Mount
Annapurna
Annapurna is a mountain situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. It is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres (26,545 ft) above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its ascent.
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The entire massif and surrounding area are protected within the 7,629-square-kilometre (2,946 sq mi) Annapurna Conservation Area, the first and largest conservation area in Nepal. The Annapurna Conservation Area is home to several world-class treks, including Annapurna Sanctuary (Base Camp) and Annapurna Circuit.
- Annapurna Circuit
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The Annapurna Circuit offers more variety than any other equivalent length trek (14 days), taking in virtually every type of scenery that Nepal has to offer. There are superb views of the Annapurnas and Dhaulagiri, and an amazing variety of landscapes ranging from sub-tropical through alpine to an arid semi-desert akin to Tibet. The climax of the trek is crossing the formidable Thorong La Pass (5,416m). An 18-day trip which includes a full itinerary visiting the best sites of Kathmandu.
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The total length of the route varies between 160–230 km (100-145 miles), depending on where motor transportation is used and where the trek is ended. The whole trek usually takes about 14–18 days, leaving from Kathmandu with a stopover in Pokhara before returning to the capital some 14 days later. The trekking trail is moderate to fairly challenging and makes numerous river crossings over steel and wooden suspension bridges. Tea houses and lodges along the circuit are available for meals and accommodations. Some groups may opt for tents but these are typically only used for side trips away from lodges such as climbing a peak.
It is also possible to continue from Ghorepani to Tadapani, Ghandruk, Landruk, and then to Phedi, which follows the old Annapurna Circuit from the time when the road was not yet extended to Beni. The circuit can also be extended to visit Annapurna Base Camp (also called Annapurna Sanctuary). This trail turns to the north from Tadapani and rejoins the old circuit at either Ghandruk or Landruk.
This trek crosses two different river valleys and encircles the Annapurna Massif. The path reaches its highest point at Thorung La pass (5416m/17769 ft), reaching the edge of the Tibetan plateau. Most trekkers hike the route anticlockwise, as this way the daily altitude gain is slower, and crossing the high Thorong La pass is easier and safer.
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Annapurna Circuit has been voted as the best long-distance trek in the world, as it combined, in its old full form, a wide variety of climate zones from tropics at 600m asl to the arctic at 5416m asl at the Thorong La pass and cultural variety from Hindu villages at the low foothills to the Tibetan culture of Manang Valley and lower Mustang. Continuing construction of a road has shortened the trail and changed the villages. The Beisahar-Manag road has been built which passes through the trekking trail much of the time. With the construction of roads, mountain biking is becoming popular, with Mustang, in particular.
Annapurna BASE CAMP (Sanctuary) TREKKING
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A stunning trek (9 days) that that takes you to the “sanctuary of the gods” past the towering Machhapuchhare to Annapurna base camp. The Annapurna Range of the Himalayas is a vast massif with several peaks above 7000m. Part of the range forms a natural amphitheatre known as the Annapurna Sanctuary, ringed by such giants as Annapurna 1, Glacier Dome, Gangapurna, Fang and Machhapuchhare. This is a fairly strenuous alpine trek offering close-up mountain views equal to any in the Himalaya.
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The Annapurna Sanctuary is a high glacial basin lying 40 km directly north of Pokhara. This oval-shaped plateau sits at an altitude of over 4000 metres,  and is surrounded by a ring of mountains, the Annapurna range, most of which are over 7000 metres. Because of high mountains on all sides, the Annapurna Sanctuary receives only 7 hours of sunlight a day, even at the height of summer. The unique combination of heights and depths on the 5-7 day trek into the Annapurna Sanctuary give rise to an extraordinary variety of ecosystems. The south-facing slopes are covered in dense tropical jungles of rhododendron and bamboo, while the north-facing slopes, in the rain shadow, have a drier colder climate similar to that of the near-by Tibetan Plateau
