Annapurna Sanctuary
We’ve had an amazing experience over the past 7 days walking through remote villages and foot of the Himalayan peaks – memories that will last a lifetime. It’s not for the faint hearted or for those who like their home comforts, but like us, if you’re willing to let loose a little and trust your guide you’ll have a unforgettable experience.
There is no denying that it was tough, in fact it was damn fucking hard. The first day was exhausting, it started off nice and gentle but abut about 4hrs in it started to climb gradually, the last three hours were the hardest we’ve ever done. We arrived at our first guest house in Ulleri at around 5pm, had dinner and straight to bed. The accommodation was very basic and had no fire to dry our clothes. The aches and pains, breathlessness, blood sucking leeches, slippery stones, heavy rucksacks, and the damn monsoon rain make trekking this time of year a soul searching endeavour.
Thankfully we decided to carry on and our legs soon adjusted, we got used to the uphill climbs, the rain and the cold. The beautiful people and the landscape made you quickly forget the previous days struggle. Getting up at 5am every morning was not a chore it was exhilarating – the mountain air and the feeling of being on top of the world, literally!
We planned on going right to Annapurna Base Camp but having fallen ill with colds, the altitude, a lack of energy and the constant danger of landslides we decided with our guide that Chhomrung would be our highest point. We had met a few trekkers who had braved the two extra days but were bitterly disappointed with the visibility having reached the top. They couldn’t believe the photos we had taken from Chhomrung on one rare bright sunny morning – they were very jealous. These will be posted later.
To see how these people live in this vast wilderness is breathtaking. Forgetting the scenery, the constant struggle to survive brings a tear to your eye, but yet they seem the happiest folk on earth.
A quick breakdown of our trek:
Day 1 – Nayapul at 1025m up to Ulleri at 1960m
Day 2 – Ulleri up to Ghorepani at 2874m
Day 3 – Ghorepani up to Dueurali 3103m
Day 4 – Dueurali down to Tadapani 2721m
Day 5 – Tadapani up then down to Chhomrong 2300m
Day 6 – Chhomrong down to Ghandruk 1939m
Day 7 – Ghandruk back to Nayapul
To anyone vaguely thinking of visiting Nepal, we would say ‘please go’, it will enrich your life forever, the landscape is what it is, but it’s the people are what makes this country such an unforgettable experience. We will never forget it and we will be back.
