For many people, including myself, travelling the world is a dream. After endless excursions and innumerable talks, I reflect on all the questions I’ve been asked along the way by fellow travellers as well as friends back home.
We had no prior experience with multi-day trekking when we initially started backpacking for the Base Camp. As a result, we conducted our research. Annapurna Base Camp was mentioned several times as one of the most accessible trekking sites in Nepal. In fact, much of the information we came across made the journey appear to be simple! Was it simple? Certainly not! It was time to start planning after settling on the hike. There was a lot to think about such as the permits, budgets, guides, equipment, and itinerary.
Then we came upon ‘Thrillophilia,’ an excellent travel blog site that contained all the answers to our questions. Thrillophilia reviews on Twitter totally confirm our recent visit to the Annapurna Base Camp Trek. Thrillophilia organised and prepared our entire week, including our guide, local food, equipment, as well as our budget. This added a whole new mix of travel, bringing up the best package offer, and a perfect plan for the year 2022. I would be delighted to share these eight days with you.
Day-1
We arrived at Pokhara. On the first day, we didn’t have much to do because it was a rest day before the long journey ahead. The International Mountain Museum was our destination. It wasn’t part of the trip, but that’s the thing with Thrillophelia, they go out of their way to make us feel like we had a good time.
Day- 2
The first day of the hike began with a short bus ride to Nayapul, which is the starting point for the trek. Our first descent to Birethanti began with a crossing of the Bhurungdi River via a suspension bridge. After that, the trip began to ascend towards Ghandruk through Chane. The trail to Ghandruk began flat beside the Modi River before weaving its way to Kimche and then climbing to Ghandruk. We spent the evening in the hamlet and the night in Ghandruk at a lodge.
Day- 3
The next morning, we began our journey towards Sinuwa. The 6 to 7 hour journey followed the Modi River. We began by descending the stairwell for 2 hours. We arrived in Jhinu after crossing the bridge. Before reaching the bridge across the Kimrong River, we had to cross large boulders. The trail turned steep till we reached Gurung Village in Chhomrong. In Sinuwa, we stayed at a lodge for the night.
Day- 4
The trip began in Sinuwa and progressed smoothly till we arrived at Kuldhigar. A steep stone stairway led us to Dobhan after approximately 3 hours, through the suspension bridge spanning at this point. We arrived in Deurali after climbing across the valley to the Himalaya and Hinku Cave.
Day- 5
I remember this day to be the best amongst all the days. Bagar was the starting point of the hike to Machhapuchhre base camp, and we reached there after a short walk along the Modi River. The fifth day’s walk was mostly up or down steep, but we were mostly treated to the lush green jungle. We passed past bamboo trees, streams and moss-covered rocks that spilled down to the valley’s sharply rising floor. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. It felt as though we were going through an enchanted storybook forest on our way to a lovely world. And thereafter, finally we arrived at the South Annapurna base camp.
Day-6
Early in the morning, we went to the lookout to watch the sunrise, and we saw Mt. Annapurna, blazing yellow, which was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen. We retraced our route back to Bamboo through Bagar, Dobhan and Deurali. After reaching Bamboo, there came a mossy forest with a mossy waterfall which looked so mesmerising. We stayed in an amazing bamboo lodge for the night.
Day-7
We went from Bamboo to Kuldhigar to see ACAP’s office. We then went down to a bridge across the Chhomrong River and arrived in Gurung Village after crossing the bridge. After a long day of hiking, we took a steep downhill trip to Jhinu Danda, where we relaxed in the hot springs.
Day-8
Before arriving at Syauli Bazar, we crossed the Modi River bridge and drove through various forests and rural communities. The walk ends in Syauli Bazar, where the landscape flattens out until Nayapul.
Our overall trip was fantastic, and we thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. When we arrived at Annapurna Base Camp, I realised that my desire of being in a place surrounded by majestic mountains and snow had come true. The early visit of Annapurna, as the sun kissed the snow-covered peak, was breathtaking and unforgettable. It was well organised, and everything went as planned. We did this with a very professional guide suggested by Thrillophilia.
To be honest I never thought I would go on this trip and I would not have completed this without the help of the Thrillophilia blogs, plans and definitely the Thrillophilia reviews on Tripadvisor. One of the best experiences of our lives was completing the Annapurna Base Camp trek in eight days. The entire confidence in Thrillophlila’s recommendations and Thrillophilia reviews on Facebook has really aided me in trusting the packing alternatives.
