Christine has wanted to walk the Annapurna Circuit ever since we made our first trip to Nepal about 9 years ago. It's the trek that the guides usually offer up as their favorite and with all the talk of the route being spoilt by a road we thought it would be best to try and enjoy it before it was too late. The plan involved both of us joining a group for the three week trip, with me joining another group at the end to walk up Mera Peak. Six weeks in Nepal should be a doddle after six months walking across Europe.
The Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp are by far and away the most popular treks in Nepal and I suspect that, if anything, Annapurna is the more popular of the two. Although it doesn't have the same iconic destination it's more accessible. The usual benefit quoted for the Annapurna Circuit is that you start relatively low and gradually work your way up through different climate zones, experience rural Nepal on the way, and have time to acclimatise for the Thorang La pass which, at 5416 metres, is the highest point on the route.
Typical room in a tea house |
Tea House at Jagat |
Our Leader |
Personally I enjoy walking with a group in Nepal and although some groups are more fun than others we have always got on with the people we’re with. A group, supported by guides and porters, is also part of the Nepalese approach to "expedition" trekking. The Nepalese trekking model was developed by Lt Col James Roberts, an officer with the Gurkhas who cut his teeth climbing and then supporting trips to some of the world's highest mountains. This included Sir Chris Bonington's first Himalayan summit in 1960 (Annapurna 2) and the logistics for the brilliant American Everest expedition which made the first ever traverse of the world's highest summit three years later. Roberts established the world's first professional trekking company, Adventure Travel, in 1964. The model is now used by every adventure travel company in the world and has been hugely influential in the way trips like these are managed.
On a route like the Annapurna Circuit you also meet a much bigger fraternity of trekkers which I must admit I get a lot of pleasure from. It's incredibly international with French, Spanish, Russian, Indian, Japanese, Korean, US, Canadians and others. Because you are all engaged in essentially the same activity everyone has a lot in common and conversation on the trail and in the tea houses comes easy. Not only is everyone doing the same thing but they are generally following the same itinerary, so you may see some day after day and often share the same adventures.
It's also the case that the band of trekkers - pushing its way around the trail – lives in a distinct and separate world from the rest of Nepal. Nepal is so poor that a parallel universe for the trekker has been constructed; a world where the trekker eats, drinks and sleeps and which, by and large, is not used by the Nepalese. This includes the hotels and restaurants in Kathmandu and Pokhara, the transport that takes the trekkers to the start and finish of treks, and the tea houses on the treks themselves. The tea houses may be primitive but if it wasn't for the trekkers they wouldn't be there.
Perhaps the best example of this is the food you eat. In the tea houses you can now get all sorts of food and increasingly you can get meat, particularly yak and chicken. Nepalese however don't, generally speaking don't eat any of it. The food you get in Nepal is therefore a Nepalese stab at what it is they think foreigners like, a stab not really informed at all by their own tastes. My favourite factual nugget is that 22 of Nepal’s 24 million population eat Dhal Bat, essentially vegetable curry with a lentil sauce and rice, twice a day, 365 days a year.
Dhaulagiri |
The trek I went involved 17 days of walking. After a bus journey from Kathmandu to Besisahar we walked everyday (although one day, at Manang, was an acclimatisation day) all the way round the circuit to Birethanti. We stopped for a night and a day in the lovely town of Pokhara before taking an internal flight back to Kathmandu. Most days we walked for about 5/6 hours although there are two fairly tough days in the overall itinery, the climb over Thorang La and towards the end the climb up to Ghorepani.
Personally I didn't find the walking too difficult although this was not the case for everyone in the group.
Its very tempting to recycle existing gear on a trip like this but you should be careful. For example my thermal running leggings were not up to the job and several other people suffered from sub-standard sleeping bags and gloves and generally clothes without enough warmth in them. Although the dining area for the tea huts tended to be heated as you got higher up, and supplementary blankets were often provided, its surprising how often you found yourself sitting around in a freezing cold hut waiting for a fire to be lit.
