Annapurna Base Camp Lodge Trek
Tour Details
You will be trekking along the southern slopes of the Annapurna Himal offering dramatic close-up views of either the Annapurna range or the Dhaulagiri range. The reward to effort ratio is higher on this trek than any other Nepal trek. Our goal is the glacier-covered amphitheater of the 4200 m Annapurna Sanctuary. Here you will be ringed by the peaks of the Annapurna Himal including Annapurna I and the “Fishtail” peak of Machhapuchhare. You return to Pokhara by way of Birethanti. The 10-days trek is non-technical and suitable for anyone in good shape who likes to hike over mountain trail and stay at rustic lodges.
Short Itenary
Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu
Day 02: Sightseeing in Kathmandu Valley
Day 03: Fly To Pokhara & Trek to Tolkla
Day 04: Trek Chomrong (2 170 m)
Day 05: Rest day Chomrong (2 210 m)
Day 06: Trek Dovan (2 500 m)
Day 07: Trek Deurali (3 140 m)
Day 08: Trek Annapurna Base Camp (4 130 m)
Day 09: Trek Bamboo (2 310 m)
Day 10: Trek Jhinudanda (1 780 m)
Day 11: Trek Birethanti and transfer to Pokhara (620 m)
Day 12: Sightseeing in Pokhara & Fly Back To Kathmandu (evening flight)
Day 13: Fly Back Home
Itinerary
Pick-up at Tribhuvan International Airport, meeting with your guide and transfer to the hotel. First impressions of Kathmandu (1 350 m) – walk to medieval Kathmandu Durbar Square and explore the beautiful complex of palaces, temples, shrines and courtyards built by the ancient Nepali kings between the 12th and 18th century. We bring you to our office and Thamel – the vibrant tourist area with hotels, restaurants, bakeries and outdoor shops. We get to know each other over a welcome dinner, check formalities and equipment and discuss your itinerary.
Today we discover the highlights of Katmandu and the valley. We adapt the programm to your interests and desires and what you have seen before. Usually, we go to Pasupatinath on the bank of the Bagmati River, where the most important Hindu temples and burning ghats of Nepal are situated. In Bouddhanath we circumambulate together with Tibetan and Nepali Buddhist pilgrims the whitewashed stupa. Our sightseeing usually ends in Patan, the city of Beauty, an astonishing center of fine art and Buddhist and Hindu culture.
After we take first flight to Pokhara we will have breakfast and we will drive to Phedi where our trek start. Today is a five hours long walk to Tolka (1 750 m). Our trail climbs to a rhododendron forest and the village of Pothana (1 990 m) where you have to show your trekking permit at the officer Annapurna Conservation Ara Project. We descend to the pass of Deurali, where we enjoy our lunch and views on Annapurna South (7 219 m) and Hinuchili (6 434 m). We descend to the forest to a hugh side canyon of the Modi Khola and later climb it out again on flagstone steps. We arrive at our camp place, Tolka (1 790 m), a pleasant Gurung village where you have beautiful vista over Annapurna South.
As we leave Tolka the trail descends to the Tigu Khola river and climbs up again through forests to a ridge. After the ridge we make a pleasant walk passing rice terraces, fields and streams. The path further leads to Landruk (1 620 m), the hot springs of Jhinu Danda (1 750 m) and Chomrong (2 210 m), the last permanent village in the upper Moda Khola river valley. We stay in Chomrong blessed by tremendous views of Annapurna South and Hiunchuli.
Today you explore the scenic environment of Chomrong village. Chomrong village is a typical Gurng village with slate-roofed neat houses admit a complicated network of terraces. The Gurungs are one of the ethnic groups recruited by the British for their famous Gorkha regiments. All of the Gurung villages you will visit are located on ridge tops with close views of the Annapurna, you are likely to see eagles and vultures circling the rooftops of these villages as they gain altitude in the afternoon thermals.
After Chomrong the trail descends 150 m over a stone staircase and crosses the Chomrong river. We climb out of the side valley via the small settlement of Tilche through forests of bamboo, rhododendron and oak. We lunch in Sinuwa (2 340 m) and climb for about an hour through a bamboo and rhododendron forest populated with many monkeys. We enter now the upper Modi Valley and see the lodges of Bamboo and Dovan below. Overnight in Dovan (2 500m).
The day begins with a climb along across a landslide and through a forest with a small temple where locals offer flowers, clothes or leaves. We have a cup of tea in Himalayan Hotel, situated in a deep gorge and continue our way to Hinku Cave situated at 3 100 m. After 4 hours walking we reach Deurali (3 140 m).
Above Deurali the valley widens and becomes less steep and you can see the gates to the sanctuary as the mountains really start to kick in. To avoid a dangerous avalanche area we climb through bamboo and birch woods. Around lunchtime we arrive at Machhapuchhare Base Camp situated at 3 700 m – which isn’t technically a base camp since climbing of the mountain is prohibited. The panorama includes Hiunchuli, Annapurna South, Annapurna I, Annapurna III (7 555m), Gangapurna (7 454 m) and Macchapucchare. After lunch we ascent 1,5 h to Annapurna Basecamp (4 130 m). We camp in one of the few teahouses that are run at this cold, windy place often snowbound and enjoy tremendous views of the near-vertical south face of Annapurna towering above the sanctuary of the northwest and are literally ringed by the peaks and the glaciers of the Annapurna Himal including Annapurna I (8 091 m), Annapurna South (7 219 m) and the Fishtailpeak of Macchapucchare.
Heading back the valley is much easier. After 5 hours we arrive in our camp, Bamboo (2 310 m).
We make a a long steep climb back to Chomrong and enjoy beautiful views over Annapurna South, Hinuchili, Macchapucchare. From there we descend steeply to Jhinudanda (1 780 m) where you can take a dip in the steaming hot springs.
We follow the Modi Khola River and follow it downstream until we reach after 2 hours Birethanti (1 025 m), at the junction of two rivers. Our private taxi will bring us in 2 h to our hotel on Phewa Tal at Pokhara. Here you can enjoy cycling, boating, paragliding or a massage.
Visiting World Peace Stupa after driving to Sarangkot for magical sunset view and boating at Phewa lake we will transfer to Airport and fly back to Kathmandu (40 min flight).
We conclude our trip with a bus drive back to Kathmandu.
Extra days:
If you wish to stay longer in Nepal: Traveltimes Treks can offer you plenty of suggestions, we can arrange rafting and safari trips, helicopter flights, mountain biking, multi day tours to old historical city of Bhaktapur, the mountain stations Nagarkot & Dhulikhel or retreats in the serene monasteries of Namobuddha and Kopan.
Trip Format
Nepal is like not home. It is exotic, it is wonderful, but it is also different. Great elevation changes, differences in customs and language, menu variations, lodge limitations, and the many other mysteries and wonders of travel in Nepal are all conditions you must be physically and mentally prepared for. The itinerary may change. You may meet unknown hardships as well as unexpected pleasures. Come with an open mind and positive spirit.
For those of you new to trekking, you have a wonderful experience in store. Trekking is walking, generally on good trails, usually up and down (sometimes 900 m a day), carrying only a day pack, through magnificent scenery. The day starts early, and often the bulk of the day’s kilometers are covered in morning hours. The shorter afternoon hike brings you to the site of the lodge to be used that night.
You should be in good physical shape for this trip and feel comfortable hiking seven to twelve miles per day on a trail while carrying a day pack of about ten pounds. In general this is a moderate trek but with several long strenuous days. While the trip has been designed to gradually acclimatize you to altitude, two of our lodges will be above 3 300 m and our highest lodge will be at 3 700 m. One rest day is planned. Trails are often steep in Nepal and at 3 000 m any hiking can seem strenuous. On some days altitude gains and losses of up to 900 m can be expected. Strengthen your knee muscles and prepare for several days of steep descents of anywhere up to 900 m.
A program of cardiovascular conditioning such as running, swimming, biking or aerobics is essential, but try to supplement your exercise with hiking on steep hills or running up and down steps. The more you can condition by closely simulating the activities of trekking, the better off you will be. While the trip is rated as moderate overall, several days will be strenuous, and good conditioning is essential to your enjoyment of the trek.
The pace on the trek that will be leisurely and unregimented. You are encouraged to walk by yourself or in small groups. Take time to visit local houses and temples, share a cup of tea or rakshi with our porters and the locals in the many chiyaa houses. Pursue interests in photography, bird-watching and botany, and sample the culture of the area you are traveling through.
Remember that, the latitude of Nepal is between 26 °C and 30 °CN so it will warm at the lower elevations (short and T-shirt) while nights will be cool. For fall trips daytime temperatures will be between 10°C and 20°C at the lower elevations and between 5°C and 10°C at our highest elevations. Temperatures at night will in general be cool being mostly between 0°Cand 4°C except for our highest two nights where temperatures of -7°C to -12°C may occur at night. The weather this time of year is generally sunny, although an occasional storm could occur. During winter (December to February) it is about 10°C colder than in Autumn, but most of the time you will enjoy clear skies. In January though snow and snowstorms can occur which will make it harder to reach your destination or sometimes present avalanche danger. For spring departure expect temperatures to be 10 degrees hotter than fall trips. At the highest lodge the temperature could drop into – 7°C on spring trips. Spring trips should have most mornings cloudless, but during the afternoon clouds start to build up and occasionally lead to short spectacular thunder storms in the late afternoon or evening -sometimes with hail.
Should anyone have altitude problems at our highest lodge at 3 700 m, it will be possible to drop down to either 3 200 m (Deurali) or to 2 900 m (Himalaya). This could be done with one of our guides and a porter on the rest day at our highest lodge instead of proceeding on a day hike into the Sanctuary.
Personal gear will be carried by porters. Porters can carry two members’ duffel bags. Since their load is 25 kg, this means that your duffel cannot exceed twelve kilos. The group will stay in locally owned guest lodges and will receive an insight into family living that isn’t possible for those staying in tents. Additionally, you will enjoy comforts such as Western or Nepali food and beds with foam mattresses. All the guest houses have toilets and cold showers. Some of the guest houses have hot showers available, and few have electric lighting. The main common room of each lodge has charcoal of kerosene heaters-especially nice on cold nights. You will be expected to share a room with one or more persons depending on the number of beds in the room.
This is not a tour where everything can be planned in advance to run like clockwork. You probably won’t experience exactly what is written in the daily itinerary. Often adjustment must be made in the field. We want you to participate in the trip with the clear understanding that things can go wrong. Adventure travel does involve certain risks both emotional and physical. One has to be flexible when traveling in Nepal and have a cheerful attitude.
Included in the Cost
- Twin-sharing accommodation in a 3 star hotel in Kathmandu & a 3 star hotel in Pokhara.
- All airport transfers; all sightseeing in Kathmandu including guide, vehicle and entry fees for World Heritage Centers.
- Return domestic flight (Ktm-Phk-ktm).
- Trekking gear for our staff & their salary, food and trekking insurance.
- Annapurna Conservation Area fee & TIMS (Trekking Information Management System) card.
Not Included in the Cost
- International flights, airport taxes, visa fee for Nepal.
- Personal items, travelling insurance including emergency helicopter rescue/evacuation.
- Trekking gear including sleeping bag, appropriate clothing, meals in Kathmandu and Pokhara except welcome dinner in Kathmandu.
- Cold drinks or bottled/canned beverages including soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and water (bottled or boiled).
- Tipping and expenses of personal nature.
| Start date | End date | Price | Status | Book |
|---|
Map
Related Tours
Poonhill Lodge Trek
Khopra Valley Lodge Trek
Mardi Himal Lodge Trek
Nar Phu & Kangla High Pass
Poon Hill Classic Lodge Trek
Annapurna Circuit Lodge Trek
Annapurna Sanctuary & Poon Hill Lodge Trek
“Thank you for the wonderful trip. It was the best vacation either of us have ever taken, and we are already thinking about when we will be able to come back.”
Michael Mixon & Amy Miller, Scotts Valley CA
Epic Trek with Traveltimes – Annapurna Base Camp
“Great trip to kick off 2015”
Annapurna Base Camp…..There are no words to describe how incredible the trek was or the people on it with you. Our guide Dawa Lama was always helpful making sure that you were well looked after, well fed and always feeling your best. The porters (Prema & Pemba) carrying your gear makes your life easier and their always positive attitude makes the walking bit easier. My goal was achieved and I could not have done it without their great support. Even before and after the trek the city tour and transport from the airport was well arranged.
Great service and very professional attitude from the team & would definitely go with them again on other treks.