The Annapurna Circuit 10-21 to 11-5 Part 1

During this 16 day trek we both kept journals so that when we got back to sea level we could communicate the adventure we just had. We think we did a pretty good job of it too. But before we could translate ink to blog, everything was stolen. So, we are doing this from memory. If any of the wonderful people we met along the way read this and have anything to add, feel free. The mind has a way of changing history sometimes! (It's only been 2 weeks since we finished but our days are filled with so many new experiences that they feel like 5 normal ones!)

With that said, we have decided to document this trip the following way....this post (in 2 parts) is a description of the hike with as many facts and photos about it as possible. The following two posts will be an account of each of our personal experiences. Although it was an amazing trek, we each took very different paths getting there. So, here we go.....

Some background- The Annapurna Circuit is a 220km trek that begins northeast of Pohkara, Nepal's second largest city, in a village called Besi Shahar. As the name implies, the trek circumnavigates the Annapurna Range mostly following the Marsyangdi and Kali Gandaki Rivers. Included in this are Annapurna I though IV (Annapurna I being the world's 10th highest peak) and Thorung La Pass (the world's highest pass).

Day 1: Besi Shahar (760m) to Bahundanda (1310m)

The first day is a long 17km hike starting from Besi Shahar - a small village that probably derives 75% of its income from trekkers from all over the world. The trail literally begins on the road down the center of the village. As the paved road ends the trail continues to drop down toward the river. It quickly crosses the first bridge of many - although as if to weed out the weak of heart, the first bridge is a rickety old bamboo one. The trail follows the river for most of the day, passing from village to village. This first 7-9km is still accessible by vehicle so every once in a while you are dusted by a jeep carrying "cheating" trekkers. There is no easing into anything. The trail undulates through terraced rice fields all day with little shade from the sun.

The day ends with a final gain in elevation. You literally climb a set of long steps into the guest house. The views are stunning, as expected and at only ~3900 feet at the end of the day, the weather is still moderate.

Day 2: Bahundanda to Tal (1700m)

Today was another lengthy day with considerable elevation gain. The trail continues to follow the river through many small villages, terraced rice fields and fields of marijuana. As the altitude increases the views become more dramatic. There are plenty more bridge crossings and incredible waterfalls. Just before reaching Tal the trail looses significant elevation to come back to river bank. Tal is located directly on the sandy shore at a point where the river widens significantly which probably saves the village during the summer monsoon months. It gets significantly colder when the sun goes down as we are now above 5,000 feet and we sleep with our thermals on for the first of many nights!

To understand the structure of the trek we should explain how the guest houses are set up. Speaking with some of the locals we learned that the trail and its trekkers are responsible for many of the villages along the route. The trail is usually the main road through the villages and acts as the lifeline between them. It is used just like any main highway connecting multiple cities – just substitute donkey trains for 18 wheelers. Most of the trail is unreachable by any motorized vehicle but there are plans to change that. These plans have been in the works for 40 years and hopefully it will be another 40 before it becomes a reality. The villages have sprung up as the popularity of the trail has grown. Each village consists mostly of multiple guest houses which are run by families that live there during the trekking season (there are 2 seasons, spring and fall) although some of the villages are habited year round. The guest houses usually follow a similar format: simple rooms with twin beds (mostly doubles for 2 people although there are some dorm styles). There are one or two common bathrooms and maybe a room or two that has a private bathroom (usually more expensive though). The guest houses are typically masonry or wood construction, no insulation, no heat and sometimes no electricity. Most of the houses have some sort of solar water heater that provides just enough hot water for all the people showering before you! There is a common dining area with a connecting kitchen. At lower elevations wood or kerosene is used as fuel (usually with no flue) but as you get above tree line yak or cow dung takes the place of wood. The menu varies slightly – very slightly. Because the villages and the trail fall within the Annapurna Conservancy, the government agency has stepped in to regulate prices and assist with villager-tourist relations which benefits both the trekkers and the locals. The higher you go, the higher the prices get. The rooms are cheap with the understanding that you will eat at the guest house. We did encounter some people who did not abide by the unwritten rule and the host gave them a mouthful or they were kicked out. On average, $20/day/person will get you everything you need. The guest houses fill up every day with the incoming batch of trekkers and empty every morning when they leave. No reservations needed – it’s a first come first serve policy. This does become interesting though because at higher altitudes the pace slows and the villages are near capacity every night. So some days are a race to get a bed. If you show up and there is nothing left you either hike further up or back down, or you shack up in the dining room. This becomes interesting because most of the tour companies hire many porters who can run ahead and book rooms for their respective group. Something we complained about amongst ourselves plenty! There is also guaranteed to be at least one “convenience store” at each village selling snacks and beverages. And as you get higher you quickly learn to check the expiration date on everything!

Day 3: Tal to Danakyu (2300m)

Shockingly the trail continues to climb! Although it’s a gain of 600m it’s a relatively short day of following the river and crossing more bridges. Danakyu is little more that a stretch of 5 or so guest houses along the trail. The short day gives us a chance to rest and recoup our energy. As we ascend the altitude will begin to play a larger part in our everyday routine.

Day 4: Danakyu to Chame (2670m)

Leaving Danakyu the trail splits into a higher and lower route. The higher cuts into the mountainside with a steep elevation gain while the lower continues to follows the river. Curiously enough the lower route is closed due to a landslide…so up we go. The intense elevation climb begins with a series of cutbacks up the face of a small mountain. The terrain goes from almost rain forest like to alpine and the views of Annapurna II become spectacular as we get closer to Chame. We did come across an inter-village soccer game at almost 6000 feet which was pretty impressive. Chame is a much larger village that straddles the river. The map indicated that there were hot springs nearby (Alan was very excited by this so we dropped our stuff, grabbed our towel and headed over) but all we found was a trickle of scalding water that fell into a concrete tub occupied by a local kid who continued to tell the woman that he loved them. In the evenings at this elevation it is getting cold quickly, probably hovering around 0 degrees Celsius at night.

Day 5: Chame to Upper Pisang (3300m)

Today we began to hit tree line and the hike was fairly easy until the end of the day when we made our way into Upper Pisang. The town of Pisang is actually divided into “Upper” and “Lower” which means exactly that (Lower Pisang is located on the river 100m below). We are told that the views at Upper Pisang are spectacular and the extra effort is well rewarded. We were not misled. After crossing the river and heading up the mountainside the trail becomes lost in a series of animal pastures. We followed the pastures until they brought us to the base of the town. The views of both Annapurna II and IIV are spectacular, even from our bedroom. The views are all on the east side of the river so the sunset views are even more dramatic. The owner of the four room guesthouse we stayed at had the smarts to run the hot water pipes through his kitchen stove (creating his own boiler system). He therefore has hot water 24 hours a day! Funny enough though, we thought it was too cold outside to shower.
At 3300m (~10,000 feet) the altitude begins to play its role. Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) defined by shortness of breath, insomnia, headaches, loss of appetite and energy, vomiting and nausea becomes a daily discussion. Mika begins to experience some of these symptoms somewhere between lunch and dinner. From this point on we start hiking much slower and become much more aware of each days elevation gain.