04 Swanta

We left Mohare Lodge at 8:20AM exiting from the North-end going down steeply. So we had the awesome view of Annapurna range ahead oif us most of the time on a clear sunny day. We passed a partly frozen lake and then reached the small village of Phulbari at 9:30AM.

At 9:30AM we are nearing Phulbari ...village seen ahead

We stopped for a few minutes at a Teahouse here and had Lemon Tea. Inside found a trail map that on the wall; There is a direct trail to Poon Hill and Ghorepani from here. But we took the trail going to Phalate which is on the main trail from Tatopani to Ghorepani (the Southern leg of the Annapurna Circuit).

The trail beyond Phulbari continued going down, through long Rhododendron forests. After about 2+ hours we reached Phalate at 12:10PM. We stopped at the trail junction and decided to have lunch there at a Teahouse just opposite a Primary School gate.

Lunch Teahouse on left ... and the trail sign to Khopra on right

We waited for our Dal-bhat lunch to get cooked and took rest meanwhile. After lunch we started the trek at 1:30PM by cutting across the main trail and going down to a river and S-bridge crossing that. It took us an hour to reach the bridge at 2:00PM.

After the bridge we had to climb up again to a ridge top where we arrived at Swanta (2:30PM) on a green meadow. We took a room in "Hotel Trekkers Sanctuary" next to a primary school, just when it was closing for the day. So watched lots of small kids running home after school ... some with an adult escort.

School kids walking home after school break at 2:45PM

The view of Swanta Village & beyond ... from my Teahouse front yard

Nice setting of Swanta village. With awesome view of Dhaulagiri from here. Also one could see the Poon Hill Tower if you looked up to the top of Ridge to the South of here. In the evening had a Gorkha Beer and then a Dal-bhat Dinner at 7:30PM.

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The Phulbari Lodges and the Annapurna snow peaks

The local Trail Map ... from the Phulbari Lodge (Click to enlarge)

We stopped here at the main trail junction in Phalate

The Suspension bridge ... to cross after coming down from Phalate

The teahouse where I stayed in Swanta

A high zoom shot looking South ... at towards the Poon Hill tower

Walking around Swanta came across this Lodge ... and a view of Dhaulagiri