The incredible Lamjung! (With Photos)

It’s fascinating how a photograph steals a moment of our life and turns it into a nostalgic memory. That happened when, in Nov 2022, Raju, my cycling partner, and this scribe set upon an epic cycling journey to Manang—our ultimate goal to accomplish the formidable Annapurna Circuit. 

The Annapurna Circuit traverses across rugged terrain from Beshisahar with as low an elevation of 750m to gain altitude to a whopping 5,416m (Thorang La pass), crossing Manang to Mustang and culminating at Beni, Myagdi, encompassing 230km. Day one on our itinerary was Syange, some 30-odd kilometers from Beshisahar, Lamjung.

Following almost an eight-hour choppy ride in a micro-van from Kathmandu to Besisahar and our anticipation running riot, we began our bike ride early the next day. We learned we had to navigate across the Lamjung district, almost halfway to Manang. And Lamjung seemed poised to dish out unparalleled Nature’s bounty.   

Barely had we left behind the buzzing and bustling city of Besisahar, the landscape opened up with a rustic countryside punctuated by pockets of small settlements, extensive farmland, and verdant scrub forest dotting the hills. The rumbling Marshyandi kept us company, our eyes virtually glued to the tumbling river. Total bliss!

And, to our ecstasy, the snow-capped peaks in the northern-western skyline beckoned us with open arms as we pedaled past brutal climbs and shredded down thrilling downhills. But what swept our feet away was the untold massive waterfalls that crossed our path almost the entire way to Syange. We could swear by the bio-diverse Lamjung—hands down—that stood apart simply incredible!