Annapurna Sanctuary
The Annapurna Sanctuary trek is in Nepal.
For information on preparing for this trek, including when to go, what to bring, what permits are required, and safety precautions including altitude sickness, and water contamination, see Trekking in Nepal.
Understand
The Annapurna Sanctuary Trek is a trek in the Annapurna region which commonly starts or finishes in either Phedi or Nayapul and reaches the Annapurna Base Camp. Phedi is situated at a distance of 165 Kilometers (via Baglung Highway) from the capital city, Kathmandu. A total of 5 to 7 days is necessary for the whole trek to finish.
Get in
Travelers can take a bus to either Phedi or Nayapul from Pokhara. It takes around 2 hours to Nayapul by bus and costs around N₨.110-200. There are several bus stations in Pokhara from which you can begin your journey. The bus to Nayapul is usually taken from the Baglung bus station which lies north of the Phewa Lake. The walk to the bus station takes about 45 minutes from the lakeside.
Taxi service charges on the route from Pokhara to Nayapul costs around N₨1500 for 1½ hrs, however on the way back Nayapul-Pokhara, it's possible to arrange it for as little as ₨300. Taxi Service from Pokhara to Phedi costs around ₨.700 to 1000 which takes around 20 mins ; Taxi Service from Pokhara to Dhampus costs around ₨.2000.
It's also possible to catch a jeep from Kimche to Pokhara at ₨700/per person but the connection is infrequent and may delay at times.
Itinerary
There are a myriad of trails that traverse the Annapurna and lead to Chomrong from where there is only one path up to Annapurna Base Camp.
Nayapul is marked by a collection of road side shacks that function as bus/taxi stop backed by a slightly more substantial village that has a jeep track through the middle of it.
Start your trek by following the jeep track down until you spot a swingbridge to your left, there is a foot path leading to it and you cross the river here. Turn left as you come of the bridge and pick up the track along the Modi Khola for about half an hour before you come to the outskirts of Birethanti and an ACAP check point where you have to get your Conservation permit checked. You can now see another swingbridge that you have to cross. Directly opposite the swingbridge is the TIMS office where you can either buy TIMS certificate or just check it if you have it already.
Birethanti has a number of lodges although if you have just started your hike you may wish to walk on to Tikhedunga.
Keep the river to your left hand side as you follow the start of a jeep track, and the destruction of the trail, for an hour or so before it peters out at the small hamlet of Baajgara where there are two tea shops. The trail keeps following the river, make sure the river is always to your left, and eventually you arrive in Hile where there are four lodges. The lodge owners here like to make out you are already in Tikhedunga in order to catch some of their customers. In fact Tikhedunga and its myriad of lodges is another fifteen minutes down the track.
- Ghorepani to Tadapani
- Tadapani to Chomrong via Ghurjung
- Tadapani to Chomrong via Ghandruk
- Chomrong to Annapurna Base Camp
- Chomrong to Landruk
- Ghandruk to Landruk
- Landruk to Phedi
- If you do not want to go to Landruk then you can go from Chomrong via Syauli Bazar to Birethani/Nayapul. From Kimche it is a dirt road with traffic (jeeps).
If you come from Poon Hill:
- Ghorephani to Tadapani (3h) (or continue to Chomrong)
- Tadapani to Chomrong (4h); bridges to cross river in:
- Chomrong to ABC can be done in 2 days (Deurali to MBC 2h, MBC to ABC 1.5h)
- ABC to Jhindu can be done in 1 day. Hotspring in Jhindu: ₨50. In Chomrong, ask for the shortest way to Jhindu to avoid 100 steps.
