Trek to the Annapurna Base Camp

I wanted to have a firsthand experience of standing in front of the most difficult eight-thousander to climb. I wanted to feel what Maurice Herzog and his team would have felt, when they first saw the beautiful Annapurna, before becoming the first to climb an Eight thousander (Annapurna I is the 10th tallest mountain in the world, and considered by many as the most difficult to climb amongst the 14 peaks above 8000 meters)

This post will talk about my experiences on the Annapurna base-camp trek and in Nepal in general, a few tips for the ones planning to do this in future without guide/porter and also a few tips specifically for the Indians.

BTW, there are so many steep stone stairs on this trek that i heard many trekkers saying that it should be called the "Trek of Stairs" :)

Things needed before you start the trek:

1) TIMS permit: Got it from Kathmandu (search for Nepal Tourism Board on google maps, its pretty close to Thamel). Costs 600 Nepali Rupees(NPR) for Indians travelling without guide

2) ACAP permit: Again, got it from Kathmandu, at the same place as above. Costs 226 NPR for Indians (or rather all SAARC citizens), 10 times of this for others.

3) Trekking gear, as advised on multiple forums

How to reach:

Kathmandu to Pokhara : Take a flight or Bus. Flight would be around 4000-5000 NPR, whereas bus would cost around 700-800 NPR (Tourist bus). Buses take around 6-7 Hours, whereas its less than 30 mins on the flight

Pokhara to Trail head (Nayapul in my case) : Cab costs NPR 2000. There are buses and shared jeeps too, which would be much cheaper, but it would be a lot more comfortable if you can get a few people to share the cab and book it. Look around, ask your hotel/hostel guys, most of the people you see around are there for the trek.

So , lets get started with the Trek now. Instead of the distances, i'll be mentioning the number of steps my fitness tracker recorded for that day, as a whole. I believe this gives a better indication of how hard or easy the days were

ABC trek can be done in 6-7 days, whereas it can take 8-10 days if done via Poon Hill (which we did). This obviously does not factor in the roads which are getting constructed everyday and keep presenting an option to cut down on the time.

Day 1 : Pokhara- Nayapul-Ulleri ( 21,109 Steps)

Many say that the first day is usually the toughest on a trek, as the body takes time to get used to. They aren't wrong.

Took a cab at 6:30 from Pokhara, and reached the trail head at Nayapul by 8:15. Got to know that the jeeps go to Ulleri and Ghorepani as well (i did see Jeeps in Ulleri, but don't know how close they get to Ghorepani). This saddened me a bit, but decided to walk. The trail is common with the road till Tikhedunga, after which it separates, so it's a dusty long walk till a small village before Tikhedunga

Anyways, took 30 mins to reach the checkpoints. There are separate check-posts for ACAP and TIMS (why can't they have a single office/window.). Got stamps at both and continued on. Here, we need to take left after the bridge for Ulleri, and right for Ghandruk (so, left if going via Poon Hill)

Had breakfast on the way, at a village called Ramghai. The standard menu had already started, and the high prices at this point made no sense. The jeeps and buses were passing right from the front, so the logic didn't hold, but, as i did realize eventually, the high prices throughout the trail is primarily driven by the fact that its mostly the westerners who are doing the trek. I do trek a lot in the Indian Himalayas, in places far more remote than these, and such prices would just be called cheating there.

2 Eggs were for 150 NPR and Ginger Lemon drink was 100 NPR. Tibetan bread was 250 (it looked and tasted like Bhatura)

As mentioned earlier, the trail separates from the road at a village near Tikhedunga (don't remember the exact name). A steep climb starts after Tikhedunga which goes on and on. This is one of the most exhausting climbs in the trek, added to the fact that it's at a quite low altitude and the temperatures are high. It's advisable to have lunch at Tikhedunga, as there isn't any real good place after this till Ulleri

Finally after a lot of steep never ending stairs, reached Ulleri. Was too tired to explore and crashed in the first lodge which I saw. It was a pretty decent one (Prastuti Guest House) and the lady agreed for a free accommodation (Menu said NPR 500 for a room) if all the meals were taken at their lodge. Food is expensive as I told, but the most shocking is the price of filtered water. Filtered water was NPR 110/ litre here which would reach almost 200 NPR at higher altitudes. Dal Bhat, the staple diet (Dal, rice, a couple of veggies, papad, pickle) was NPR 500 and probably the safest thing to have while trekking (you can also ask for more). The rooms were decent with lights and charging points, very clean , shared bathroom which had hot showers.

