Short Annapurna Base Camp Trek
Introduction to the trip
One of the best treks in world’s best trekking area is the short Annapurna Base Camp trek. The trek not only takes you to the best view points of the Annapurna range but also gives opportunity to discover different type of culture and observe the change in landscape from 850 m. above the sea level up to 4,130 m. above the sea level. The trek has the best views as well as it passes through beautiful forest with different types of vegetation and follows the river valley of Modi upstream to reach Annapurna Base Camp and retrace back the same river downstream to finish the trekking. One can observe the different types of flora and fauna as well as different types of orchids which are typical of the area. The orchids blooms in different time of the year but in March and April most of the species has flowers. This trek is ideal for the person who likes to walk fast and want to reach Annapurna Base Camp but does not have many free days. We recommend this trip for people with previous trekking experience. As Annapurna base camp is not high like Everest Base Camp, the altitude sickness will be no problem even when somebody walks faster. The trek starts after an hour drive from Pokhara at the point called Kande and end in Nayapul. After Nayapul take a transfer to reach Pokhara.
The highlight of the trip
Australian camp is very popular Mountain View point. From Australian camp one can get a spectacular view of whole Annapurna area including the highest peak of the area called Dhawalagiri.
Annapurna base camp is very famous for its 360 degrees view of snowcapped mountains. When a person reaches to Annapurna Base Camp they consider this place as one of the part of the paradise. The view from the Base Camp is simply awesome and not camparable to any other viewpoints.
Landruk , Ghandruk and Chhomrong are biggest Gurung villages of the Annapurna area. As the area is dominated by Gurung people who also like to serve in the British regiments, one might get opportunity to hear the experience of retired Gurkha in the area. Exploring Ghandruk on the way back, a day before finishing the trek also gives opportunity to visit the headquarters of ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) where they have movie show about different types of conservation work carried out in the area. The traditional Gurung museum in Ghandruk gives opportunity to get information about day to day lifestyle of this hill tribe.
The trek also gives opportunity to observe on of the biggest glacier in the Annapurna area, the Annapurna glacier from Annapurna Base Camp.
One of the deepest gorges is located here in the trek as the trek follows the valley of Modi Khola and the peaks of Fishtail (6992 m.) and Annapurna I (8091 m.) stands side by side. One can walk through this gorge while doing the trek.
Best time to go this trek
The trek can be done throughout the year but the best months are March-May and September to November. If you love cold or can easily cope with low temperatures even winter time (December-February) gets stunning Mountain View. March, April considered very good month as part of the trail passes through dense rhododendron forest and this is the blooming season. The vegetation looks great during rainy season but the view of the mountain often get covered with the cloud and lower part of the trail there is leech infestation. The leech goes away with salt so we recommend our customers to carry a small amount of salt if they are doing the trek from July up to the mid-September.
The difficulty level of the trip
The trip in general is not difficult except walking for many hours continuously and the trip contains lots of ups and downs. The ups and downs are demanding so people with prior experience of walking in the rugged terrain loves this trip. Please do not hesitate to write to us for alternative itinerary if you think the trip is not good for you, we will come up with best alternative considering your abilities and condition as well as your will.
Is this trip suitable for me?
If you fit for climbing up and down in the hilly area and able to walk for 6-8 hours the trip is suitable for you. The accommodation you receive is mostly twin sharing basis with shared bathrooms. The rooms are enough clean and if you come in the busy season like October the Annapurna Base Camp might be overcrowded and not always but some time some of our individual customers might need to share the room with another anonymous trekker or opt for sleeping in the dining area, which we feel even more comfortable than the room as they have chimney in the dining hall. The western sitting toilets might not be available in higher elevation as the water freezes inside the commode during the winter. Most of the villages they have the micro hydropower station so there will be opportunities to charge your electronic devices. Some tea houses in the higher elevation might incur extra money to charge your electronic devices.
