We spent 9 days hiking to Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal so we could stand beneath some of the worlds highest mountains. We opted to hike the route independently, without a guide or porter after our previous disaster with a porter ten years ago who we basically had to fire because he was so slow and struggling on day one…but that was a very rare scenario and most guides and porters come highly rated, this time we opted to go independently as we’re confident hikers, the route is easy to follow and we packed light. Anyway, here’s our experience from the trek and photos we took along the way.
DAY 1 | Birethanti 1025m to Ulleri 2005m | 9km 3hr 30mins
We wanted an early start for our first day on the trek but the office selling park permits was closed when we arrived yesterday so we had to go back this morning. By the time the bus from Pokhara to Birethanti had filled up it was already 12pm so we didn’t start hiking until 2pm. The trail was extremely quiet, I guess most people had finished hiking for the day. We didn’t know how far we’d make it after such a late start but it’s a lovely feeling knowing that we could just hike as long as we wanted and then find a place to stay without the need of prebooking. We passed two very cute teahouse villages with old stone buildings painted white and blue metal roofs but we felt like we had enough energy to push on to Ulleri.
It was tough work hiking up relentlessly in the sweltering heat. Whenever we passed a stream or tap we’d stick our heads into the icy water to cool-off. We got fabulous views of the terraced rice plantations climbing up the lush green hills but the lighting wasn’t good for photos. We gained 1000m elevation in total and the final 500m were horrible as it was all steps but eventually we arrived in Ulleri. It wasn’t quite what we were expecting, instead of the traditional stone teahouses, big, pink,concrete hotels towered above us. It was a shame to see it so modern now as the traditional teahouses are part of the charm of hiking in Nepal. Pushing on to Ulleri was a little risky as sunset was approaching but we arrived just as the sun had set and a lady quickly approached us to see if we wanted a room in her tin and brick teahouse. The room was nicer than I expected and I was very surprised to see we had an en-suite! The owner whispered to Craig “you eat food here, room is free” which we were very happy to hear as that’s how it used to be 10 years ago. The shower was supposed to be hot but it was just a couple degrees above glacial melt so we had a quick wash and made our way into the heated dining area for Dal Bhat, the classic Nepali dish of rice, dal, potato curry and a popadom. When we went back to our room there was an annoying noise coming from the room above us and soon the penny dropped and we realised they weren’t moving furniture, they were having sex which is just disgusting to do in a teahouse. Firstly, they don’t clean the bedding so someone has to sleep in the same covers the next night and secondly the walls are all so thin so the whole house can hear you.
To top things off there were lots of locals staying at our tea house and they don’t know how to talk quietly, they have one volume and it’s shouting. A second group of Nepali people turned up at 10.30pm and were shouting through the hallway. It’s so rude, in the teahouses all the hikers go to bed early and wake early but the locals kept shouting and we had to tell them to be quiet…it didn’t work, they woke us at 11.30pm again.
DAY 2 | Ulleri 2005m to Ghorapani 3000m | 7.9km 3hrs 45mins
We both slept terribly so we got up at 7am and had porridge on the patio with our first view of a snowy peak in the distance. Today was a rather uneventful hike. It was all uphill through the forest, past streams, rivers and waterfalls but mostly just a sweaty hike up thousands of steps.
By lunch time we arrived in Ghorapani where we checked into a tea house and had yet another private bathroom, what a treat! We agreed to have three meals at this teahouse and got the room for free again. So we had a dal bhat for lunch and then showered with slightly warmer shower then yesterday. Our clothes all needed washing after they were soaked in sweat so we hung them up on the roof but it clouded over quite quickly.
The village was at around 3000m so it was chilly without the sun and we were very grateful when our hosts lit a fire in the dining hall. We were able to hang our clothes above the fire and relax on some sofas which was nice. We were actually hoping for this hike to be sociable as we’re usually hermits but everyone sort of just kept themselves to themselves. Something that’s changed since our last visit in 2013 is that all the teahouses have WiFi so it meant a lot of people were just on their phones. People did still play cards and games but times are shifting and about 50% of the people were on their phones…even though the WiFi was very sluggish. There was an Asian man sitting with his guide on a table nearby and he literally looked dead. I have no idea where he’d been hiking but it looked like he was just rescued from the summit of Everest as his face was as white as a ghost and his lips were purple and black. We got an early night as tomorrow we have to wake up at 4:45am to catch the sunrise at Poon Hill.
