Timang To Chame: Day Four On The Annapurna Circuit

Find out about my fourth day trekking on the Annapurna Circuit. I will be hiking from Timang to Chame which takes over 3 hours and a distance of 12 kilometers. Today is a relatively short, easy and relaxing day!

It’s the fourth day on the Annapurna Circuit and we decide to have a really easy day to let our friends catch up. Day four will take us from Timang to Thanchowk, Thanchowk to Koto and Koto to Chame. The total journey from Timang to Chame consists of 12 kilometers of hiking over 3 hours and no elevation increase.

Though, I will go through my journey between Timang and Chame in detail. That way, if you are planning your own Annapurna Circuit trek you will know exactly what to expect on day four.

Day Four: A Short Day Trekking Timang To Chame On The Annapurna Circuit

Overview Of The Journey: Timang to Chame
Waking Up In Timang
Timang to Thanchowk
Thanchowk to Koto
Koto to Chame
Arriving In Chame
Staying In Chame

Overview Of The Journey: Timang To Chame

Timang (2710 m) to Thanchowk (2570m): 4 km hike which takes 1 and a half hours

Thanchowk (2570m) to Koto (2640m): 3 km hike which takes 1 hour

Koto (2640m) to Chame (2710m): 2 km hike which takes half an hour

Waking Up In Timang

Waking up throughout the night in Timang I head outside and watch the stars. The village is quiet except for the occasional ding of a cowbell. I give night photography a go. Though, without a tripod and having to awkwardly balance my camera on the table the results are not the sharpest. The days might be long and leave me exhausted, but sleep so lightly. It is known that in higher altitudes your body has difficulty sleeping. Though, we are not even that high yet! I cannot imagine having skipped this portion of the trail and have driven up.

Getting up for breakfast the views are still amazing with some low hanging clouds. Having breakfast in the common area downstairs I tuck into Tibetan bread with jam. A cup of hot tea goes down a treat while James and I talk about our plans for the day.

We wait around a few hours enjoying the fast WIFI and sitting out front seeing if our friends walk by. At 9.30am a handful of trekkers have wondered by, though not our buddies. Out of communication with them and no idea where they could be we decide to walk onward to Chame.

Timang to Thanchowk

We say goodbye to the mountain views in Chame and continue following the road. With legs aching from the massive hill between Danaqyu to Timang yesterday we are enjoying the flat roads.

There are not too many climbs on this section and if there is it is very steady. We drop over 100 meters in elevation. Instead of mountainside views, we are surrounded by green paddocks fill with livestock. Flowers are growing all around and it feels like a perfect spring day.

Reaching the first village of the day Thanchowk is pretty easy. Walking into the main center of the village we pass numerous lodges on the outskirts. We have heard it is quite a beautiful village to explore. Though, we decide to continue on the trail and enjoy the peaceful scenery.

Thanchowk to Koto

Continuing on the road some sections are rocky and others are just dirt. A couple of mountain bikers overtake us while we pass through the fields. I cannot help but think how awesome it would be to mountain bike the Annapurna Circuit!

The trail continues alongside paddocks at the bottom of the valley. We walk and watch people go about their daily life working away. It’s a beautiful sunny day which is bringing a nice atmosphere to the area.

Walking into the village of Koto it is an absolutely beautiful place. The old wooden houses contrast the deep forest background perfectly. To me it is a scene you would expect to find in the Swiss Alps, but not really in Nepal!

While we are in Koto we sign into the police check post. We register our names, where we have come from, where to plan to go and show our ACAP permit before continuing on the trail to Chame.

Koto to Chame

It is an extremely easy walk from Koto to Chame and only takes us 30 minutes. There is a slight incline, but it is nothing compared with the climb we did yesterday.

Reaching the first lodges of Chame we decide to stop for a quick break. It is only 12.30pm so we could certainly keep trekking for the day, though we want to find our mates. A lemon and ginger tea goes down perfectly while we enjoy the sun baking our skin.

About an hour of waiting we eventually see our friends walk past and call them over. Turns out they got stuck yesterday at the landslide and had to turn around to continue on the road. They stayed the night at Danaqyu and were hoping to catch up with us today.

We all decide to stay the night in Chame and just to enjoy the rest of the day. It provides the perfect opportunity to get some washing done and stock up on supplies. Chame is actually the headquarters of the Manang district. There you will find a bank, police headquarters and the district administration. It is certainly the most bustling town we have come across so far and we are ready to be in civilization for one night.

We send the boys out on a mission to decide on our accommodation for the night. They go to a few different places before choosing the one. In Chame there is even the option to stay in a western standard hotel! Though, of course for such facilities, you will be paying for it.

Arriving In Chame

I cannot remember the name of the lodge we stayed in, but it was more towards where you are heading out of town. It is over the swing bridge then to the rights as you are walking towards the “hot springs”. It is in a large building and from memory was either purple or blue.

Our room at the lodge is one of our favorites so far on the trail. It’s a large space with one double bed and a single bed. That is our first double bed on the trail so far! It also has the first Western toilet which we could not be happier about! All this plus WIFI is free as we promise to have lunch, dinner and breakfast there.

On arrival, we decide its time to have lunch. I dig into a bowl of pasta with a tomato based sauce and a cup of tea. After we lunch decide to check out the famous hot pool which is constantly mentioned in the guidebooks. Walking to the stream edge it is obvious it is not the hot pools we thought. It is actually more of a place locals go to do their washing. We retreat back to the lodge, sitting outside in the sunshine while playing a game of cards. While doing so we see many people walk past us with their washing, luckily we decided not to go for a swim!

Staying In Chame

As we still have a few hours before bed James and I decide to try get some chores done. Down at the local store, I purchase an ankle and knee brace which will be important once the main road runs out. Snacks are also necessary so we stock up on Snickers bars, crackers and Oreos. With sweet eats in hand, we walk to the filtered water station and full up all our bottles. It costs just a minimal amount and tastes a lot better than the purification tablets.

Once back we relax using the free WIFI. For dinner, we dig into a delicious meal of pizza, as well as cheese momos. These are certainly two items which you cannot go wrong with! At dinner, we meet two ladies from Hong Kong who are trekking the circuit with a guide and porter, unlike the rest of us. Though, they have had issues with their guide making them pay for tea houses and pocketing the money since they are actually staying for free. Luckily with the WIFI, they are able to contact the trekking agency who promises to send up a new guide to meet them in Chame the following morning. Remember to read reviews before deciding to use a company!

Up Next: CHAME TO UPPER PISANG ON THE ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT – DAY FIVE

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