Annapurna Base Camp Trek

DAY 1 – TRAVEL TO POKHARA (elev. 827 m/2,713 ft.)

Make your way to the fabled city of Pokhara. This is the famous lakeside city of the Himalayas. Situated on the eastern shore of Lake Phewa, it is definitely Nepal’s playground. A journey is an all-day event. Beginning at your hotel in Kathmandu, you cross the high pass out of the Kathmandu Valley only to plunge down the switchbacks into the Trisuli River valley. This watershed river originates in Tibet and drains a large area of east-central Nepal, taking its waters on an eventual trip through the sacred Ganges and the Bay of Bengal.

Cross the Trisuli River at Mugling and continue eastward to reach Pokhara. The Annapurna Mountains will become visible along the way. We check into our hotel in Pokhara with time to explore the eastern shore of the lake. The Lakeside region features a wide choice of foods for dinner.

DAY 2 – TRAVEL TO NAYAPUL, TREK TO TIKHEDHUNGA (elev. 1475 m/4,839 ft.)

We enjoy breakfast at our hotel, and then travel a short distance to the village of Nayapul to begin our trek. Pokhara is located in the sub-tropical region of Nepal at its low elevation. Over the next few days, we will be climbing upward through a variety of ecologies. The trail today winds its way through dense jungles along with rhododendron trees. We will cross the Bhurundgi River on a suspension bridge. We trek around four hours today to reach the little village of Tikhedhunga were lodging in a wonderful little tea house.

DAY 3 – TREK TO GHOREPANI (elev. 2,750 m/9,022 ft.)

Our destination is the ancient village of Ghorepani, the traditional stop on the long salt trail from India to Tibet. The village’s name means “horse water” as this is where travellers from days long ago could stop and adequately water their horses. The first part of the trek today is rather steep to reach the village of Ulleri, then it levels out on our way to Ghorepani. We see picturesque farmland, noticing how the Nepalis created terraces in order to develop level land. There are wonderful lookout points along the way revealing the snowcapped peaks. We arrive in Ghorepani after trekking between five and six hours to turn in for the night. We’ll go to bed early because tomorrow morning we’ll be up early to witness a sunrise off Poon Hill!

DAY 4 – TREK TO TADAPANI (elev. 2590 m/8,497 ft.) VIA POON HILL

We rise before sunrise to make our way up the hill to reach the famous view of a Himalayan sunrise from Poon Hill. At an elevation of 3,193 meters (10,475 ft), its sunrises are considered the finest across the entire Himalayas. From our vantage point, we can see the first rays of the morning sun shines upward. Here the snowcapped peaks go from grey to reddish-orange and finally to the most brilliant of whites.

After sunrise, we return to our tea house for breakfast, and then it’s off to the village of Tadapani. The total time of trekking is between six and seven hours, including going to Poon Hill.  The village of Tadapani is perched on a high hill surrounded by a magnificent rhododendron forest that blooms in bright colors in the spring.

DAY 5 – TREK TO CHHOMRONG (elev. 2170 m/7,119 ft.)

We are dropping down into the Kimrong Khola Valley. This is where we see more beautiful terraced farms clinging to the sides of the mountains. The people here are of the Gurungs, a mountain indigenous people that call this area home. We will climb through the valley to reach the village of Chhomrong in around five to six hours. The journey’s end will reward us with outstanding views of Machhapurchhre and Annapurna South, two famous mountains that loom over the village.

DAY 6 – TREK TO HIMALAYA HOTEL (elev. 2680 m/8,792 ft.)

Chhomrong is the final village before Annapurna Base Camp. We leave civilization behind today as we trek northward through forests of bamboo. We will pass through a tiny place called Sinuwa (elev. 2250m/7,382 ft.) which is known for its great mountain views. We trek six to seven hours to reach the Himalaya Hotel, which is a tea house to spend the night.

DAY 7 – TREK TO ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP (elev. 4237 m/13,901 ft.)

Today’s journey takes us to our destination, and to a very high elevation. The trail rises high above the Modi River in the valley below. It’s a long day, between six to eight hours as we keep walking upwards. We cross a couple of landslide areas as well as trek along the base of a glacier.

Today will be challenging, but once we reach the top of the trail, we are at Annapurna Base Camp. From up here, we have a superb 360° view of the snowcapped peaks in every direction. From here we can see Mt. Macchapurchhre which rises to an elevation of 7,055 meters (23,146 ft.). Its name means “Fishtail” and when we gaze upon its summit, it does indeed look like a fish upended. Other mountain peaks include Annapurna South, Annapurna III, Fant, Tent Peak, Gangapurna, and Hiunchuli. No doubt we’re feeling tired from our journey and here we will watch a wonderful sunset sipping a hot cup of tea.

We snuggle down in a sleeping bag for the night. The glacier nearby makes cracking sounds all night long which many consider “the special mountain music” of the Annapurnas.

DAY 8 – FREE DAY

Today is a good day to rest and to allow our bodies an opportunity to adjust to the high elevation. We spend the day exploring around Annapurna Base Camp. We can watch another Himalayan sunrise and in the evening experience another award-winning sunset.

DAY 9 – TREK TO BAMBOO LODGE (elev. 2310 m/7,579 ft.)

Our return journey begins today as we wind our way along the west side of the Modi River. We pass Hinku Cave, a sacred place to the local people where we can see a sacred shrine. We will pass the Himalaya Hotel and continue on enjoying the views of the snowcapped peaks. We trek between six and seven hours to reach a tiny little village called Bamboo, staying at the local tea house for the night.

DAY 10 – TREK TO JINUWA DANDA (elev. 1780 m/5,840 ft.)

The trail will alternate from mud to stone steps as we travel our route today. We stop for lunch at the high point of Sinuwa to enjoy the mountain views. We descend into the jungle to reach the Modi Khola. We are trekking to Jinuwa Danda, another small village to spend the night at a tea house. Trekking time is five to six hours.

DAY 11 – TREK TO POTHANA (elev. 1899 m/6,230 ft.)

We cross the Modi River at a place called New Bridge and pass through another Gurung village. This one is known as Landruk which is home of the famous Himalayan Honey Hunters who harvest a rare kind of honey in the crags of the rocks high up. The honey is produced by a special kind of bee which produces rather toxic honey. It is said that one teaspoon is good for the body, four will kill you! We climb to the village of Deurali (elev. 2149) then descend to Pothana to find our final tea house of the night. Trekking time is five to six hours.

DAY 12 – RETURN TO POKHARA

It’s a short two-hour trek to reach another Gurung village. This one is known as Dhampus and here we can meet our transportation back to Pokhara. From Pokhara, we can either catch a bus back to Kathmandu, fly back to Nepal’s capital or extend our trip to further explore this wonderful city. There’s so much to see and do here that it would be a shame to not spend time here.  Talk to your friends at Himal Tourism Pvt. Ltd. about all there is to do while in the greater Pokhara area.

Trip Includes:

• All meals on trek
• Breakfast in Pokhara
• English speaking, government licensed guide
• Porters (one for every two trekkers)
• All lodging on the trek
• Transportation to Pokhara and return to Kathmandu
• TIMS Trekking Permit
• Admission into Annapurna Conservation Area
• Tea and Coffee

Does Not Include:

• Beer, wine, alcoholic drinks
• Snacks
• Nepali visa (available upon arrival in Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport