Marpha

Marpha is a Thakali village of whitewashed stone houses packed along a flagged main street below the Nilgiri wall, built compactly against the wind that funnels up the Kali Gandaki every afternoon, with flat roofs stacked with firewood and a gompa above the village. It is best known for apples: orchards fill the terraces around it, and the government horticultural farm established here in the 1960s made the valley the centre of Nepali apple growing. The fruit becomes cider, dried apple rings and above all the local brandy, distilled in the village and sold across the country. Thakali food is the other reason people stop, with the valley's dal bhat considered among the best in Nepal.

What you actually see

• The flagged main street - whitewashed houses packed tight against the wind.
• Apple orchards - the terraces around the village and the horticultural farm.
• Marpha brandy - the local distilling and its shops.
• The village gompa - the monastery on the slope above.

When to go

March to June and September to November. The apple harvest falls in autumn, when the village is at its best. Winter is cold but clear. The valley wind picks up strongly every day from late morning, so mornings are calmer.

Honest expectations

The road through the valley now carries jeeps and dust, which has changed the walking experience considerably. The afternoon wind is fierce and constant. The village is small and half a day covers it. Lodges are simple.

Nearby

Jomsom lies north; the Kali Gandaki gorge runs south.