Annapurna Sanctuary 23 Nov - 4 Dec

[Wrenn]

Hi Everyone. This forum is such a great idea. I'm heading to Nepal for the first time in late November and planning to do the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek (It seems like most people on here are calling it the Annapurna Base Camp - but that's the same thing right?). I have two questions.

1. Can anyone give a good idea of what daytime and nighttime (inside a lodge) temperatures I can expect at the different altitudes? Is there a good chance of there being deep snow? I'll put my expected itinerary below.

Day 1: Phedi to Tolka (about 1800m)
Day 2: Tolka to Chhomrong (about 2200m)
Day 3: Chhomrong to Bamboo (about 1400m)
Day 4: Bamboo to Himalayan Hotel (about 2800m)
Day 5: Himalayan Hotel to Machhapuchhare Base Camp (about 3700m)
Day 6: Machhapuchhare Base Camp to ABC (about 4100m)
Day 7: ABC to Himalayan Hotel (about 2800m)
Day 8: Himalayan Hotel to Chhomrong (about 2200m)
Day 9: Chhomrong to Ghandruk (about 2000m)
Day 10: Ghandruk to Naya Pul (about 1000m)

2. I'm using the Lonely Planet "Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya" for a lot of planning. It was published in 2001. Has anyone been able to verify that it's still a good source of information 7 years later?

Thanks in advance for all your help and for all the info that's already on here.

[priebesj]

I was at ABC in mid November and it snowed. Only a few centimeters, but it also was below freezing even during the day. Inside the lodge dining rooms there will kerosene heaters under the tables at night. Other than carbon monoxide poisoning things will be okay. Your room will be whatever temperature it is outside.

A comment about your itinerary. Chhomrong to Bamboo will be pretty short day, even though it's not all downhill. Don't count on a room at Himalayan Hotel. I had planned to go there from Chhomrong, but runners from tour groups had gotten there early and "reserved" all the rooms (there are only 12). I had to go on to Deurali, which was a long day. The last hour I hiked in fog so thick I could barely see the trail. If you can manage, I would suggest cutting out one day on the approach and spending an extra day at ABC. It's pretty spectacular and you'll probably have it to yourself during the day. Hiking up the valley above the lodges will be well worth it.

Enjoy
steve

[yakshaver]

Hi Everyone. This forum is such a great idea. I'm heading to Nepal for the first time in late November and planning to do the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek (It seems like most people on here are calling it the Annapurna Base Camp - but that's the same thing right?). I have two questions.

1. Can anyone give a good idea of what daytime and nighttime (inside a lodge) temperatures I can expect at the different altitudes? Is there a good chance of there being deep snow? I'll put my expected itinerary below.

Day 1: Phedi to Tolka (about 1800m)
Day 2: Tolka to Chhomrong (about 2200m)
Day 3: Chhomrong to Bamboo (about 1400m)
Day 4: Bamboo to Himalayan Hotel (about 2800m)
Day 5: Himalayan Hotel to Machhapuchhare Base Camp (about 3700m)
Day 6: Machhapuchhare Base Camp to ABC (about 4100m)
Day 7: ABC to Himalayan Hotel (about 2800m)
Day 8: Himalayan Hotel to Chhomrong (about 2200m)
Day 9: Chhomrong to Ghandruk (about 2000m)
Day 10: Ghandruk to Naya Pul (about 1000m)

2. I'm using the Lonely Planet "Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya" for a lot of planning. It was published in 2001. Has anyone been able to verify that it's still a good source of information 7 years later?

Thanks in advance for all your help and for all the info that's already on here.

I would go with the advice of spending an extra day at ABC and exploring the sanctuary a bit...

I have always done this comming from Birethanti and sleeping the first night in Ghandruk (an nice village especially the old part - beautiful!)

But you can also go the way you described. Instead of Bamboo, I would probably go another hour or so to Dovan (or Doban on some maps). It is at 2500m and it has a lot more lodges to chose from.
From there, you can go to MBC, but your plan to stay at Himalaya Lodge is also good. More time to acclimatize.

