Festival in Nar | Annapurna Circuit Nar Phu Lost Valley Trek | 23-26 Oct 21 | 7 Wks in Nepal Ep III

After a day exploring the ancient village of Phu, I made my way to Nar, where there was a rare (once every few years) Buddhist festival going on. Basically backtrack along the Phu Khola until the point where you turn off to Nar Phedi, or the trail continues to Meta and Koto.

Spent the night in Nar Phedi's monastery, which has a well-constructed lodge (the best I have seen outside cities). However, food supplies were scarce, being limited to the usual dal bhat - even then not very good - for dinner and Tibetan bread in the morning.

Nar is not far away but involves a steep hike from the monastery for an hour or so. A long mani wall tells one you are not far away from the other ancient city in Nar Phu area. Actually I was told people were actually moving back to Nar, which sits under the looming Pisang Peak.

I was fortunate to catch an afternoon of puja and festivities in the monastery above town. Friendly locals invited me into the monastery and sit among the audience with a cup of hot tea.

The original plan was to hike out over Kang La, but my guide (mandatory for restricted area) was not quite up to it. So back out we went via Meta to Chhomchu where, after a nice overnight in the forest, it was another 3 hours out to Koto, which lies along the Annapurna Circuit. From here, I would be on my own.

I travelled to Nepal over October and November 2021, just after the country lifted its Covid-19 quarantine requirement. My plan was to trek the Manaslu and Annapurna circuits, plus some deviations. My total time on trails was 42 days (excluding day treks from Pokhara and Kathmandu) of which 21 days were in restricted areas, requiring a guide; the rest of the time, I was on my own.

Following is my itinerary:
Day 19 Phu - Nar Phedi
Day 20 Nar Phedi - Nar
Day 21 Nar - Chhomchu
Day 22 Chhomchu - Koto