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Thorang La

Thorang La (Nepal)

Practical information about Thorang La

  • Viewpoint
  • Hiking / Trekking
  • Mountain
5 / 5 - 2 reviews
How to get there
12 days for the tour of the Annapurnas between Besisahar and Jomosom
When to go
March-April or October-November
Minimum stay
1 to 2 weeks

Reviews of Thorang La

Marc Sigala Travel writer
67 travel articles

The Thorang La pass is the highest pass in the world, with an altitude of 5416 metres.

My suggestion:
My word of caution: respect every word of the acclimatisation rules for the altitude and don't skip the stop-overs. The dangers which you expose yourself to otherwise are real and potentially dramatic.
Summary:

The highest mountain pass in the world, the Thorang La pass was one of the highlights of my Nepalese adventure. Generally, the passage is used from Manang to Muktinath, which is also the easiest and safest way (there are possible stop-overs which the opposite way doesn't have).

In terms of walking time, it is possible to go between these two points in a day, for a quick walker, but the wisest thing to do is make a stop in Thorong Phedi or at Thorong High Camp, the latter allowing you to take advantage of a night for acclimatisation to avoid succumbing to altitude sickness.

I strongly recommend that you only consider this pass in the months of March-April and October-November. The rest of the time, there is an increased risk of avalanches and storms. In any case, it is fully worth the effort!



*After the powerful earthquakes which struck Nepal in April and May 2015, the country is being rebuilt little by little. This article was written before the disaster.

Arrival at the Thorang La pass
Travel writer
181 travel articles

A mountain pass at 5400 metres high and the finishing point of the trek 'around the Annapurnas'.

My suggestion:
Besides warm clothes you won't need any high altitude equipment. No cleats or ice axes: despite the altitude you won't come across any walls of ice!
Summary:

Thorang La is THE stage that everybody talks about throughout the trek: 'Will I get there?' 'What time should I go up?' then 'It was cool' 'It took me this much time...' etc.

It must be said that it's quite crazy to reach such an altitude 'so easily'. After a night in base camp you have to go straight towards the pass with your feet sunk in the snow but on a path which is been well marked out by the thousands of other walkers who've already used it. The landscape, immaculately white, is breathtaking... And one completely surreal thing is that even all the way up there you can warm yourself up with a good cup of tea in a little cabin which acts as a cafe all season!

The 1100 metres of positive height difference strangely didn't seem so difficult to me (I had taken a good amount of time to get acclimatised), it was rather the descent towards Muktinath (at 3800 metres) that made my legs sore... But still in such an amazing landscape you can forget about your pain! If you also ever go on this trek during your trip to Nepal, you'll understand why it has such a reputation... It's amazing from start to finish, absolutely recommended!

I must add that I visited Nepal before the 2015 earthquake so it's possible that places have changed a lot since then.

Arriving at the pass
A few metres from the summit