Steps of Annapurna

Trek of Annapurna circuit was on my bucket list for a long time but due to its long duration there were difficulties in going for it. Finally I decided to go for a shorter one, the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) Trek.

In both the cases you are in the same region and get to see almost the same mountains and scenery. Annapurna Treks are full of ups and downs and most of the time the trekking happens between an altitude of 1500 – 2500 meters. It helps in acclimatizing so unlike other treks which constantly take you upwards, the risk of altitude sickness gets mitigated to a great extent.

Starting point of Annapurna Base Camp Trek varies as roads are being constructed in the region. In past the trek started at a bridge called Naya Pul (New Bridge). With roads having already reached Ghandruk and Jhinu Danda trekkers have a choice of starting from one of these places. Duration and the places of halt can be altered as per the starting points. Annapurna Base Camp route has villages at regular intervals and it is easy to find out a place to halt at night if you get exhausted.

Guardian Giripremi Institute of Mountaineering, Pune (GGIM) is my favorite choice for long treks and I joined a group for ABC trek once they announced it. We had a fantastic group of 7 participants led by Varun Bhawat from GGIM. A great level of friendship and bonding was developed in no time among the participants. The group was supported by a team of Sherpas led by experienced Dorje from Peak Promotion, Kathmandu.

Day 1 – Kathmandu – Pokhara – Ghandruk

We took a morning flight to Pokhara from Kathmandu, which reached the destination around 10:30 am, filling us with excitement for the adventure that lay ahead. A bus was waiting for us to take us to the starting point. It dropped us 5 kms ahead of Naya Pul at Syauli Bazar, a quaint little settlement that served as our gateway to the mountains. Here, we had our first Dal-Rice lunch of the trek, that fueled our spirits before the walk began. Syauli Bazar is at an altitude of 550 meters, whereas our destination Ghandruk is at 1950 meters, so it was certainly going to be a good 1400 meters climb filled with stunning views and the thrill of rising elevation. After walking on a road for some time, we reached a place pointing an arrow towards a staircase indicating the start of our climb, and with a collective sense of determination, we took our first steps into the exhilarating heights of the Annapurna region.

Government has constructed steps all over the trek route of Annapurna, ensuring a safer and more accessible journey for trekkers. While these steps may be deemed better in terms of ease of use and safety factor, they certainly take away the authentic feel of trekking to some extent, diminishing the raw experience that many adventurers seek. Trekkers love the thrill of navigating rocky terrains and the sense of trading mountains. Moreover, the uniformity of the steps can exhaust walkers faster than a normal path. As it stands, the current situation presents a mix of both traditional trails and these constructed steps.

Path to Ghandruk takes you continuously upwards, offering stunning views which makes the journey worthwhile. We reached our destination after a good walk of about 4 hours, during which the landscape unfolded in breathtaking layers of beauty. The walk passes through green farms and rice terraces, and you can see majestic mountains rising on the other side of the valley.

Day 2 Ghandruk – Chomrong

Well maintained Tea House at Ghandruk was a pleasing establishment with a nice garden developed around it by the owners.

As it normally happens during treks, I woke up early in the morning and had first sighting of Machhapuchhare peak glowing in the golden light. This peak gets it literal name Machha (fish) puchha (tail) due to its shape resembling tail of a fish.

After passing through lush green hills, path to Chomrong leads downwards till you reach river Modi Khola. The path is a raw walkway and passes through dense forest. We had lunch in a hotel near the river and started upward climb. It was a strenuous climb of about three hours before reaching Chomrong at 2100 meters.

Day 3 Chomrong – Dovan

The Teahouse at Chomrong had a terrace constructed to function as a view point from the hotel. Early in the morning a number of trekkers were present on the terrace to view the surrounding mountains and take pictures. Machhapuchhare was now looking closer and a small but beautiful village could be seen in the valley. Later Dorje informed that it was Jhinu Danda, our halt on the last day of trek. While chatting Dorje pointed to a distant village on a mountain and said “That is Sinuwa, we will have our first tea break there”. It meant going down the valley and climbing another mountain before we had our first tea break during the trek.