Timetables
| From, altitude | To, altitude | Time (hrs) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pokhara, 860m | Hyangja, 1070m | 0.5 | |
| Hyangja, 1070m | Phedi, 1130m | 0.5 | |
| Phedi, 1130m | Dhampus, 1650m | 1.5 | steep ascend, lots of steps |
| Dhampus, 1650m | Pothana, 1890m | 1.5 | easy walk |
| Pothana, 1890m | Bhichok, 2080m | 1 | |
| Bhichok, 2080m | Tolka, 1700m | 1 | forest walk leading down, can be a bit hard |
| Tolka, 1700m | Landruk, 1640m | 1 | easy |
| Landruk, 1640m | New Bridge, 1340m | 1.5 | easy |
| New Bridge, 1340m | Jhindu, 1780m | 2 | starts quite serious ascend to Chomrong |
| Jhindu, 1780m | Chomrong, 2170m | 2 | lots of steps leading up |
| Chomrong, 2170m | Sinuwa, 2360m | 2.5 | |
| Sinuwa, 2360m | Kuldhigar, 2540m | 2 | |
| Kuldhigar, 2540m | Bamboo, 2310m | 1 | |
| Bamboo, 2310m | Dobhan, 2600m | 1 | |
| Dobhan, 2600m | Himalaya, 2920m | 1.5 | |
| Himalaya, 2920m | Hinku Cave, 3170m | 1 | |
| Hinku Cave, 3170m | Deurali, 3200m | 1 | |
| Deurali, 3200m | Bagar, 3300m | 1 | |
| Bagar, 3300m | MBC, 3700m | 1.5 | |
| MBC, 3700m | Annapurna Base Camp, 4130m | 2 |
| From, altitude | To, altitude | Time (hrs) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annapurna Base Camp, 4130m | Dobhan, 2600m | 7.5 | |
| Dobhan, 2600m | Chomrong, 2170m | 6.5 | |
| Chomrong, 2170m | Kimrong, 1800m | 2 | Steep descend |
| Kimrong, 1800m | Ghandruk, 1940m | 2.5 | At first, steep ascend for 450m up then quite easy walk |
| Ghandruk, 1940m | Syauli Bajar, 1220m | 1.5 | lots of steps down, but not too strenuous |
| Syauli Bajar, 1220m | Chimrong, 1130m | 0.5 | easy |
| Chimrong, 1130m | Birethanti, 1120m | 1 | easy |
| Birethanti, 1120m | Nayapul, 1070m | 0.5 | easy |
| From, altitude | To, altitude | Time (hrs) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimrong, 1800m | Komrong, 2255m | 1 | |
| Komrong, 2255m | Tadapani, 2630m | 2 | |
| Tadapani, 2630m | Ghorepani, 2860m | 3 | |
| Ghorepani, 2860m | Deurali Pass, 3090m | 1.5 | |
| Deurali Pass, 3090m | Ban Thanti, 3180m | 1.5 | |
| Ban Thanti, 3180m | Tadapani, 2630m | 1.5 | |
| Tadapani, 2630m | Ghandruk, 1940m | 2 |
| From, altitude | To, altitude | Time (hrs) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghorepani, 2860m | Poon Hill, 3200m | 1.5 | |
| Poon Hill, 3200m | Ghorepani, 2860m | 1 |
Sleep
- Hotel Hill Top, ☏ +977 974 6041595.
- Sinuwa Lodge, ☏ +977 974 6041611.
- Sinuwa Guest House, ☏ +977 974 6028007.
- Bamboo Guest House, ☏ +977 984 6290080.
- Green View, ☏ +977 984 6257879.
- Bamboo Lodge, ☏ +977 984 6257488.
- Trekking Guest House, ☏ +977 974 6065966.
- Buddha Guest House, ☏ +977 974 6015194.
- Annapurna Approach, ☏ +977 975 6000321.
- Hotel, ☏ +977 984 6303417.
- Dovan Guest House, ☏ +977 974 6041130.
Himalaya:
- Himalaya Guest House, ☏ +977 974 6027283.
- Himalaya Hotel, ☏ +977 974 6046109.
- Deurali Guest House, ☏ +977 974 6005200.
- Sangrila Guest House, ☏ +977 974 6041597.
- Panorama Guest House, ☏ +977 974 60228014.
- Dream Lodge, ☏ +977 974 6045694.
MBC:
- Fishtail Guesthouse, ☏ +977 984 6037924.
- Shankar Guest House, ☏ +977 984 6293225.
- Gunung Co-operative, ☏ +977 984 6513606.
- Machhapuchhre Guest House, ☏ +977 984 6303435.
- Gangapurna View Lodge, ☏ +977 984 6396621.
ABC:
- Hotel Paradise Garden, ☏ +977 994 610003.
- Hotel Snow Land Lodge, ☏ +977 994 610002.
- Annapurna Guest House, ☏ +977 994 610001.
- Annapurna Sanctuary Lodge, ☏ +977 994 610000.
Stay healthy
There are official safe drinking water stations located at Landruk, Ghandruk, Jhinu and Chomrong. Past Chomrong, plastic water bottles are not permitted to be sold so trekkers will have to supply their own containers to be refilled. Lodges offer boiled or reverse osmosis water for around Rs. 130 per litre and untreated water for free.
Stay safe
Above Deurali, snow may be present as early as mid-November. Foot traffic quickly compacts the snow into ice making the trail treacherous, especially travelling downhill. Trekking poles and micro crampons can make the going considerably easier and some trekkers resort to wearing socks on the exterior of their boots or wrapping them in rope for extra traction.
The trail is exposed to avalanche danger where it crosses several slide paths, trekkers should practice appropriate Snow safety as conditions warrant.