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ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP
Annapurna Base Camp is perhaps the best known of the Nepalese treks. Walking around Pokhara, you will undoubtedly find plenty of tour agencies organizing the trek to Annapurna Base Camp. If you want to plan well in advance, I recommend seeing the tour organized by Civitatis!
I organized myself, or rather with two other trekkers: I was joined by Arnaud, a French guy, and Tea, the Croatian girl from the Mustang trek.
The trek leading to Annapurna Base Camp has several variations in its lower reaches. In fact, there are different starting points. The most convenient, in my opinion, is Kade’s: reachable by a simple cab from Pokhara (about an hour’s drive, about 20 euros). Another option is to start from Jhinu Danda: in this case a jeep is required, the journey time increases to three hours, and the cost rises to 60 euros.
The itinerary described below combines several stages into one. In fact, I completed Annapurna Base Camp after hiking in Mustang and reaching Mardi Himal Base Camp. I suggest splitting the stages differently and sleeping at Landruk, Chommrung, Bamboo and Deurali, thus reaching Annapurna Base Camp in five days.
| ๐ ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP QUICK FACTS | |
|---|---|
| ๐ Distance & Duration | ~70 km (varies depending on starting/ending points) | 5-7 day itinerary |
| ๐๏ธ Max Altitude | 4,130 m (Annapurna Base Camp) | Machapuchare Base Camp at 3,700 m |
| ๐ Technical Difficulty | Moderate / Accessible to everyone | Clear trails with stone steps (no alpine climbing required) |
| ๐ก Accommodation & Logistics | Local teahouses/guesthouses available along the entire route | ACAP and TIMS permits required |
Annapurna Base Camp Trek: From Kade to Jhinu Danda
Once you arrive in Kade by taxi, the trail to Annapurna Base Camp immediately reveals its defining feature: stairs! In fact, Annapurna Base Camp is famous for its beauty and its endless staircases! In just over an hour, youโll reach Australian Camp: from here, you can admire the first views of the sacred Machapucchare (whose summit is off-limits to all climbers for religious reasons) and the Annapurna range.
Shortly after that comes the small, flower-filled village of Pothana.
After about six kilometers, youโll reach Pittani Deurali. Here thereโs a fork in the trail: to the right, the path leads to the Mardi Himal base camp; to the left, it continues toward Annapurna Base Camp. From Pittani Deurali at 2,150 meters, the trail descends first to Tolka at 1,800 meters and then to Landruk at 1,600 meters. Following the Modi River, youโll quickly reach Himal Pani, where youโll cross the river via a spectacular bamboo bridge.
From Himal Pani you start climbing up to New Bridge. This location is named after the very long Tibetan bridge that connects New Bridge to Jhinu Danda.
I slept very well at Namaste Guesthouse: the hot shower was one of the best in all of Nepal!
This stage is 18 kilometers long, with an elevation gain of 900 meters. I don’t have the exact itinerary, or rather, I have it broken. In fact, at Pittani Deurali I followed the detour leading to Mardi Himal Base Camp. After reaching this Base Camp, I returned to the Annapurna Base Camp circuit at Landruk.
Annapurna Base Camp: from Jhinu Danda to Dovan
From Jhinu Danda begins a very long flight of steps covering 500 meters of elevation gain. At the end of these endless stairs you reach Chommrung, at an elevation of 2,200 meters. The views from here are spatial! In fact, in addition to Annapurna and Machapucchare, it is possible to see the wonderful rice terraces. From Chommrung you can already see Sinuwa: to reach it, however, you have to go down 350 meters and then up 500 meters…always with steps!
In the downhill part there is a stupa, much loved by locals. Certainly the Annapurna Base Camp trail is much less rich in history and culture than the Annapurna Circuit: this stupa is one of the few I encountered along the trail.
The alternatives I mentioned at the beginning end at Chommrung: from here on, the route to Annapurna Base Camp is the same for everyone!
Once Sinuwa, at an elevation of 2340 meters, is reached, a good hour of up and down begins, leading to Bamboo, located at an elevation of 2310 meters. This hour-long walk features a fairly dense forest and…the classic staircase to Bamboo!
From Bamboo I walked for a half-hour to Dovan, at an elevation of 2,500 meters. Here I stopped to sleep, at the good Dovan Guest House: hot shower and wifi!
ABC Trek: from Dovan to the Annapurna Base Camp
From Dovan the trail follows a forest to the 2800-meter Himalayas. In this section you can see waterfalls, a stupa and monkeys jumping with disarming ease from branch to branch.