Generally, all along the trail, the dining halls are heated(using a heater in which wood is burnt and has a chimney, so no smoke in the room), while the rooms are not.

Was a pretty tiring day and the hot shower followed by some lemon tea provided the much needed relief. Had an early dinner and  a good sleep to get ready for the next day

Day 2 : Ulleri - Ghorepani (17,349 Steps)

This was an easier day. It starts with a steep climb for 20-25 mins (to Birthanti) but then evens out into a gradual ascent with a mix of small ups and downs (or Nepali flat as they like to call it). The scenery kept getting better, with Rhododendrons blooming all around.

Stayed at " See you lodge" in Lower Ghorepani. You can climb up a bit  more to Upper Ghorepani to reduce the next day's effort while climbing up to to Poon Hill. This village was probably the most beautiful as far as the surroundings are concerned, where all the hills around seemed to be pink and red because of the Rhododendrons. Here again, the accommodation was free, on the condition that the food was to be had at the same place. The rooms were pretty clean and the hot shower (shared bathroom) was again free. The owner and the staff were really courteous and the food was good too, would highly recommend this place if you plan to stop in Lower Ghorepani.

Early to bed to wake up early the next day and be at Poonhill before 6AM (takes almost an hour at average speed from Lower Ghorepani)

Day 3 : Ghorepani-Poon Hill-Ghorepani-Tadapani-Chuile (31,105 Steps)

Today, the morning was really disappointing. Got up early and climbed to the Poonhill top, only to see a thick cloud cover on a chilly morning. Like most of the trek, its again a steep climb on stone stairs. Don't forget to keep some money, as you will need to buy a ticket of NPR50.

Came back to the lodge, utterly disappointed. Had a quick breakfast and started the day's hike to Chuile. It's a beautiful walk through the forest, but a steep one at the start.

Here comes a suggestion/tip/rant. After we climbed a bit, we actually had the Dhaulagiri right in front of us. The view is absolutely stunning, with Dhaulagiri, Annapurna south, Machhapuchre all rising above the beautiful Rhododendron forest. It wasn't cloudy anymore, and the views we got were absolutely stunning.  This just made me question on the whole Poon Hill climb, which everyone seems to do. The only logic which a guide gave (which makes some sense) was the fact that even though you get the same views on the way,  you can't really come to this point early in the morning to witness the sunrise, as Tadapani is still quite far from here, and you will have to delay your breakfast to very late, on a day which you have begun so early. Except for this practical reason, there is no real difference and you get almost the same views on the way to Tadapani.

Had lunch on the way and continued the long walk. Reached Tadapani , but decided to walk down to Chuile as planned. It's a steep decent from Tadapani to Chuile and takes 45-60 mins. There are 2 lodges here, the first of which was full so landed into the second one "Rainbow Lodge". This again was a nice lodge, with attached bathrooms (the free room wasn't to be anymore, but they were still very cheap).

This was the longest and the most tiring day so far, and even though a few guides recommended to go to Sinuwa, the next day, we thought Chomrong would be a better idea, as we needed an easy day to follow this one.

Dhaulagiri in the background

Day 4 : Chuile-Chomrong (14,900 Steps)

The day starts with a steep decent to Kumrong Khola (more than a 1000 feet drop), followed by Nepali flat and in the end a decent to Chomrong (pronounced as Chumrung).

Was an uneventful day, as far as the trek is concerned, the easiest so far.

The village is one of the biggest on the route I took and has many basic facilities. Stayed at "Excellent View Top Lodge" and would highly recommend this one. The food was really good, rooms had attached bathrooms with hot shower and the staff was really courteous.

The views of Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre from Chomrong are fabulous.

This was the last place to have free hot showers, charging points in room etc. (all these came at a price after this). One of the reasons, I guess, is that the mules are not allowed after Chomrong.

Had few of the most interesting conversations over dinner with fellow trekkers, who were from so many different countries.

Annapurna South and Hiunchuli as seen from Chomrong

Day 5 : Chomrong-Deurali (31,521 Steps)

This was to be toughest day, only turned into one of the toughest days of all my treks combined because of the storm in the end.