Based on my experience you shouldn't count on a settled weather in Nepal. In March this year it felt like at best early spring but others would call it late winter. Apart from the rhododendrons and the magnolia there is was little colour in the vegetation, and we got fresh snow crossing the Thorang La. We had some amazing weather on the north side of the route, in the traditionally drier valley near Manang, but it was cloudy higher up. It's supposed to be warmer in the spring than in the peak walking season in the autumn, but at altitude it still felt cold to me.
On the new road |
The Group (almost!) |
I think I also understand why the guides love the Annapurna Circuit. Not only is it a great walk, from a guides point of view it's both relatively easy and good fun.
What I would say, and I think Christine feels the same, is that the Annapurna Circuit, increasingly accessible to more and more people, is perhaps no longer quite the "adventure trip" we had perhaps hoped for. We had adventures, particularly crossing Thorang La in the snow, but if you're sharing a trail with hundreds of others it's bound to have an impact. Still there is no need to dispair, there are plenty of other places to go to, some of which are described in terms of "what the Annapurna used to be like" and that's what we will be looking for when we go back to the Himalayas next year.
The links to the day by day diary are as follows:
Annapurna Circuit Day 1 Bhulebule
Annapurna Circuit Day 2 Jagat
Annapurna Circuit Day 3 Dharapani
Annapurna Circuit Day 4 Chame
Annapurna Circuit Day 5 Pisang
Annapurna Circuit Day 6 Manang
Annapurna Circuit Day 7 at rest
Annapurna Circuit Day 8 Yak Kharka
Annapurna Circuit Day 9 Thorung Phedi
Annapurna Circuit Day 10 The Thurung La Pass
Annapurna Circuit Day 11 Kagbeni
Annapurna Circuit Day 12 Marpha
Annapurna Circuit Day 13 Larjung
Annapurna Circuit Day 14 Ghasa
Annapurna Circuit Day 15 Tatopani
Annapurna Circuit Day 16 Ghorepani
Annapurna Circuit Day 17 Birethanti
The links to the day by day diary are as follows:
Annapurna Circuit Day 1 Bhulebule
Annapurna Circuit Day 2 Jagat
Annapurna Circuit Day 3 Dharapani
Annapurna Circuit Day 4 Chame
Annapurna Circuit Day 5 Pisang
Annapurna Circuit Day 6 Manang
Annapurna Circuit Day 7 at rest
Annapurna Circuit Day 8 Yak Kharka
Annapurna Circuit Day 9 Thorung Phedi
Annapurna Circuit Day 10 The Thurung La Pass
Annapurna Circuit Day 11 Kagbeni
Annapurna Circuit Day 12 Marpha
Annapurna Circuit Day 13 Larjung
Annapurna Circuit Day 14 Ghasa
Annapurna Circuit Day 15 Tatopani
Annapurna Circuit Day 16 Ghorepani
Annapurna Circuit Day 17 Birethanti
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ReplyDeletehttp://www.nepalguideinfo.com/Gokyo-Chola-Pass-Trek.php
ReplyDeleteAnnapurna Circuit trekking
ReplyDeleteThis trek normally people can do twelve days up to eighteen days which starts from Lamjung District where drive from Kathmandu to Besisahar by car or by local bus exploring the view through the longest marsyangdi river of Nepal and rewarding trek , providing many opportunity to explore the scenery of both the northern and southern Himalayan scenery . From thick fir and rhododendron forests to the harsh , thin atmosphere of the Tibetan plateau , the ethnic groups encountered , lowland Hindu& Highland Buddhist are the major varied as the landscape .
The Annapurna circuit trekking along the marsyangdi river and explore Buddhist monastery
(Braga village ) and others .High point of the trek is manang village which offers the best panoramic view of the( Annapurna ii) ,( Annapurna iii) and Ganggapurna , then hiking up to Thorung pass ( 5416m) trek to down Muktinath temple which is most famous for Vishnu’s sacred to both Hindu and Buddhist religion and many sadhu gather there.
