• Nyeshang Valley
• Gyalsumdo Valley and
• Nar Phu Valley.

Situated at an altitude of 3100 meters, Pisang is one of the main villages on the Annapurna trekking route. There are two villages, Upper and Lower Pisang. Lower Pisang is a new settlement that used to be called Tonga thirty years ago. Today, it is one of the important stops. Upper Pisang is totally untouched by modernization but Lower Pisang (Tonga) is highly influenced by tourism. Gurung, Ghale and Tibetan migrants are living in the village. Their main occupations are agriculture, livestock husbandry, seasonal business, foreign trade and tourism.

Ghyaru lies at an altitude of 3670 meters. A Tibetan monk came to Ghyaru by yak thousands of years ago. The Lama built a gumba. His yak died a few days after he arrived. Later, the yak's body degraded and only the horns remained. In the Manangi mother tongue, Yak horn is called 'Yak Ru'. The word 'Yak Ru' corrupted and became Ghyaru. This is how the village got its name. Inhabitants of Ghyaru are mostly Gurungs, Tibetan migrants and a few Ghales. People mostly live on agriculture, livestock husbandry, foreign trade and tourism.

Ngawal is an enchanting historical and traditional village of Manang District, which falls on the Annapurna trek. It is situated at the base of Kangla, a pass approximately 5100 meters. Ngawal is at an altitude of 3650m. From here, the GHALE kings ruled the Nyeshang valley thousand years ago before the political unification of the country of Nepal. Ghale, Gurung, Lama, Tibetans and migrants from Nar and Phu have carved a living out of Ngawal's steep terraces and barren mountains. Manangi people prefer to call the village PANGBA. Here, people live on agriculture, livestock husbandry, tourism and seasonal business in other cities.

Wonder and fear fill the heart of those who visit Braga. Built  into a wall of towering cliffs, the settlement has been tightly  structured for protection against all possible dangers of the  Himalayan frontier. Inhabited by six hundred people, its aged  monasteries tell the tale of a warm and pious people who have  survived the odds.

Gangapurna Lake is named after Mount Gangapurna that feeds the  lake with its glacier. These waters are easily approachable  from Manang, the most prominent settlement of the Nyeshang  people. Loved by the local people for its milky look, it is in  close proximity to the yak grazing grounds.

The lake is 30-minutes walk to the west from both Upper and Lower Pisang. It is surrounded by beautiful pine forests and said to be religious site where a bird always cleans the lake by picking floating leaves.

The glacial lake across from Manang village is called Ga Tso or  Ga kyu tso. Ga means “Himal” and Tso means “Lake”. Kyu means  “water” in both the Manangi and Gurung languages. Hence the name “Snow  Mountain Lake”.   Ga Tso turns a deep turquoise in the right sunlight. The Manang Village burial grounds are near the lake. They are  sacred and it is best to view them from a distance so as not to defile or disturb their sanctity.

In the direction of Thorang La, is a small settlement called  Gunsang. How few changes have taken place over the centuries may be seen here. The cultural  practices, children, women and men at work, local art and  architecture, are a window into the rural Himalayan lives in Manang.

 The Lord Milarepa is known to many Buddhist and Bonpo  communities of the Himalayas. As he wandered across the land,  he found this cave complex and meditated and lived there for  many days. A hunter of the Nyeshang people, gumba Dorje brought  food and comfort to the saint. And he, in turn, gave Dorje and  his people much wisdom. The Lord's caves are honored with  meditation, offerings, and an annual festival.

Himalayan lore explains that a clear view of the Himalayas removes webs of worry and evil, heals the body, and lifts the  mind. Puchan Prha is a hill that offers wondrous views of mountains. The Manangi people go here to heal and celebrate  their bodies and souls.

A wide meadow pasture that once used to be a farming area during the months of July, August and September now lies covered  with wild flowers.

Alpine meadows, grazing yak, Himalayan pheasant, wild sheep and spectacular panoramas make the hike to the 4,800-meter Kecho Lake a perfect stroll on a restful day. The Nyeshang people  believe that around the lake are hard-to-see palaces of their gods. They make annual journeys to Kecho to catch a glimpse of  these divine waters.

Kargyu gumba is among the earliest and clearest monuments that  point to the rise of Buddhist religion in the Land of the  Nyeshang People. Believed to have been constructed in the  eleventh century, the gumba is an interesting study of early  Nyeshang architecture, art, and religious practices.

This gumba, believe to be at least 500 years old, is situated in Bhraka valley and is a place of the Khangu-pa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The monk Marpha,  who in the 11th century thought to make Tibetan Buddhism more spiritual, inspired khangu-pa’s mysterious and powerfully  atmospheric gumba amongst the local people.

Half way up the northern cliff that rises above Manang in a cave is a Tsamkang (heritage) where a lama conducts a short  puja on trekkers about to cross the Thorong La.  The lama ties a piece of  red ribbon around your neck for good luck (not free of cost).  Even without the puja the steep climb up here will help visitors to acclimatize, and the views across the valley are stupendous.

Situated high on a hill, this is one of the oldest and most important monasteries in Manang. The gumba is situated 30-40 minutes walk from Manang village. Important religious ceremonies like the five-day meditation festivals called Nyung-Ney ceremony take place here.

Situated north of the village, the Gumba is still under construction. On completion, it will house a great collection of Buddha Statues, Thankas, holy books and Tibetan traditional items. Special carpenters and painters were brought from Kathmandu and India to design the woodwork and wall paintings.

His holiness the first Gyalpo Rinpoche, a disciple of the great Wangyal Rinpoche, was born in Braga in 1913. He studied and completely mastered all the shastras and tantras of Dzogchen tradition from his guru Wangyal Rinpoche. He established Karma Samten Chokor Ling Gumba at Portoche, ten minutes walk to the west of Ngawal to give his followers teachings and guidance for practicing Buddhism.