DAY 3 | Ghorapani 3000m to Tadapani 2680m (plus Poon Hill 3210m) | 11.2km 5hrs 30mins
With our head torches on we began our hike up Poon Hill, a very popular place to watch the sunrise. It was pretty busy and it only got worse as we approached the top and the slow people didn’t move over so everyone was bunch up and having to go at the slowest persons pace. I found it very frustrating, it was impossible to overtake but if it was in England for example everyone that’s slow would be on one side so people could walk fast and overtake on the other.
Anyway, we finally reached the top, along with about 100 other people. The sky was lightening now and we could see the Annapurna range. We picked a quieter spot with some prayer flags draped through the trees below and waited for the sun to rise. It was bitterly cold with an arctic chill to the air and Craig was poorly dressed so I lent him my jacket. As the sun pierced above the foothills the crowd of people cheered with joy. Interestingly many people were more excited about the sunrise than the mountains and positioned themselves for the best view of the sun coming up. For me it was all about the sun hitting the peaks and the golden light cast on the landscape. It was a beautiful sight and the prayer flags were the perfect addition to the photo.
Suddenly we heard the rumble of a small plane engine coming our way and in a split second it was right in front of us! We couldn’t believe it, the plane plowed straight towards the viewing platform and then turned completely sideways before straightening out and heading for the Himalayas. Everyone was shocked and full of excitement, the plane had come within 20 meters of us and the whole scene felt like the final dramatic clip in a movie.
Once the mountains were fully lit and our hands were completely numb we headed back down to Ghorapani which took just 30 minutes. Ironically the views from the hotels just outside the village were pretty much the same as what we just got but without the effort of hiking uphill or all the crowds. We warmed up with some porridge and then packed our bags, ready for todays hike.
We had some fabulous views of the Annapurna range for the first part of the trek, in a few days we’ll be standing right beneath those snowy peaks. After reaching a sort of pass covered in prayer flags we entered the forest for the next few hours. The trail began heading down to a river so we could cross a bridge, I don’t mind the downhill, I much prefer it to the uphill but once we were at the bottom we had to climb all the way back up again which was very demoralising.
Eventually we arrived in Tadapani, I think we were the first tourists to arrive that day so we had first choice on which teahouse we wanted to stay at. We picked one with a fabulous view and a very jolly host who struggled to say Lauren so she said “I call you Laurie, ok?” I said that was fine and then she said “no I call you Maya, a nice Nepali name!” The staff were really nice here which was good because they’ve been a bit grumpy in the past two teahouses. The room had a shared bathroom this time and the host whispered that she could do the room for free, it’s all very hush hush as some guests don’t barter and others have already paid on a tour.
We had our favourite dal bhat at this tea house with lashings of twangy pickle and a humongous portion. With dal bhat the hosts keep replenishing your plate until you’re full and some places they’re quite stingy and are reluctant to give you thirds or give you only a small bit extra for your second portion but this place was offering 5ths and 6ths…we stopped on the second portion, don’t worry. We had a lovely hot shower with an electric heater and played cards in the sun.
Cloud covered the mountains all afternoon but they began to disperse at sunset and turn mauve and pink. It was absolutely beautiful with the snowy peaks appearing between the candy clouds. We could see the view was amazing from the terrace so we decided to wake early for sunrise the next day.
DAY 4 | Tadapani 2680m to Upper Sinuwa 2340m | 12km 6hrs 50mins
The sunrise was as perfect as we’d hoped. We filled up our flask with coffee and sat on the balcony, watching the sun hit the mountain tops and create a beautiful golden glow through the valley below.
