Annapurna Sanctuary Trek

On arrival in Kathmandu, you will be met by a JOURNEYS staff member at the airport and transferred to your Western-style hotel. Your guides will be available for advice on everything from how to bargain to choosing restaurants to learning a little bit of the Nepali language. You will have some time to just relax, or to nibble at the feast of new experiences in this exotic city. Later, there will be a brief orientation.

Your second day in Kathmandu includes guided visits to some (or all, time permitting) of the famous temples of Swayambhunath, Pasupatinath, and Boddhanath. You will see life going on as it has for hundreds of years against a background of sacred peaks, terraced hillsides, and an exotic culture. In Kathmandu, and throughout your trip, we encourage you to interact with local people either through your guide as interpreter, or through participation in the activities available all around you. While you explore, your staff gets all your food supplies and logistical requirements in order.

Travel to Pokhara by road today, experiencing your first taste of rural Nepalese life along the way, with terraced fields allowing insights into local farming methods. The road follows the broad riverbed, until your arrival in the early afternoon. Transfer to your lakeside hotel, where you will have the opportunity for swimming, nature hikes, or boating on the lake.

Get an early start on a six-hour hike today because the lower sections of the trail can be very hot by midday. You'll hike out past a Tibetan refugee camp in Hyangja and then on to the village of Suikhet. Then you climb the ridge above the Yangri Khola Valley. Set up camp near Dhampus with an elevation of about 5,900'. This site offers an excellent view of Annapurna.

This morning on a five-hour hike, you reach a 7,085' pass and then descend to the Gurung village of Landrung above the Modi Khola River. After crossing the river, a set of stone stairs leads you into the maze of alleyways and terraces of one of the most beautiful communities in this area, Ghandruk, the second largest Gurung village in Nepal. From here you get excellent views of Annapurna South.

As you continue farther into the Himalayan range on a five-hour hike, the trail climbs and descends steeply as you cross over another pass and make your way down to the Khumnu Khola. Another steep hike eventually takes you through the forests of the Modi Khola Valley. Camp is set near the village of Chomro (6,395'), the highest permanent Gurung settlement in the valley. Annapurna South and Machapuchare can be seen from here.

After crossing the river, on today's four-hour hike, you climb high above the Modi Khola on its west bank, passing through beautiful rhododendron, oak, and hemlock forests leading to Kuldi (7,800'). From here, it is downhill towards the Modi Khola. You camp in the dense bamboo forests, which supply raw materials to weave dokos, the woven baskets carried by porters, and mats for floors and roofs.

The trail takes you continuously uphill, along the side of the canyon, through the forests. Eventually, you reach Hinko (9,900'), known locally as 'Hinko Cave' for the huge overhanging rock which shelters the only flat camping spot in this rugged valley. Today's walk is five hours.  Camp will be set up in this vicinity.

Beyond Hinko you leave the forest, the valley widens, and the trail becomes less steep as, on today's five-hour hike, you enter the sanctuary, surrounded on all sides by the Annapurna massif, Machapuchare, and the upper reaches of the valley at 13,285'. From here you see a large grass covered moraine ahead with more grassy slopes beyond. You will have the next three days to explore around the sanctuary area thoroughly. A number of peaks are accessible from here. Tent Peak, (18,204') is a non-technical climb that offers a commanding 360-degree view of the entire sanctuary. Overnight at base camp.

Spend these days exploring around the sanctuary area, either hiking the nearby peaks or exploring on your own.

You return via the same route for the first day, but then choose an alternative route back to Pokhara via Ghorapani, Uleri, and Birethanti. This route offers a little more cultural and scenic variation and a bit less steep climbing. Spend a final night near Phewatal in Pokhara.

Depart for Kathmandu at midday by flight or bus. The rest of the day in Kathmandu is free to explore or do some last-minute shopping.

Today is for pursuing your own interests and wrapping up any last minute sightseeing or shopping. An Everest Mountain View flight is a great way for getting up close views of Mt. Everest (optional and at own expense).

Transfer to the airport for your onward departure, or extend your trip further into Nepal.