Started the day trek very early and left the lodge around 6AM. There is an ACAP centre in the village where you need to get a stamp on the ACAP permit, so keep it handy. The day starts with a very steep decent of around 1200-1300 feet. The walk down isn't that bad but the thought that all this altitude loss will be covered soon (and these steps would need to be climbed back on the way back) makes it a bit challenging mentally. After crossing the Chomrong Khola (Khola means river), its a steep climb upto the village of Sinuwa and you get back to almost the same altitude, you started with, that morning.

Had a quick breakfast here and continued ahead. After a gradual ascent, there is again a steep decent (big stone steps) to Bamboo. Was advised here to book a bed in Deurali, as it just has 4 lodges (like most of the villages henceforth). Tried a couple of lodges (the network of Ncell was patchy, but working. Got the numbers from one of the lodges in Bamboo), and could finally get a confirmation on a bed in a shared dorm.

Had lunch at Dobhan, on the way. It was around 2 PM and the weather had started to look a bit gloomy. It started raining by the time we left after having our lunch, which soon turned into a full blown storm with hail and water hitting us mercilessly.

The rains were so heavy that it was an impossible task to take out my waterproof gloves from the bag, and just continued on in the chilly weather. The walk to Himalaya lodge took around 2 Hrs and was a very difficult one. Decided to stop at Himalaya for the night, but guess what, they didn't even have space to sleep on floor, forget bed. There was no choice, but to get moving and carry on till Deurali, in the storm. I tried putting on my gloves here, but the fingers had lost sensation and i couldn't get the gloves on. The gloves were really thick and after trying for almost 5 minutes, i gave up.

The walk to Deurali from Himalaya was like a bad dream, with the biggest fear: 'what if there is no space in Deurali too?'

After a very tough 2 hours, reached Deurali and was disheartened to know that there was no space in the 3 lodges. Luckily, the lodge we had booked at was not one of these, and was at a higher altitude (5-10 mins above these lodges). Carried on to the "Deurali Guest House" and the happiest moment came when the lodge owner told that he had indeed kept the beds for us.

A very very long and tough day, hence came to an end. Most of the things were drenched, but the sleeping bag was only slightly wet. All that was left was to have a nice dinner and get a very well deserved sleep.

The Quechua bag cover was a big disappointment, and the bag was very wet. The Shoes were as wet as they can be. The only saviour was the fake North Face jacket which i bought from Kathmandu, which of all the things, had kept me dry.

Crossing the Chomrong Khola

Day 6 : Deurali-MBC (9,938 Steps)

Had a room booked in MBC at the fishtail guest house with the help of lodge owner at Deurali.

Deurali to MBC is a gradual ascent, but yesterday's storm meant that there was a lot of fresh slippery snow. We had the microspikes, which really came in handy (Very few people had it though , probably less than 10%)

Was an easy day, but yesterday's drama meant that the body really needed an early rest. Add to this the fact that the shoes were still wet.

After a short trek, reached the fishtail lodge, only to find out that they had given away the room, but were lucky to get a room in the adjoining Shankar Guest house.

The Annapurna South (along with Hiunchuli) stands right in front and provides a beautiful reward for all the pains taken so far.

The weather was really nice and sunny and was really helpful to get the clothes and Shoes dried up.
The prices of everything were really very high now (Dal Bhat was 620, 2 boiled eggs were for 330)

Day 7 : MBC-ABC-MBC-Dobhan (26,986 Steps)

The Plan was to leave at 4:30 AM, but the chilling cold (and the associated lethargy) meant  that it was almost 5:15 by the time we stepped out in below freezing temperature. Its a gradual ascent followed by almost a flat walk to ABC. It was a clear sky and with the first rays of the morning lighting up the peaks all around, it all felt worth it. It kept getting more and more beautiful and by the time we reached ABC, it was bright and as beautiful as it could be. It took an hour and 15 minutes to reach the ABC

All along the walk, you can see Annapurna South and Hiunchuli (the orientation of the mountain gives an illusion of Hiunchuli being the taller one, while in reality its the other way round). Annapurna 1 with its whole massif is visible at multiple points on the trail and the beautiful Machhapuchhre peaks from behind as you walk up

At the ABC, you get a 360 Degree view of the landscape and the mountains all around. I am very confident that what i saw there was the most beautiful thing i have ever seen in my life. As far as Annapurna 1 is concerned, I could almost feel some magical spell being cast upon me, just by looking at it. It's so beautiful and so different from the other mountains.

