Climbing Pisang Peak will add a very exciting mountaineering element to your Annapurna Circuit Trek. Although it is one of the lower peaks in the Annapurna Region, it is one of the most technically challenging. From High Camp there is loose scree and rock, and a couple of pitches of nearly vertical, ice-snow covered rock slabs which demand at least basic expertise with fixed rope and climbing equipment. The final push to the summit is steep and fairly exposed snow slopes of 45 to 55.
Pisang Peak, 6091m, is a nearly perfect pyramid of ice and snow. From the summit there is a spectacular panorama: Himlung, 7126m and the trans-Himalayan Tibetan plateau to the north; Manaslu, 8163m and Khangaru, 6981m to the north east; Annapurna II, 7937m, and IV, 7525m, Lamjung, 6983m to the south; Gangapurna,7454m, Annapurna III, 7555m, Glacier Dome, 7069m and Tilicho Peak, 7134m to the west.
Pisang Peak Climbing follows the beautiful Annapurna Circuit trail to the north side of the Annapurna massive where we are surrounded by peaks on all sides and branches off to the Tibetan style village of Pisang. From Pisang village, we can see Pisang Peak to the north.
We set up our base camp, 4380m on the yak pasture called Kharka. The trail from base camp is rocky and the landscape increasingly barren as we approach the South-West Ridge, where we set up High Camp, 5400m. The ice, snow and lack of protection from the wind make High Camp very cold.
After climbing to the summit of Pisang Peak, we descend to Manang, on the Annapurna Circuit trail. Manang is a culturally interesting village, but after Pisang Peak, perhaps its bakery and comfortable guesthouse hold the most appeal.
From Manang, its a two day trek through juniper forests and yak pastures to Thorung Phedi, 4550m, from where we make the ascent to Thorong La Pass, 5416m. The trail descends into the Kali Gandaki Valley to Muktinath, a famous pilgrimage destination for Hindus and Buddhists. A short trek from Muktinath takes you down to Jomsom, from where you will get a flight to Pokhara.
Note: Although some trekking companies offer packages climbing from Pisang in only three days, we at Go Himalayan Adventures consider this a high risk for this peak. We allow at least 4-5 days summiting Pisang Peak to allow proper acclimatization and a successful attempt on a challenging peak.
Days | Destinations | Hours |
1 | Arrival in Kathmandu | |
2 | Preparation Day in Kathmandu | |
3 | Drive to Besisahar, 800m and Trek 2hrs to Bhulbule | |
4 | Trek to Ghermu Phant, 1136m | 5-6 hrs |
5 | Trek to Dharapani, 1946m | 6-7 hrs |
6 | Trek to Chame, 2800m | 5-6 hrs |
7 | Trek to Pisang, 3200m | 5-6hrs |
8 | Rest Day at Pisang | |
9 | Trek to Yak Kharka Base Camp, 4380m | 5-6 hrs |
10 | Day to Acclimatize | |
11 | Trek to High Camp, 5400m | 5-6 hrs |
12 | Ascend Pisang Peak Summit and return to Base Camp, 6091m | 7-8hrs |
13 | Trek to Manang 3500m | 4-5 hrs |
14 | Trek to Phedi, 4545m | 6 hrs |
15 | Trek to Muktinath, 3694m | 7-9 hrs |
16 | Trek to Jomsom, 2710m | 5 hrs |
17 | Fly to Pokhara | |
18 | Pokhara to Kathmandu 6hrs by Road | |
19 | Free day Kathmandu | |
20 | Departure |
The Best Time to Climb Pisang Peak
The best seasons for Climbing Pisang Peak are from mid March to mid May and mid September to late November.
Why Climb Pisang Peak with Go Himalayan Adventures?
Go Himalayan Adventures has been running climbing expeditions for over 10 years. Go Himalayan Adventures reaches for the highest ethical business practices. Our team of mountaineering guides is dynamic, professional, and qualified as instructors.
