OM MANI PADME HUM |
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ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT BASECAMP TREKKING Pokhara - Tatopani - Kagbeni - Jomson - Muktinath Śrī Muktināth Thīrthayātrī Sant Sevāśram |
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जोमसोम - Jomosom (Jomsom)
Jomsom is a beautiful small town located at 2800 m at Kaligandaki River Valley in Mustang District. The town is situated in the Annapurna mountains of Nepal, at the lap of mount Dhaulagiri and mount Nilgri. There are a number of shops selling handicrafts as well as all the items trekkers normally would want from chocolate bars to trekking poles. One of the more unusual items commonly for sale are fossilised saligrams that are found in the Kali-Ghandaki river in this area.
Jomson has few attractions of its own but is a gateway for treks to Muktinath and Lo-Mantang as well as a common end point for treks from Manang. Jomson used to be the half way point on the Annapurna circuit but with the road construction it has now effectively become it's terminus.
Ater landing at Jomosom Airport you have to walk about 20 min. to the
other
side of the town,
to the lokal Jeep Stand, driving to Kagbeni, Muktinath.
The town is a popular starting/ending point for treks along the Kali Gandaki River valley as well as up to Muktinath on the Jomsom-Muktinath Trek. Both the treks can be done as part of the Annapurna Circuit. The natural beauty along the Jomsom – Muktinath trek is breathtaking. The scenery of the trail ranges from the forests of brilliant red rhododendrons to rocky cliffs and desert of Mustang. Tibetan culture, beautiful landscapes and rock formations, earth tones and stunning panoramas are seen on trekking this region.
New red ACAP trail avoiding the new road is now considered as one of the best part of Annapurna circuit and can take you through old villages and walleys all the way to Kande passing Ghasa, Tatopani, Ghorepani, Poon Hill and Ghandruk.
Jomson has daily flight connections with Pokhara although cloud cover at Pokhara or Jomson and high winds particuarly at Jomson might cause delays or cancelations. Airlines covering the area include: Nepal Airlines, Yetti Airlines, Tara Airlines and Agni Air. In 2013 ticket prices were 80-90$ to Pokhara. Flights are departing in early morning as it is usually best weather.
Jomsom now has a tenuous road connection with Beni and onwards to Pokhara. The road is prone to landslides and flooding particularly during the monsoon. Tourist can hire four wheel drive jeep from Pokhara to go Jomsom. Daily bus services operated from Jomsom to Pokhara with option to get out/in anyway on the route. Bus station is located on the southwest part of the New Jomsom.
The plane flight from Pokhara to Jomsom
The plane flight from Pokhara to Jomsom keeps everyone on the edge of their seats. The little plane flies in the gorges between huge himalayan cliffs gaining altitude steadily in order to reach high station Jomsom. On this ride you get to see first hand how really high the himalayas cliffs are.
Tiny villages rest on hilltops of smaller cliffs. Each of the villages are so isolated that its altleast three days walk to the nearest town that has a motorable road. The Himalayas also trap the mounsoon clouds from getting to Tibet. Here, you get a first hand view of what that means.
The Cliffs clearly rise much above the cloud cover. As a result the lower himalaya is green and water rich sending all the water back to India while Tibet on the other side has eroded to be a dry plateau. From the cockpit view is the Dhaulagiri, the seventh highest mountain in the world (8167m or 26795 ft).
Flying from Jomosom to Pokhara, early morning flight 30 min, beautiful view of mountain ranges can be seen from the airplain windows if you sit on the left side. Flight from Pokhara to Jomsom you must sit on the right side
On Monday morning 14 May 2012, an Agni Air (Dornier 228) crashed while attempting to land at
Jomsom airport, killing 15 of 21 people on board. Six passengers miraculously survived, police said.
Airplain landing at Jomsom airport. For last minute fun the plane leaps over a gorge and a river that runs very close to the edge of the runway. As soon as we got out, we immediatly noticed that the air is much cooler here. Nilgiri stands tall overlooking the airport. There is an army camp nearby. The airstrip is shared both by the army and commercial operators. Flights to Jomsom operate only in the morning as it gets very windy in the afternoons.
Yeti-Airline starting from Jomson airport - Yeti-Airline landing at Pokhara airport
To enlarge video, click on the right side arrows
