Annapurna Base Camp Trek

Annapurna Base Camp Trek

Description

Annapurna base camp (ABC) situated at 13,600 feet is one of the mostly done treks in the world. Trekkers get to witness the 8000er peak – Annapurna I (8091 metres) up close from the ABC. Annapurna I is the 10th highest mountain in the world. Trek to the ABC is a moderate graded trek. There are 2 seasons to attempt the ABC – autumn (September – October - November) and spring (March – April - May). The weather remains sunny and warm to trek in during these times. Some trekkers who wish to avoid crowds on this trail could attempt in the winters (December – January - February). Only those trekkers who can withstand the negative cold temperatures and would like to trek in the winters will enjoy this trail during these months. Trekking in the monsoons (June – July – August) would be extremely difficult as there are step ascends and descends on this trail.

We trek to Poon hill which is an add on to this trek. This trek route to Poon Hill attracts trekkers to visit, even though it is not too high in terms of altitude. The early morning sunrise is the reason so many trekkers attempt the Poon hill.

Other than the excursion to Poon hill, thick dense Oak forests, Bamboo forests, Rhododendron forests, (Rhododendron is the national flower of Nepal), trekking through an Avalanche prone area (short distance), hot springs, along with best views of peaks as the “Fishtail” – Machhepuchhre peak, Annapurna south, Annapurna III, Gandharvachuli, Gangapurna, Hiunchuli and many more gigantic mountains is a very scenic and beautiful trek. The Annapurna sanctuary has over 1220 species of flowering plants and nearly 400 birds waiting to be spotted.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival at the Tribhuwan International airport (TIA) in Kathmandu (4,400ft)

Annapurna Base Camp Trek

Arrive in Kathmandu and our vehicle will get you to the hotel safe and sound. Our hotel stay would be in Thamel which is nearly 7 to 8 kms from the airport and the time taken would be 40 - 45mins. Check-in the rooms, freshen up and feel free to explore Thamel and have lunch. Post lunch return and rest for a while.

Later in the evening we have a team briefing of the entire trek. We discuss the complete itinerary with dates& distances, and know about ourselves (entire team). If you are planning to stay on your own, we would be sharing the timings of each session as team briefing, rucksack packing demo and medical briefing. It would be important for every trekker to attend the medical briefing as topics as mountain sickness and other important details about the trail.

Day 2 – Kathmandu to Pokhara (4,400 – 4,600ft)

Pokhara is known to be the gateway of the Annapurna trek. People all over the world come to Pokhara to do the Annapurna Circuit/ Annapurna Base camp trek. It is also known as the tourist capital of Nepal. Pokhra is 200kms and a 35 – 40 mins flight (direct flight) away from Kathmandu. Being 200kms some people prefer taking the drive that takes nearly 7 - 8 hours. The route does not have well constructed roads and are just as the mountain roads. We have this option also available for trekkers who do not want to take the flights.

Trekkers who want to take the road journey, we’ll get them picked from the hotel by 7am. This drive would drop the trekkers by 4 – 4.30 pm in the hotel at Pokhra.

Day 3 – Drive from Pokhara to NayaPull (48kms/ 1hour 45mins) and trek to Tikhedhunga (12.8kms / 4 - 5hours) (4,600ft – 3,500ft – 5,080ft)

how to trek the Annapurna Base Camp  without a guide

Breathtaking amazing sightseeing views of the fishtail pinnacle aka Machhapuchhre from the right side of your vehicle during drive and trek via Birethanti, Lamdawali, Sudame and Hile. First 45mins of trek and we reach the first iron suspension bridge. Just before the getting on the bridge we spot a massive Shivaling along with a Trishul. There are many followers of lord Shiva here as well. Another 40mins of trekking and we get to the second bridge of the day over the Modi Nalla (river). Continue to trek and we get to the lunch point. A couple of hours of trekking and we get to our site – Tikhedunga.

Day 4 – Tikhedhunga to Ghorepani (13.5kms/ 7 – 8 hours) (5,080ft – 9,430ft)

Annapurna Base Camp Trek one of Nepal's great adventures

Tikhedhunga to Ulleri is a climb route of about 3380 stairs with a steep ascent initially which gets gradual going forward. It would take approximately an hour and 40mins to do this climb. The entire climb being on steps puts pressure on the knees so it’s important to climb at a comfortable pace and to climb with rhythm.

