In between the Himalayas terrain of the beautiful country Nepal, the Annapurna region treasures several high-altitude passes. Thorong La Pass (Thorung La) is one among them standing at 5,416 meters as the highest point during the famous Annapurna Circuit Trek. This pass performs as the way to connect the Annapurna ranges and Dhaulagiri ranges and traverse through Marsyangdi Valley in the Manang district to the Muktinath Temple in the Mustang district.
This high mountain pass has a magnificent altitude with serenity and spirituality, which forces adventure trekkers and divining travelers to embark on this journey. The magnificence of Annapurna Massifs Valley, Thorong, and Yakwakang Peak and its rocky slopes where trekkers march is spread out like a beautiful blanket from the top. This beauty and altitude have increased the popularity of Thorong La among adventurous travelers.
The Thorong La Pass area is included in the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), which was established to preserve the area's cultural and environmental values. Due to excessive snowfall and severe weather, the pass is only open for a few months each year, from late April to early October.
Journey Begins to accomplish Thorong La
With anticipation to cross this high mountain pass, we started our Annapurna Circuit Trek from Kathmandu. We traveled in the best season and the weather was on our side. We traveled off-road till the Chame and the road had and still has a pile of mud on the trail making us skip the trek of Jagat and Dharapani. After a night in Chame, the trek began and we traveled for two days through the beautiful Pisang and Manang Village. In Manang, we stayed one day extra for Acclimatization to adjust our bodies to the high altitude as by far we have been to an altitude of 3,540 meters. The adequate beauty and the diversity of the trail supported us with a lot of positivity and spirituality to move on. We were enough hydrated and made our meal plan precise and on time.
We all got an opportunity to experience unique cultures along the trek while exploring traditional villages and settlements. All of us interacted with local communities and learned more about them, and still, when we trek along, we learn something new and their experience keeps us motivated. The insights into the Nepalese lifestyle took us along and there were more to come.
After a night in Manang, we approach Yak Kharka stayed overnight there, and marched towards Thorong Phedi with a lot of positivity and courage to cross the ultimate highlight of our journey, The Thorong La pass, the major difficulty of the Annapurna Circuit Trek. Our hearts beat heavily and it was just a night remaining to approach our eventual destination. We could not help but just hope that the climate will support us.
Crossing Thorong La pass
We tried to get enough rest as possible because we knew that the next morning's walk is going to be challenging. The night passed in the blink of an eye. Some treks will end here because of snow or altitude sickness, which makes it necessary to go back down the Marsyangdi Valley. Despite the fact that most trekkers of average fitness can complete this walk, crossing the Thorong La pass should never be taken lightly. We had that in mind and all of us were aware.
We woke up very early at 4 am in the dawn and started packing our stuff. We had a quick breakfast prepared with the necessary equipment for the day and tied up our boots and left Thorong Phedi (4,450 meters) at 4:30 am. Some had crampons fixed and I had a boot covered. We wore a headlamp to walk in the dark and marched on the piles of snow. As we move forward the legs and bags feel a lot heavier and frequently trickle around. There was no one except us on the trail, quiet and misty.
Most of us were cold and feeling dizzy and could feel that it was hard for breathing as we were gaining altitude. We successfully pass the Landslide area and reached Thorong Base Camp (4,925 meters) where we tested symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) when we had a small break at the Tea House in High Camp. Everyone was adequate.
The clouds started coming up and so did the sun. After almost two hours of walking at a pace, we could see the summit and our faces started glowing with charms and happiness and chuckles as we move up.
The pass itself welcomed us with a traditional Chorten, prayer flags, and a congratulations board by ACAP and is situated between the two 6000-meter-high summits Yakwakang and Thorong Peak.
Time to do some photoshoots. We laughed, we cheered, we jumped, we grouped, got all those shots at the Thorong La. We could feel the spirituality and all of our stress and dizziness just diminished. We were at the ultimate Thorong La pass (5,416 meters). We had some Tea in the cabin which warmed us up.
