Annapurna Sanctuary Trek awaits you with the beautiful landscapes and breathtaking vistas of the mountain ranges. The Annapurna Sanctuary trek is a moderate trek that takes trekkers to the base camp of the Annapurna massif. The trek takes you through the settlements of the Annapurna region and offers you with an experience of the local culture and hospitality on the foothills of the Annapurna massif.
The Annapurna Sanctuary Trek is among the most popular treks in Nepal. The two weeks trek is a tea house trek which starts from Pokhara. The trail is an amazing package of various popular destinations such as Ghorepani and Machhapuchhare Base Camp.
The trek takes the trekkers through the different climatic condition varying from the sub tropical to the alpine and thus being a wide habitat for various plants and animals. You will walk through the rhododendron, fir and magnolia forests. You may also encounter some of the animals like musk deer, Ghoral, and Pheasant on your way.
Starting the trek by a beautiful view of the sunrise in Poonhill, the trek takes the trekkers on the lap of mother-nature. The yellow rays of sun when strike the glittering mountains, it looks like the horizon is a beautiful piece of art. Annapurna Sanctuary Trek is also an experience of the culture. The Ghandruk village is a perfect reflection of the Gurung culture. The stone paved trail along the picturesque village is a wonderful walk into the local culture.
Annapurna Base Camp (4130 m) is the highest point of the trek. The trekkers will view the unobstructed views of the mountain peaks like Machhapuchhare (6997 m), Annapurna I (8091 m), Gangapurna, Annapurna South and Annapurna III.
DAY 1 – ARRIVE KATHMANDU
You will be met at the airport and be taken to the hotel. You may relax or explore until the group meets at dinner.
DAY 2 – KATHMANDU SIGHTSEEING TOUR
After breakfast, we will start our tour around Kathmandu. The medieval city, the streets, local markets, temples, shrines and Buddhist stupas are crowded by the people of almost every caste, color, and race throughout the country. You will visit the Swayambhunath Temple. The temple lies on the top of the hill and is also called as monkey temple for the numerous monkeys wandering around the temple.
Next we will visit the Durbar square that occurs in the heart of the city. The Kumari: Living goddess of Nepal lives in Kathmandu Durbar Square. Many of Kathmandu’s most historic and important temples are located here.
Next you will drive to Patan, once a beautiful city in its own right which rivaled Kathmandu in terms of the splendor of its temples and squares. You will cross the Bagmati River over a bridge that links Kathmandu with the city of Patan. The Patan is a pure reflection of the Newari craftsmanship. You will also have some spare time for some shopping for your trek.
DAY 3: FLY TO POKHARA, DRIVE TO NAYAPUL AND TREK TO ULLERI (1309 m) 4 HOURS TREK
You will be transferred to the airport for the flight to Pokhara. The scenic flight to Pokhara provides the tourists with the spectacular views of the Himalayan vista. Upon reaching Pokhara, we will take a drive to Nayapul on a private vehicle. The drive is of about an hour.
Our trek starts form Nayapul. We firstly leave for Birethati (1,025 m). The trail goes downhill from Nayapul. Then the trail continues to go uphill to Hile. We will pass some villages like Tikhedhunga during our trail. Further, a steep stone steps path with 3,200 steeps welcomes us. The stone steps will let us see the first view of the Annapurna South during the trek. Continuing the trek further, we will reach Ulleri by the evening.
Overnight in Ulleri, includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 4: ULLERI TO GHOREPANI (2750 m) 5 HOURS TREK
Today, our destination is Ghorepani. We will start our trek after breakfast. The trail today will be a little more challenging since it will take the trekkers through the hills up and down. We will be climbing to Ghorepani through the stone stairs. As the trail ascends, trekkers will see the beautiful scenery of the Annapurna South.
We will walk through the rhododendron and bamboo forest and beautiful villages and tea houses. After lunch, we will ascend towards the Gurung village of Ghorepani. The beautiful village perfectly preserves the Gurung culture since ancient time.
Continuing to trek higher towards Banthati and Nangathanti at 2520 meters, we will reach the Ghorepani after a couple of hours. According to the stories, the Ghorepani village used to be the resting place for the merchants where they found water for their horses. Thus, the name of the village came from ‘Ghora’ which means horse and ‘Pani’ which means water.
Ghorepani village offers the trekkers with the majestic views of the surrounding mountains like Annapurna South and Nilgiri mountains. We will be spending today’s night in Ghorepani. For some spare time left, you can explore the village and also consider shopping the local products such as handbags and crafts.
Overnight in Ghorepani, includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 5: GHOREPANI TO TADAPANI (2590 m) 5-6 HOURS TREK
We will start our trek early morning today. We will hike up to Poonhill to see the astonishing sunrise over the Himalayan peaks. After walking through the rhododendron forest for about 45 minutes we reach Poonhill: a famous tourist destination most popular for the sunrise view. Poonhill offers the closer views of the mountains such as Annapurna massif, Dhaulagiri range, Tukuche Peak, Nilgiri, and Machhapuchhare. After the spectacular view of the sun rising from the middle of the mountains, we descend back to Ghorepani.
After breakfast in Ghorepani, our trek continues to trek towards the north with the amazing views of the happening Annapurna ranging from east to west. From Ghorepani we continue to climb uphill and reach the Deurali Pass at 3090 meters. Passing through the deep forest, we will each Banthanti. After lunch at Banthanti, we will further continue towards Tadapani. We will walk through the gorgeous forest for about an hour before reaching Tadapani. The Tadapani offers the trekkers with the magnificent views of the mountains.
