Day 8: Braka to Manang

I hiked the Annapurna Circuit with Michelle from Full Time Explorer. She did a great write-up of our trek which she kindly let me borrow, so what you see below is Michelle's text and my photos. You can find her original article at Annapurna Circuit Itinerary.

We spent a day in Braka to acclimate. The best way to acclimate is to walk high and sleep low. There are two popular side treks that start in Braka. Ice Lake goes up to 4,600m and offers spectacular views, but I’ve heard that the lake itself is nothing special. We decided to do Milarepa’s Cave which is at 4,250m. The cave was extremely hard to find and marked incorrectly on maps, so we ended up seeing two other “caves” instead. That being said, it offers incredible views in almost every direction. You can check out this post on Milarepa’s Cave for more details.

One of our friends walked to Manang (an extra 40 mins) in the afternoon. I would recommend doing this because Manang has a lot to offer as far as food and comfort. There’s even a small movie theater where I would recommend seeing the movie Caravan (a Nepali favorite). I also recommend stocking up on yak cheese or any trekking items you might need before going over the pass. After a side trek to Tilicho, we went through Manang and stayed at Hotel Yeti which had a bakery, gas shower, clean rooms, and good food.