Annapurna Circuit Day 8: Manang to Yak Kharka

What a blissful chilled out morning! What a difference from all the days now gone … This was the first day I didn’t have an agenda or a buddy to start the trek with. All I had planned was that I’d get to Yak Kharka by end of day, nothing more. And goodness me, l was loving iт. But most importantly, I was needing it … desperately. I needed to slow down and today was my chance to do exactly that. The trek to Yak Kharka was gonna be a quick one, just under 10km for about 3 hours … piece of cake 😀 It was my chance to recharge the batteries before the big push the next day so I took it.

I woke up early as per usual but instead of rushing to pack my bag and head out before 6:30-7 am, I took my time. I did my yoga, packed peacefully and slowly made my way to the dining area to have a coffee and say Goodbye to Nouh. I had spent the last 7 days with Nouh, on and off, but it was time to hug Goodbye and head on our separate ways. I was continuing the circuit whilst he was starting the 2-day hike to Tilicho lake.

We had bonded but I didn’t feel sad to continue on my own, it’s all part of the solo travel and I have learnt that letting go and saying bye to newly made friends is just part of the package. I was actually excited to continue on my own. I wanted the challenge, the thrill of knowing that I’m completely alone, the excitement when I get in the sh**, the confidence when I figure out my own way of getting out 😀

So we hugged goodbye, wished each other all the best, promised to stay in touch and I headed out, around 8 am. Before leaving Manang though, there was a place I had to stop by. You thought of it right. It was the bakery 😀 Call it a very delayed gratification but after a day and a half in Manang I had still not had my pastry so before starting the trek I bought a huge cinnamon roll and an apple crumble, both to go 😀

Slightly disappointed by the tiny piece of crumble I got haha, my plan was to treat myself to it in Yak Kharka when the push for the day was over. It sure made me get through the 10km all hyped up and excited 😀 Honestly though, you could think I’m this sugar obsessed sweets’ person but when you get to basics to the point I had and you don’t have access to a lot of things you’d easily get back home, you start appreciating and craving the little you can get on the trek. The fresh pastry was that thing for me!

It was a gorgeous morning. Even the sun was out and the sky was clear. The Himalayas were even starting to peek through. I had a brief chat with a group of German guys who were also stocking up on pastries (I promise you, it’s a thing 😀 ) and I left Manang excited for what’s yet to come.

Almost immediately, I felt liberated, happy and ENOUGH!! I didn’t need anyone, I didn’t even want to meet anyone along the way. It was kinda weird. I’m usually this overly sociable person but there and then I just wanted to be alone and I was loving it. The few instances I did meet someone on the trail, I could tell that I was avoiding them 😀 I even slowed my pace when I saw Dyana and Andrew hiking a few hundred meters ahead of me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the guys (still doooooo <3) but being alone just felt so damn good.

I was loving the hike. The trek to Gunsang was somewhat steep but it flattened out afterwards so it actually felt pretty easy. I guess when I compare to the day before and the hike to Ice Lake everything felt dead easy 😀 Gooosh, that truly was awful LOL

The sky was clearing up, keeping me on my toes for when the high mountains would peek through again so I could instantaneously get armed with the camera. You might think that’s a bit frustrating but I was actually loving it. It was making me appreciate the grandness of the mountains and the privilege to get even a glimpse of them. Every time I would sort of see the very peak, I was getting so ecstatic and grateful for the luck to have a minute or two of clear sky. It was making me so appreciative.

I barely saw any people on the trail but I did have a bit of a “hide and seek” with some cool yaks and a pretty little bird I had never seen before. I was taking it so nice and slow that I didn’t even realise when I made it to Yak Kharka. It was about 11:45 am when I get to the village. Dyana and Andrew caught up shortly afterwards and we started looking for a place to stay. We didn’t really have much choice. There were three places that were open, a couple were closed because it wasn’t high season yet. You will actually see this quite a bit if you hike in September. Places do close for the low season but equally, there aren’t many hikers hiking before October so it doesn’t even matter because you can always find a place to stay.

Yak Kharka was a bit of an odd place. I wouldn’t even call it a village because it was literally just a handful of guesthouses right next to one another with only a few people here and there. There was quite a bit of construction going on and when we got there it was so cold and cloudy that the whole place seemed very unwelcoming. This was the first place where people tried to charge us for hot shower and we couldn’t properly charge our phones because they were using solar panels which hadn’t generated much power due to the lack of sunshine that day. That’s when having a portable charger came in very handy.

After a bit of asking around, we got a free room and free gas shower at Hotel Thorong Peak so we were all set. And it was time … time to hide in my room from the cold (it was freezing) and indulge in my apple crumble.

Honestly, I had never in my life appreciated and enjoyed a piece of cake as much as I did that day, sitting on the window sill, looking out towards the mountains and the locals passing by and just appreciating the simplicity of the moment and аt the same time the luxury and privilege to be munching on a yummy sweet at 4,080m above sea level. It was blissful!

I had planned to do an acclimatization trek to Churi Ledar and back down to Yak Kharka but I genuinely couldn’t be bothered, especially in the cold. So the rest of the day was all that I needed – full on relaxation mode. I headed to the place next door for tea, to warm up and to read my book and spent the whole evening chatting with Dyana and Andrew. I had honestly not had as much laugh as I had with these guys 😀 From heated conversations about Trump, California’s weed culture (haha) and the classic 9-5 to way more exciting topics on how to get mad honey (the Nepali honey that gets you insanely high LOL), tripping across Peru and Patagonia, the pacific crest trail and the guys’ nuts travels through India, we spent hours chatting and giggling. It was the first night I was still awake past 8:30 pm and it felt like a genuine achievement 😀

Around 9 pm though I put on my fleece, a pair of leggings, warms socks and two blankets and cuddled inside my sleeping bag liner ready to test my chances of NOT going down due to hypothermia 😀

Daily Costs

• Room – Free
• Veg Omelette – RS 320
• My long-awaited cinnamon roll & apple crumble – RS 550
• Mint tea – RS 90
• Dal Bhat – RS 590

Day 8 Tips

• Take your time today. Don’t rush yourself. It’s an easy day (finally!!) and you should use it wisely to rest up, especially if you do the Ice Lake the day before and don’t take an extra rest day.
• Don’t be alarmed if the guesthouse you end up staying at is run by a couple of super chilled out, teenage boys with very limited English and facial expression 😀 To my surprise, despite the limited communication, the boys managing the Thorong Peak Hotel were pretty switched on and even made us surprisingly delicious dinner and breakfast … sooo ditch the first impressions. Nepali people can really pull off the unexpected 😀
• If you have the energy and haven’t done proper acclimatization whilst in Manang, do hike to Churi Ledar and back down to Yak Kharka. It wouldn’t take you more than an hour to go up the 150 m to Ledar and down. But make sure to spend at least an hour at Letdar to get the most benefits from the acclimatization
• Enjoy it and stay present! Namaste 🙂

Day 8 Gallery