The Annapurna Circuit is, as the name suggests, a circular trek in the Annapurna mountain range, covering up to 230kms depending on where you start and end the trek and how much vehicle transport you use. For the same reason, it can take anywhere from 15 to 25 days. The Circuit has been open to foreign tourists since 1977 and is still widely considered one of the best treks in the world. Well, we were about to judge that for ourselves.
There are two preferred times of the year for visiting Nepal, and for trekking, peak season is from late September to early December as this is the best weather - cool and clear. Another wave of trekkers come in late February to early April as the weather is much warmer at this time, although it might be a little bit hazier. The four of us intrepid travellers, however, had chosen to tackle the Circuit in the middle of January which is the dead of winter. We were hoping to be blessed with relatively warm, clear days but we would have to suffer through freezing (and usually well in to the negatives) nights with no heating to keep us warm. Oh, and of course there might be some snow in places. We had been keenly monitoring the weather in the days leading up to our departure and there had been no major snowfall, so we were crossing fingers we'd be unimpeded along the trek.
Bright and early in the morning (about 5:30am) we got a local bus up to the central part of Pokhara where all the buses leave from, but we then had to wait about an hour until one was leaving for Besisahar which is a small town where the trek begins. The majority of people do the trek in an anti-clockwise direction, as the daily altitude increase is slower and crossing the high Thorong La Pass is easier and safer. As is always the case in Nepal, this 100km or so journey took us several hours, but at least it gave us a chance to rest up a little bit more before starting the trek. The bus dropped us off in Besisahar right across the road from the first check point for the trek (very convenient), so after signing in and showing our permits we were off.
Click here to open a map of our route on the Circuit.
DAY 1: Besisahar (760m altitude) - Nadi Bazaar (930m)
The first thing to notice when we set off was that it didn't feel like we were in the mountains at all. Probably because we weren't at that point. We spent a bit over 4 hours walking the first day, and all of it was along a dusty, winding and slowly inclining road with frequent jeeps and local traffic passing us in either direction. It was also bloody warm which I guess wasn't too much of a surprise considering we were hardly at altitude yet. There was also constant civilisation, with small villages and towns along the way with the locals going about their daily business. After stopping at Bhulbule and having lunch, we didn't have too much further to go til we reached the small settlement of Nadi Bazaar, which is where we spent the first night. Throughout the entire trek are these small local villages with tea houses (guesthouses), which is where trekkers are offered accommodation and food along the way. The rooms are always very basic, usually with two single beds (often a rather thin and/or firm mattress) with sheet, pillow and a blanket (sometimes we had to ask for one, or for extra blankets), no heating and usually very drafty, with shared squat toilet. If there were ever showers we didn't know about them, but during the winter it's actually more dangerous to get wet at high altitudes as it's very difficult to get warm again. Plus, the chance of hot water was pretty much slim to none. Food offered is again fairly basic, but usually nice and filling, with the main staple being dal bhat - a big plate of rice with side dishes of dal (lentil soup) and various vegetable and pickled items, and often a poppadom or prawn crackers. The best thing about this dish is that in most tea houses they give free refills, which is music to a hungry trekker's ears. The guides and locals in Nepal are very fond of a saying - "Dal bhat power, 24 hour", especially on the trek. Kurt and Cliff would end up having this virtually every night, so along with egg and vegetable fried noodles for lunch, we didn't have what you'd call a varied diet. As for the price of accommodation in these tea houses, I'm not sure what it's like in peak season, but the four of us would ask around when we arrived each afternoon until we got a place that would give us free rooms as long as we ate dinner and breakfast there. I think this is pretty standard practice if you know to ask, except maybe when it's really busy.
DAY 2: Nadi Bazaar (930m) - Jagat (1,300m)
Every morning soon followed the same routine - get up, eat breakfast (usually champa porridge which is a delicious thick brown concoction made of either barley or corn), sterilise water, pack and set off by 8am at the latest. Day 2 was another warm day of trekking along the road, and when we reached Jagat 7 hours later, we were delighted to hear they had a hot shower. It was roasting hot with good pressure and it felt great to wash off the sweat and dirt after a day's trekking. This was to be our first and only hot shower for the entire 14 days.
