Annapurna Base Camp and Sanctuary Trek – Nepal – 13 days

Meet at the group hotel in Kathmandu. Kathmandu Airport transfers provided.
Your holiday starts at the hotel in Kathmandu. Transfers from Kathmandu Airport are provided. Depending on your arrival time, you may have the opportunity to explore the immediate vicinity of the hotel and get acclimatised to this bustling city. Alternatively, you may prefer to recover from your journey by relaxing beside the hotel pool. There are many gear shops in Thamel where you can get any last-minute kit. Your guide will take dinner with you and will provide an informal briefing about the days ahead. (D)

Fly to Pokhara. Explore this beautiful lakeside town with views of the Annapurnas.
After breakfast in the hotel we take a bus to the domestic terminal of Kathmandu Airport for the 30 minute flight to Pokhara. It is a most interesting flight, with the peaks of the Greater Himalaya clearly visible through the right-hand window as we travel westwards. Particularly prominent are Manaslu and the Annapurna group as we approach the airport at Pokhara. Getting off the plane into the heat of Pokhara is impressive, as is the sight of the snow peaks of the Annapurna Himal which form the skyline to the north. After lunch the afternoon is free to explore this laid-back lakeside town. You can go shopping, take a rowing boat out on to the lake of Phewa Tal or hike up to the Peace Pagoda which sits on a ridge overlooking the town. Dinner will be taken in a local restaurant.

We will drive to Nayapul, where our trek to the overnight stop at Ulleri (2050m) begins. The drive will take approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. From Nayapul, we will follow the Modi Khola River to reach the town of Birethanti, with views of the Fish Tail peak (Machhapuchhre) ahead. At Birethanti, we will head northwest to ascend the Burungdi Khola valley. We pass through small settlements, including Hille (1500m). The final 3 kilometers are a bit steeper as we make our way up to our lodge in Ulleri (2050m). Ulleri is a large Magar village known for recruiting many Gurkha soldiers.

Hike through rhododendrons and pines to Ghorepani (2860m) which means 'horse-watering place'. We climb relatively steeply with numerous steps, leading us to Banthanti and then pass through a forest of rhododendron and magnolia before reaching the Ghorepani (2860m).

Ghorepani-Poon Hill-Tadapani
We will rise before dawn for a 30-45 minute ascent to Poon Hill to witness the sunrise over the Annapurna Himal, offering a truly unforgettable experience. After enjoying the sunrise, we will return to Ghorepani for breakfast. Our journey continues through forests of giant rhododendrons, following the high ground before descending into the valley and reaching the village of Tadapani. 9km (B, L, D)

Tadapani-Chomrong
From Tadapani we drop down into a deep wooded valley then steeply up over a ridge and into yet another valley before ascending once more to contour around a shoulder to the village of Chomrong. This is a undulating fairly strenuous day but our time at higher elevations the day and night before will help us with the altitude.10km (B,L,D inc)

Chhomrong/Himalaya Hotel
Trek from Chhomrong to Himalaya Hotel. Get an early start and catch the sunrise over the Annapurnas before heading out on the trail. Travel mostly uphill passing through dense forests and crossing several small streams and waterfalls on today's journey.

Trek from Himalaya Hotel to Machhapuchhare BC,
The trail gets steeper and rockier from here as we climb up past Hinko Cave. Crossing a ravine, the trail continues to climb steeply among boulders, leaving the trees behind us. We have lunch at Deurali and from here the valley broadens and the scenery becomes wilder as we approach the gates of the sanctuary.The view opens right out as we reach the sharp turn in the valley at Machhapulchare Base Camp. We will have plenty of time in the afternoon to enjoy the spectacular surroundings, take photos and even take a short walk around the general area. 6km (B,L,D)

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In the early morning, we walk for two hours up to Annapurna Base Camp. We get fresh views of more of the massive peaks of the Annapurna. We will be at Annapurna base camp with plenty of time to spend the rest of the day enjoying the surroundings. We can also take a short walk around the area to get new vantage points on the view and to really soak up our surroundings. Hiunchuli, Annapurna South, Annapurna Fang, Annapurna 1 and 3, Gangapurna and Machhapuchhare all encircle us as we experience the sunset and sunrise in this magical place. Occasionally there is too much snow to stay at Annapurna Base Camp. In this case, we walk back down to Machhapuchhare Base Camp in the late afternoon. 2.5hrs trekking. Accommodation: Teahouse (B,L,D)

We now turn to retrace our steps back down past Machhapulchare BC and turning back to the south past Himalaya Hotel to Bamboo. Now that we are dropping in altitude, we will really notice the extra oxygen and we will usually be in Bamboo with plenty of time to have a restful afternoon. 13km (B,L,D)

Bamboo - Jinnu Hot Springs
Dropping even further back into the Rhododendron forests and branch off to the left, steeply down to Jinnu Danda. There are some natural hot springs here that have been chaneled into a couple of basic pools which can be a welcome soak after the days up high. 9km (B,L,D)

The trail today undulates down the Modi River valley. We follow the valley down to the road head at Sinuwa for a jeep transfer to Pokhara. (10km).

Enjoy a full day to relax in Pokhara. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants along the lakeshore. You may wish to walk up to the hilltop World Peace Pagoda for fantastic views of the lake. There are also plenty of shops and a traditional bazaar as well as the International Mountain Museum and the Gurkha Museum. .
Accommodation: Hotel (B,L,D)

We fly or drive to Kathmandu. You may wish to visit the monkey temple at Swayambhunath, one of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world at Boudhanath, or the most important Hindu temple in the valley at Pashupatinath. Celebratory meal. (B,L)