Annapurna Circuit Trekking Route resumes, tourists can now travel without worry

Mustang: The Annapurna Circuit trail has been cleared of snow.

The trail in the Annapurna Conservation Area connecting Manang and Mustang was opened on Monday after 20 people cleared snow at Thorong-La Pass, thanks to the initiative of the Muktinath Hotel Association.

From Besisahar in Lamjung, foreign tourists trek through Thorong-La Pass and reach Muktinath via Manang. Suraj Gurung, the president of the Muktinath Hotel Association, mentioned that the Thorong-La trekking route connecting Manang and Mustang has been made easier for trekkers by clearing the heavy snow on the route.

Heavy snowfall from September 24 to 27 completely blocked the Thorang-La pass trail, stopping tourist movement. From October to November, Thorong-La pass is the ideal spot for tourists to go on adventurous treks.

The Manang–Mustang Annapurna Circuit Trek sees tourists trekking only for five months every year. The Thorong-La Pass section of the Round Annapurna Circuit, known worldwide, is popular among foreign tourists for adventurous trekking.

The Muktinath Hotel Association has stated that there is now no problem trekking from Manang via Thorong-La Pass to reach Mustang.

Tourists visiting Ghandruk increase after trekking route becomes easier

Meanwhile, a report from Pokhara said that the number of tourists has started to increase as the road to Ghandruk, a tourist village in Annapurna Rural Municipality, Ward No. 10 and 11 in Kaski, has become easier to access.

Tourists have started reaching Ghandruk since the Birethanti-Ghandruk road, which was blocked due to floods and landslides, became operational. With the road becoming accessible, tourists have started to visit the village, said Sneha Gurung, managing director of Nirmal Villa in Ghandruk. She mentioned that the tourism business in Ghandruk, which had come to a standstill due to roads being blocked by floods and landslides, is now expected to pick up.

“With the festival season round the corner, the tourist season has also started. The roads have become easier too. In Ashar, Sawan, and Bhadra months, there were practically no tourists. Now they have slowly started coming. There’s hope that tourism business here will pick up now,” she added. Laksin Gurung, the owner of Hotel Rock and Mood and the president of Rodhi Club Ghandruk, said that it is necessary to spread the message that the road to Ghandruk has become easier.

“Tourists have started coming, but many might still think the road is bad,” he said. “Many might have even canceled their plans thinking that the road to Ghandruk hasn’t been repaired yet. Now we need to send out the message that the road is smooth and people can come and explore without worry,” he said.

Laksin said that even though the landslides triggered by incessant rains in various places have been cleared and the road improved for travel, the expected number of tourists has not arrived to Ghorepani-Poon Hill. He said, “I can accommodate up to 45 people in my hotel. In previous years, it used to be fully booked at this time, but this time only five to seven people have come daily.”

Bikram Gurung, the chairman of the Ghandruk Tourism Management Committee, said that after the weather cleared along with the road, the tourism business in Ghorepani gradually started to pick up.

He informed that currently, around two to three hundred tourists reach Ghorepani daily. According to him, the tourist village of Ghorepani can accommodate two thousand five hundred visitors in a single day. He mentioned that if there are more visitors, arrangements can also be made in the village houses.

“Right now, there are 95 hotels and 45 homestays in Ghandruk. These hotels and homestays can accommodate 2,500 guests in a day,” he said. “If there are more guests, arrangements can also be made to accommodate them in private homes. Our belief is that no guest visiting the village should have to be turned away.”

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