After soaking in the beauty for a good 30-40 minutes, in the thin air at 14000 feet, we traced back our steps to the lodge at MBC. Had a quick breakfast and left for Dobhan, the stop for the night. It's all downhill from ABC to Dobhan (crossing MBC, Deurali and Himalaya on the way). Had lunch on the way at Himalaya. Stayed at the Tip Top Lodge in Dobhan (had booked it from MBC itself)

Annapurna I

Hiunchuli (Left) and Annapurna South (Right)

Sun peeping from behind of the beautiful Machhapuchhre

Day 8 : Dobhan-Chomrong (19,405 Steps)

Started early at around 7:00 after a quick tea. Had breakfast at Bamboo, which was very much needed, as there is a very steep climb of around 30 Minutes just after Bamboo. This is followed by more or less a flat (nepali flat) walk to Sinuwa. After a steep decent to the Chomrong Khola, the very steep climb upto Chomrong starts. This was obviously the highlight of the day with every step threatening to kill all the muscles in the leg :D.

On the way back too , you need to make a stop at the ACAP centre in Chomrong to get the 3rd stamp on your permit. The initial plan was to carry onto Jhinu, but the weather looked a bit tricky and hence decided to stay in Chomrong itself (Correct decision, it started raining in some time). Stayed at the same lodge

Did walk past a few Indians today, which was a pleasant change from what we had observing for all these days. There are a lot of Bangladeshis but hardly any Indians trekking there. Its probably due to the much cheaper options available in India for treks

Day 9 : Chomrong-Motkyu-Pokhara ( 10,900 Steps till Motkyu)

Though all the blogs/articles I read in my preparations suggested going to Syauli Bazar to get a jeep, I was told that it's Siuii and not Syauli Bazar which is the closest road head on the main trail.

But there is an option which is better than Siuii too, its a place called Motkyu (which not many people know about)

After a very steep decent from Chomrong to Jhinu, carry on with the decent. There is a point where the trail divides into two, take the right (there is a warning board here for rock falls and landslide area, use this as the landmark). Cross the river and climb up the trail till you see a few tea houses. Just besides these tea houses, there is a trail which goes up, take that.

Its a 1.5 Hr climb/walk from here, before you reach the road head at Motkyu (which also has a couple of Tea houses).

The trek finally ended here. Don't really know if the sight of a jeep made me happy after the grueling 9 days, or made me sad. Anyways, the jeep took 6000 NPR for a drop to Lakeside in Pokhara. It takes almost 1.5 Hours to reach Nayapul by road from here and another 2 Hours to reach Pokhara, so a total of 3.5 Hours.

After a bumpy ride , we were back to the real world which we had escaped for a while. The trek was not only a beautiful experience, but also a great lesson on so many things.

Few additional tips for the Trek:

- Never had to pay for hot shower or charging the phone till Chomrong, its only after Chomrong that they start charging for these
- Drank water straight out of taps, though a friend did get an upset stomach. We could never know the exact reason, but the water could have been one. Generally, if in doubt, carry the tablets to be put in water to disinfect it (available readily in Kathmandu and Pokhara). Its almost ridiculous to pay NPR 100-200 for every litre of filtered water, especially when its advisable to drink 5+ litres in a day when gaining altitude. It's sad that the they don't even serve water with food,  compelling you to buy even if you want a glass of normal water.

- I am still not very convinced on why you need to go up the Poon hill, when you get the same views from the same altitude, en route to Tadapani from Ghorepani
- If you are not with a group or a guide, it's recommended to have bookings done for your next stop. Take the help of the lodge owner (where you are put up for that day)
- On the way back, take a cab/jeep from Motkyu, which is the closest from Chomrong (until you wish to walk more on the roads along with the jeeps)

Specific tips for Indians :

- I used my axis bank debit card (mastercard) to withdraw money at Everest bank ATM and there were no additional charges levied. I got a flat conversion in nepali rupees
- Indian Rupees are accepted by everyone in the cities (both Kathmandu and Pokhara) with a fixed conversion rate if 1 INR = 1.6 NPR (Nepali currency is a pegged currency against the Indian Rupee). But do take the local currency while on trail, as i am not very sure if it would be accepted there.

More than just the trekking, its the overall experience which  was really nice (and also different from Indian treks). It almost feels like the whole world is trekking here and you get to meet and talk to so many interesting people from different countries with different perspectives, different reasons to be trekking etc.

A special mention to the awesome people of Nepal and awesome food

The Typical Dal Bhat Thali

Next Stop : EBC? Stok Kangri?    let's see