From Himalaya, the vegetation slowly thins out, and in the meantime, we continue to climb up to the 3200-meter Deurali. Once you leave this small village you follow the Modi River again, before finding some fairly steep ramps leading up to Machapucchare Base Camp, at an elevation of 3650 meters.
This location is misnamed. In fact, Machapucchare has no Base Camp as the mountain is sacred and is inviolate. The views, on the other hand, are spectacular! In fact, from here, you can see Annapurna, Hiunchuli, Gangapurna, and, of course, Machapucchare!
The last 450 meters of elevation gain leading to Annapurna Base Camp (elevation 4130 meters) are the easiest: in fact, the slopes are never steep and, most importantly, walking in this beautiful mountain landscape helps!
I arrived at Annapurna Base Camp after walking about 13 kilometers, with an elevation gain of more than 1,700 meters. Arriving at Annapurna Base Camp before sunset was a great satisfaction! In addition, the sunset was really beautiful: the Machapucchare is so red that it seems to catch fire!
ABC Trek: il santuario ed il ritorno
Sunrise from Annapurna Base Camp, however, did not excite me. In fact, the sun takes a long time before it rises, as it is exactly behind Machapucchare. Annapurna Base Camp, however, is a wonderful place. The views of Annapurna South and Annapurna I are truly sublime! In addition, there is a shrine dedicated to climbers who died attempting the ascent of Annapurna.
Among the climbers remembered, one of the most famous is Anatolij Bukreev. The Kazakh had miraculously escaped the tragic 1996 Everest expedition, remembered by the famous film of the same name. Bukreev died in Christmas 1997 trying to climb Annapurna. This mountain, despite being the first 8000 conquered (in 1950, by a French expedition), has a very high mortality rate among climbers (about 30 percent of those who attempt the summit find death).
Annapurna Base Camp, therefore, is not only a naturalistically fantastic place but also a place rich in history and charm!
From Annapurna Base Camp I followed the same route as on the outward journey, stopping to sleep at Sinewa. The next day, now very tired, I arrived in Jhinu Danda and from there took a jeep to Pokhara.
I walked 19 kilometers to Sinewa
and further
eight kilometers to Jhinu Danda.
IN ADDITION TO ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP, YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN….
The Three Passes Around Everest!
FAQ FOR THE ABC TREK
- How many days does it take to reach Annapurna Base Camp? As I mentioned at the beginning, I reached ABC in just three daysโtwo days starting from Jhinu Danda. I recommend allowing at least five days, partly because of acclimatization. Personally, I didnโt have that problem since Iโd already done several high-altitude hikes.
- Where does the Annapurna Base Camp Trek start? The classic starting point for the ABC Trek is Kade, which is easily accessible by taxi from Pokhara. I ended my trek in Jhinu Danda because I was tired and had a fever. I would have liked to continue from Chommrung to Ghorepani (Poon Hill) to join the Annapurna Circuit and finish the trek at Naya Pul (where taxis are available to Pokhara); it would have taken me two days to complete that route. Another way to complete the Annapurna Base Camp trek is to go through Ghandruk and finish the route at Naya Pul: this route also takes two days of hiking.
- When is the best time to visit Annapurna Base Camp? The best time to trek to ABC is the same as the best time for the Annapurna Circuit. The best months, therefore, are October through December and March through May.
- Where do you stay? In excellent guesthouses, although prices are higher than in Mustang. Youโll always stay in guesthouses. These are almost always cold, unless thereโs a stove to heat the common areas. Dinner is served at the guesthouse where youโre staying. The typical Nepalese menu includes baht (rice, lentils, and vegetables), momo (a kind of large dumpling filled with vegetables or meat), noodles, and soups. For breakfast, I always had delicious apple pies.
- There is telephone service until Sinewa: from there on NCell does not work. All guesthouses, however, have Wifi: sometimes they ask for 200 NPR, equal to one and a half euros.
- I found hot showers in Jhinu Danda, Sinewa and Dovan: in the last case I had to pay 200 NPR.
- Is the trail difficult? The route is never technically challenging, but you shouldn’t take acclimatization lightly.
- Compared to the Annapurna Circuit there is significantly more stairs.
- How long is the trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary? In total, the Annapurna Base Camp trek described hereโstarting in Kade and ending in Jhinu Dandaโ is 69 km long with an elevation gain of 4,800 meters.
- Is it suitable for everyone? The Annapurna Base Camp trek is, therefore, suitable for anyone in good physical condition. I recommend it as a first trek in Nepal, after which you can try something more challenging.