After some porridge we set off downhill, via hundreds of steps. We were surrounded by forested hills and occasional patches of neatly terraced slopes where locals grew rice. We got a weird vibe from the locals today, they seemed a bit grumpy and unwelcoming. It was actually a Hindu festival and we spotted one of the cows had a marigold necklace to celebrate the day so we stood and admired her for a moment. The owner came over and we were about to say “happy tihar!” but before we could be shooed us away. It was very strange. That vibe continued for the rest of the day which was totally different to the friendly atmosphere we felt on the Annapurna Circuit ten years ago. I don’t know if it’s more business focused these days or just a different culture on this hike. Locals seemed to even be reluctant to say namaste back to us, ironically the two smiliest people we met was a porter carrying a whole wardrobe on his back!! And a local guy who seemed a little special but was so giggly and happy. He tried talking to us but didn’t speak English so anything we did say had him in hysterics and it was so sweet.
Anyway, we reached a cross junction, both directions went to Chomrong and just before we turned left a local recommend the right path, saying it was more gradual. It felt rude to go against his advice so we went the way he suggested and it turned out to be badly damaged by landslides. The landslide had come right over the path so now we had a pretty sheer drop to our right where the rubble and mud had plummeted down. I was very grateful to be hiking in the dry season, Nepal is so susceptible to landslides I think it would make me quite anxious travelling in the rains.
We made it through the danger zone and arrived in Chomrong for lunch. The mountains were just about visible and we got a good view up the valley of where we would be heading over the next few days. Chomrong sat atop a hill but to continue our walk we needed to go all the way down to a suspension bridge across the river. It was a demoralising walk, I don’t mind a gradual uphill hike but having to lose all that elevation and then go straight back up again was cruel. I was dripping with sweat and going rather slowly up to Sinuwa. We’d seen the little teahouses from the spot where we had lunch and it didn’t look too far away but it took two and a half hours to reach as the whole route was up and down steps. I had to get a stick to help me walk as my calves were screaming at me. I think I pulled my muscles on day one and they haven’t recovered yet.
Finally we arrived in Upper Sinuwa where we checked into a tiny wooden room and had a lukewarm shower. We got chatting to some nice people at dinner, a young couple from Quebec who hiked the Annapurna circuit before coming here and they’d been stuck for 3 days due to landslides which they actually witnessed happening. The other couple were British and they were 70 years old! They come to Nepal every year and do huge hikes which was very inspiring to hear, albeit I don’t think I’d fancy doing any big hikes like this when I’m older. Just as the sun was going down the Fishtail mountain appeared from beneath the clouds and was a fabulous red colour.
DAY 5 | Upper Sinuwa 2340m to Deurali 3200m | 10.6km 7hrs 10mins
A group of locals checked in last night and were so loud, they woke up at 5am, let their doors slam shut and then we had to listen to an orchestra of them all coughing up phlegm. Delightful. Today was yet another tough day of gruelling ups and downs. I feel like the hike should be renamed the ‘Annapurna 10 peaks’ because it feels like we’re hiking so many mountains each day but we’re just going down valleys and back up the other side. The final 2km of the day took almost 3 hours to hike, which gives you an idea of how tiring the steps were.
We passed through the little teahouse villages of Bamboo, Himalaya and Dovan where we were told bears took over during lockdown, raiding all the food and beer left by the owners. We spent a lot of time hiking through forest but we finally got some views of wide waterfalls spilling down the mountain side and sheer walls that reminded us of Yosemite valley. The valley we were walking through was quite narrow with steep walls and low cloud began slowly drifting towards us. By the time we checked into a teahouse in Deurali we were totally engulfed in thick fog. It became too chilly to sit outside so we played cards in the dining room.
Once again, as the sun was setting the cloud began to melt away and we were left with a very dramatic scene with mountains rising from the cloud. It’s pretty impressive when they come out like this because it makes the mountains look fake when you can’t see the base and they’re seemingly floating above the clouds.
DAY 6 | Deurali 3200m to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) 4130m and back down to Machhapuchhare Base Camp (MBC) 3700m | 10.7km 5hrs 45mins
It was a cold morning at 3200m elevation. A young Hungarian guy seemed very unprepared as he came out his room and said “is this weather normal?” He obviously hasn’t hiked at elevation before and was unaware of the change in temperature as you go up.
Quite a few people we spoke to recommended not staying at ABC but just visiting for the day as many of the teahouses get pre-booked by big groups and it’s also much colder up there so they suggested sleeping at MBC instead. We took their advice and started early, a) to secure a room in MBC and b) to get the best views before clouds rolled in. The following day was predicted to be potentially bad weather so we had to make the most of today.
We were on the trail by 7am, no one else seemed to be hiking yet so it was just us and a sweet dog who’s been following us for two days. Finally we weren’t hiking on steps anymore, an actual mud-based trail with rocks gradually led us uphill and my legs were so grateful for the change of terrain. In fact we climbed 950m elevation and it was the easiest day of the trek.
We arrived at Machhapuchhare Base Camp…named after the Fishtail shaped peak we’ve been following for days. I haven’t even attempted to pronounce the name and have stuck with MBC or Fishtail for ease, we heard some tourists nicknamed it ‘Machu Pichu’ as it sounds a little similar. Anyway, the village was very quiet when we arrived and we easily found a room and left any heavy or unnecessary items in the room. The sun was piercing above the sharp point of Fishtail as we set off towards ABC. After the other tourists put the fear in us about how busy it would be we hardly met anyone coming down from the base camp and we were the only people heading up.
The view was absolutely spectacular, we were now (finally!!) surrounded by snowy mountains rising up to 8000m and I was so happy. We took our time on the walk up, taking tons of photos and gawping at the view. While the mountains were more rounded straight ahead they oozed drama behind with Fishtail and Co showing off their jagged edges with snow was clinging to the sheer walls.
When we arrived at the famous Annapurna Base Camp sign we were shocked to have it all to ourselves. We spent about ten minutes taking photos and filming goofy videos including Craig doing some sort of improvised samurai sword moves with a Nepali flag. Just a short walk up the hill from the sign was a collection of teahouses, all empty and with available rooms so we’d of been fine staying up here – maybe we shouldn’t of listened to everyone, but hey, we’re spending the whole day up here so we can still enjoy the view.
We filled our flask with hot water and made our way to the hills just above the village. We sat by a memorial with prayer flags and photos of three South Korean climbers who’d lost their lives on Annapurna South, the peak rising behind us. Their bodies were never recovered so the sign said they’re now part of the mountain that they loved to climb.
We wrapped up warm and sipped hot tea while enjoying the 360° view of some of the worlds highest mountains. There wasn’t anyone else around and it felt magic up there. The first cloud appeared at around 12pm and then more began to spill through the valley below. By 1pm we started seeing people arriving in the village but by this point some of the mountains were hidden under clouds. Luckily it was the best kind of cloudy weather as seconds after being engulfed by fog the mountains would briefly appear again.
We took a walk around the area until we were standing on a precipice. There wasn’t a fence or anything to stop you walking to the edge but it was extremely dangerous so we stood back. Not only was there a steep drop down onto a gravel covered glacier which lay below us but the ground we were standing on had no structure beneath it, so it was basically like an overhanging mud cornice and ready to collapse. We could hear the glacier creaking around us and rocks or ice tumbling down the peaks.
After taking tons of photos of the spiky peaks we headed to a teahouse for dal bhat. The dining room had windows all around it so after eating we just laid down on the sofa seats that encircled the room and admired the view. We spent the rest of the day drinking hot tea from this spot and watching the clouds roll in and out.
Just before sunset we left the teahouse and headed back down the trail to our accommodation in MBC. We were hit with a freezing cold air. It was uncomfortably cold, Craig wore his covid mask to keep his face warm as we hiked down in thick fog. The further we hiked down the warmer it began to feel. Not only is ABC 400m higher than MBC but it also sits in a bowl of snowy mountains and glaciers which create a sort of cool-box environment for the tiny village in the centre.
The fog began to disperse just before we arrived back so we waited to see if any magic pink clouds would appear for sunset but it was anticlimactic so we continued down and ordered dinner. Don’t be fooled by me saying it was warmer in MBC, it was still freezing cold. We had nice thick blankets though so as soon as we finished eating we wrapped ourselves up and went to bed.
DAY 7 | Machhapuchhare Base Camp 3700m to Upper Sinuwa 2340m | 14km 5:20 hours
One of the highlights of staying at ABC is witnessing the golden sun kissing the mountain tops. Seeing as we stayed further down at MBC we had to do a little hike before the sunrise. We were surprised to see that the sky was a bluish purple colour yet the mountains were glowing white, like the moon was illuminating them. We headed about a kilometre up a hill to get a view of the mountains as the tips began to turn pink. It was basically the same view that you can get from ABC, but maybe slightly less impressive. On the plus side we were all alone, just enjoying the view as the wind whipped up the snow from the sharp ridge-lines. The snow caught the light and it looked like pink glitter blowing across the mountain tops.
It was bitterly cold so once the peaks were all bleached white from the sun we headed down for porridge and set off on our hike back down. We passed a lot of people hiking up, I think we somehow timed our visit on a quiet day without many big groups. I must admit it felt good to be going down and my calves were very happy to take it easy. We stopped for lunch in Himalaya and I ordered a pizza as I’d seen quite a few people ordering them when we passed through a couple days before. I wouldn’t normally order western food but my goodness was I surprised at how good this pizza was. Nepal tends to use sweet sauces for Italian food which is gross but this was savoury and so tasty…needless to say Craig looked very jealous as he ate his dal bhat.
We made it to Upper Sinuwa where we’d stayed on our way up so we tried out a different teahouse but the first one had pillows like bricks and the second one had such filthy pillow cases. I couldn’t tell if they were black with dirt or mould, or a combination so we just went back to the original teahouse we’d stayed at. The bedding looked cleanish at least as the covers were different to the ones we had two days before but when Craig flipped the pillow over the opening showed a glimpse of the actual pillow and my goodness I’ve never seen so much mould. The pillow was black, totally black! I guess all of the pillows and mattresses look like this but it’s hidden under sheets.
DAY 8 | Upper Sinuwa 2340m to Jhinu Hot Springs 1720m | 7.7km 3hrs 30mins
We had the gruelling section up to Chomrong today, with the endless steps down to the river and then even more back up. We decided to treat ourselves after the tough slog to an apple pie and brownie. They were delicious and the host was very proud that her food had been featured in lonely planet and a newspaper article. There was a very old tourist, sitting and writing in his journal on the patio. He must’ve been almost 80 and after doing some writing he put on some elaborate sunglasses which covered the sides of his face and he suddenly realised the main peak was visible…as it had been for the past twenty minutes. So he shuffled off to his room, grabbed his phone to take a photo and by the time he got back the cloud had smothered the peak. The host really wanted us to spread the word about the food at her teahouse, saying ‘the British mouth is true’, I guess saying that people believe what we say? Anyway, to thank us she kindly offered to refill our flask with hot water so we could make a tea and enjoy it on the trail. We later discovered that she filled the flask with cold water, thus wasting our tea and sugar and we didn’t even know if it was treated cold water and safe to drink.
From Chomrong we headed all the way down to Jhinu. It felt different to the other teahouse villges, the staff seemed a little grumpy and reluctant to even get off their seat to show us a room. They also acted like city hotels, asking for 1000 rupees for a room but we did find one very rustic teahouse offering a room for free if we ordered our food with her and once that was sorted we followed a trail to the hot spring which is the reason why people come to Jhinu.
It was very reasonable at just 100 rupees (less than £1) each. The path led us all the way down to the river where there were four clear pools filled with warm water. It wasn’t hot hot but it was like a really nice bath temperature and it meant we could just stay in the pool for hours instead of having to keep coming out to cool off. When we first arrived there were just two other people there so we had a pool to ourselves for a long time. Gradually more people turned up and the locals were a bit annoying as they were splashing about like kids, going underwater and creating big tidal waves which caused the water to spill out the pool and onto everyone’s bags on the rocks below. A man turned up and sat next to Craig, I recognised him but I couldn’t figure out where from until he said he sells apples – then it clicked, he’d passed us the day before with a basket of apples on his back. The first thing he asked was do we want to buy any apples and then he asked if we wanted any weed. He does it all with the hugest grin on his face and we got chatting to a Danish girl and were all laughing at how good he was at advertising his product “look how happy he is!”. Our teahouse hosts seemed quite grumpy, whenever Craig popped his head into the kitchen with a big smile on his face to order food or hot water he was met with rather stone faces.