.jpg)
After that, we headed down detaining a lot of spirituality and positivity and seeking more in Muktinath Temple. The weather was good. A little bit of drizzle, a little hard to breathe but a lot of memories to collect in a few hours.
This journey brought us so close to nature. Everyone should experience what we did, everyone should know how simple life can be lived, learn from the locals, know their lifestyle and experience their simplicity, and truly be with nature. This also helps us to tackle the challenges in our daily life and taught us self-development and personal growth. We all returned home opening up more possibilities.
Our approach toward Safety
We completed our journey safely and with very few difficulties as the weather was at its finest, the team was strong and we all were prepared physically as well as mentally. Our team knew the route condition and how it was going to be, so, we were all prepared. We bought all the essential equipment i.e., Trekking poles, crampons, headlights, shoe covers, etc. which made us a lot easier to trek and avoid being stuck on the snowy trail and trickling a lot. If this happens a lot then we will get caught on landslides.
The next thing was our acclimatization, we made sure to take a rest while trekking and gaining a drastically increasing altitude and stayed one extra night in Manang at 3,540 meters to avoid Acute Mountain Sickness. This might seem like just a day but it will help extremely to cross the Thorong La. We also made sure that we were checking the medical conditions on the trail in health posts and taking the medication even though if we have any problems we have to return. In some cases, the untrusty travel agency will fake motivate you and keep you on track to operate a helicopter rescue as a scam to earn a commission. In this case, you might get into serious trouble, all you have to do is lower down and you will be fine.
We choose the best season and also prepared for uncertainty
We performed our trek during April which is among the prime month of Nepal trekking. From Kathmandu, we look over the insights of the last weather conditions and how it is going to be. Everything was in our accordance. But that will not be enough we had to prepare for unexpected weather changes and if that happens, we had to cope with extreme weather conditions.
Weather in Thorong La Pass is always trouble, as the strong wind will capture the area after 10 am, and have to cross as early as possible. We have to make sure that we approach thorong high camp before 7 am and Thorong Phedi before 5 am.
It's imperative to layer our clothing because the temperature in Thorong La can fluctuate quickly. We wear layers of warm clothing that are simple to add or remove based on the weather as the morning was super chilly and we had to sweat a bit after the sunlight and it was warm. To protect ourselves from the uncertain rain or snow, we packed a waterproof jacket and a pair of pants.
Carrying a simple first aid kit, a whistle, and a flashlight was on standby with us in case of an emergency. We made sure all of our team in the field were aware of your plans and one of our experienced porters was ahead of us to inform the conditions of the trail.
Preserving the Environment
Thorong La Pass has seen an increase in popularity and so made the increasing number of trekkers, which has led to problems with littering and trash disposal that have an adverse effect on the local ecosystem and fauna. Melting glaciers, which can cause avalanches and landslides and endanger trekkers' safety, are a result of rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns.
As all of these are the major problems in the Thorong La and the Annapurna Circuit route, we have to consider them and we did it. We made sure that all of our team were using reusable water bottles and filtration tablets to avoid buying water bottles and eco-friendly items like toiletries and dispose of them appropriately. We packed our waste which includes plastics and non-biodegradable products.
Conclusion
Thorong La Pass is one of the toughest trekking passes in the Annapurna region of Nepal. We completed this pass with the right physical and mental preparation. There are a lot of challenges and uncertainty in the areas and we have to take it into consideration throughout the year. Therefore, we have to choose the best season to avoid huge rain and snow that causes landslides, which is the major risk.
Plan on your packing list properly and make sure you have all the equipment needed to cross Thorong La. Stay hydrated throughout the journey and keep fulfilling your appetite. Acclimatization is the key so, try to take frequent rest and stay at least one more night in Manang or Pisang.
In the beautiful and diverse area of the Annapurna region, Thorong La Pass offers spirituality and adventure for travelers. You will return home with lots of positivity and simplicity and learnings about the simple lifestyle and cultural importance of the local natives.
