Coming to Nepal
doesn’t only mean going to the Himalaya, nevertheless trek in Nepal is a must!
With friends I did the Annapurna Circuit and it definitely is one of the
highlights of my trip so far. It took us 13 days from Besishahar (830m) to Pokhara.
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| Starting point - Besishahar, at 830m |
On the fifth day we
reached Manang (3500m), where we spent two nights to acclimatize, then on the 9th
day we crossed the pass, Thorong-La, at 5416m, and started to descend. It’s
amazing to see how much the landscape, culture, people changes along the way.
As the temperature constantly drops during the ascent,
the volume of the river also gradually reduces and parts of it are frozen as
well as many waterfalls.
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| After leaving Manang, at 3500m |
As that area has a
very strong Tibetan influence, people are mostly Buddhists; but depending on
the altitude villages develop different activities. And the ones on very high altitudes
have not many options of agriculture since, apart from few species, nothing
else grows up there. Then the porters and donkeys play an even more important
role as they have to bring all the supplies to those villages.
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| One of the many bridges on the way and the tibetan flags |
The path is well
signalized and it's not difficult; there are many checkpoints along the way to
keep track of people and keep it safe. Thus no need of guide at all, unless you
want to hire a porter to bring your backpack – this is cool since it is a
important activity for the local economy. But bear in mind that porters are not machines, what means one of them should be enough to carry stuff for one person, not for the whole group in order to save money.
The water and the food
are not a problem; we took water purifier drops and used tap water, no problems! For
food, pretty much every guest house has its own restaurant and serve the
classic Dal Baht and some other dishes, including few western option. They sort
of overprice food a little bit and usually offer accommodation for free if you
eat there, depends on the deal you agree with them – what doesn’t happen for all trekking routes in Nepal apparently. The rooms are
very basic and it means very cold at night, so thermo clothes and a good
sleeping bag can make your nights a bit more comfortable.
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| Village at around 2000m and its few guest houses |
After the 3500m, the
trekking demands more and more since the air has less oxygen at that altitude;
the three days before crossing the highest point (Thorong-La Pass) the body
feels a lot the difference on the air and the altitude itself, what slows the
pace. But taking it easy is not a problem since you can enjoy it to take some
nice shots.
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| The landscape keeps changing and the agriculture is the main activity |
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| Near Manang |
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| Many other trekkers doing this it daily |
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| At Thorong-La Pass - Ina, myself and Thiago |
