When the mountains do call, you don’t say no! When I got invited to go on a trek to Annapurna Base Camp, all I cared about was "to be" in the Himalayas, one more time, coz that’s where I feel alive. Though I was dealing with the thought of walking on one of the most popular trekking routes of Nepal, after being spoilt with pristine trails like Auden’s Col and Mera Peak, I packed my backpack to spend 3 weeks in Nepal without even looking at the itinerary. It was such a soothing feeling to have someone else plan it for me for a change, so that I could just go with the flow!
Annapurna Base Camp
Ghandruk Village, Nepal - Gateway to Annapurna Base Camp
Ghandruk village perched on the foothills of Himalayas at 1950m, is a unique ethnic village occupied by the Gurung tribe of Nepal. We put up at a traditional stone house lodge, Gurung Cottage, highly recommended as the best lodge in Ghandruk with spectacular views of the Himalayan peaks. A clear morning gave distinct views of Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machapuchare peaks from Gurung Cottage itself, yet, the greed to be closer to these giants got me out of the coziness that this village was pulling me into.
Spectacular views of Himalayan peaks (Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Machahpuchare) from Gurung Cottage, Ghandruk
After a delicious Gurung breakfast (Gurung Cottage makes the best Gurung bread on the ABC trail), I put on my trekking boots and strapped the backpack on my shoulders and waist to hit the trail. We took the shortest route to Annapurna Base Camp from Matkiu, where the current off-road ends. We trekked for a total of 7 days on the trail, however, the number of trekking days can be reduced depending on the physical fitness and acclimatisation of the trekkers. The gradient of the trail is quite easy for a high-altitude trek.
Spectacular views of Himalayan peaks (Annapurna South, Hiunchuli) from Gurung Cottage, Ghandruk
How to reach Ghandruk from Pokhara / Kathmandu:
A scenic 30-min short flight in a small bombardier carrier of Buddha Air got us from Kathmandu to Pokhara. The promising bird’s-eye view of the Himalayan Ranges from the flight quite thrilled me for my upcoming adventure in the Himalayas. We took a 5-hour road journey in a private jeep through Sarangkot View point to reach Ghandruk from Pokhara.
Day1: Ghandruk(1940m) - Jhinu Danda(1780m) - Chhomrong(2170m)
Distance:8 kms / Duration: 5-6 hrs
We started hiking downhill from Ghandruk to meet the off-road which currently ends at Matkiu. Matkiu Bus and Jeep Station is the point from where the shortest hiking trail for ABC starts. The narrow trail with river Modi Khola on the right was a gradual ascent. Just after an hour’s walk on the trail through the forest, we were surprised with the highest and longest suspension bridge on the ABC trail. Crossing the vibrant suspension bridges on different trekking trails in Nepal is quite a fascination for me. The New Jhinu Danda Bridge (also called Kadoorie Bridge) connects Jhinu Danda and Simrong with splendid views of the valley and a gorge making way for Modi Khola river.
Jhinu Danda Bridge (Kadoorie Bridge) - Suspension bridge connecting Jhinu Danda and Simrong
After another hour of steep ascent from the bridge, we stopped at Jhinu Danda for lunch, Dal-Bhat sounded the most promising meal on the menu. The struggle to climb on the 1st day on any trek is real, the body needs time to acclimatise to higher altitude and lower oxygen levels. I twisted my ankle on the stone steps and thankfully I could offload my backpack to our porter, which I generally tend to avoid. We took around 3 hours to walk on the steep uphill trail made of stone staircases to reach Chhomrong, our stop for the day.
Stone Steps towards Chhomrong on Annapurna Base Camp trail
The welcome board to Chhomrong declared it as “Mineral Water Ban Area” and promoted the use of “Safe Drinking Water” - a project by ACAP which allows us to refill our bottles at every lodge on the entire trail.
Mineral Water Ban Area, Chhomrong
Safe drinking water project by ACAP in Chhomrong
In the villages on the trail, there are small local markets with shops selling locally weaved woollen clothes and accessories for the mountains and some basic trekking gears. The aroma of freshly baked cakes and bread from the bakeries in Chhomrong filled the air of the town at this altitude.
Locally weaved woollen clothes and accessories on Annapurna Base Camp trail
The board of our abode for the night “Excellent View Top Lodge & Restaurant” instantly tempted us for the Hot Pizzas! The lodge is supposed to give excellent views of the Himalayas, but it was a cloudy day and the excitement for the pizzas was enough to not crib about the dampened skies or the sore leg muscles.
