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The rough 12-hour ride from Besisahar to Manang follows what used to be one of the world’s most spectacular hiking trails up to Thorung La (5,416m) on the Annapurna Circuit . Although trekker numbers have dropped, most residents of Manang are glad that the road has reduced travel time since it opened in March.The road saves time, allows us to take the sick to hospital, it has made things cheaper,” says Binod Gurung of a local conservation group. “Even I don’t need to walk for two days from Chame to my home here anymore.”Manang used to be one of the last four districts to be connected to Nepal’s road network, now there are only two left: Dolpo and Humla. Even though many of the new roads are not planned well and are dangerous, they do meet the overwhelming local demand for transportation.
This 97km-long route from Besisahar to Upper Manang can take the whole day in a 4-wheel-drive lurching along at 10 km/h along a narrow ribbon of road carved into sheer gorges above the Marsyangdi River. Nepali passengers on a recent trip were paying up to Rs 2,000 for a one-way ride down to Besisahar, the rate for tourists is Rs 5,000.The Annapurna Circuit used to take 17 days, now you can do it in seven,” explains Gurung. But this does mean that trekkers now need to spend a few days in Manang to acclimatise before climbing up to Thorung. The road has also increased the number of Nepali trekkers, who were earlier negligible.
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