Nepal, a heavenly destination for tourists, is home to 8 of the highest mountains in the world. Nepal has many trekking routes across the country. Every trekking route is famous for its own natural beauty and specifications. ABC (Annapurna Base Camp) is not only the best trekking route of Nepal but also in the world.
Excited to know? How to reach Annapurna Base Camp? Are you coming from abroad? You need to first land at Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport and then head to Pokhara to reach ABC.
Annapurna circuit is home to the massive mountain range which includes.
| Mountain | Elevation | Rank (in World) |
| Annapurna I (Main) | 8,091 m (26,545 ft) | 10th |
| Annapurna II | 7,937 m (26,040 ft) | 16th |
| Annapurna III | 7,555 m (24,786 ft) | 42nd |
| Annapurna IV | 7,525 m (24,688 ft) | 47th |
| Annapurna South | 7,219 m (23,684 ft) | 101st |
| Gangapurna | 7,455 m (24,457 ft) | 59th |
You are guaranteed to be shell-shocked by the beauty of such gigantic and peaceful mountains all along the routes. You will be amazed to know that the Annapurna circuit is home to 16 more than 6000 meters peaks, 13 peaks more than 7000 meters, and the highest, Annapurna I, 8091 meters tall.
The extremely steep south face of Annapurna I makes it the treacherous and hardest mountain to climb, even harder than Everest according to many mountaineers. Annapurna III is considered the hardest to climb among the Annapurnas. However, it is still unclimbed from the southeast ridge.
These mountains are infamous for avalanches and blizzards of snowstorms. 43 people became the victims of such a cruel and devastating avalanche, to say the least, in 2014, one of the most dangerous and unfortunate avalanches in Nepal.
Annapurna lies in the Gandaki zone in Nepal. Annapurna I has three major peaks, all over 8000 meters.
| Annapurna I (Main) | 8091 m(26545 ft) |
| Annapurna I Central | 8051 m(26414 ft) |
| Annapurna I East | 8010 m(26280 ft) |
Other peaks of the Annapurna circuit, less known to tourists, include:
| Khangsar Kang | 7485 m (24557 ft) | ||
| Tarke Kang | 7202 m (23629 ft) | ||
| Lachenal Peak | 7140 m (23425 ft) | ||
| Tilicho Peak | 7135 m (23409 ft) | ||
| Nilgiri Himal North | 7061 m (23166 ft) | Central 6940 m (22769 ft) | and South 6839 m (22438 ft) |
| Machhapuchchhre | 6993 m (22943 ft) | ||
| Hiunchuli | 6441 m (21132 ft) | ||
| Gandharba Chuli | 6248 m (20499 ft) |
The world-famous trekking route, ABC TREK, was first opened to foreigners in 1977. During the old days, the trekking would take at least 23 days, to reach the base camp from Kathmandu, the capital, using the Kathmandu-Pokhara highway.
Now the situation has changed, the road construction facility has narrowed down the trekking journey to a max of 6 days to reach. The road facilities in the areas have helped in tourism and benefited many locals to increase their standard of life.
The whole trekking journey is facilitated by several hotels that give the best hospitality to trekkers, resembling the Nepalese culture and tradition. The road facility has also welcomed the adventure of mountain biking, attracting more tourists.
Now trekkers can enjoy new places in the Annapurna circuit like Upper Mustang, Naar-Pho Valley, Manaslu, and Tsum Valley. Of course, this extra route will cost you more money and an extra permit, the Annapurna circuit is so vast that the whole trekking might take months to complete.
A Holiday experience full of memories and excitement!
A jaw-dropping, heart-pounding, breath-stopping Mountain View, heart-wrenching hospitality, untouched and undisturbed natural beauty, and typical Nepali culture to remember for life.
This is the journey you do not want to miss. A tranquil landscape that relaxes your mind, forests that give unique smell and natural vibes, flowers that make you say ‘wow’, Gurung and Magar villages that will charm you with their charming and welcoming hospitality, are some of the unique things you can expect to experience during this trek.
Annapurna Base Camp sits at an altitude of 4130m, waiting to shell-shock visitors with the heart-stopping majestic view.
For any tourist living in the city all their life, make sure you are prepared to witness and experience the sheer beauty of nature and the Himalayas. You don’t even have to reach halfway or near ABC to give yourself the luxury of witnessing mountains. When you reach Ghorepani-Poonhill, you will lose your mind seeing the majestic view of Dhaulagiri, Fish-tail Mountain (Macchapuchre), Annapurna I, Annapurna South, and Annapurna North all from a single viewpoint – Poonhill.
Poonhill is one of the best viewpoints for a reason, you get a full 360-degree view of mountain giants. This place is a dream place for photographers from all over the world.
Now keep in mind this is just the first day of your journey, now just imagine how awesome will be the next 7-8 days of trekking.
Disclaimer: Make sure your pockets are full because things get pretty expensive from here.
The majority of the people in this area are Magar and Gurung, but you can find other ethnic groups like Chhetris and Brahmins as well. You will be surely amazed at the hospitality of Gurung people, talking for just a few minutes feels like you have known them for years. The vibe is so different and you will find no difficulty in blending in with the culture.
Almost 60,000 people visit this place yearly (of course pre-pandemic stat), making it one of the most famous and visited places in Nepal.
The culture and tradition are shadowed by the beauty of mountains, but it will hit you as a surprise package, which you wouldn’t have expected while planning the journey.
Nepal is pretty famous for hot springs. The most famous hot springs are located at Tatopani of Khasa and Tatopani (Myagdi).
But don’t worry, you can have the experience of natural hot spring in this trek as well, which is located at Jinu Danda. Submerging in natural hot water after day-long trekking is just the remedy you will need to cleanse your mind.
Spending hours in hot natural water on a cold night must be on the bucket list of many.
Good planning always makes the journey more exciting and memorable. It is best to know and pack all the things you might need for the trekking.
It will cost you double the money than in Kathmandu, should you buy any trekking gear in the middle of the journey. So, the wise decision will be to include all gear you need beforehand.
Trekking to any Himalayan region is expensive, especially when the trekking route is around 10 days long.
One thing to know is the lack of transportation and difficult geography of such regions makes the goods twice as expensive as cities.
All utensils, gas, and food items take days to reach the Himalayan region which makes everything expensive.
If you choose the trekking company to manage your whole journey then it might cost you around USD 400 – standard package, now the pricing may vary among various travel agencies based on the lodging, trekking days, foods included, etc. Normally the trekking takes around 7 days.
Many people find it easy and free to travel alone, without travel agencies, in that case, it would be better to carry some extra money for any uncertain events.
Autumn (September to November) and spring (March to May) are the ideal time to visit ABC. This is also when the traffic will be high and most of the hotels and lodges will be booked. Autumn and spring are considered the trekking season for ABC, the rest of the months are considered off-season.
Monsoon (June-August), is the rainy season, extremely hard and slippery to trek but should you choose this season to trek, you will be welcomed with the clean and sharp view of blue sky and Mountains.
From December to February (winter), heavy snow will cover all the mountains and you can hardly see any peaks for days and weeks. If you want some adventure and want to walk in a snow-covered trail for days then, this is the season for you, but witnessing a clear view of mountains will be rare. The winter season registers the least tourist in the area so, if you don’t like the crowd, then the whole ABC trail is all yours to enjoy.
If you have never trekked in your life then, every trekking will be hard at first. Going from 1-2 thousand meters to 4000 meters is not easy by any means, especially when you have to walk for 7-8 days to reach the destination.
Even without any trekking experience and advanced physical fitness, the ABC trek is not hard and very doable for any trekker having sound health.
This is not the hard trek route whatsoever, people reach ABC even in the off-season during harsh winter and rainy season.
Since you are walking slowly and gaining altitude every day, you get plenty of time to adjust your body temperature and blend with the surroundings. Most people won’t even notice any altitude sickness even though you reach 4000+ meters.
On average, the trail is moderate and suitable for any age group of people.
For any international tourist, the first destination will be Kathmandu, as the only international airport in Nepal is situated there.
When you land in Kathmandu, the first step is to visit the travel agency if you choose to take help for trekking.
Many trekkers choose to travel on their own so what they can do is skip travel agencies and visit Thamel.
Thamel is the most popular tourist destination, famous for trekking gear, traditional items, and souvenir items at a very cheap price.
Collecting your trekking gear will be the first step.
Visiting Kathmandu and witnessing Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath, and Syowanbu will be interesting.
You can take a flight directly from TIC to Pokhara which will take around 25 minutes, but the road trip will be 7-8 hours long.
As one of the best tourist destinations in Nepal, tourists prefer to spend at least one night in Pokhara visiting famous places like Phewa-Taal, David Falls, multiple caves, famous bars, and restaurants at night.
It takes several days if you want to explore the whole Pokhara but you can still enjoy your short one-day trip here in the city of 7 lakes.
At least an hour-long drive will take you to Nayapul, but don’t be surprised if it takes 2 hours because of traffic. From Nayapul you will part ways from the main highway that will take you to Mustang and make your way towards Ulleri.
Many tourists start their journey or trek from here, but the transportation facility is available till Ghorepani.
Keep in mind, that you can reach Ghorepani from Pokhara in 1 day if you take a transport, but most tourist journey start from Nayapul where they start their trek. The journey from Ulleri-Ghorepani will provide a lot of memories, you travel along the river where you can swim if you prefer.
You will travel through the forest and hanging bridge along the way till you reach Ghorepani.
Many people travel up to Ghorepani just to see the view from Poonhill. Poonhill gives a 360-degree view of mountains including the Annapurna range, Dhaulagiri, fish-Tail Mountain, etc.
Every day you have to walk 8 hours on average during the whole trek.
If you wish you can reach Tadapani from Pokhara in 2 days but is that even fun if you don’t enjoy the journey rushing for the destination?
Chomrong village residing at the base of Hiunchuli (6441 meters) not only provides the best food and hospitality but also the breathtaking views of Annapurna and Macchhapucchhre, and a cup of coffee of course.
Walking along the banks of the Modi River, witnessing beautiful forests, birds, and a glimpse of mountain peaks from places, you will reach Doban here you will call it a day.
Machhapuchre Base Camp is itself a famous destination among tourists. Passing through this magnificent place along your journey is always amazing.
This is where you throw your bags, hug your friends & family, and shout out your lungs with joy. Lose yourself to the mountains and sheer beauty of Annapurna.
Take a photo, or video and make some memories which you will remember and look back for the rest of your life.
Now you can take a different route to return to Nayapul which includes:
(at an elevation of 2335m) 7660ft
(at an elevation of 1780m) 5839ft
(at an elevation of 1970m) 6463ft
You can always take a detour to Ghandruk which makes your journey a few days longer.
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