Lamjung लमजुङ

Lamjung sits below the western flanks of the Manaslu and Annapurna ranges, its landscape carved by the Marsyangdi River as it drops through deep gorges toward the plains. Besisahar, the district headquarters at around 760 metres, is the traditional starting point for the Annapurna Circuit — the river valley above it rises steeply, and the first day's walk passes waterfalls and subtropical forest before entering the gorge proper. The 16th-century Lamjung Durbar above Besisahar offers Himalayan views and is reachable in a two-hour walk from town; Ghanpokhara and Ghalegaun, Gurung eco-tourism villages at around 2,100 metres, are short detours with outstanding ridge views.

Gurung communities dominate the mid-hills of the district, and the village of Ghalegaun has built a small but well-run homestay model that predates the heavier tourist infrastructure of Pokhara. The district also carries the lower end of the Manaslu Circuit, which ends at Besisahar, making it a place where two of Nepal's great circuits converge. Trekkers arriving to start the Annapurna Circuit usually spend one night in Besisahar before taking a jeep upvalley to Ngadi or Khudi to cut the lower road section.