Nepal and the Annapurna Circuit

Nepal and the Annapurna Circuit

I arrived by bus from Gourakpur to Kathmandu. Although as dirty as New Delhi the surrounding mountains including Mount Everest is an impressive site to remember a good beginning to your trip in Nepal. We found a nice guest house for super cheap as the Nepalese Rupee is even more devalued than the Indian one. Funny thing on the way into Nepal is the quarter of an hour you must set your clock back although in the same time zone.

In the morning we signed up for an excursion to see Everest up close. If you don’t plan to go to the Everest Base Camp Trek or do anything in its vicinity this is a very good compromise. 27 Kilometers from Kathmandu lies the Hill station Nagarkot. Although the view is obscured by clouds most of the day, if you wake up at 5 am you can capture a great visual of Everest from here which is what we did. Another option is to take a helicopter which takes you much closer.

Back in Kathmandu we bought tickets to Pokhara as we intended to do the Annapurna circuit in the next 15 days. In the evening we could find lots to do as there is a nice Casino with all the games and free drinks and food, A disco club, and very good Nepali restaurants, which are like Indian in a way. The ride to Pokhara by bus is 6 hours and wavy as the roads in this area of the world aren’t European or American.

Arriving in Pokhara there is lots to do as you gear up for your trek and we spend another 4 days there before going out trekking. Spend your sunsets on the lake with the views of the Himalaya in the background. Take day trips to the hills in the neighborhood with a motorcycle or guide. Eat at the fabulous restaurants and dance in the improvised discos the Nepalese build there during the nighttime.

9 of us started the trek of the Annapurna circuit and we took a nice group picture before everything. The first day you reach Besisahar by jeep, which is 4 hours from Pokhara. The first day we walked from Besisahar to Bhulbhule which is a good choice since the land is flat and there is no elevation to deal with. The scenery is already magnificent and mostly lush green. Get yourself into a good guesthouse there but prepare for a cold shower from now till most of your trip.

The next day we climbed from Bhulbhule to Jagat, a height of about 500 meters and 16-kilometer distance. It is a good tough day to get you in shape and gear for the climbing you will do towards the pass. There is also adventure as you will cross one of many suspension bridges over the river. On the way you see many small villages with Nepalese children that are raised in a world lacking infrastructure or technology but have an inherent happiness amongst them. This is surely memorable and impressive to see another way of life. I hope that today Jagat is more developed, and you can get a nice warm shower.

 

Now we are moving on to Dharapani, which is shorter by a kilometer than before but the same height level climbing another 500 meters. Hey, after all, you signed up for climbing 500 meters a day since you are in the tallest natural area of the world, the Himalayas. Today you just follow the river and once you are above it there are some magnificent views. Another suspension bridge, some steps which take 20 minutes, and waterfalls are what you will encounter on this day, but by now your body should get used to all of it. Take your lunch and rest stop at Tal village. If you have some spare time in Dharapani cross it to the small village of Thonche. The village is on the river and is very nice.

Today we will climb up almost a kilometer and walk 15. This is a very impressive day of trekking as the scenery will change from just lush green, rivers, and hills to actual close peaking of white mountains. I remember this as very surprising and exciting. You walk inside a pine forest hidden inside it and suddenly there is an opening in the bush that shows you the Annapurna 4 peak. Very exciting to say the least and probably the best layered scenery to see in the world. This is why the trek has been so popular in the last 40 years. You will reach Chame at the end of this rewarding route and it’s a big village so you can stock up on most things you need by now. If you missed hot water, there is a hot spring in town.

Now we are closely entering Manang which is the biggest village before the pass. But before we will climb 800 meters more to enter lower pisang. It’s a quick 4 hours of climbing here. The trail follows the road which by 2023 will be jammed but the scenery will make up for it. You will pass another pine forest with green and white peaks peaking from its openings. The views are remarkable.

Remember we now climbed a whopping 3 kilometers and its time to take the Uramox and do some Altitude sickness preparation. Oxygen deficiency is starting in this area in lower pisang so stay here for a day or two doing the climb to upper pisang every day to get acclimatized. The villages are so close to the Annapurna ii peak so basically by now you will feel like you are in trekking heaven. In all fairs honesty I’ve been around, and it doesn’t get much better than that, being surrounded by the mountain tops with lush green and a few village huts surrounding you.

Now to Manang which is another large village. But the way here was one of the toughest days trekking, 8 hours and reaching almost 3700 meters in height. The scenery is worth it as you get to see all Annapurna peaks on the way and once you reach Manang you can rest another day. We stayed at the Tilicho hotel after the tallest lake in the world which is right nearby. Eat meat if you have avoided the Yak steak so far since your body needs it.

From Manang we took the extra special route to Tilicho Lake and avoided the “touristy” Thorong La pass. The climb there takes 3 days. First you get to Sri Kharka following the path down the river. Pass through the forests and reach a monastery on the way. Stop by and have some tea here, as you witness Mount Chulu in the background.

The next day continue to Tilicho Base camp which sits in the bottom of a backdrop that looks like a skiing resort. You are now at 4100 meters so make sure you rest good before the climb up to Tilicho lake at 4900. The scenery is spectacular as you can see the whites of the mountains around you. There are little guest houses at this altitude and place so stay at one of them and prepare for the breathtaking sights of the next day.

Ascending to Tilicho lake is the toughest day in this detour from the Thorong La pass. Once we reached the lake, we were ultimately disappointed as there was not even one structure to house us there, which meant we would have to leave immediately in order not to get into any danger. We decided otherwise and simply built us a nice tent on some ruined guesthouse that was the only structure on the lake. In the brochure for the trek, it said there is a nice guesthouse on the lake. Which was not true. There were nice ruins of a guest house there from a snowstorm.

Managing the night, we went into our toughest day of the trek which continued more than 15 hours instead of the usual 4 to 8 hours. This was also the most rewarding day of our lives as we got to see a sunset in the Himalayas from a peak of 6000 meters lost and traveling the Himalayas. We finally descended towards some cabin we found that is used for farming and slept there. The whole thing was intoxicating in more than one way. First the most belle views we ever saw and will ever see in our lives, and second the altitude sickness and oxygen deficiency from being 6000 meters high doing strenuous physical activity. But hooray, at the end of the day from the farming cabin we could see the lights of Jomson village, the next day we would be there.

From Jomson I had enough and took a flight back to Pokhara in a small Cesna. But my colleagues continued the trek to the hot springs after Jomson. I rested in Pokhara coming back to the world after leaving it for heaven for 15 days. The best time of life for sure. Although I heard today the trek is shared with lots of Industrialist ideas of the Nepalese people, I still highly recommend it.