Chulu West Peak Climbing

Our journey begins early from Kathmandu, heading northwest along the Prithvi Highway, then climbing into the Marsyangdi River valley. The drive itself is a gradual introduction to Nepal’s mountain geography. broad terraced hillsides giving way to steeper gorges, with the river running green and loud below the road. By the time you reach Dharapani, the peaks ahead are starting to hint at what’s coming. The village sits at the entrance of the Manang district, and the air already feels noticeably cooler and cleaner than the city. Settle into your teahouse, eat well, and rest up.

The trek from Dharapani follows the Marsyangdi upstream through dense pine and rhododendron forest, with the valley walls pressing closer as you move deeper into the Manang district. Chame is the district headquarters, which means it has a slightly more settled feel than most trail towns, proper bakeries, a few internet connections, and administrative buildings alongside the usual teahouses. The magnificent view of Lamjung Himal appears through gaps in the forest as you approach, a clean white wall of snow above the treeline. Chame is also where your body begins to register the altitude, so resist any temptation to rush.

From Chame, the trail pushes through a dramatic rock gorge where the river has carved a narrow corridor between 1,500-meter cliffs. Beyond the gorge, the valley opens up dramatically and the landscape shifts. pine forest thins out, the sky gets bigger, and the scale of everything around you expands. Pisang itself is split into upper and lower sections; the upper village is worth the extra climb for its 400-year-old monastery and the unobstructed view of Pisang Peak directly to the north. The surrounding terrain here starts to take on the high-altitude character of the Tibetan plateau, dry and wide with sparse vegetation. This is where many climbers begin to feel the trip properly.

Journey through one of the most scenic stretches of the entire route, the trail crosses wide open highland terrain with Annapurna II, Annapurna III, and Gangapurna all visible across the valley. There are two paths here: the lower route along the riverbed is faster, while the high route through Ghyaru and Ngawal adds an hour but rewards you with better views and a closer look at traditional Gurung villages still largely untouched by tourism infrastructure. Manang itself is a hub, relatively well-supplied and buzzing with trekkers and climbers at various stages of their trips. It is a good place to pick up any last supplies before heading higher.

This wonderful trek demands that you respect the acclimatisation process, and Manang is the ideal place to do it. The standard approach is to hike up to the Gangapurna Lake viewpoint or push as high as the Ice Lake at around 4,600 meters, then return to sleep low, a method that genuinely helps your body adapt. The Himalayan Rescue Association runs an altitude awareness session in Manang that covers the symptoms of AMS and how to respond; attending is not mandatory, but it is consistently useful. Spend the afternoon walking around, eating well, and staying hydrated. Resist the temptation to stay in bed all day — light movement helps acclimatisation more than rest alone.

The trail climbs steadily out of Manang, moving through grazing land where yaks and dzos move freely across open slopes. Yak Kharka is a small settlement that lives up to its name — you will likely share the hillside with a herd of yaks and not much else. The vegetation is reduced to low alpine scrub and tough grasses, and the wind that sweeps through the valley at this elevation has a sharp edge to it regardless of the season. From here, the views toward Thorong La and the upper Kang La pass open up in a way that clarifies just how high the terrain ahead reaches. A short, early arrival is ideal — it gives you time to rest before moving to base camp the following morning.

Trek to the base camp of Chulu West along a rough trail that leaves the main Annapurna Circuit path and heads into less-traveled terrain. The route crosses rocky lateral moraines and sections of open scree before leveling out at the campsite, which sits with a clear view of the peak’s glaciated upper flanks. Your climbing guide will spend time this afternoon walking you through the technical gear, checking your crampon fit, and briefing the team on the plan for the days ahead. The atmosphere at base camp has a particular kind of quiet intensity — surrounded by enormous peaks, with the summit above you still not fully visible from this angle. Sleep early and let the acclimatisation work.

Our first major climbing day begins with the ascent from base camp to high camp, crossing the glacier and gaining significant elevation on mixed snow and rock. The footing demands careful attention, particularly on the steeper sections where your guide will set fixed ropes for the team. As you gain height, the surrounding peaks shift into a new perspective — you begin to see over ridges that blocked the horizon from below, and the vastness of the Himalayan range becomes more apparent with every hundred meters gained. High camp is a small, exposed platform with just enough space for tents. The wind can be strong and the cold is significant, so a good sleeping bag and proper layering become immediately important. An early night is non-negotiable before the summit push.

This is the day the entire trip is built around. The team moves before dawn, headlamps cutting through the cold darkness as the trail steepens onto the upper glacier. The summit ridge of Chulu West offers a 360-degree view that includes Annapurna II directly to the south, the broad white dome of Glacier Dome to the west, and the long line of peaks stretching toward Manaslu on the eastern horizon. Nepal Holiday Treks ensures experienced high-altitude guides lead every summit bid; the final push requires careful rope management and a steady, deliberate pace to conserve energy at this altitude. Once the summit is reached, you have a short window to absorb the view before beginning the descent. Back at base camp by afternoon, the sense of achievement is quiet but complete.

From the base camp, the route rejoins the main Annapurna Circuit trail and continues north toward Thorong La Phedi, the staging point for the famous Thorong La pass crossing. The trail moves through wide-open high-altitude terrain where the wind sweeps without interruption across the plateau. Thorong La Phedi itself is a cluster of tea houses perched at the foot of the pass, packed each evening with trekkers preparing for the early morning climb. After the summit of Chulu West, the atmosphere here feels almost social — a shared anticipation before a shared challenge. Get to bed early; the pass crossing starts before sunrise.

The crossing of Thorong La at 5,416 meters is one of the most celebrated high passes in Himalayan trekking, and the views from the top of the Annapurna range behind, the arid Mustang valley ahead, make the early start entirely worth it. The descent toward Muktinath is steep and long but rewards every step with a dramatic change in scenery: from glaciated alpine terrain to the wind-sculpted, semi-desert landscape of the upper Kali Gandaki. Muktinath is a sacred site for both Hindus and Buddhists, and the temple complex at the edge of town draws pilgrims from across the subcontinent. After the raw exposure of high camp and the pass, spending a night in Muktinath feels almost civilised.

The trek from Muktinath descends through the medieval-looking village of Kagbeni, a compact maze of whitewashed stone houses, narrow alleys, and a red-walled monastery that dates back centuries. Kagbeni marks the checkpoint for the restricted upper Mustang region. If you haven’t arranged a permit, this is as far north as you go. The trail then follows the Kali Gandaki gorge south to Jomsom, walking into a persistent headwind that picks up as the morning warms. Jomsom is a proper town with an airstrip, a main street of guesthouses and shops, and even a surprising selection of restaurants. After nearly two weeks in the mountains, it feels almost like a city.

The magnificent view from the Jomsom airstrip is one of those travel moments that doesn’t photograph well but stays with you clearly: Dhaulagiri on one side, Annapurna on the other, the gorge you just walked running south between them. The flight to Pokhara takes about 25 minutes and drops you into warm, green lake country that feels like a different country entirely from the high Himalayan terrain of the past two weeks. Pokhara is a genuine pleasure after the mountains: good food, lakeside cafes, and the chance to sit still for a few hours without altitude calculations running in the background. Use the afternoon to rest or walk along Phewa Lake; you have earned it.

Our last day brings the circuit full circle, with the drive back to Kathmandu following the Prithvi Highway east through river valleys and terraced hillsides. It is a good drive for reflection, the peaks are behind you now, visible only in occasional glimpses through the windows, and the city noise and traffic of Kathmandu reappear gradually rather than all at once. By the time you arrive, Chulu West already feels like something that happened in a different world, which in a sense it did. Nepal Holiday Treks will arrange your drop-off and can assist with any onward travel needs or certificate collection for your climb.