This world’s deepest river gorge stands in the Himalayas of Nepal. Running from the Tibetan border to the ancient kingdom of Mustang, through Kagbeni and onwards, it forms a stunning gorge for hiking as well as for photography.
Kali Gandaki divides two famous, and massive mountains – in the West is Dhaulagiri and in the East is Annapurna. For centuries, the Kali Gandaki Gorge (or Andha Gaichi) has been used as a trading route between India and Tibet. Today it’s a popular hiking route, being a part of the famous Annapurna Circuit within the Annapurna Conservation Area. The most popular hiking route used to be from Pokhara all the way to the holy site for the Hindus; Muktinath. Though nowadays you can drive to Muktinath and it wouldn’t be so charming to hike beside the dusty roads when the jeeps are passing by.
You can also choose to travel from Kagbeni to Jomsom on horseback like we did back in 2011. This way of travel will take you through absolutely stunning sceneries when you literally ride in the river gorge. Just ride carefully, especially when fording the streams of running water. They may seem like little streams, but they’re powerful. Give your horse enough time to look for their footing! The waters are ice cold, so you don’t want to fall over. It will be a half days’ ride, and you’ll have porters to carry your gear, while you ride.
When staying in the village of Kagbeni, you can go for day hikes into the gorge, too. This is very convenient if you’d like to take some stunning photographs of the canyon opening up before you. Some great views can also be seen at the edges of Kagbeni, from the border where the kingdom of Mustang begins. We wrote few lines about Kali Gandaki also in our travel article, published in the Digital Nomad Travel Magazine.
And if you like white water rafting, you can do that as well, but nearer to Pokhara. Just do your picking of the tour provider carefully and invest in safety. All in all, this magnificent gorge between the tallest, snowy peaks of the Himalayas is a place you have to see – at least once in your lifetime.
Have you been in Kagbeni or Muktinath and seen the Kali Gandaki?
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I have heard about Kali Gandaki before but never been through so deeply. This is really exciting to hike around deepest river of the world. I loved the picture you have shared. Definitely I am going to explore this whenever I plan to visit Nepal.