“Amazing trek in Annapurna Region”
I'm just back from my second trip to Nepal this year, I go out to do some training for farmers but if I'm lucky can get some time to myself. August was monsoon time and generally not recommended for trekking (you can't see the mountains for cloud anyway), but March was great and I did a 3 day trek with World Heritage Network in the Annapurna Region. Based in Pokhara, "Thamel by a lake", with its good hotels and food, we started out from Nayapul and trekked clockwise to Birethani, Ghandruk, Potana, Dhampus and finally Phedi.
There was some rain but short and sharp, I preferred to shelter in one of the frequent tea houses along the way rather than wear hot sweaty waterproofs. Light trekking shoes were fine rather than heavy boots - but make sure they have good quality soles with grips as the rocks on the paths can be treacherous when wet. I took a 35l backpack with 8kg weight, including a 0.9kg sleeping bag (ultralite and compact, from Tesco UK, excellent quality and price, GBP35).
The scenery was, well, amazing as you might expect. Waking up in Ghandruk village and seeing the Annapurna range, across the pristine meadows and in silence was unforgettable. I do a fair bit of hill walking in Scotland but I found the trekking in Nepal more strenuous, the ascents and descents were more frequent and steeper, at least on the trek that I did. Also, I was unfit after all work and no play before I left the UK.
If you haven't been trekking in Nepal before, I wouldn't recommend it first time without a guide as the routes are mostly not signposted, maps not detailed enough and taking a wrong turn is costly in time and energy. My guide was Lata from World Heritage Network, Kathmandu (http://whnnepalanna.blogspot.com/), who was recommended by a friend in Nepal. Lata organised everything, from airport pickup, accommodation in Pokhara and en route, and was my attentive guide on the trail. I felt safe and well looked after - thoroughly recommended - thanks, Lata.
.....commented by Jack R. Macbale, Scotland.
There was some rain but short and sharp, I preferred to shelter in one of the frequent tea houses along the way rather than wear hot sweaty waterproofs. Light trekking shoes were fine rather than heavy boots - but make sure they have good quality soles with grips as the rocks on the paths can be treacherous when wet. I took a 35l backpack with 8kg weight, including a 0.9kg sleeping bag (ultralite and compact, from Tesco UK, excellent quality and price, GBP35).
The scenery was, well, amazing as you might expect. Waking up in Ghandruk village and seeing the Annapurna range, across the pristine meadows and in silence was unforgettable. I do a fair bit of hill walking in Scotland but I found the trekking in Nepal more strenuous, the ascents and descents were more frequent and steeper, at least on the trek that I did. Also, I was unfit after all work and no play before I left the UK.
If you haven't been trekking in Nepal before, I wouldn't recommend it first time without a guide as the routes are mostly not signposted, maps not detailed enough and taking a wrong turn is costly in time and energy. My guide was Lata from World Heritage Network, Kathmandu (http://whnnepalanna.blogspot.com/), who was recommended by a friend in Nepal. Lata organised everything, from airport pickup, accommodation in Pokhara and en route, and was my attentive guide on the trail. I felt safe and well looked after - thoroughly recommended - thanks, Lata.
.....commented by Jack R. Macbale, Scotland.
“I did half of Annapurna Circuit - Jomsom side”
Wonderful trek! I believe the other side of the valley is probably more green and beautiful but it needs more time on passing 5500m. We had only 2 weeks and wanted to see Kathmandu, the 3 ancient cities in Kathmandu valley, fly to Everest and make a trek in Annapurna region. We were very lucky to have World Heritage Network organize everything for us. In the beginning we wanted to be as independent as possible, just wanted a sherpa to help carry our bags. At the end we ended up having Lata from World Heritage Network organizing also all the air tickets for us, accommodation and it just worked great. Lata is extremely helpful, he understood our special needs, adjusted the trek as we wanted, booked tickets for very good prices and even brought us personally to the airport! We had a KB as a sherpa. It turned out he is actually a guide but my bag was small enough to take the sherpa job as well. He was so nice. In the beginning he struggled a bit with our strange wishes of trekking in less known areas and we had to get used to his english but at the end everything worked out very well and we all had a great deal of fun. If we are back to Nepal definitely again with World Heritage Network and Lata as our guide again. Such nice and honest people! Not like other places in Asia where you get ripped off so often. Namaste!
....commented by Rodney Croe, Sydney, Australia.
“Incredible experience at Annapurna Circuit trek with World Heritage Network!!!”
I have recently completed my second trek with World Heritage Network. This latest trip was beyond the Annapurna mountains to the Kingdom of Mustang. The trip was a proper adventure! My guide and I went up the Kali Gandaki river from the village of Kagbeni to the fabled city of Lo Manthang.
The trek took us through the amazing desert scenery of this high Himalayan kingdom. It is a very different region to the very nearby Annapurna Circuit which is more alpine in its feeling. Upper Mustang is a small desert kingdom hemmed in by the Himalayas. The trekking takes you through a region that few people visit and is wildly remote (for now).
We trekked around the sides of enormous mountains, through gorges with fast flowing rivers and over high passes (the highest is only 4100m) through this fascinating land. We visited lesser known parts of the kingdom including the Dhakmar with its blood red cliffs that glow brightly in the sun and the Gar Gompa which is an ancient Tibetan temple surrounded by chortens in a fantastical landscape of mountains.
We stayed in small guesthouses along the way which was a great way of meeting the locals and seeing how they live.
World Heritage Network is a global tour network that specialized in arranging adventure treks in Nepal. They ensure that your trekking holiday is both exciting and highly memorable. Your itinerary is as flexible as you need it to be so if you want to change your route or the duration of stay in a particular location then that's no problem. This network is highly recommended! When you arrive at the office there is always a hearty welcome!
....commented by Ray A. Bell, Belfast, Ireland.