Why Climb with a Sherpa?
Go Himalayan Adventures expatriate company and an expatriate guide. Our qualified and experienced guides are well able to guide your expedition safely and can provide an accurate cultural perspective as well. Additionally, when you book with Go Himalayan Adventures, you are supporting the Sherpa community who are dependent on the trekking/climbing industry for their livelihood.
Our climbing guides are dedicated mountaineers and license-holders who always put your safety first. They use harness and ropes below the every peak whether for crevasse danger or steep slopes. Our Sherpa guides are there to fix the rope as well as teach climbers how to fix the rope or set up a belay for glacier travel.
While some people spend unnecessarily to go with a foreign company, others risk their lives to save money by going without a guide. We encourage you to play it safe, and climb with our experienced guides. Our packages are reasonably priced and afford the safety of an experienced guide who will allow you the independence you desire.
The routes we suggest are almost always the most straightforward. Under good conditions, none of the routes are challenging for skillful technical alpinist. Safety-conscious amateurs have potential to provide satisfaction and experience without much risk.
Sherpa Support Staff:
Go Himalayan Adventures provides you Sherpas for your support
Even our support staff are well experienced, so you can look forward to a well organized trip. The relationship we have developed among us over the years makes for a wonderful exchange of ideas, laughter and assistance. Your personal packs will be carried by the porters, saving you time and energy to fully enjoy the surrounding environment.
Each staff member at Go Himalayan Adventures is insured for their appropriate roles.
Logistics:
You can fully enjoy the world of mountains unfettered by the rigors of food preparation, lodging and logistics. Go Himalayan Adventures provides a wide variety of quality meals to keep climbers healthy and strong. Most of the food is flown in from Kathmandu.
Environmental Responsibility:
Go Himalayan Adventures practices and teaches the Leave-No-Trace principles. Moreover, we are committed to protecting the land and culture of the indigenous people. The mountains are our home and we are unwilling to sacrifice their preservation for human objectives.
Altitude Advice:
It is really difficult to head straight up to high altitude for the first time even if you follow the recommended 400m-a-day-rule. Walking, let alone climbing, uphill at 5000m is harder than you think. The trek in is a means of acclimatization and getting fit. Our itinerary is planned to allow rational acclimatization and avoid altitude sickness.
Pisang Peak Trip Accommodation:
Accommodation is included in the cost of your package. Go Himalayan Adventures takes great care to arrange the most comfortable accommodation possible throughout your stay.
In Kathmandu, our clients enjoy four nights in the Standard Hotel before and after heading into the remote regions.
During the trek, the nights will be spent in clean and comfortable tea houses with plenty of character and good food. The simple rooms usually have two narrow beds. The family run lodges are a great place to get to know the Nepalese people. In Nepalese culture, a guest is equal to god, and surely this has become even more of a reality since the tourism industry has improved their meager opportunities to earn. You will be made very welcome!
During the climbing period, Go Himalayan Adventures supplies all camping equipment and meals. Three hot meals per day will be served; breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea/coffee and boiled water. The meals will be tasty and hygienic. On summit day we provide a packed lunch of high calorie foods that are easily eaten at high altitude. As well as your Sherpa guide there will be a team of porters to carry the camping gear and set up tents and a well- trained cook.
Travel Insurance:
You must be adequately protected in terms of insurance. You will need special travel insurance for participation in hazardous activities. We recommend a complete travel insurance policy that covers cancellation, lost baggage, theft, injury, liability, medical treatment, death and expenses. Make sure the insurance covers all the activities that you will be undertaking during your stay in Nepal including trekking and climbing.
If a client requires medical treatment, all hospital expenses, including doctors’ fees and repatriation costs, are the clients’ responsibility.
