The Annapurna Circuit Before the Roads
The Annapurna Sanctuary Trek
From Ghorepani, the final leg of our journey was not part of the Annapurna Circuit. We extended our trek by adding on an additional seven-day side trip to the Annapurna Sanctuary, a hidden natural amphitheater of spectacular Himalayan peaks. In fact, this stretch is often considered a world-class trek in its own right, usually referred to as the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek.
Highlights of the trek to the sanctuary included spectacular panoramas, cute cliff-side trekking villages, beautiful bird-filled cloud forests, lots of langurs, and impressive up-close views of the Annapurnas.
This trek is generally less challenging than the much longer circuit, but we had been on the trail for 19 days and had been walking up to 11 hours a day, so we were starting to run out of steam. And although we had been shoveling food into our mouths, we literally had no body fat left. (Seriously, how many deep-fried Mars bars and pieces of lemon meringue pie can you eat?)
For that reason, the deep valleys before Chhomrong and then again before Dovan left us groaning. On the positive side, the narrow canyon along the Modi Khola River led through beautifully protected jungles and cloud forests with periodic views of Machhapuchhare (Fish Tail), which propelled us forward. We were also rewarded with several Himalayan langurs frolicking in the trees.
Considering the popularity of the sanctuary trek, we were a bit surprised at how precarious some of the rickety, old bridges were. More than once, we heard cracking under our feet as we crossed – yikes! We also had to clammer over a rather large landslide at one point.
But it was all worth it for the Annapurna Sanctuary, an absolute jewel. The natural bowl is surrounded by Machhapuchhre, Hiunchuli, Gangapurna, Tharpu Chuli, Singu Chuli, Gandharba Chuli, Annapurna South, Annapurna 3, and Annapurna 1 (the tenth tallest peak in the world). Check out our 360 degree view of the Sanctuary.
Walking up the moraine ridges, the views were almost too spectacular to describe. Glaciers everywhere, but the Annapurna South glacier dominated with constant cracking and chunks of ice tumbling down the slopes of the mountain. Beautiful!!! But that beauty did come with a reality check as a rescue helicopter swooped into the basecamp below us to rescue yet another trekker suffering from severe altitude sickness.
Leaving the Annapurna Sanctuary, we backtracked a couple of days to Chhomrong. Because of the extreme weather with bizarre cloud formations and fog moving in and out of the deep valleys, it seemed like a completely different experience. And when a very friendly stray dog decided to accompany for a full day, it made the descent that much more enjoyable.
On the last day of our trek, just before Birethanti, we ran through yet another Maoist checkpoint. This time, after three weeks on the trail, we must have looked a little too scary for them to try to stop us because they didn’t even attempt to challenge us on the path. We just walked on to the road and arranged for transportation back to Kathmandu.
After 26 days and 283 km (177 miles), our epic Annapurna trek finally came to an end. Despite the fact that this is the longest post we have ever written on our blog, it is hard to truly capture the magnificence of the Annapurna experience. There was something magical about the circuit in particular. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out why it felt so magical, and we think we have a theory.
The circuit is so geographically and culturally diverse that it gives you the sense that you are walking much further than 177 miles. You pass through tropical jungles, terraced valleys, dense pine forests, cloud forests, desert landscapes, high-altitude stonescapes, and sweeping fields of snow. The wildlife ranges from macaque to Himalayan blue sheep to griffons.
There are many things to discover along the way: Gurung people slaugtering a yak in their yard, Manangi priests chanting in a cliff-side monastery, mysterious Thakali fertility statues, and Magar people with their distinct tikas and nose rings. It feels like you are a character in an epic fantasy novel working your way through a grand narrative. It feels big.
And a great deal of that sense of scale comes from the fact that the circuit passes through roadless territory. You have to walk to witness this magic. That challenge translates into reward. And it is pretty clear that the construction of the road will change that epic sense of grandness in the future. The world is a work in progress, nothing stays the same. But I am glad we witnessed the grandeur of the Annapurna region before the roads came.
Since we did this trek in 2007, roads have been constructed into the region. In fact, along the circuit trail, only the stretch from Manang over the pass to Muktinath remains roadless. Reports from travelers vary, but it is clear that trekkers are less enthusiastic about the original trek. The good news is that a new popular circuit has evolved around Manaslu, which includes similar cultural areas with beautiful stone architecture as well as temples and monasteries. Click through to the next page for a day by day itinerary for this post.
