Tour itinerary
Day 1
Join group in Kathmandu. Transfer to your first night’s accommodation and check in. Today your Group Leader will brief you on relevant aspects of the trek. The evening is free to dine at one of Kathmandu’s many excellent restaurants.
Hotel - 2 nights
Day 2
After breakfast you take a half-day’s 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 Pashhupatinath, 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)
Day 3
Travelling west from Kathmandu following the course of the Trisuli River, you drive to Bandipur, where you spend the night. Bandipur’s main street has many three or four storey brick buildings with carved wooden windows. The small temples in the town add to the atmosphere in what is a traditional Nepali hill village, untouched by modern tourism; few foreigners find their way up here. You can sit and relax or stretch your legs with a walk through the village and out into the surrounding countryside for superb views up the Marsyangdi river valley, to the Himalaya beyond. Many of the range’s giants can be seen including Langtang, Ganesh Himal, Manaslu and your own goal, the distant Annapurnas.
Guesthouse (shared facilities) - 1 night (BD)
Day 4-12
See our special ‘Walking and Trekking’ leaflet for more information about walking at altitude.
To Chhomrong. 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 Chhomrong, 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.6-7hours)
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 2620m, your next overnight stop. (Walking time approx 6 hours including ascent of Poon Hill)
The next day presents a choice of routes to Chhomrong 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 Chhomrong (2040m) is predominantly populated by people of the Gurung ethnic group – often found in the British Army’s Ghurka 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 Chhomrong 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)
After a fairly long day’s walking the previous day, today there’s plenty of time to make the 780m of ascent to reach your next night stop at Machhapuchare Base Camp. Along the way you’ll pass 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. After approximately 4 hours of walking you’ll reach Machhapuchare Base Camp (3700m) and enjoy magnificent views of Annapurna I and III, along with Hiunchuli and Machhapuchare itself.
Machhapuchare Base Camp and the higher Annapurna Base Camp lay a relatively short six kilometre walk from one another. However, the higher elevation and even more dramatic views make a night at Annapurna Base Camp 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 remain at Machhapuchare and rejoin the group 24 hours later on the descent). Despite the short distance and a modest height gain of around 450m, walking at altitudes of 4000m is hard work. An early start is therefore recommended, to ensure arrival at Annapurna Basecamp (4150m) in good time for lunch and ahead of the cloud cover that can descend from early afternoon. 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)
Descent to Naya Pul. 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). For the first three hours or so, the following morning, you’ll once again be retracing your upward route. However on arrival in Chhomrong you’ll 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 hours) Lodges/Tea Houses - 9 nights (Bx9)
Day 13
A shorter walk this morning of around four hours sees you contour at around 1500m south to Kimche, from where you descend to the Mardi Khola and cross to the east bank. Inevitably there is one last climb as you come up the other side before finally and somewhat sadly arriving at Naya Pul (1340m) where you say goodbye to your trek crew and meet the bus for the short drive to Pokhara. It is with a touch of regret that you return to the now unfamiliar hustle and bustle of urban life. However, with its beautiful setting on the shores of Phewa Lake, a short stay in Pokhara offers a gentle return to “civilisation”. You should arrive in the town with time to stroll down to the water’s edge to perhaps enjoy a cool lassi (yoghurt drink) or take a boat trip. This evening there’s time to relax and enjoy a post trek celebratory dinner.
Hotel - 1 night (BD)
Day 14
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)
Day 15
The trip ends in Kathmandu.
(B)