Excellent View Top Lodge & Restaurant, Chhomrong - Annapurna Base Camp trail
The lodges have cozy wooden rooms with comfortable beds and common washrooms. Most of the lodges provide heaters, charging points, wifi and hot showers at an additional cost.
Comfortable lodges on Annapurna Base Camp trail
Topped with fresh veggies & herbs straight from the organic farms and local yak cheese, there was no stopping on the hot pizzas! It gets extremely difficult to lose weight on teahouse treks of Nepal, coz they literally spoil you!
Hot Pizzas at Excellent View Top Lodge & Restaurant, Chhomrong - Annapurna Base Camp trail
Day2: Chhomrong(2170m) - Sinuwa(2360m) - Bamboo(2145m)
Distance:11 kms / Duration: 5-6 hrs
Waking up to a misty morning in Chhomrong was quite refeshing, but the views of the snow-covered peaks remained blocked. A descent through the village of Chhomrong gave a glimpse into the local life of the ethnic Gurung tribe living in this area.
Local life of Gurung tribe in Chhomrong - Annapurna Base Camp trail
And again it was the time to torture our legs with a series of ascents and descents on the stone steps. The tip of the Fishtail (Machapuchare) mountain kept teasing us throughout the trail and kept us going!
Fishtail mountain on way to Sinuwa from Chhomrong - Annapurna Base Camp trail
The trail ahead crossed through the dense forests of oak, rhododendron and cedar trees. The nature itself acts as a sunscreen by not letting the sun pass through the thick cover of the forests. It was easy to lose myself in the tranquility of the woods and the sound of the river flowing all along.
Rhododendron & oak forests - Annapurna Base Camp trail
We stopped over at Hilltop Lodge in Sinuwa for a quick tea, and continued hiking towards Bamboo for lunch. We had aimed to reach Himalaya this day, but dark clouds covered up the skies and we had the comfort of choosing to stay back in Bamboo.
Lodge at Bamboo - Annapurna Base Camp trail
That’s the advantage of trekking on the tea-house trails in Nepal! With the strategically located lodges at distance of every 1-2 hours, and correct information available on the entire trail, it becomes easy to break the journey everyday as per the trekkers’ comfort.
Information of lodges on Annapurna Base Camp trail
The organic farms on the trail had started distracting me from the trek and I must confess that I had started looking forward to the freshly cooked organic greens more than the mountain peaks.
Organic farming on Annapurna Base Camp trail
Day3: Bamboo(2145m) - Dovan(2520m) - Himalaya(2920m) - Deurali(3200m)
Distance:10 kms / Duration: 6-7 hrs
It was a fresh start to the day through the bamboo forests, and on the third day of trekking, body tends to get accustomed to the difficulties of climbing a mountain.
Bamboo forests - Annapurna Base Camp trail
Instead of grumbling about climbing the endless stone steps, I had started finding fun in descending through the dense forests, crossing river streams and ascending towards the snow-covered mountains.
Crossing river - Annapurna Base Camp trail
We stopped over at Dovan for a quick tea, ginger-lemon-honey is my favourite in the mountains. The location of Dovan on the upper edge of the deep gorge has been well utilised for a micro hydropower plant. Just a little ahead of Dovan, we came across a huge waterfall rushing into the river Modi Khola, and a small shrine called Pojo Nim Baraha, worshipped as source of energy by the Gurung locals.
Waterfall & shrine of Pojo Nim Baraha worshipped by Gurungs - Annapurna Base Camp trail
Another steep ascent got us to a beautiful location called Himalaya, where we stopped over for lunch. The lunch menu looked pretty interesting here, and we binged on spaghetti in the outdoors! After lunch, we moved on to climb the endless stone steps towards our target of the day. We walked past a huge rock formation called Hinku cave. After that we kept following the trail with a gradual ascent along the river Modi Khola and chose our lodge for the night at Deurali.
Stone steps to Hinku Cave - Annapurna Base Camp trail
In the evening, when the skies cleared up in Deurali, a local helped us spot a white painting of what looks like a naturally carved stone resembling Buddha on one of the surrounding Himalayan mountains. The locals talk about it as a mysterious painting on a rock which looks inaccessible from any of the sides.
Naturally carved painting of Buddha on mountain in Deurali - Annapurna Base Camp trail
Day4: Deurali(3200m) - MBC(3700m) - ABC(4130m)
Distance:7 kms / Duration: 5-6 hrs
Breakfast at Deurali, Lunch at Machapuchare Base Camp and Dinner at Annapurna Base Camp!