Downward journey was easy as it mostly consisted of steps. Our hotel was almost the first establishment that one comes across on the way to Chomrong, so the actual town was slightly ahead and became visible after a brief walk. Chomrong looks magnificent from the height. It is a pretty little village, embedded in the greenery and has a newly constructed stupa .

As against what I had thought earlier, climb to Sinuwa proved easy. There is some more upward climb after Sinuwa and then there is a down climb till a village called Bamboo. The village probably gets it name due to the thick bamboo forest in the area.

After Bamboo trail leads upward to Dovan at 2500 meters through a dense forest.

We reached Dovan by 4 pm and had ample time to rest. It rained heavily in the evening and the downpour continued through night. There was a waterfall near the teahouse and it was difficult to say whether the beating sound was due to rain or the waterfall with little light around. Every time we stepped out of the room we put the rain gear.

Day 4 Dovan – Deurali

Day 4 was going to be comparatively easy as the distance between Dovan and our next destination Deurali is not much. We would reach Deurali by lunch time. Many trekkers prefer to travel ahead and halt at Machhapuchhare Base Camp. I met a 70 years old Canadian on the way. He is planning to visit ABC again at the age of 75. He informed that he was going straight to Machhapuchhare Base Camp.

On the way came across a flock of 400 sheep, all of them walking in decent manner but Dorje and I were stuck for the path was very narrow where we met them.

On the way to Deurali one comes across Himalaya Waterfall. It consists of multiple streams gushing down into the gorge from the great height. This is one of the biggest attractions on the ABC route.

There is a steep climb after the waterfall leading to a cave on top. After the cave, the path takes you down to Deurali. There is another interesting waterfall just before one enters Deurali. Water flows over a large oval shaped rock. The rock has longitudinal grooves which are formed across the natural flow.

It started raining after we reached Deurali and we had to spend the entire afternoon in the dining hall of the tea house. Rain stopped around 4 pm and the sky cleared. Mountains surrounding Deurali had received a light snowfall and got whitish look. A natural impression known as ‘Portrait of Buddha’ could be seen on the rocky cliff of a nearby mountain.

Trekkers returning from the base camp informed that there was heavy snow fall at ABC. There was a forecast of snow for the next day as well.

Day 5 Deurali – Annapurna Base Camp

It was a day of final ascent to the destination today. Annapurna Base Camp is located at 4100 meters which meant we had to climb more than 1000 m today. Way to ABC follows a long rocky patch adjacent to the river offering sublime views. On the way there is a spherical block of snow whose size varies as per season. It was reduced to half when we passed as it was almost end of summer.

Weather was pleasant and there was bright sunlight when we reached our first milestone of Machhapuchhare Base Camp (MBC). I met the Canadian friend at MBC, he had visited Annapurna Base Camp early in the morning and was already returning. I thought he was a day faster than us.

Trail leads upwards for some time after MBC and then it is mostly flat till ABC. By the time we climbed up weather had started changing colours, rain was followed by hail stones and then started the snowfall. ABC was visible at a distance but soon it got engulfed in the fog. Visibility dropped down to 50 feet and the only option was to follow the trail that was barely visible. Our group was not very far from me but the poor visibility made it impossible to see them, creating an impression of loneliness in the vast expanse of Himalay. Finally I met two trekkers from Delhi and one of them graciously agreed to accompany me. His name is Bhupender Singh and is a cheerful gentleman. We reached the destination in another 10 – 15 minutes.

Snow continued till we could complete our lunch and by the time we were out of dining hall the weather had assumed fantastic form. There was sunlight again and the sky was clear providing excellent views of the Annapurna Mountain range and a glacier in the valley. Annapurna range consists of multiple mountains with a number of them named as Annapurna 1 – 5, Annapurna South and there are other mountains like Gangapurna and Machhapuchhare exactly in front.