If you are injured and unable to walk in a remote area, a helicopter rescue will be arranged. Go Himalayan Adventures has an agreement in Kathmandu that guarantees payment for helicopter evacuations. We will pay a cash deposit to the helicopter operator and collect the money from you once you have been rescued. Before leaving on the expedition, we will make sure your policy specifically covers mountaineering or alpinism otherwise you may have a difficult time settling the large claim.
Safe Drinking Water:
We suggest that you drink boiled water or bring chlorine tablets to purify the normal water available in the guest houses along the way. There is a small fee charged for the boiled water. Several guesthouses have Euro-guard filters. Although mineral water is available in most places, there is no provision to dispose of the plastic bottles, so we encourage the guests to do what they can to protect the environment.
Re-charging Batteries of Electronic Items on the Trek:
You can recharge your digital camera, iPod, batteries etc. with electricity or solar power sources. You may need to buy an adaptor in Kathmandu before the trip since the plugs in Nepal might be different. The lodges charge a small fee per hour for recharging facilities.
Nepal uses 220-240 volts to power your appliances. The sockets fit both round and flat plugs.
Spending Money per Day:
Although it depends on your spending habits, you should allocate US$ 7 – 10 per meal in Kathmandu. On the trek, US$9 – 12 a day should be enough to buy chocolates, Coca Cola and a beer.
Safety for Pisang Peak Climb:
When travelling in remote mountain regions, uncertainties such as weather, health problems and natural disasters require a certain amount of flexibility. While our goal is to follow the itinerary, that is not our first priority; your safety is always our first priority. Go Himalayan Adventures request your cooperation to accept the decisions and advice of our trusted and experienced guides if they deem it necessary to change or cancel any part of the itinerary due to safety concerns.
We should also plan for few extra days as bad weather may affect the designed schedule. This doesnt guarantee the successful ascent but often avoids the disappointment of a cloudy summit day.
How Can I Plan and Confirm My Trip?
Go Himalayan Adventures is a government licensed trekking and touring company in Nepal. On the following terms and conditions, we accept your bookings.
In order to confirm your bookings we request you to deposit a non-refundable amount which is 15% of the total cost which we have to spend to book the flight tickets, hotel bookings and permits from the concerned government authority. Bookings must be done 60 days prior to your planned trekking date, to reserve a place. The booking amount can be sent by bank-to-bank transfer, Western Union, money grams, or credit card (telex transfer or wire transfer). And the rest of the money must be paid to us after arrival.
Pisang Peak Climbing Equipment and Packing list
This list is only our suggestion for Pisang Peak Climbing. You will want to adjust the list according to your personal requirements, interests, and season of your trip. Well-seasoned trekkers will surely have their own ideas about what to pack.
Almost all of these items on the list are available in Kathmandu. Kathmandu has a good selection of gear stores where many outdoor brands are available at a reasonable price (eg.North Face, Mountain Hardware, Everest Hardware and Marmot.) It is also possible to save money by renting equipment in Kathmandu.
Please remember that Go Himalayan Adventures provides one porter for every two clients. The weight limit for each porter is 30 kg. That means your duffle bag carried by the porter must not exceed 15 kg (about 33lbs). You will carry a day pack with extra windbreaker, sunscreen, water bottle and items you need on the trail.
Because most items are available in Kathmandu we have marked the items which you should bring from home with an asterisk (*). Some marked items are available, but the exact variety may not be available in Kathmandu.
Clothing
It is important to be equipped to cope with the extremes in temperature as well as unexpected bad weather. At high altitudes it can be very hot when hiking in the sun and very cold when you stop in the shade and when the temperatures dip at night. What is mentioned on the list is the minimum you should bring. A couple extra T-shirts is a good idea. You may get a chance to wash clothes, socks and underwear on rest days but that is not always dependable.
Climbing Gear
Upper Body
Lower Body
Feet
Hands
Head
Accessories:
Personal First Aid kit (we suggest the following items):
Toiletries/hygiene:
Extras/Luxuries: