Ascent to Chorten of Ghyar

Unless Ghyaru is your target destination for this day of the trek and you want to go on a trip to chorten, it is ideal to leave your backpack in some of the local restaurants. It is a good idea to increase the willingness of staff with a promise of tea or lunch after returning from the walk :-). The path is very simple. First you need to go along the main road through the entire village in the direction Ngawal and then, as the houses end, go still up the pathway. The first suitable place to have a rest is chorten without flags. In addition to still finer outlooks, there is also quite interesting stone building on the path stuck to a rock by the brook supplying the village with water.

Ghyaru village gradually becomes lost in the depth, surrounded by a sea of golden colored fields ready for harvest. You can also clearly see „the lower path“ through the pine forest on the other side of the valley, which is used mainly by mass tours. One almost regrets those, who went through here to save only a few hours and lost this beautiful sight.

After about an hour lasting ascent you finally arrive to a large chorten, which is on all sides well-decorated with prayer flags, as is customary in Buddhist regions. From here you can see far west through the valley up to Tilicho peak (7134 m asl).

The mountain within reach is Pisang peak. It belongs to the official list of „hills for trekkers“, for which is a relatively inexpensive permit (350USD for a group of 1–4 climbers, as at 2012). Travel agencies offer it very often, as it is not technically too difficult. Unfortunately most tourists are not able to ascent it, mainly because of miserly acclimatization, which they have nowhere to gather in Marsyangdi valley. Quite a sad look is on its close southern slope, where the glacier significantly retreated and just smoothed black rock remained after it.

The most impressive view is directly across the valley to Annapurna II. and IV., where it is possible, with a little luck, see relatively frequent avalanches between them.

Gangapurna may seem from this outlook like a decent little pyramid peeking shyly from behind twisted monumental ridge of Annapurna III.

When you look back, it is nice to see the jagged ridge with pass Namun, through which leads very tough, but deserted, trekking route.