Grade
This trek is graded Moderate. The walking is generally moderate in character though not without its strenuous moments! It has proved to be well within the capabilities of those who are fit and enjoy hill walking. Maximum height reached is around 4,725m (15500ft). As we will be trekking at a sensible pace, gaining height gradually, the likelihood of altitude problems is greatly minimized.
Climate
Weather in the world’s highest mountain range is never totally predictable but we would expect clear and settled conditions. In the early stages the days will be warm, around 70 F/20 C. As altitude is gained, though the days will still be pleasantly warm, it will be chilly early morning and night time temperatures can be down to below freezing.
Included
All ground transport as specified in the itinerary, bed and breakfast accommodation in Kathmandu, Nepali ‘welcome dinner’ on the first evening. Half day excursion of Kathmandu, all camp food, on trek, services of leader, English-speaking Sherpa guide, trek crew and porters, tents, cooking equipment, Kathmandu airport transfers. Also included is the use of a ‘Trek pack’ which includes such items as a duvet jacket, sleeping mats, sleeping bag and rain poncho. This saves you bringing out a lot of gear with you, but we would still advise you to bring your own waterproofs and a sleeping bag liner.
Not Included
AReturn Flights, Passport, visa, insurance, immunization fees, meals other than breakfast in Kathmandu (budget £20 per meal without drinks). Airport taxes. Tipping.
Flights
Flights are not included in the tour price. We will on request source International flights from London Heathrow to Kathmandu via Doha with Qatar Airlines. Note that these fly out of London on the day before the first advertised day of the tour (Day 1 of itinerary).
Flight routing example:
Outbound
Depart LHR 22.30 - arrive Doha 07.25
Depart
DOH 09.00 – arr KTM 16.25
Inbound
Depart KTM
08.15 –arr DOH 10.30
Depart DOH
12.30 – arrLHR 17.55 (same day)
The Trekking Day
A typical day begins just after 6 am. with an early morning mug of tea served through the tent flap. After a hot breakfast, during which the camp will be struck and the porters loaded, we begin our walking in the pleasant cool of the morning. Lunch is around 11 am. or so. This midday break usually lasts about an hour. After walking for about three hours in the afternoon, we will aim to pitch camp around 4 pm. You will have an hour or so to relax and reflect before the day is rounded off with a hot three course meal. However, for contact with local people, there may be the opportunity of visiting a nearby village.
Health Matters
A medical kit will accompany the trek. We do, however, recommend that each person carry a small personal first aid kit. A suggested list of contents will be sent to all members, as well as more general information on health matters.
For Vaccinations, check most recent recommendations with your doctor. Normally you are advised to have Hepatitus, Tetanus, Meningitis and Typhoid Jabs. Some medical centers may encourage you to have a Rabies jab as well. You are recommended to inquire about Malarial prophylactics if you are travelling to Chitwan or the tropical lowlands before or after the trek.
Documents
A visa is required for Nepal and you must have a valid passport. Visas for Nepal if applying directly with the Nepal Embassy will cost £20 for a single entry. Alternatively you could use the postal visa service of www.travcour.com but there is an additional fee of £25 + £7 postage and packing. Trekking documents are required, but these are organised by us in Kathmandu. You can purchase visas on arrival into Kathmandu but we would not recommend this option as the queues are long and the situation on this can change at any time.
Books & Maps
For this trek particularly Chris Bonington's Annapurna South Face. (1971) is interesting. Then there is the famous first ever ascent of a 8000 m peak in 1951: ‘Annapurna’ by Maurice Herzog, a mountaineering classic.
An up to date travelogue is Andrew Stevenson's 1997 Annapurna Circuit: A Himalyan Journey.
For information on the sights of the Kathmandu valley, its history and culture, we suggest ‘Rough Guides’ & ’ Lonely Planet travel guides’. A good general guidebook (although without so many hints) is the Insight Guides series Nepal. There are many books on Trekking in Nepal. Perhaps the most well known are those by Stephen Bezruchka, or Stan Armitage. A usefully realistic account of what happens on trek is found in Mike Harding's Footloose in the Himalayas.
There are accounts of the most important great expeditions such as John Hunt The Ascent of Everest. Reinhold Messner The Crystal Horizon.
Note
: That a good company for sourcing outdoor / trekking books is ‘Cordee’: www.cordee.co.uk
Another company: ‘Cicerone Press,’ www.circerone.co.uk
Publish their own trekking guides to areas of the Himalaya : recommended is:
Annapurna: A Trekker's Guide by Kev Reynolds
ISBN 1852843977 Price: £14.00
A trekking map is normally issued to you at your trek briefing in Kathmandu, if not these are readily available in the town, although they are somewhat lacking in detail!
Escorted
Tours 2008
Arrival
dates for trips starting in Kathmandu are as follows.
17 March- 2 April,
14 April-30 April
11 October-27 October,
8 November – 24 November,
6 December – 22 December.
2009
28 March and 25 April.
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Outline Itinerary
The
following itinerary is intended as a working guide only and is subject to
variation as a result of local conditions, weather, government
restrictions or other reasons beyond the control of Sherpa Expeditions.
We
reserve the right to alter (lengthen or shorten) any trek at any time if
this is necessary.
1000m
= 3281ft. 1km = .62 miles.
Note that the tour dates start in Kathmandu:
Day
1: Arrive Kathmandu (1330m) and transfer to our 5 star hotel. Rest of day at leisure. Evening welcome dinner in a fine Kathmandu restaurant.
Day
2: Half-day excursion touring Kathmandu with its many temples and pagodas. Then there will be a ‘Trek briefing’ talking about the tour in general and what to expect. The rest of the day free for you to explore.
Day
3: Drive by road to Pokhara (915m) that is 200km west of Kathmandu. 7hrs. On a clear day there are spectacular views of the high mountains to the north and the skillfully engineered hillside terraces of the lower hills. We then have a short 2 hour trek to Damphus Phedi (1500m) where we camp. On the way spectacular views of the Annapurnas and Machapuchare (the peak with the famous "Fishtail" profile) start to open up.
Day
4: We continue on through rhododendron forest to cross a 2,164m/7,103ft pass. We then descend to the pretty Gurung village of Landrung 2,010m, (5 hours). A hillside settlement of stone-built houses with thatch and slate roofs.
Day
5: Leaving Landrung we descend steeply to the Modi Khola River, crossing it at 1,370m. Followed by a steady 595m ascent up the famous and well-constructed "stone staircase" to Ghandrung (6,398ft), the largest Gurung village, which offers fine views of Annapurna South and Machapuchare 1,951m. This is a short but quite strenuous day leaving you time to visit the ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) Headquarters where the Project’s aims and achievements are on display, and see a short film on ACAP’s efforts to control the environmental damage caused by careless trekkers.
Day 6: To Tadapani Leaving Ghandrung, we walk through sparse woodland before ascending through more dense rhododendron and magnolia forest to camp near the village of Tadapani. 5 hours, 2700m.
Day
7: To Dobaato. The tiny settlement of Tadapani is the last permanent habitation we shall see for a week. We immediately enter dense rhododendron, oak and magnolia forest, following a well-defined trail which is enclosed like a tunnel in some places - keep any eye on the trek leader and Sherpa guides. Look out also for the monkeys that live in the forest. Ascending steadily with tremendous views to the north, we reach bamboo forest. Vegetation gradually thins out as we approach the tree line. We pass several water buffalo-grazing pastures before reaching the saddle of Kuromai Deurali, from where we descend to a small sheltered basin for lunch.
Next, we ascend grass-covered slopes to a high ridge from where a 360 panorama of the entire Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massif can be seen. There is a short descent to our campsite at Dobaato.4-5 hours 3420m
Day
8: On to Chistibung. Contouring west through sparse rhododendron forest, our goal is the Kopra ridge to the north. Due to the steep and insecure nature of this trail, used only by hunters, we descend to the low trail to Kopra, which passes through beautiful forest. Lunch is by a small stream after a long but pleasant morning’s walk. This afternoon, we ascend to the buffalo-grazing pastures of Chistibung. 6 hrs, 3000m.
Day
9: Walk on and camp on Kopra ridge A stunning site with airy views of Annapurna South, Fang, the Nilgiris to the northeast, Dhaulagiri to the northwest and Poon Hill to the southwest. 5 hours, 3810m.
Day
10: To Baraha lake. We gain height steadily up the Kopra ridge, walking above the tree line. Here we may glimpse the Himalayan Thar and Impeyan pheasant, known locally as “Damphe." As there is no water on the ridge, we carry a packed lunch. In the afternoon we continue our slow ascent to our highest campsite. 6 hours, 4200m.
Day
11: Return to the Kopra Ridge via Lake Kaire Tal: traversing along the base of a dramatic rock wall we begin our ascent of a stone approach stairway on an ancient moraine. A steady climb brings us to the holy Kaire Tal Lake, 4,725m (15500ft). A Hindu pilgrimage destination dedicated to the god Shiva. For a stunning view of the peaks of Annapurna South and Fang high above we need to climb a small ridge just near the lake. We return to the Kopra ridge camp. 5 hours, 3810m.
Day
12: To Chitre. Before starting the long descent off the ridge there is a chance to spend time exploring the western side of the ridge with tremendous views below of the Kali Gandaki River. Our route now descends into forest and through isolated kharkas (high meadows). A very steep track leads down to a small village before we cross a river and make a short climb to Sauda. This is a Magar village with a school. Descending through terraced fields initially we then cross a river and climb to join the main Jomsom trail at the village of Chitre. 6 hours, 2391m.
Day
13: To Thikhedhunga. From Chitre it is a steady climb through forest to the pass at Ghorepani. The route is busy with traders from the trans-Himalayan areas of Mustang. There are mule trains supplying rice and grain to the villages of the upper Kali Gandaki. We may even see a Hindu Saddhu making his way to the sacred shrines at Muktinath. There may be time for a hike from Ghorepani to the nearby summit of Poon Hill 3232m, one of the finest viewpoints in the region. The remainder of today’s walk is all downhill on wide trails through beautiful forests. There is ample opportunity to stop off at the many teahouses, often run by Thakali women. Until the closure of the borders with Tibet in the early fifties, it was the Thakali people who controlled the salt-for-grain trade in this part of Nepal. Lunch at Ulleri. Another Gurung staircase brings us to Tirkhedunga. 6 hours, 1577m.
Day
14: Trek to Nayapul and bus to Pokhara: In the morning there may be time for a leisurely stroll down to a natural pool where swimming is possible. We then walk (4hrs) down the Bhurungdi Khala valley, cross the Modi Khola River and walk through rhododendron forest to Nayapul (1,030m) from where we drive to Pokhara (915m) and overnight at our 3 star hotel there.
Day
15: By bus back to Kathmandu. 7 hours. Overnight at Hotel.
Day
16: A free day to continue your explorations of this fascinating city, shopping or trying out the various restaurants in Thamel. Surely an absolute must also, are the outlying towns of Bhadgaon (Bhaktapur) and Patan (Lalitpur) with their streets and squares around exotic temples of the Cl8th golden age of building.
Day
17: Departure day. According to flight times you will be transferred to the International Airport.
Each
day may vary from this schedule as walking times differ with every group,
some taking longer and others takes less, plus trail conditions
need to be taken into account. The guide in charge of your trek will alter
the schedule if necessary.
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