Marpha apples and a Thakali kitchen
Marpha sits at about 2,670 m beside the Kali Gandaki, a short 20-minute drive or a 2-hour walk from Jomsom. Its houses are built of stone, whitewashed and flat-roofed, arranged along flagged lanes with drainage channels running down the middle. Prayer wheels and chortens mark the village entrances, and a stairway climbs to a small Nyingmapa monastery overlooking the roofs. The Thakali people, long traders on this route, built a reputation for clean, efficient inns and careful cooking.
Apple orchards were established in the valley in the 1960s with government support, and today they fill the river terraces around Marpha. From August to October the trees are heavy with fruit, which is sold fresh, dried, pressed into juice and cider, or distilled into a strong brandy. We visit an orchard and a small producer, taste the season's products and, if you like, buy dried apple or jam to take home. Apple pie appears on nearly every menu in the valley.
Lunch is a Thakali meal in a family kitchen or a good village guesthouse. Thakali dal bhat is the classic: rice, black lentil soup, seasonal greens, potatoes, buckwheat dhindo or pancakes, pickles of radish and timur pepper, and often mutton or chicken. Portions are refilled until you stop them. Afterwards we walk the lanes and fields, or continue south towards Tukuche, another old trading village. The visit pairs well with a morning at Shinta Mani Mustang or a slower afternoon in Jomsom.
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
When is apple season in Marpha?
The harvest runs roughly from August to October, with September the busiest month. Dried apple, juice, cider and brandy are sold all year, and apple pie is on most menus. Flowering is in April, when the orchards are white and pink. Mustang's rain shadow means August and September are drier here than in most of Nepal.
What is Thakali food?
Thakali cooking comes from the Thak Khola area of the Kali Gandaki, around Marpha and Tukuche. Its best-known dish is a full dal bhat set with black lentils, rice or buckwheat dhindo, greens, potato, radish and timur pepper pickles, ghee and often mutton. It is filling, carefully seasoned and refilled freely. Thakali restaurants are now found across Nepal.
Can we walk from Jomsom to Marpha?
Yes. The trail along the Kali Gandaki is about 6 km and takes around 2 hours, mostly level on the river flats and village paths. Walk in the morning, as the wind rises sharply from late morning and blows dust up the valley. Our car meets you in Marpha for the return, or you can walk back after lunch.
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