We reach here and halt taking in the amazing views. The entire views from these steps are simply amazing. It is important to rest here before we continue to Ghorepani. The difficult part of the day is done.

how to trek the Annapurna Base Camp  without a guide

We continue to trek through the forest of Rhododendron red flowers and rice paddy fields post Ulleri. We get amazing views of the snow clad mountains over/ through this forest. We trek through Banthanti, Nangge thanti (“Thanti” is a Nepali word that means rest house) to reach Ghorepani and retire for the day. The best views of the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna ranges are visible from Ghorepani.

Day 5 – Ghorepani excursion to Poon hill and trek to Tadapani (14.5kms/ 7 - 8hours) (9,430ft – 10,300ft – 8,530ft)

how to trek the Annapurna Base Camp  without a guide

We start as early as possible to get to the top to witness the sunrise. All we carry is a bottle of water and start. We leave rest of our backpack at Ghorepani itself. On a clear day we get the best views of the Annapurna circuit and the sanctuary. Snow covered peaks as Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Fishtail aka Machhapuchhre, SingaChulli are seen as golden with the sunrise. A cup of masala tea/ hot chocolate adds on to the feel of this moment.

After spending some time at the Poon hill and clicking pictures, we head back to pack up at Ghorepani and head towards Todapani. This route ahead is of gentle ascends and more of descends. We get to a lower altitude than Ghorepani to reach Tadapani at 8,530feet.

Day 6 – Tadapani to Chomrung (8kms/ 6hours) (8,530ft – 7,000ft)

the ultimate guide to trekking the Annapurna Base Camp Trek

We cross Chuile, Kimrog Khola and get to the suspension bridge. The route till here is of descend. We cross over the bridge and trek uphill through spectacular terrace fields and we reach Gurjung. We halt here to have lunch. Post lunch we continue to ascend and then finally descend to Chomrung. Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Machhapuchhre peaks along with a few more can be seen this day.

Day 7 – Chomrung to Dovan (10kms/ 7 – 8 hours) (7,000ft – 8,500ft)

Annapurna Base Camp Trek 10 days

This day’s trek starts with a descent to the Chomrung Khola (river). Post this downhill we cross a suspension bridge and start our climb through a forest of fern, Oak, Bamboo and Rhododendron. We climb our way till Sinuwa. This steep ascend is the most difficult part of the entire ABC trek. We cross through a wide variety of vegetation and many small wild creatures. Small monkeys are often seen as well. After crossing Sinuwa, we trek down taking the steps down till Bamboo and a short walk to get to Dovan.

Day 8 – Dovan to Deurali (8.2kms/ 5 – 6 hours) (8,500ft – 10,180ft)

Annapurna Base Camp Trek Cost

Deurali is situated at the foothill Modi Himal and Mount Machhepuchhre. We stay in the high altitude zone for the first time. We cross the Bamboo forest passing Modi khola and get to the Hinku cave (10,450ft).

After spending some time here at the cave we progress further to get to Deurali. The forest keeps getting thinner and thinner to getting to Deurali. On reaching Deurali, we can spot the sitting Budha on high rocky cliff.

Day 9 – Deurali to Annapurna Base camp (7kms/ 4-5hours) (10,180ft – 13,600ft)

Annapurna Base Camp Trek Wanderers

The ABC (Anapurna base camp) is a high glacial basin situated at 13, 600ft and we cross the MBC (Machhepuchhre base camp) situated at 12,250ft, on our way to ABC. We start the day by trekking over the river bed followed by a steep trail, which leads us straight to MBC. We need to watch our step as we trek over this part of the trail being an Avalanche prone area. We tend to cross is together and at a good pace. After this gradual ascent, we reach to the MBC. From MBC we get spectacular views of Hiunchuli, Machhepuchhre, Annapurna South, Annapurna I, Annapurna III, Gandharvachuli and Gangapurna. These snow-capped mountains, tower upon us and appear to be real close adding on to the thrill and adventure. This is the highest point of our trek at 13,180ft. From here we get to see one of the fourteen 8,000er peaks – Annapurna I at 8091 metres (26,500ft). Other gigantic peaks can also be spotted from here.

Day 10 – ABC to Bamboo (16kms/ 8 - 9 hours) (13,600 ft – 7,700ft)

Today after enjoying great views of the Annapurna range at sunrise, we retrace our steps down to Bamboo. This is the only patch that we need to retrace our steps. This would be the longest day of our trek. It is a gradual to steep descends and a few patches of gradual yet small ascents. We stop over at Himalaya (9,500ft) that has a few tea houses for lunch. After that we head back down towards Bamboo our site for the day.