Tropical Kali Ghandaki Gorge , a busy Pilgrimage and trade route controlled by Thakali and mustang tribes
This trek will end either by fly jomsom to pokhara or continues trek through the Ghorepani to Nayapul and drive back to Pokhara .
http://www.nepalguidetrekking.com/Annapurna-Region/annapurna-circuit-trek.php
hi thanks for your informative information! :) Also may i know if the guest houses require prior booking/reservations? i plan to go in May. ^^
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, sorry to be so slow replying
DeleteThere are lots of guest houses (called Tea Houses) on the Circuit and you won't have a problem finding somewhere to stay
Sanjib Adikhari ist recomended 2010 by German trekkers Sabine and Frank from Berlin
ReplyDeleteSanjib AdhikariThe ultimate compliment for Sanjib came from fellow trekkers we met along the way who remarked how lucky we were to have a guide so personable, knowledgeable and dedicated to us and our experience. We could not have agreed with them more. *We did a 21 day Annapurna circuit, Annapurna base camp trek and Langtang Valley trek and having never trekked this length before, we were both novices. It is without a doubt, that had our guide been anyone other than Sanjib, we would not have had nearly the rich, authentic and thoroughly enjoyable experience we did. When trekking
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* a sensitivity and sensibility to allow a good balance between conversation and respecting an individual or couple’s need for privacy * over 9 years of trekking guide experience
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We would highly recommend any potential trekker in Nepal to enlist the services of Sanjib Adhikari. It is without a doubt that you will be richly rewarded if you do so Trek in Nepal his contact address is: sanjib-adhikari@hotmail.com and his website : www.nepalguideinfo.com
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I would highly recommend any potential trekker in Nepal use Sanjib Adhikari. It is without a doubt that you will be richly rewarded if you do so
I and my son Cem (16), went to a 10-day trekking trip to the Everest Base Camp between January 27-Feb 6, 2014. Our route was flight from Kathmandu to Lukla-Phakding-Namche (2)-Tengbouche-Dingbouche (2)-Labouche-EBC-Thukla-Namche-Lukla and then flight back to Kathmandu. During the trip of 10 days, which was our fist trekking experience with my son, I must admit that you are witnessing some of the most striking views in the world. The route is rated as "difficult" by many but it was a lot of fun and challenge. I strongly suggest you acclimatize adequately and use "diamox" or equivalents starting with the beginning of your trip. Being at the EBC is phenomenal, but if you would like to have great clear views of the Everest Peak, you may want to try the Kala Pattar base camp as well. I also recommend January-February (and not October-November or April-May), as you have clearer views, less trouble with flights, and most importantly it was not bad with the weather--no snow or storms. After the 10 days of trekking, we spent another day in Kathmandu for sight-seeing.
Mr. Sanjib Adhikari was our trekking guide for this mission. I am very impressed with the professionalism and the friendly attitude by Sanjib. I highly recommend his services.
Ozgur Kutay Istanbul/Turkey
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g734640-d1485902-Reviews-Mt_Everest_Base_Camp-Tingri_County_Tibet.html
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Alpine Eco Trek & Expedition (P.) Ltd.
Thamel Marg 29, Block no. 767/12, Thamel,
Kathmandu, Nepal
GPO Box: 19844, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Phones: + 977 -1-44 20 187 or 40 27 424
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I trekked to Tengboche Monastery from Jiri with Nepal Planet Treks and expedition flying back from Lukla. I've done this several times before as a trek leader but this time it was a private trip and it was one of the best yet. Our guide Sanjib was first rate and had an excellent command of English and out porters Chandra and Hari Kumar were also extremely good. Accommodation in the lodges was of a generally high standard and some, especially The Nest in Namche and the Numbur Hotel in Lukla were outstanding. I can also warmly recommend the Nepalaya Hotel in Kathmandu, a real home from home. Well done NJ I would be happy to travel with your outfit again
ReplyDeleteVisited January 2016
Come join our classic trekking in Nepal . Opentrailtreks.com
ReplyDeleteDid you find the hikes that are what the Annapurna used to be like?
ReplyDeleteNo. I suspect that hiking has changed everything around the Annapurna
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