Annapurna Sanctuary Trek

What can I say about the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek? It’s incredible. You should do it. Go now. Right now…… unless it’s the wrong time of year, or you are unable to walk for long periods of time up very big hills, or you have a bad sense of direction.
We went at the right time of year (late March), we were also able to walk for long periods of time up very big hills (though it was by no means easy) and also our sense of direction wasn’t bad either. Follow the path, follow the signs, not much can go wrong….. unless you’re us.
The first mistake was going drinking the night before. The second was spending ages preparing late the next morning. The third was starting late in the afternoon, and the fourth was getting lost in the first 2 minutes….. Matt’s moustache apparently wasn’t a mistake…. but it definitely should have been.

So, the trek. A 10 day hike from Nayapul, up to Ulleri then Ghorepani. Turning east towards Tadapani, down to Chhomrong then up the hill to Annapurna Base Camp. About turn. and down through Landruk, Dhampus and ending in Phedi. Easy.

So, day one….. We started late – Don’t do this. We were ill prepared – Don’t do this. We got lost – don’t do this. Something that either wasn’t in our guidebook (we got a special guidebook dedicated to the trek as we didn’t have a guide), or it was and we just didn’t read it was that, at least in March, everyday around 2 o’clock the clouds come in, the temperature drops and it usually rains. In hindsight we probably knew this but we hated early starts. So we started late.
We got a taxi to Nayapul which is about 45 minutes from Pokhara, they dropped us off and we started down a dirt track, walking through some very picturesque villages and taking things at an easy pace. Our aim was to get to Ulleri but about an hour in to the trek the heavens opened. We took out our waterproofs that we had all purchased in Kathmandu and they underwent their first test. They categorically failed, we might as well have been taking part in a wet t-shirt competition. Whatever wizardry the sales people had used to demonstrate the waterproofness of their consumerables at time of sale had worn off; We got wet. After about 2 hours of walking through the rain we were cold and fed up. The scenery had turned into a cloud and it was going dark. We reached a small village about an hour out of Ulleri and decided to call it quits for the first day.

Day 2:

We decided to start earlier today – so were up and ready to go by 7:30. The sun was out and we were in high spirits. Though we were behind schedule we were hoping to follow the plan and make it to Ghorepani by the end of the day. We began to see the first bright pink and red Rhododendrons dotting the landscape.

In our guide book there was a mention of a rather difficult staircase which we were supposed to end at the top of on the previous day. The stairs started steeply, and then got steeper. They carried on round every corner and up in to the distance out of sight at every opportunity. We all really struggled and Rob especially as he suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. Although we were all fit, we had also not done any real exercise for as long as we’d been travelling. Just after 1 o’clock the weather came in again and it started pouring with cold and unforgiving rain. Rob didn’t have enough energy to make it to our planned destination of Ghorepani. We made the decision to stop at some huts about an hour out of Ghorepani, get some food and take stock. By the end of the second day we were soaked, tired and Rob was thinking of turning back.

Day 3:

Overnight we had discussed our plan of action. For Rob and Matt – not having done any trekking before - the difficulty of the trekking had come as a shock. We decided that we would make for Ghorepani, only an hour or so hike and weigh up our options there. The hike again was difficult, but the early night had worked wonders, not to mention the warm morning sun and hearty breakfast. We entered Ghorepani around 9am after tackling yet another never-ending staircase. Ghorepani is perched amongst the hills meaning even the main street is a huge hill. As we made it in to the centre of the village we crested the final hill and finally we came face to face with……. the Himalayas. Matt’s face below tells a thousand words, there was no turning back now.

As we arrived early in to Ghorepani we decided to dump our bags at a lodge and walk up to the interestingly named view point of Poon Hill. Without our bags the hike was a breeze and we reached Poon Hill in about half an hour. The views were awesome and we had the place to ourselves so we spent a long time there taking in the landscape and trying to take badly coordinated group photos. We arrived back in Ghorepani for lunch and had a look around some of the local shops. Ghorepani is one of the bigger villages in the area and there are regular deliveries on helicopter, horseback, and also on the backs of the incredible Sherpas.