DAY 9 | Jhinu 1720m to Ghandruk 2050m | 6km mix of bus and walking
We slept terribly, again. Just as we were getting ready for bed we noticed cockroaches crawling up the wall. I couldn’t be bothered with a night of roaches so we slept with the light on in the hope that it would keep them away. The walls were made from thin wood so we could hear our neighbour snoring like he was in the same room as us. The neighbours were Nepali but they’ve been living in the US for 18 years so you’d of thought they’d of learnt some etiquette but at 4am they woke up and started having a loud conversation and shouting up the hallway to their friends. I banged on the wall which shut them up but at 4:30am they started talking loudly again. My patience seems to be fading on our travels this year.
Anyway, today was our last day of the trek and we were making our way to Ghandruk. To get there we had to walk across a crazy suspension bridge which was over 200m long! It was quite wobbly and when we stepped off it I felt like I had sea-legs. Behind us was a group of working mules who spend their whole day walking back and forth across the bridge as they carry building equipment for a new hotel. Across the bridge was the bus and jeep stop but our plan was to walk to Ghandruk. Many people were just heading straight back to Pokhara from here but we wanted to visit Ghandruk and see the old town which is said to have some beautiful buildings. When we began walking towards the trail the jeep drivers told us it wasn’t possible to go that way and we had to take the road. I looked at my map and the road went so out the way and involved an additional 500m elevation gain. So we decided to try the trail for ourselves as it was marked on our map. We soon reached a landslide area and the trail became rather risky with sheer drops so we headed back. We didn’t want to walk along the road so we decided to just take the bus to the base of Ghandruk.
The bus didn’t leave for an hour and a half which was such a pain but eventually we were on our way and we instantly regretted it. The road was a rugged single-lane dirt track so when we met another jeep or bus we had to go right on the edge. I didn’t feel safe at all and almost wanted to just get off the bus and hike the extra elevation. To add salt to the wound the road we were on must’ve been new and not marked on my map so it didn’t go the long route like I thought and we could of easily walked this way to Ghandruk. The driver navigated his way over a landslide with a sheer drop to one side. I was very happy to get off that bus but the hiking wasn’t exactly enjoyable as we followed a dusty road steeply uphill to Ghandruk.
We walked through the rather large village to the far end where the old town was and asked a few of the hotels for a room but many said they were full…yet we could see all the rooms were empty so maybe they had bookings. We were so hungry by this point that we just popped into a restaurant to eat but we were totally ignored by the staff. It was very strange. So we looked again for a room but one was charging city prices and the other said they were closed as the family was sick. We decided to try and get food again and we were finally served but we had a staff member watching us like a hawk the whole time. We just got some really strange vibes from the villagers and didn’t feel welcomed at all. There was a view over the old town which was very beautiful, the only thing missing was the mountain backdrop which was cloudy right now and the reason why I wanted to stay here so we could wake up to a crisp view.
In the end we decided to just head straight back to Pokhara on a bus and be done with Ghandruk. There didn’t seem to be any buses but we managed to get in a shared jeep for 750 rupees each and we were on our way, fording rivers, passing waterfalls and navigating our way around the buses.
We found a really nice place to stay in Pokhara with crisp white sheets and the friendliest of hosts so we felt very content and ended up spending ten days there just relaxing, eating well and researching our next plans.
We had a fab time on the trek and the views were absolutely jaw dropping but I guess the end of the hike always feels a bit pointless as you’ve already reached your goal. With every step down we got closer to civilisation and as nice as it is being in the mountains and living the simple life it’s also very appealing to be back in town with a clean hotel room and variety of food on your doorstep.
NON STOP TRAVELLING 