Best Time
The best time for Annapurna Base Camp Trek is in Spring and Autumn. Both seasons hold enormous and diverse beauty and change the hue of the landscapes.
During the Spring, the time is considered the best time for trekking in Nepal itself. In the spring season, the monsoon before it flushes the dust in the air and clears very clear visibility and the scenery. The season falls between February to mid-April. The time of spring season brings warm temperatures, lush greenery, longer days, and colorful blossoming flowers all around the landscapes.
It is also the best time for the longer day to enjoy more aspects of the ABC itinerary. The favorable weather and the prime beauty with blossoms plants with clear sky and visibility are the opportunities you will have during your trekking journey.
Next is Autumn, as it is the most colorful time of the year due to the change in leaves of plants’ warm hue thereafter. Another great thing is the weather which gets very stable and very similar to the weather like in Spring. It gives very colorful scenery all over the landscapes and the unique hue of the mild temperature.
You will also find the clear sky and visibility clearer than even in the spring season as the visibility during the season is considered one of the best that you can find all around the year. The mesmerizing beauty, with the colorful journey and the photographic footsteps, makes the Autumn season one of the best times to trekking in Annapurna Base Camp Trek.
Elevation and Trekking Distance
The trekking distance which the trail of Annapurna Base Camp Trek starts from the elevation of 822m from Pokhara Valley and takes you up to an altitude of 3700m. And the average walking distance per day is 17km with the time spending up to 7 hours of walking hour.
Difficulty Level
The difficulty level of Annapurna Base Camp Trek is considered moderate with the remote routes, terrain, and geography of the region. It is also different with the experience level from person to person. Some may find it normal than moderate who usually do more hikes and trekking than others.
Minimum and Maximum Walk Per Day
With a level of moderate difficulty, the trekking journey covers a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 9 hours of walking. It also depends upon the external challenges you can encounter like the weather. The time-consuming of walking per day also hugely depends upon the personal ability or the speed of walk.
Can a Beginner can go for Annapurna Base Camp Trek?
Considering the difficulty level and the challenges you have to face during the trekking journey. Yes, a beginner can do this trek. On the other hand, it is also one of the most recommended treks for beginners to experience the lifetime trekking journey.
Preparation and Training
Physical fitness and training can required to do It smoothly as the trek covers a total of 7 days of continuous walk. The trek is focused on the endurance and the strength of a person. So, it is better to do some pre-workouts of about 1 month before your journey to the Annapurna Base Camp Trek to make your journey more joyful.
Alternative Routes
The region is still more to explore or to be more to know. The old route of the ABC trek takes you up to the Southern Base Camp of Annapurna. The new route was recently explored by the AnnapurnaRulerMunicipality (ARM). This new route makes its way up to the Northern base camp of Annapurna. It is a nearly opened trail to the trekkers and yet to explore more.
The new route follows the footprint of climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lacheal who were part of the French Expedition to climb the Annapurna summit successfully for the first time in 1950. But it is still not as popular as the main route which is very popular.
It is less known and explored very less in comparison to the main route. So it consists of the unspoiled nature of the Annapurna region which gives an example of the real unspoiled nature of the Himalayas.
The route starts from Pokhara from where you will get a drive to Tatopani. Fr there you walk pass through Ghasa, Lete, and ThuloBugin. The route is less traveled and newly explored so there you find the lack of teahouses and lodges for overnight stay. So, it is necessary to choose camping as an option for the stay.
The trail follows another great place Miristi Khola (4,130m) via ThuloBugin Past at a massive altitude of 4,400m altitude. It leads you to the Northern Base Camp of the Annapurna Base Camp Trek beneath the breathtaking beautiful mountains.
After that, you can return through the circling route and do a hike through the Jungle Camp, Riverside Camp, and Lete to Pokhara via Tatopani.
Altitude Sickness
Altitude sickness is more often a problem once you reach an altitude of 3000m and above or 2500m plus from the sea level. As we already mentioned above the altitude of the ABC trek goes up to 3700m in altitude or up to the altitude of 4,400m in altitude. So, most trekkers often encounter this problem.
It causes problems like nausea, vomiting, and weakness. Mostly it occurs due to the frequent body movements or the activities which make your respiration more frequent. More on detail it causes the decreasing of Oxygen levels at higher altitudes. When you walk too fast push yourself too much or make body movements that make you breathe more than normal speed it causes Altitude Sickness.
So, if you get the sickness then do not make it worse and just stay calm also report to the guide. And if necessary you can also move to the lower altitude to recover.
Accommodation, Transportation, Meal and Drinks
Our Annapurna Base Camp Trek of 10 days begins from the city of Pokhara. Our service will cover all the logistics as the trek begins from Pokhara. During the trek, you will be offered an overnight stay in teahouses which is still a unique thing to experience on this trek. It is necessary to share rooms with your fellow group members due to the huge number of trekkers visiting the place during the best times.
You will be offered breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the trek in the tea houses. The tea house menu includes local foods like Dal Bhat Tarkari, Momo, rice bowls, soups of different flavors, and sometimes western dishes like pizza and pasta, and in some places, buffalo yak steak and apple pie are available.
For drinking there is available bottled water but it is not eco-friendly. So, we recommend using water purifiers, modern UV sterilizers, and basic water filters to purify the water when refilling your water bottle from the tap or spring.
The services in Kathmandu and Pokhara are excluded from our service. It excludes services like beverages, and bars, and external snack bills such as sweets, and desserts.
And for the transportation facility, we provide you or take you with private vehicle transfers from Pokhara to Nayapul and from Nayapul to reach Pokhara again.
Charging Communication and Internet/Wi-Fi
You will get access to the internet in most of the places in the Annapurna Region including the remote region in base camp. You can have access or have a connection to the internet via WIFI or through local SIM of NTC or NCELL. Tea houses also offer you WIFI services but with an additional charge of USD 3 to USD 4 per hour.
To purchase the local SIMs of NTC or NCELL, you can buy them in Kathmandu or Pokhara with a copy of your legal passport and pp size photo. You can recharge your balance for SIM and buy the data package as of you need by dialing *17123#for Ncell and for NTC you can dial *1415#.
After access to these SIMs, you can also communicate through voice calls. But keep in mind you are at a high altitude and remote part of the country so you may find it difficult to get a proper network sometimes.
For charging and battery backup, you can charge your handset mobiles, other backup batteries, personal laptops, iPads, or any of the available electric gadgets and devices with you at Tea House with some extra additional charges.
Permits
The trekkers need two permits from the official Boards to get entry into the Annapurna region. One from the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) and Local Village Community entry Ticket .
What to expect?
The region is filled with the enormous beauty of the remote Himalayas and the unspoiled beauty of nature. The stunning beauty of this diverse region itself makes it up to a most visited in itself. The trek offers you an incredible journey inside the vast nature and the great landscapes.
The trip also covers the incredible close panorama of the famous mountain peaks Machhapuchhare, Annapurna I, Gangapurna, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Baraha Shikhar, Khangshar Kang, Annapurna III, Tharpu Chuli, Singu Chuli, and other soldering peaks. This Circuit trek also offers you with the opportunity to get and explore the typical Gurung Village of Ghandruk, Chhomrong, and Dovan.
It is a great chance to explore the incredible nature at the high altitude as well as the culture of the native people of the Himalayas. You will find very unique rituals and the living culture and the lifestyle of the people there. The traditional villages add more beauty to the region and the places of the untouched regions.
You also get a chance to encounter rare species like red panda and musk deer, while passing through the Annapurna Conservation Area. And also the very unique and great ecosystem of the region with rare and unique species of plants.
Do not forget to take and enjoy a relaxing bath with the naturally available hot spring in Jhinu Danda.
Also, do not expect your stays to be luxurious or very comfortable. The region is only filled with houses and guesthouses which are providing the services with basic services.
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