Being a long day today it is important for us to have a cool down session at the end of today’s trek.

Day 11 – Bamboo to Jhinu Danda (10kms/ 5 – 6 hours) (7,700ft – 5,750ft)

Annapurna Base Camp Trek Itinerary

We start by ascending for nearly an hour followed by steep descending over the steps visible from the top that lead us down till Sinuwa. This would take about 3 hours to get to. On reaching Sinuwa we take rest and continue our descent to the Chomrung river. This is a very steep and a difficult route till the river. We need to check out from the ACPC office at Chomrung. We take a short climb up post Chomrung of about a few minutes and take the trail that descends to Jhinu Danda. We would take about 2 hours to get to Jhinu Danda. On reaching here we get to see the sub tropical forest which is a beauty in its own. After a cool down session we go towards Modi Khola that is a hot water spring. We enjoy and have a good time here. After completing the longest day, we deserve a bath here.

Day 12 – Jhinu Danda to Nayapul trek (11kms/ 6 to 7 hours) and drive to Pokhra (48kms/ 1hour 35mins)

Annapurna Base Camp Trek Itinerary

We trek down towards Nayapul which would take nearly 6 to 7 hours. We would get the Modi river on most of our route down. We cross terrace fields and forests on our way down to Syauli bazaar. It would take us nearly 4 hours to get to Syauli bazaar. Another hour and half’s trek over a flat terrain and we get to Nayapul. From here we get into the vehicles and drive back to Pokhra. We drive back through the same roads to get to Pokhra. It would take us approx. 90 mins to get to Pokhra from Nayapul. On getting to Pokhra, we check-into our rooms and rest for the remaining day.

Day 13 – Pokhra to Kathmandu

Annapurna Base Camp Trek Itinerary

We either take the flight to Kathmandu or take the road journey to Kathmandu. We check in our hotel and rest. We have a closing ceremony and later in the evening we could choose to either rest or explore the streets of Kathmandu for trekking gears, local food or shopping.

Day 14 – Kathmandu Check out

Post breakfast we check out saying our goodbyes until next time...

Total trek distance – 100 to 105kms (including acclimatization walks)

Inclusions:
Meals - All meals mentioned above from Pokhra to Pokhra. At Kathmandu only breakfast is included (Day 1 and Day 14)
Accommodation - 2 nights in Kathmandu, 2 nights in Pokhra and 9 nights on the trek
Transport - Drive from Pokhra to Nayapul (Day 3) and return (Day 12)
Stay in tea houses on double sharing basis on the trek
Toilets – well maintained, clean and hygienic
Certified wilderness first aid responder for any medical emergencies
An experienced and certified skilled mountaineer as the guide/ trek lead
2 guide/ lead for a group of maximum 12-14 trekkers. Generally it is 1 guide to about 6 members
All our guides and leads are professionally trained/ skilled and have many years of relevant experience in guiding and leading treks.
Clean and well maintained beds with comfortable beddings
First aid medical kit with medical assistance for the trekkers
Oxygen cylinder with oxy meter for a routine daily check-up
Camping & trekking permits and permissions from the local administrations/ authorities
One is to one porter (backpack/ duffel bag weighing not more than 12 kilos)

Exclusions:
Service tax 5% (as per the current in GST)
Porter/mule charges to carry your personal bags/ offloads
Any meals/services not mentioned above
Any costs arising out of unforeseen circumstances like landslides, road blocks, bad weather, etc.
Insurance 
Alcohol, soft drinks, beverages, etc.
Personal expenses like tips, telephone calls, laundry, etc.
Any charges for video cameras, still cameras, etc.

Payment:
Payment to be made by Bank Transfer/Cheque/DD in favour of M/S Wanderers payable at New Delhi/Gurgaon or online through our payment gateway.

Bank details:
Yes Bank
New Friends Colony
Account Number: 006961900002710
Account Type: Current Account
Name: M/S Wanderers
IFS Code: YESB0000069

Payment for this trip will not be adjusted against any future trips.

Cancellation Policy:
45 Days: Full refund (after deducting any expenses that have been incurred for hotel bookings, transport, etc.
30-45 Days: 75% of trip cost will be refunded (after deducting any expenses that have been incurred for hotel bookings, transport, etc.
15-30 Days: 50% of trip cost will be refunded (after deducting any expenses that have been incurred for hotel bookings, transport, etc.

15 Days: No refund