The entire area was covered with snow and it was very cold.

Next morning offered a clean weather with clear sky and we were able to see the tenth tallest peak in the world glowing like gold.

Day 6 – ABC – Bamboo

We bade good bye to Annapurna around 7 am and started our return journey. Water streams on the way were frozen and there was snow around. There is a lake on the plateau near base camp and one can see images of Annapurna and Machhapuhhare in the water. Most of it had icy surface when we passed.

Several streams cross the trekking route and they were frozen with thick ice. Many trekkers could be seen struggling to maneuver through.

After about 4 hours and 1000 meters down climb we reached Deurali and the weather started warming. It was a clear day and by 4.30 pm we were at Bamboo.

Day 7 Bamboo – Jhinu Danda

This was the last day of long strenuous walk. We had climbed down the steps near Bamboo during onward journey. Today we had to climb them up and there was a long distance to be covered till Jhinu Danda. Everyone was concerned and was suggesting to have a halt midway but our leadership team was confident that the team could do it.

I decided to count the steps as soon as we started. By the time we reached the top of the mountain after Bamboo we had climbed 2000 steps. Allow some error margin here because I am not very good at counting. I might have missed some and also there may also be a debate over many of the ‘steps’. Some of you may say that they were just rocks.

After a tea break at Sinuwa we continued the downward journey and I added 1800 steps to the original count.

Stupa at Chomrong was clearly visible on the mountain at opposite side while climbing down from Sinuwa. After crossing the river, upward climb started again. I was expecting to reach the Stupa in 1200 steps but it took almost 1800 and another 400 till Chomrong. By the time we halted for lunch at Chomrong we had climbed 6000 steps. Another 1500 – 2000 had to be crossed till Jhinu Danda. I did some rough calculations and realized that the entire trek with to and fro journey consists of around 40- 45000 steps.

Jhinu Danda has hot springs of water. We reached there by 3.15 pm and immediately went to the springs. It is about 30 minutes walk from the village. Hot Springs are situated next to the Modi river. It is a natural wonder. Ice cold water flows with ferocious speed in the river whereas hardly 10 – 15 feet away there is this source of hot water. The springs are constructed and well maintained. Relaxing in the natural spa took away all the exhaustion and relieved the muscles.

I was surprised to meet my Canadian friend again, he had reached Jhinu Danda on the same day with us. A little thought and it was clear that it wasn’t really possible to save a day as I felt before, due to long distance that one has to cover. So better to halt at Deurali on the way and get enough time at the base camp.

In the evening, we held a small function to express our gratitude to the Nepalese team of Dorje. Without their assistance it was impossible to complete this difficult trek.

Day 8 Jhinu Danda – Pokhara

Officially it was last day of the trek. We were expected to walk upto Syauli Bazar, but since Jhinu Danda has road connectivity and taxis ply to Pokhara we decided to hire one. There was still a short distance to be covered to reach the taxi stand. Treks offer you a lot and are not without surprises. This short walk made us encounter an engineering marvel. A 280 meters long suspension bridge near Jhinu Danda connects two ends of a gorge. It is one of the longest suspension bridges not only in Nepal but in all of the Asia.

As soon as we crossed the bridge we boarded a taxi and were back to the modern world.

Treks teach a lot, to enrich your experience. For me it is always a realization of our good quality privileged life in urban areas. We have all the facilities available at our disposal but walking through mountains expose you to the difficulties of life that the locals face. They are deprived of small things that we take for granted.

On the day we started from Base camp, there was no water because all the pipelines were choked due to freezing. The hotel staff worked hard in the bitter cold to fetch water for the customers.

I met a teenaged Nepalese girl while trekking from Bamboo to Jhinu Danda. We chatted a lot as we accompanied each other during the walk. She said that she had realised how lucky she was to have all the facilities in the city. “After this trek I have understood that even the air and oxygen are scarce here, somethings that we take for granted freely and pollute a lot” she stated.

Our trek ended well. I will sign off and will meet you again to share some other experience.