DAY 3: Jagat (1,300m) - Dharapani (1,860m)
The first 3 days of trekking was through quite varied landscape - along flat valleys, next to rivers, through canyons and with tall trees towering around. It was also still quite warm during the day, although by the time the sun was going down the cold quickly set in and would leach any remaining warmth from our bodies. When we arrived in Dharapani at the end of Day 3, it was almost like a ghost town - there was hardly a soul to be seen and many of the tea houses appeared to be shut up for the season so we weren't left with much choice this time. It was here that Joyce and I learnt a lesson - do not order pizza while trekking because you will be disappointed. And still hungry. There's a very good reason dal bhat is usually the best choice.
DAY 4: Dharapani (1,860m) - Chame (2,670m)
This was our biggest altitude increase so far, but we were trying to cover as much ground as possible each day without overdoing it or risking the chance of altitude sickness. And for the first time, there were other trekkers staying at the tea house we chose. We met a French couple who were going to have to get a jeep back down to Besisahar the next day, as they'd wrongly been told there were ATM's along the trek. It was such a waste of time and money, we felt sorry for them. But we were more angry at whatever morons had told them there were ATM's available - they obviously had no idea what they were talking about and it was just ridiculous information to pass onto someone. There are dickheads in every corner of the world. It was also the first time we had a fire in the dining area to keep the chill away at night. And when I say fire, I mean a barrel of burning charcoal, but it does the job nicely. We were all very reluctant to leave the warmth and retire to our freezing cold rooms.
DAY 5: Chame (2,670m) - Lower Pisang (3,200m)
Sometimes the decision on where to stay was as simple as how much further we had to walk. Such was the case when we reached Lower Pisang. Upper Pisang was clearly visible across the river, but as it involved walking further uphill, we very quickly ruled it out (Cliff would have been happy to continue up, but he's a freak and didn't seem to suffer like the rest of us. Annoyingly). We found a place with a fire and a couple of rooms with not too much draft (we hoped), so we settled in for a late lunch and some card playing before dinner. We were soon joined by a group of three others - two Americans and a Canadian (working for Outward Bound), but they proved to be rather unstimulating and reluctant conversationalists. Cards it is then. Long after going to bed (we'd usually turn in at about 8-9pm) I got up at about 3am for a trip to the outside toilet, and what do you know - it was snowing! Obviously 3am is not the time to be waking others to point this out, so I went back to bed.
DAY 6: Snowed in at Lower Pisang (3,200m)
The morning revealed the extent of the snowfall, which covered everything at least a foot thick. And it was still snowing. We headed down to breakfast to discuss our options, but clearly the smartest thing to do was stay in Lower Pisang and wait out the storm, especially since the track was now completely obliterated by a foot of undisturbed snow. The three girls had other ideas though - being Outward Bounders they were obviously seasoned professionals and knew everything, so even after consulting their magical weather predicting barometer watches (which indicated the storm was worsening), they decided the best course of action was to set out into the snowstorm and see what happened. Great idea ladies. We were half hoping they'd show up again later that day, but we did find out they didn't make it very far before having to give up. Take that bitches! And just to further prove their stupidity, they'd left their boots outside the night before so they got wet in the snow. At least us inexperienced trekkers didn't make that schoolboy error! So while they were out wandering in the snowstorm, in between bouts of helping shovel snow off the roof, we settled in for the day to play cards, read and eat, in what we thought would be relative comfort. However, it turned out to have the worst, most ineffective fire imaginable which probably wasn't helped by the fact there were gaps, some fairly gaping, in the walls. It would be awesome if they learned how to construct a building properly, maybe with no gaps and perhaps even some insulation - kind of necessary at this altitude in the middle of winter when temperatures are below freezing. Also not helping the situation were the Nepalese who are all obviously born in tents - they are incapable of shutting a door behind them, despite letting in freezing cold air and snow. Kurt inevitably lost his patience and we all had to resort to getting up and closing the doors ourselves.
DAY 7: Lower Pisang (3,200m) - Manang (3,540m)
The next day dawned bright and clear, and thankfully others had left before us to mark the track. However, it was still pretty slow going as we'd sink into snow almost up to our knees which resulted in permanently wet feet and legs. After stopping for lunch we noticed a large group of people approaching from the other direction, and after a few quick words with some of them their guide proceeded to tell us to turn around as it was pointless to continue further because Thorong La was impassable. He wasn't even polite about it either, so we just said silent fuck you's and continued on our merry way. No-one was telling us what to do thank you very much! After 7.5 hours of trekking through the snow we reached Manang, which is probably the largest village on this side of the trek. It's also where the road ends, so from hereon out all supplies have to be trekked up the mountain. We ended up at a tea house with two Canadian girls (and their guide and porter) we'd been leapfrogging all day, and after dinner we spent the entire night trying to dry everything by the fire (and not burn it in the process) - a nightly, and sometimes futile, event from hereon in.
