Welcome to most popular trekking Annapurna region menu. The page provides exclusive information, itineraries, schedules, trekking equipments, basic knowledge of both lodge (tea house) & tented camp trekking in Nepal with Fully escorted to Annaapurna Base camp/Annapurna Sanctuary, Annapurna circuit/manang Thorong-La, Jomsom-muktinath, Ghorepami Poonhill, Panchache and Royal trail as a treks/trips/tour organizer/operator agency in Nepal.

Annapurna lies in the mid west of Nepal. The Annapurna covers a wide range of trekking destinations and is the most popular trekking region; bounded in the west by the Barbung Khola and Dolpo, and in the east by the Budhi Gandaki, the mountains of central Nepal are dominated by the Dhaulagiri. Unlike the peaks in other parts of the country, these ranges are not sheltered from the onslaught of the monsoon by lesser, intervening chains of cloud-snaring hills. Consequently they receive almost double the country's average annual precipitation, and the glaciers tumbling from their snowy reach far into valleys below.To the north of these mountains lie arid tracts of land which are geographically part of Tibet, inhabited by Bhotias and yet still within Nepal. A circuit of any of the main three ranges is thus not only a varied scenic experience, but also a journey through culturally diverse lands.

Permits and Fees

No trekking permits are required to trek to this area. Most of the area is within the area controlled by Annapurna Conservation Area Project. Entry to this area is controlled and an entry permit has to be purchased.

Access

Most of the treks, the Pokhara will be either starting or ending point of your trek. For road travel there are a number of tourist buses available daily from Kathmandu .

For those trekking in the eastern side of the Annapurna massif the most likely starting point will be Besishahar. Buses from Kathmandu , Pokhara and the Terai arrive and depart here on a regular daily basis. The bus trip from Kathmandu to Besishahar takes around four to five hours but, at this time, there are no tourist bus services available.

Most treks starting or ending in Pokhara will require the use of buses or hired cars to reach the trailheads.

There are air strips in Jomsom and Manang so flight can be arranged as per the clients destination and schedule. However there are no direct flight from Katmandu but daily from Pokhara in the season and alternately in off-season.

Flora and Fauna

The range of geographical and climatic regions has led to a diverse variety of flora and fauna within the Annapurna region too. From heavily cultivated and the landscape, terraced paddy fields to forest of oak, beech and rhododendron then a coniferous forests of pine and, ultimately, juniper just below the tree line. In the rain shadow, to the north of the mountains, the landscape is quite barren being an extension south of the Tibetan plateau. Here there are only stunted bushes and shrubs except for close to the rivers where irrigated cropping is possible.

The native animals to be seen here include many birds the most obvious being the pika, blue sheep and Himalayan Thar.

Trails and facilities

Most of the trekking routes in the Annapurna region are well serviced by teahouses. This is particularly true for most popular treks-the Jimson trek, the Annapurna circuit and Annapurna base camp treks.

Trekkers should be aware, however that there is always the risk of being stranded by bad weather or injury/sickness between teahouses, particularly in the more remote parts of the trek itineraries. a good example is on the Annapurna circuit where there is one very long day when the high pass of Thorong La has to be crossed. There is no shelter available for most of this day and some trekkers have been caught unprepared by bad weather and altitude problems.

The treks in less developed areas, particularly Siklis, Royal trail, Mustang, Dhaulagiri and other village stay trek, definitely require trekkers to be fully organized.

People and Culture

The most prominent ethnic groups in the Annapurna region are the Gurung, the Thakali and the Manangba. Their heartland, however, is centered on the hills and valleys between the Marsyandi river and the kali Gandaki. The Thakali come from the upper kali Gandaki valley around Jomsom where their traditional farming has being supplemented by trade and, in particular, hotel and restaurant businesses. The Manange are found in the upper reaches of the Marsyandi River and are in many ways similar to the Gurungs to whom they are possibly related. They are skilled traders and trace their roots back to Tibet . Religiously, the Manange and the Gurungs of the upper hills is Buddhist with traces of their ancient, humanistic faith still apparent. The communities live further south are predominantly Hindu.

All of the communities, particularly the Gurungs are famed for their cultural performances, which are easily seen while trekking in the region.

Season

The best times to trek in are during spring and autumn. Spring is the time for rhododendrons while the clearest skies are found after the monsoon in October and November. At these times the weather is generally mild and there is little rainfall. The monsoon, from June to September, is the ideal time to visit pats of the region that falls in the rain shadow. Particularly, upper mustang is the perfect destination during the rainy season. The winter months provide good trekking conditions throughout the foothills but some of the higher passes will be closed due to snow.