We relaxed in the midday sun and rested for the rest of the day. Bang on two in the afternoon the clouds came in and it began to rain. We decided that we would carry on with the trek and we all felt much more rested after the easy day. It was also at the point that we realised we’d been making things difficult for ourselves. We needed to start earlier in the day, it seems somewhat common sense now but for 3 guys who didn’t like mornings it was a big step, literally. After we had dinner we went outside to take a look at the stars. Needless to say they were spectacular and it was the final push we needed to continue our trek. We warmed ourselves by the fireplace inside before heading to bed early.

Day 4:

Day 4 was, for us, a turning point. Not only did we now turn east towards Chhomrong and the entrance to the sanctuary but we also began to really enjoy and understand our journey. We woke up early at 5am and had breakfast, stretched, and marvelled at the views. By 6am we were trekking. We had finally found our stride. Please note the stretching Penguin below.

The trek out of Ghorepani towards Tadapani (our destination for day 4) and Chhomrong was one of my favourite parts of the trek. Starting up a hill through a sort of Lord of The Rings type wood with trees winding around each other and creating a path way up ahead. After about 40 minutes we came out on a plateau which gave way to incredible views of Annapurna and Machhapuchere with hundreds of bright pink Rhododenderons in the foreground. Matt and Rob chatted to a couple of other hikers and apparently we’d just missed a leopard running across the plateau. Shame we missed it but so cool that it happens!

Day 6:

From Tadapani to Chhomrong. We were now in a routine and getting up at 5:30 was easy. The views were carrying us now, as well as the twix’s and kit kats we regularly stocked up with. At one point during the day we were walking past a school, we waved at the children and they waved back and we stopped to admire the schools herb garden. It turned out there was only one herb – Cannabis. At that point we realised there was cannabis everywhere! Wow! We leant in for a closer inspection and then noticed a local man looking at us. We kept walking – best to not mess around with the locals crops!

We made great progress on day 6, we were due to stop at Chhomrong, which turned out to be a village made entirely out of stairs. It’s probably the biggest of the villages and even has some very nice restaurants. Chhomrong is also the village where you can either start the trek up the sanctuary towards Annapurana base camp or turn back and head to Phedi and the end of the round trek (about 2 days south). We were heading up to Annapurna Base Camp and as we were making good time we decided to skip ahead of Chhomrong to Bamboo.

Day 7:
Every day at the end of trek – after hours of sweating we had to dry all our clothes. We hung our clothes above the wood burners and placed our shoes next to them to dry off. Days of drying our shoes next to the fire had repercussions. Rob’s shoes were coming apart so we had to make some repairs – see below. As we climbed higher it also got noticeably colder. We started to use the covers they provided rather than just our sleeping bags – though we were always worried about bed bugs etc. In reality I don’t think we needed to worry.
On day 7 we climbed higher and were heading to Machhapuchere Base Camp, we were now already quite high so climbing was getting difficult…Our plan was to stay the night at MBC and trek up to ABC in the morning for sunrise. This plan has benefits because you don’t really need to worry about altitude sickness. Staying overnight above around 4,000 meters can often bring on altitude sickness. So sleeping below that altitude and hiking up for a short time can avoid the risk.

Day 8:
We climbed to MBC. The staircases through small villages gave way to a rocky and uneven path. The morning frost became a glacier and the delicate mountain flowers became hardy and razor-sharp mountain grass. The views were spectacular. Mountain goats (also mysteriously known as blue sheep) skipped over the cliff faces around us and as the air got thinner we began to noticeably struggle up the hill.
If we thought the stars we good in Ghorepani, the stars as MBC were…… astronomical.

Day 9:
We woke up at 4am and began our trek up to ABC where we were planning to watch sunrise and have breakfast. The trek from MBC to ABC took about an hour, we went slowly because it was dark and we were now walking on very uneven snow which would often give way.
At ABC I had a mission to accomplish. Before I left on my round the world trip my Grandparents had donated some money towards my cause on the request that I do some scientific research while at ABC. They had asked me to cook an egg at altitude and to find out how long it take to cook the egg to perfection. Because at altitude the boiling temperature of water is actually lower it means that it actually takes longer to boil an egg at altitude.

We enjoyed breakfast and took photos of the landscape around Annapurna. We’d finally made it to ABC and it was amazing. But we still had 3 days trekking to make it back to Phedi. As we walked back down the hill we indulged in a few snow fights which were even more entertaining because of Matt’s penguin hat.

Coming back down was far easier and we made good time, the landscape changed quickly from snow, to sparse and rugged rock, and then back into the rich Rhododendron forests of the Himalayas. We saw monkeys playing in the trees and the mountain goats teetering precariously on the cliff faces. All the wildlife that we must have missed in the energy sapping climb.

We made our way down to Jhinu which we were excited to get to because of some hot springs nearby which we were hoping would sooth our aching muscles. We got down to the springs after dumping our bags in Jhinu and walking around 20 minutes down a long and winding staircase. As we sat in the hot springs it began to start to rain, slowly getting heavier and heavier. The hot springs lie next to a small river and after about 10-15 minutes of rain there was suddenly a flash flood that was incredible to watch from the comfort of the hot spring. The worst bit was knowing that we would have to get out on the hot springs and walk back up the hill in the rain.
It was also the first time that I needed to charge my kindle using the inventive and outrageously unsafe gadget I got in Kathmandu. Each room came with one light – so no charging of phones or any electricals. Unless you had a gadget that turned a light socket into a plug socket, which we did. First the light bulb came out at the device plugged directly into the light bulb socket. From there my oversized plug adapter went in, and in to that my kindle charger adapter. It was quite a sight, such a thing hanging from the light socket – or it would have been if we’d had a light….
Day 9:

The morning of day 9 was spectacular – as you can see below. The colours of our accommodation were bright and playful and really complimented the spectacular views around us. We had an easy breakfast and began our days was at a leisurely 8am…. we only had a couple of hours we planned to do today as it was just slightly too far to make it to the end of the track.

The walk down continued to be easy though our legs were starting to tire from the sudden change in muscle usage. After 7 days of mainly walking uphill our calves were rock solid, however the sudden switch to downhill was a big shock to the thighs. Nevertheless, the lower we got the warmer it became and we were so used to walking by now that we made great time. I think we ended up staying at Tolka – but I might be wrong. Either way, the villages were becoming bigger again now and the Himalayas were starting to shrink, though the route back to Phedi kept them very much in sight. I could see why starting from Phedi would be an encouraging decision.

We enjoyed our day and ended with some warm showers and some sunbathing before the rains came in – then we watched the rain and read. Finally some real chill out time. We had our final stretch session and hit the hay for the last time on this trek.
Day 10:

It had been an awesome trek – and finally we were on the home stretch. We walked for a good few hours before reaching the edge of the national park at Dhamphus where you are meant to sign out of the park, I think, I can’t really remember but I think we had to show our permits though we definitely hadn’t done anything like that on the way up so if we’re proclaimed missing in the Himalayas now I wouldn’t be surprised.

Finally the Himalayas disappeared over a ridge as we came to a staircase. Our legs were now very, very tired from all the down hill and we all found the last stretch a lot longer than we expected. The stairs went on and on and anybody who starts in Phedi should be prepared for a horrific start. It’s relentless. Finally we made it down to the bottom and we’re not entirely sure if we lost the path or not but we ended up walking along some thin grass paddy fields and through what seemed to farm land. Either way after a while we hit another staircase. Yet another relentless downhill monolith.

The stairs seemed like they were going on forever but after a while you could see through the tree what seemed to be the bottom. We all fell into the very non-descript car park at the bottom of the trek. We couldn’t really believe the trek was over, but we were all on a massive high as we jumped in to a taxi (there were quite a few just waiting for the days trekkers to arrive at the bottom) and we had the windows down and the music on full. We’d done the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek….. and was awesome, you should do it.