The Panjang rises from a glacier in the Himalayas, near Charkabhotgaon. Thereafter, it flows parallel to the Nepal-Tibet border with the Humla mountains in the north and Jumla range in the south. It turns towards west and flows into the Karnali as the latter comes out of the Humla gorge. A large number of snow fed tributaries join the Panjang along its course.