Annapurna Sanctuary

After breakfast you take a guided city tour of Kathmandu. The city is a labyrinth of streets and markets, crowded with exotic produce and a bewildering mix of people. You're likely to see Gurkhas from the area east of Pokhara, Tibetan women in their striped aprons, traders from India, and sadhus - Hindu holy men - perhaps on pilgrimage to one of the many temples and shrines of the valley.

Amongst the sites you may visit this morning are: the iconic Buddhist temple of Swayambhunath, known also as the ‘monkey temple’ due to the many monkeys that permanently occupy the surrounding rooftops and trees; the Hindu Temple complex of Pashupatinath, which stands on the banks of the holy Bagmati River – here you’re likely to come across the colourfully clothed and painted holy men, or Sadhus; Patan’s Durbar Square, a mass of people, temples and street vendors. (B)

See our special ‘Walking and Trekking’ leaflet for more information about walking at altitude.
To Chomrong. The following day you return to the road and take the bus to the settlement of Naya Pul, at 1340m. Your trek starts here and you’ll find your trek crew of porters and Sherpas waiting to unload the baggage from your bus and begin packing it into cartable loads. Your team of friendly porters carries your main pack to each night stop, leaving you with just your daypack. After dividing the bags up you set off on the first leg of your trek. Before joining the main trail to Annapurna Sanctuary at Chomrong, you’ll walk for four days in the foothills of Ulleri, Ghorepani and Tadapani. As well as proving excellent acclimatisation these days allow you to discover the beautiful scenery and fascinating village life of this part of the Himalayas. Your first night stop will be the pretty village of Ulleri at 2070m, reached via a couple of typical Nepali suspension footbridges. (Walking time approx.6-7 hours).  Alternatively you may trek to Tirkhedhunga (Walking time approx.5 hours). 

The following day it’s a gradual climb through rhododendron forest to reach Ghorepani at 2750m (walking time approx 5hrs). Although a long time settlement, Ghorepani is today best known as the base from which visitors make the short ascent of nearby Poon Hill for sunrise. At 3193m, Poon Hill gives a stunning, uninterrupted view of the high Himalaya, with the peaks of the Annapurnas, Machhapuchare and Dhaulagiri dominating the horizon. Retracing your steps you rejoin the main trail at Ghorepani and then trek along the crest of a long, broad ridge to reach Deurali, before descending steeply to cross a river and walk on, into the village of Tadapani at 2700m, your next overnight stop. (Walking time approx 6 hours including ascent of Poon Hill)

The next day presents a choice of routes to Chomrong and your Group Leader will choose which one to take, in light of prevailing weather conditions and the acclimatisation of the group as a whole. The village of Chomrong (2170m) is predominantly populated by people of the Gurung ethnic group – often found in the British Army’s Gurkha regiment. It is traditionally considered to be the highest permanent settlement in the valley that leads onward to the Annapurna Sanctuary. Tonight you’ll doubtless encounter other trekkers heading both to and from the Sanctuary, as you’re now on the main trail. (Walking time approx. 6 hrs)

To Annapurna Base Camp. Leaving Chomrong after breakfast you first descend to cross the Chomro Khola River before regaining height, steeply at first. Once again you’ll be trekking through rhododendron forest, as you pass through seasonal settlements at Sinuwa and Khuldigar to reach Bamboo. You’ll spend the night in Bamboo on your descent from Base Camp but for now you’ll continue onwards and upwards for a further 2-3 hours to reach your lodge at Himalaya (2920m). (Walking time approx 7 hours)

Rising another 780m of ascent you’ll reach Machhapuchare Base Camp (3700m), where you'll normally spend the night. Along the way there’s the Hinku Cave, where an enterprising local has built a simple lodge beneath a large tilted rock. 40 minutes later you pass through Deorali and the valley begins to broaden out ahead of you as you approach the “gates” of the Sanctuary and you can enjoy magnificent views of Annapurna I and III, along with Hiunchuli and Machhapuchare itself. It is approximately six kilometres walk further on to Annapurna Basecamp. The higher elevation and even more dramatic views make a night at Annapurna Base Camp (4150m) one of this trip’s unquestionable highlights. (Of course anyone wishing to conserve energy, or who is particularly feeling the adverse affects of altitude, can overnight at Machhapuchare and rejoin the group 24 hours later on the descent). Despite the short distance and a modest further height gain of around 450m, walking at altitudes of 4000m is hard work. Your lodge for tonight is situated on the spot used by Sir Chris Bonnington’s groundbreaking expedition to climb the south face of Annapurna in 1970. This massive sheer wall of ice and rock looks completely impenetrable and even now, more than 30 years later, it remains one of mountaineering’s greatest challenges. (Walking time approx 4 hours to Machhapuchare Base camp and a further 3 hours to Annapurna Base Camp).

Descent to Ghandruk. After an early call to watch the sunrise over the Sanctuary, you begin your descent back to the Annapurna foothills. Today you’ll retrace your upward route as far as Bamboo at 2350m. As you might imagine, this settlement does indeed take its name from the Bamboo forests on the surrounding valley sides (walking time approx 7 hours).

The following morning, you’ll once again be retracing your upward route as you head on to Chomrong, you’ll then take a more direct route towards Naya Pul. At first your descent is relatively gentle but becomes steeper as you lose more than 300m, as the trail “switchbacks” down to Khumnu Khola River. Once across the river it’s a steep climb up to some very welcome tea houses at Uri, before you descend once more to reach the village of Ghandruk (1950m). This is one of the largest of all Gurung villages, with a maze of narrow alleyways in all directions. You’ll find plenty of places serving refreshments here and some of the last of your close-up views of the Sanctuary Peaks. This has been your last full day of trekking - tomorrow you return to Pokhara. (Walking time approx 7-8 hours)

We stop at local lodges, better known as teahouses, where accommodation is comfortable without being luxurious, toilets and washing facilities are shared and rudimentary, and the food is plain and filling. In a teahouse, you are provided with small private rooms with twin beds, mattresses and pillows. At times, in high seasons, and in places where there’re limited number of teahouses, passengers have to make do with dormitories. In some places, teahouses don’t have access to electricity and depend on solar powered lighting. In remoter regions, teahouses don’t have running water and toilets can mean just a hole in the ground. Hot shower facilities are available in the majority of the teahouses for a price and in most of the places, hot shower means a bucket of hot water, barely enough to wash your body. Lodges/Tea Houses - 9 nights (Bx9)

Nb. Due to a limited number of teahouses and a ‘turn up and book’ system that still exists in some villages, this itinerary is subject to change.

Today you return to Kathmandu on a domestic flight from Pokhara airport. This flight not only saves a road journey of some 7-8 hours but also gives a chance to view the Himalaya from a different perspective. On arrival in Kathmandu you’ll be transferred to your hotel and then have the rest of the day free: either for some last minute souvenir shopping, or simply to relax. Tonight your leader will doubtless co-ordinate a traditional ‘last supper’ when you can reflect on what you’ve seen and achieved over the last two wonderful weeks. Hotel - 1 night (B)