This report is about the tour: Around Annapurna
Nepal. Review of Trekking around Annapurna in May 2018
Where did I get the desire to visit Nepal? – I saw the Pamir Range from the Alai Valley. These snow-white hats simply put me in a state of delight. If the Pamirs are so beautiful, the Himalayas should bring you complete delight! It's decided. We must go to the Himalayas to see “The Roof of the World.” After that I started getting interested in Nepal. And when I read Michel Pessel’s book “Tiger for Breakfast” about our compatriot in Nepal, there was no going back and all that was left was to choose the right company. There were several options, but in the end the option was with the OutdoorUkraine tourist club. It must be admitted that the option with this tourist club turned out to be very successful. And there are many reasons for this. The main thing is the excellent organization of the event by an experienced leader.
Upon arrival at Kathmandu airport (Tribhuvan), I applied for a visa as part of the first ten arrivals, thanks to clear instructions from OutdoorUkraine, and did not languish in queues wasting time. After collecting my luggage, I got into a taxi and headed to my pre-booked hotel in the tourist quarter of Thamel. On the way to Thamel, I immediately fell in love with Kathmandu! This is a city of ultra chaos! In this ultra-chaos, everything was mixed up: cows lying in the middle of the road, pedestrians jumping out under the wheels, cars violating all traffic rules, children, dogs, chickens and a cacophony of signals. This is the real Asia.
Considering the early rise, we weren’t able to fully enjoy the city on the first day, but we didn’t say goodbye for long.
Early in the morning we boarded the jeeps and started to the starting point of the route, the city of Chame. ABOUT! This trip on the Mahindra is unforgettable J. All the way while we were jumping on every rock and we were thrown almost throughout the entire Mahindra interior, an excerpt from the song of the Forbidden Drummers was spinning in my head:
Mom, why take this train?
Got a ticket
How would you like this ticket now?
Don't end up in the next world.
Sprinkling stones from under the wheels into the sheer abyss, we arrived at the starting point in the dark in the evening.
A fantastic panorama opened up in the morning! The sun illuminated Annapurna 2 - the view is unforgettable. So many kilometers have been traveled for the sake of this beauty.
Then travel along the route Chame - Upper Pisang and the fantastic beauty around.
There is still time for a walk in Upper Pisang in the evening. We visited the temple and stone streets of this village.
The next day, trek from Upper Pisang to Manang with one of the most stunning panoramas on the way.
Manang is a fairly large village by trek standards. We stopped there for two nights: to make an acclimatization trip and taste such delights of civilization as a hot shower, apple pie and pretty good food.
The acclimatization trip to the lake was memorable with snow and rain at the top and the scorching sun below the clouds.
The next stunning views opened up to us at Lake Tilicho. Panoramas around the high-altitude lake (5000 m above sea level) will not leave anyone indifferent! But it was necessary to reach it through sections of not the most pleasant “powder”.
After visiting Tilicho, you need to gather all your strength and emotions to overcome the highest altitude obstacle of the entire route - the Thorong-La pass (5416 m). To do this, we go to High Camp and spend the night there. On the way to High Camp there is a great bakery in Thorong Phedi. Delicious pies and the most pleasant atmosphere.
We were very lucky in crossing the pass. We overcame it quite quickly and cheerfully. The next day, in addition to snowfall, it was rumored that the Prime Minister of India visited there and the pass was closed. But by that time we were in the village of Muktinath and ate yak steaks and teramisu at the Bob Marley establishment.
After Muktinath we went to Kagbeni. Kagbeni is a village territorially included in the kingdom of Mustang. A very colorful place! The modern Middle Ages are no different!
After Kagbeni we went to Jomsom. There they witnessed another unusual event. Three boys performed a performance by traveling performers. A very special sight. These are not pure European mimes or clowns - these are seemingly half-starved guys who, together, climb through a hoop with the diameter of an adult’s head. Very impressed.
Next stop is the Tatopani Hot Springs. Oh, how nice it is to soak in the warm water after a ten-day trek.
After a break in Tatopani, again the “road of life” to the resort town of Pokhara. Pokhara offers sightseeing, shopping and a choice of rafting or paragliding. There is no desire to describe the final day in Kathmandu. This is such a colorful city that it is impossible to describe all its colors. You need to go and see for yourself. Everyone will see something different in its colors.
In conclusion, I would like to thank the organizers of the trip. Everything was great! Special thanks for the competent acclimatization and clearly planned route. At first it seemed that the route was simple and a lot of walking time was replaced by crossings. In the end everything turned out to be perfect. Meet me on the route
Dmitry Kirilenko, Kyiv-Moscow