This was the day we all had been really waiting for, each one of us had a different reason to trek to Annapurna Base Camp. One of us had been fantasising Annapurna mountain for a long time, the other one was attempting a trek of this altitude for the first time, and I wanted to be in the higher Himalayas beyond the treeline, to breath the freshness of the pristine Himalayas! A glacier on the trail marked the end of the treeline. As we made a gradual ascent towards Machhapuchare Base Camp, I started feeling nostalgic with the terrain of higher Himalayas.
This was the day we all had been really waiting for, each one of us had a different reason to trek to Annapurna Base Camp. One of us had been fantasising Annapurna mountain for a long time, the other one was attempting a trek of this altitude for the first time, and I wanted to be in the higher Himalayas beyond the treeline, to breath the freshness of the pristine Himalayas! A glacier on the trail marked the end of the treeline. As we made a gradual ascent towards Machhapuchare Base Camp, I started feeling nostalgic with the terrain of higher Himalayas.
Deurali to Machahpuchare Base Camp - Annapurna Base Camp trail
We took a leisure lunch at Machapuchare Base Camp and I celebrated the closeness with Machapuchare (Fishtail) mountain to my hearts content. Machapuchare mountain is considered to be the holy abode of Lord Shiva.
Up Close with Fishtail Mountain - Machapuchare Base Camp
The grandeur of the other mountains (Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Gangapurna and Hiunchuli) had been captivating us from Machapuchare Base Camp. We started getting closer to them as we progressed towards Annapurna Base Camp from MBC, while the peaks kept playing hide and seek in the clouds.
Machapuchare Base Camp to Annapurna Base Camp trail
By the time we made it to the Annapurna Base Camp, the mountain peaks had started fading away in the low light, but the vibrant prayer flags that welcomed us at the base camp lifted us up after a long day.
Welcome to Annapurna Base Camp
Day5: Annapurna Base Camp (4130m) - Himalaya (2920m)
Distance:13 kms / Duration: 5-6 hrs
I couldn’t wait for the dawn to see myself enclosed by a ring of glowing peaks of some of the mightiest mountains of the world!
Annapurna Base Camp
When the sun rays created a magical glitter on the Himalayan peaks in the morning, I was left spellbound with the stunning 360 degrees panoramic view of 10th highest mountain on earth - Annapurna I (8091m), Annapurna III (7555m) and Annapurna South (7219m), Gangapurna (7455m), Machapuchare (6993m), Baraha Shikhar / Annapurna Fang (7647m), Hiunchuli (6441m), Singu Chuli (Fluted Peak).
Being face to face with these majestic Himalayas felt divine and it extremely difficult for me to say goodbye to them. Going back is the hardest part of the trek as the mountains invariably build an emotional connect with everyone!
Being face to face with these majestic Himalayas felt divine and it extremely difficult for me to say goodbye to them. Going back is the hardest part of the trek as the mountains invariably build an emotional connect with everyone!
Morning View of Annapurna Range of Mountains from Annapurna Base Camp
Thanking the heavens for rewarding us with such an intimate time with the Himalayan beauties, we started descending through the same route and stopped at Himalaya for the night.
Leaving from Annapurna Base Camp
Day6: Himalaya (2920m) - Chhomrong (2170m)
Distance:15 kms / Duration: 6-7 hrs
Descending from the Annapurna Base Camp wasn’t just a simple downhill, we had to make countless ascents followed with descents on the same trail to our way back. The Fishtail mountain had kept teasing me until Sinuwa and we stopped at Chhomrong for the night. The skies opened up for us at Chhomrong this time and we had breakfast with an exotic view!
View of the Himalayan Range from Excellent View Top Lodge, Chhomrong - Annapurna Base Camp trail
Day7: Chhomorong (2170m) - Ghandruk (1940m) - Pokhara
Distance:8 kms / Duration: 4-5 hrs
It was the last day for us to deal with the stone steps that we had cursed throughout the trek, but it seemed like I had started missing them already! Reaching Ghandruk and having our lunch at Gurung Cottage felt like home coming. Though the lodges on the trail pampered us with pizzas and spaghettis, nothing beats the traditional Nepalese food ( a set of steamed rice, dal, green vegetable, potato, fresh pickle) in the mountains, "Daal bhaat power, 24 hour" - as they say it. I was gonna miss the organic greens more than anything!
Traditional Nepalese food - Dal Bhat on Annapurna Base Camp trail
We bid adieu to our lovely hosts, guides, porters and the mountains and continued to Pokhara!
How to plan Annapurna Base Camp Trek in Nepal:
For details on different trekking routes in Annapurna Region, difficulty level, physical fitness required, best time to trek and safety for solo trekking read - How to plan Annapurna Base Camp Trek in Nepal.
P.S. I was on trek to Annapurna Base Camp in collaboration with Nepal Tourism Board
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