Records & People
Nepal's Kali Gandaki Gorge drops 5,571 metres between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, deeper than the Grand Canyon three times over — and the Annapurna…
By Laxman Rawal · Aug 17, 2026
Stand on the summit of Annapurna I and look straight down, and the ground falls away for 5,571 metres before it reaches a river. That single number — the vertical drop from an 8,000-metre peak to the valley floor beside it — makes Nepal's Kali Gandaki Gorge…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
The Kali Gandaki is older than the Himalaya themselves. Geologists believe the river's course predates the tectonic collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates that has pushed Dhaulagiri and Annapurna skyward over the last several million years. As the…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Walk the gorge floor near Kagbeni or Jomsom and it's common to see trekkers and pilgrims crouched over the loose grey stones of the riverbed, cracking them open. Inside are ammonites, coiled, chambered shells that are the remnants of the Tethys Ocean which…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
What this means for you The gorge isn't a detour from the trail, it is the trail. The classic Annapurna Circuit and the shorter Jomsom–Muktinath trek both follow the Kali Gandaki upstream through Tatopani, Ghasa, Marpha and Jomsom before climbing out toward…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
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