Overnight in Tadapani, includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 6: TADAPANI TO CHHOMORONG (2170 m) 6-7 HOURS TREK
We will be walking for more than 6 hours today. After breakfast, we start our trek early in the morning. The trail leads us downwards a steep hill and passes through the rhododendron jungle. Walking along the terraced fields on the side of a deep valley and climbing the steep trail, we cross the Modi Khola valley. On our way we will pass the waterfalls and cross a suspension bridge. A short walk from Modhi Khola and we reach our destination for today: Chhomorong.
Overnight in Chhomorong, includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 7: CHHOMORONG TO BAMBOO (2310 m) 5-6 HOURS TREK
We will walk down the stone steps that lead us to the Chhomorong Khola and then climb uphill towards Sinuwa. We will walk along the rhododendron forest before we reach Kuldi (2470 m). The trek now enters the upper Modi Khola valley. Continuing along the steep and slippery stone stairway across the bamboo and rhododendron forest, we reach the Bamboo village. If you are trekking in winter, you will also experience the snowfall in the village.
Overnight in Bamboo, includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 8: BAMBOO TO DEURALI (2310 m)
We start our trek crossing the tributary rivers over narrow bridges. Before we reach Dovan, we cross several waterfalls along the way. Trekkers will continue to walk through a stony trail crossing the forest and climbing a steep gorge. Trekkers will pass across the large rocks that surround the Hinku Cave and then finally reach Deurali.
Overnight in Deurali, includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 9: DEURALI TO ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP (4130 m) VIA MACHHAPUCHHARE BASE CAMP 7-8 HOURS TREK
After an early morning breakfast, we start our trek through the narrow entrance into a steep gorge. We continue the uphill trek and pass a moraine and go down to a stream. Ascending uphill around the moraines of the South Annapurna Glacier, we pass through the breathtaking gates of the Sanctuary formed by the Hiunchuli on the left and the Machhapuchhare on the right. Further ascent for a short time leads us to Machhapuchhare Base Camp (3700 m). The magnificent panorama of the mountain is all the trekkers need to relax their soul.
Climbing up from the Machhapuchhare Base Camp, we head towards the Annapurna Base Camp that rests on the foot of the Annapurna. While climbing, we will be surrounded by the magnificent peaks in every direction. The unobstructed views of the Hiunchuli, Annapurna South, Machhapuchhare, Gandharvachuli and other peaks will make the trekkers praise the beauty of the nature.
Overnight in Annapurna Base Camp, includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 10: ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP TO BAMBOO (2310 m) 6-7 HOURS TREK
We will have a great sunrise view in Annapurna Base Camp. From Annapurna Base Camp, we start to descend back to Bamboo. We follow the same route that passes through the Machhapuchhare Base Camp, Deurali, Himalayan hotel and Dovan. The treks almost take us downhill all the long way before we reach Bamboo.
Overnight in Bamboo, includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 11: BAMBOO TO JHINU DANDA (2310 m) 6-7 HOURS TREK
Starting the trek from Bamboo, we will be walking down the stone stairs today. We will cross a river and continue climbing down the stone steps. The steps will take you to the Chhomorong. Continuing to descend steeply down the steps, we reach the Jhinu Danda.
The best thing about the Jhinu Danda is the hot water spring. The natural hot water spring is a perfect place to take a relaxing bath. People even believe that taking a bath on the hot spring will help eradicate the diseases in their bodies.
Overnight in Jhinu Danda, includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 12: JHINU DANDA TO NAYA PUL AND DRIVE TO POKHARA
This will be our last walking day. Starting from Jhinu Danda, we will reach the Nayapul in almost 5 hours. From Nayapul we will take a drive to Pokhara. The drive is not more than 2 hours. Upon reaching Pokhara, you will be transferred to your hotel.
Overnight in Pokhara, includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
DAY 13: FLY FROM POKHARA TO KATHMANDU
We will catch a morning flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu. The scenic flight offers with the beautiful views of the mountains. After you arrive Kathmandu, you will be transformed to your hotel. As you will have a spare day, you can either take rest in your hotel, or make a walk around the city.
DAY 14: LEISURE DAY
You will be spending a spare day in Kathmandu. . Since this will be your last day stay in Nepal, you can also enjoy the traditional dinner in Kathmandu. They provide beautiful environment with the cultural performances. Also, you can make a short trip around the Kathmandu city in the afternoon and have some snaps to add on some extra flavor to your trip.
DAY 15: DEPARTURE
Now, it’s time to wave goodbye. Our representative will drop you to the Tribhuvan International Airport for your flight back home.
Inclusions
Government Trained License Holder English-speaking guide/leader
All domestic and International airport transfers on arrival and departure
Good standard hotel accommodation in Kathmandu/cities with twin sharing bed and breakfast basis
All road transport by private vehicles
All domestic airfares
All meals and accommodation on trek including tea and coffee
Morning bed-tea on trek
A free high-quality Dolma Treks duffel bag/relative trekking map and Tee-shirt
Trek staff and full porteragem
All camping gears in our camping treks
High altitude Sherpa/porters properly insured and equipped