Muktinath & Thorung La

This is an ideal winter route taking typically 17 days and staying at lower altitudes but offering all the fine mountain views of the area together with the experience of traversing the arid landscape of the upper Kali Gandaki valley and southern Mustang.

In the winter it gets blocked with snow and in the early spring, it can be swept by avalanches cascading down from the high hidden slopes of Hiunchuli. But during the rest of the year the ascent from the Gurung villages, leading through bamboo and rhododendron forests before emerging into the wide cirque of the awe-inspiring Sanctuary, is a trekker's dream come true.

Grade 3