On the way back, you can probably to from ABC all the way to Dovan again. And from Dovan to Ghandruk (rather than just Chomrong). In fact you can easily go from Himalaya to Ghandruck if you so wish.

My suggestion to go to Ghandruck on the way up (and visit it at the beginning) is because you then have the posibility to go down from Chomrong to Jinhu Danda and the hot pools there, stay the night and then go on along the Modhi Khola to Syauli Bazaar, and Birethanti out to Pokhara.

The trek from Chomong to Jinhu and beyond is nice, going off the beaten trail a bit, through nice villages, terraced plantations, etc.

An alternative trek would be
Birethanti to Ghandruk (stay the night an visit the old part of the village)
Ghandruk to Dovan
Dovan to MBC
MBC to ABC
ABC - exploring, resting
ABC to Dovan
Dovan to Jinhu Danda
Jinhu Danda to Birethanti

You can add a day on the way up by staying a night at Himalaya Hotel for some sort of acclimatization, although it is a bit low for that.

And on the way down, maybe you can come from ABC to Himalaya, then the following day to Chomrong, sleep in Chomrong. Then from there to continue to Jinhu etc.

I guess if you have 9 days or so, there is some flexibility and you can decide on the spot.

[Wrenn]

Wow this is great info! Thanks a million for all the advice. It's especially good to know how small Bamboo is and I hadn't even thought about how quiet the Sanctuary would be during the day, since everyone is probably hiking in or out. I think I'll try to do that.

It sounds like it's going to be pretty darn cold up there too. Good to know since I wasn't sure what to expect. Looks like I'll need some more cold weather gear. It's tricky to plan since I think it will probably be warmer at the lower elevations.

[Lars]

See if you can squeeze in a stop at Shangri-La lodge in Deurali. They do the
best pizza in the Annapurna region!

We stayed overnight there and then had only 4 hours to ABC, including lunch
at MBC. It was nice to arrive so early at ABC. You can hang out in the sun all
afternoon.

Another thing that has not been mentioned on your packing list is The Moon!
Make sure you know when the full moon is! Maybe you can not adjust your
trek altogether to suit the moon. But at least you should take it into
consideration when you plan. It would be a pity if you by not knowing start
out trekking say three days after full moon, and you never get to see it
illuminating high snow covered mountains.

We had full moon at ABC itself, and it was magic! An English group we had
lunch with at ABC made the mistake of retreating to MBC late afternoon.
Then clouds came up the valley and wrapped them in dense fog, they never
saw a thing, while we were up and out late watching Annapurna South and
Macchapucchre. Highlight of the trek!

[Wrenn]

Thanks. I love pizza. Unfortunately I'm going to miss the full moon. I don't have a whole lot of flexibility in terms of dates since I'm tacking this on at the end of a work trip.

One more question though if anyone reads this - How is the bus ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara? Is it an adventure worth taking at least one way, or would you say it's better just to fly? If I get into the Kathmandu airport at 13:30, would it be possible to get a flight to Pokhara on the spot for that afternoon?

Thanks,

Wrenn

[Oli]

Take the bus, at least once. Kathmandu to Pokhara is a few hours on a good road (by local standards!) and you get to see some lovely countryside. As it is your first visit to Nepal do take a day or so in Kathmandu before heading off to Pokhara, relax after your flight and take a moment to adjust to the local pace and customs. It is best to arrive at the trailhead with a mindset for a leisurely stroll rather than in crash deceleration from hurtling into a different world. ;)

Re the guidebook query - LP2001 would be "good enough". Some things have changed and others not. For example, the political situation has changed significantly, roads are being built up the valleys either side of Annapurna, but the trails up to ABC have not changed much more than the occasional new lodge, and no printed guide will tell you which side of the Modi Khola you will be on as you pass Bagar. The newest/best for you (IMHO) would be the Trailblazer Annapurna now in 4th edition.

I don't recall the state of the moon when I was at ABC. But I was treated to a beautiful cloudless and starry sky, and we could see lightning and hear the thunder from a pre-monsoon storm rumbling up against the outer flanks of the Sanctuary. A truly awesome place! :eek: