if it was just a walk in the park! Their incredible stamina and resilience of these mountain people can put most of us to shame.
The black lines on the mountain is the path we came down
It is a never ending descent from Kangla Pass to Narwal. Due to the constant descent, my friend was having trouble with his shoes. He managed to walk for rest of the day with a pair of floaters loaned from our guide. It’s 15:00 when I reached Narwal. It has been an unforgiving steep descent all the way from Kangla Pass to Narwal. This is perhaps the most difficult descent that I have done.
Padmasambhava statue at Narwal
At Narwal, there is a new flight of steps to Nea Cave. It is believed that Padmasambhava stayed/meditated at this cave. I left my backpack with my guide at the steps and decided to go to the cave alone. Mid-way is a large Padmasambhava statue. I continue climbing until I reached a prayer chorten. From here, I could see that the steps went much higher up into the mountain. The holy cave is very far away. I decided to turn back. It’s disappointing, but I’m too tired to go on.
Narwal is a small village. Since this is the off-peak season, it feels like we are the only tourists here. A new hotel for trekkers is coming up adjacent to our hotel. Tourism has become the main revenue earner for small villages like this.
Day 7: Narwal (3670 M) – Bashishar – Pokhara
Spotted this house on the drive to Bashishar
It’s a beautiful day at Narwal. The mountainside has turned pink with buckwheat flowers. Our guide had arranged a vehicle for us from Narwal. We started the journey by 07:45. It’s gorgeous, yet bumpy ride. We stopped at a few places to take pictures. Lunch was at the hotel called ‘Octopus Café’ that’s adjacent to a big waterfall. After lunch, I am moved by an invisible force to take a bath in this waterfall. It was exhilarating. I thoroughly enjoyed my first shower of the week!
The drive
By 15:00, we arrive at Bashishar. We transferred from the pickup to a smaller car. I am in the front seat of the car. The driver of the car was a very friendly man; perhaps too friendly. He kept on talking constantly in Nepali even though I fell asleep a few times. I am not sure if he was aware that I don’t understand Nepali. At 18:30 we reach Pokhara. We check into a hotel by the lakeside. The third member of our trek had reached Pokhara a day earlier. After descending to Koto, he had spent a few days in Manang.
Curved mountain at Dilkhur Pokhari
We go to a fancy place for dinner. Premiership football is happening on a huge screen. Fancy food is served in designer cutlery. A live band belting out popular Nepali numbers. Yet, all this pales in comparison to the experience of sitting on the floor and eating food at Nar monastery kitchen. I’m already missing the mountains already. Can’t wait to go back!
Inside Nar Phedi Goemba
Note: The cost of goods and services increases along the trek. This is primarily due to the lack of transportation facilities. If a sack of rice has to be transported 3 days on horseback, the price will definitely increase. The table below provides the cost of the Dal Bath at various places.
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