Nar Phu Trekking Introduction

Nar Phu Valley

Nar Phu Valley is an untouched and inaccessible part of Nepal’s Annapurna, bordering on Tibet. It had no visits by trekkers until 2002, but it presents a virgin Himalaya scene, ultra-rich Tibetan heritage, and medieval villages suspended in animation. Nar Phu Valley was named after the two largest villages, Nar and Phu, which have a strong Buddhist history in the shape of stunning old monasteries, prayer walls, and chortens amidst a spectacular high alpine landscape. The trek to Nar Phu Valley is an off-the-beaten-path trek far from the more touristy trails. It zigzags and turns up through steep canyons, mountain forest, and high passes like the strenuous Kang La Pass (5,320 m).

Why Nar Phu Valley Trek special?

Nar Phu Valley Trek is a combination of high-altitude trekking and cultural trekking. It was forbidden for foreign trekkers until 200,3, so it was virgin and daily culture. The main reasons that this trek must be include as a must-do trek are as follows:

1. Tibetan Culture

Residents of Phu and Nar live in a culturally isolate area, and the old Tara Nagar Tibetan culture has been preserve there for some time now. The villagers were isolate from the world for centuries, and while it might not be possible to be exclusive again after 2002, culture can be exempted from the brutalities of mass tourism. The villagers in Phu and Nar are ethnic Tibetans, and their existence is based on agriculture, cattle, and Buddhism. You can witness remnants of Tibetan ways of life in the villages through which you pass in the hills – remnants from earlier centuries of Tibetans living ways of life that reflect their religion, culture, daily way of living, and even communities through architecture. You might see a few of the same things.

Tattered prayer flags on a prayer pole waving in the breeze; Buddhist prayers inscribed on mani walls painted along trails; the villagers wearing their traditional clothing, following a cultural ritual.

Prayer and monks and nuns living here in monasteries; yak and yak herding; grinding tsampa or butter tea are something you would notice, but not something you would experience or witness anywhere else.

This action is not perform for the purpose of showing it to visitors. It is real and live. The culturally aware tourist will have open to him a landscape which is a window on the historic and religious dimensions of life in the Tibetan Himalaya.

2. Nar and Phu Villages

Phu Village is a picturesque village in the area, being a medieval village. It is placed higher up above the valley on a shelf and built into the side of our cliff, which consists of stone.

Phu, with fewer than 300 residents, has a quality of timelessness. It has stone and mud houses, thin pathways, rice terracing paddies, and ancient chortens. Phu has many monasteries, among which the sacred Tashi Lhakhang Gompa is said to have been consecrated. It gives you a realistic impression of an uncluttered. The simple Himalayan highlander way of life gives you a real quality.

Nar Village lies in a larger, more open valley. It is easier to access, it is sunny, warmer, and open compared to Phu. The people of Nar built their houses keeping hospitality in mind; they are actually famous for being hospitable. There are monasteries and gompas there too. But at Nar, because it is an open plot of land, the weather isn’t the same, there’s more sunlight, and distant views over some mountains.

Nar and Phu together show us two aspects of Himalayan existence—ecclesiastic and sequestered on one hand, and agrarian and open on the other.

3. Kang La Pass (5,320m)

Icing on the trek—the Kang La Pass—literally and metaphorically. Physical and technical challenges to ascend to the height of the 5,320m pass. The pass links the isolated Nar Valley to the Annapurna circuit, and voila. You can witness stunning views of some of Nepal’s most mythically sparkling mountains. Over Annapurna II, it glows yellow or dissolves into whirlpool vapors along with Tilicho Peak, Gangapurna, and thousands of other high domes, depending on the hour.

Always an early-morning trip to the Kang La. One to arrive in town with snowshoes on their backs to packs we’d cached between greasy and bare streets. It was worth it, for a flavor involuntarily, the creative ritual of another kind, conquest, and solitude. Tours to Kang La an initiation for the tour. Gondá, far from trekking, off the map Nar Phu valley totaled more touristed areas of Manang and the Annapurna. Time to travel light and be humble. Contact us today at Happy Mountain Nepal on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok