• Trek
• Dec,22,2022
• Binod Paneru
• 4

Are you free over the long weekend? Having enough of the city? Then the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) trek is your great opportunity. You can complete it in a week, but since spring is avalanche season and there may be delays, it may be prudent to spend around 10 days for the roundtrip to the sanctuary.

Unlike other hikes, this one starts with mountains in the distance and never loses that perspective. As a result, the reward to pain ratio for the ABC journey is very high. The first day is a strenuous climb from Naya Pul, the starting site of the walk near Pokhara, to the Ghandruk Guest House, the highest point in Ghandruk, positioned on a ridge with breathtaking views of Annapurna South and Hiunchuli.

The second morning, as you descend to the Modi Khola river and struggle to reach Chhomrong at 2,060m, lace-thin pancakes with honey and lemon mashed potatoes provide you with a much-needed energy boost. A step downhill must be followed by an equal and opposite step uphill, which is known as Newton's Fourth Law of Trekking and is the great Himalayan rollercoaster.

Three excellent triple rooms at Mountain View Lodge, which is located right before the well-known Captain's Lodge and has a solarium-like design with 180-degree views of Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, and Machapuchre, are situated. Following a hot shower, you unwind on the terrace with a cold beer and scrumptious chili potatoes while looking down into the valley you will be walking through over the next few days.

Contrary to other treks, which tend to be linear or circuitous, this one simply winds across the lush slopes in front of you. This is a fantastic bonus because it shows you exactly where you're heading. You imagine that the next night, you will actually be at the base of the amazing monster known as Annapurna South Face. Additionally, the Machapuchre forked spire is always there but looks entirely different from the typical postcard image as seen from Pokhara.

It takes a long day to go from Chhomrong to the Himalayan, it’s more better  stop at Bamboo's German Bakery for lunch, where they provide cinnamon buns, coffee, and a fat cat. The trail clings to the edge of a steep flank of Hiunchuli, and you spend the majority of the day walking through a dense rhododendron forest and strands of bamboo. At 2,900 meters, the Himalayan Hotel is located in the shade of a little ravine, with no views of the mountains, and just a few other hotels. In the evenings, under the light of the moon, the Gurung villagers here enjoy serenading and dancing.

The following morning, you rise early to visit the glaciers on the western side of Machapuchre and enjoy some sunshine. The day's total height increase will be over 1,200m, so after the initial surge of energy, your progress will slacken. Some hikers divide this distance into two days, especially if they are suffering the effects of altitude. Before attempting the avalanche-prone section of the path that lies ahead, you make a brief pit break at Deurali where you refuel with hot lemon drinks and garlic soup.

Mountain goat curry and dal-bhat are served on the Machapuchre Base Camp (MBC) at 3,700 meters. Now that you are above the treeline, you trudge through the desolate, moor-like environment to ABC while hiking beside an icy river. Although the altitude gain throughout the day's last stretch is less than 400 meters, being over 4,000 meters now makes each step a little more difficult.

There actually isn't a mountain view like this, despite the fact that it has been mentioned often. This is in the very center of the mountains, and there is an incredible sense of being inside rather than just looking at them. You feel like a trespasser who has traveled too far. It is unusual to view Annapurna South, that familiar peak that has been with you from the very beginning of the trek, from behind as you look back towards the mouth of the valley to the south at the silouhette of Machapuchre, Annapurna III, and the exquisitely smooth sides of Gangapurna.

The temperature instantly lowers to about minus 4 degrees Celsius after taking pictures of the beautiful sunset. Standing on the brink of a glacier and surveying the range of peaks in the morning gives a tranquility and beauty that is almost otherworldly. Even though Tent Peak, Fang, and Roc Noir are fascinating, the spectacular Annapurna I and the north face of Annapurna South dwarf everything else. We slept in until around 11 in the morning, then rested until, regrettably, it was time to leave. It is difficult to leave ABC since it is nearly impossible to stop turning one's head to take one last glance at this amazing spot.

The feared ascent to Chomrong, which is swiftly overtaken in anticipation of the best hot shower in the area, is followed by a trip back down to Himalaya for the night. You can travel from Chomrong to Pokhara in a single day by taking a detour via the Jhinu Danda hot springs, traveling straight down the Modi Khola, and returning to Naya Pul, depending on how keen you are to go back to bandh-hit Kathmandu. Grab your backpack and a comfortable sleeping bag, and go to Annapurna Base Camp trek  if you have a week to spare.