DAY 8: Manang (3,540m) - Yak Kharka (4,050m)
Another hard slog of trekking through knee deep snow up and down ridges and valleys, with the sun blazing down on us (and yet not having much warmth). When we finally trudged into Yak Kharka I had a thumping headache from the blinding reflection of sun on snow (my sunnies aren't polarised), and I felt a bit sick and dodgy in general. I was worried it was altitude sickness setting in, but thankfully I felt better after food and rest. Everyone else seemed to be holding up well too. While eating and drying our clothes yet again, Mark (English) and Lawrence (Aussie) rolled on into the dining room. They were on their way back down after a failed attempt to cross the Thorong La pass, but after hearing we were continuing up the next day, Mark decided to head back up with us and Lawrence would go down by himself. Earlier in the day we'd passed a Kiwi guy with his wife and son who were also on their way down after being told crossing the pass was impossible, so we were very surprised to see him walk in that evening. Turns out that after talking to us he left his wife and son to head back up and try and make another attempt to cross the pass with us. His good intentions didn't last long though, as he got the guilts and went back down again the next day.
DAY 9: Yak Kharka (4,050m) - High Camp (4,833m)
This proved to be a pretty tough day. When we set out, Kurt, Joyce and I were adamant there was no way were going all the way to High Camp in one day - it was simply too much (an increase in altitude of almost 800m). After a harrowing walk along a very narrow and slippery trail which was dangerously close to the edge and a steep drop to the valley below (cue freakout for me), we made it to Thorung Phedi, about 300m below High Camp. We had all intentions of stopping there for the night so we had lunch, then debated what to do as it looked like more snow was imminent. Believe it or not they had satellite TV at the tea house (and yet they don't have walkie talkies or working phones to communicate between villages - go figure), so we were able to watch the weather forecast on the BBC. We all wanted to get as far as we could and refused to give up at this late stage, so we pushed on to High Camp. We'd come this far, might as well keep going - fucked if we were turning back! The two Canadian girls also made it to Thorung Phedi and were settling in for the night, but when we told them we were continuing up to High Camp they convinced their guide to take them too. The 300m up to High Camp was a very steep trek over rocky, slippery ground, so we were ecstatic to finally arrive. This is the highest place to stay before crossing the pass, so it's probably the smallest camp on the trek. There ended up being quite a few of us though, as apart from us and the Canadians there was also a French guy and his maniac Czech mate who had powered on way ahead. We dubbed him the Czech Tractor as he could plow through anything. Funnily enough, it turns out he sold tractors for a living too. No shit. A couple of hours after we arrived at High Camp it started snowing, but we made plans to get up at 5am anyway and see what conditions were like - who knows, we might be able to make it across. Just as we were going to bed at about 8pm we saw a couple of lights coming down over the mountain. Who the fuck would be out trekking at 8pm in the middle of a snowstorm? It was a Chinese couple and their guide (that they'd picked up along the way - somehow) who'd set out from Muktinath, which is the other side of the pass, 15 hours ago. Crazy bastards. To attempt the crossing in that direction is difficult enough, let alone in the middle of winter. Hats off to them, I couldn't have done it.
DAY 10: Snowed in at High Camp (4,833m)
When we got up at 5am after all having a sleepless night, it was still snowing and didn't look like stopping. We knew it was far too dangerous to attempt to cross the pass in a snowstorm, so we spent the whole day debating what we were going to do. Wait and see what happens, or give up and go back down? The Canadian girls went back down that day, in the snow, at the insistence of their retarded guide. We're pretty sure he'd never guided in the winter as he didn't seem to know anything. We all had cabin fever and were anxious to get over the pass, but at what risk? Was it worth it? All we knew was, it was demoralising to think about turning back now. So with that in mind we all agreed to hire two of the locals to break the path for us and guide us over the pass and down into Muktinath the next day, weather willing. Czech Tractor was confident he could break the path himself, but we knew it was far too dangerous to try and find our own way without a path to follow or a guide. So the Czech relented and we negotiated a fee for our guides. We all went to bed that night nervous yet hopeful.
DAY 11: High Camp (4,833m) - Thorong La Pass (5,416m) - Muktinath (3,760m)
Getting up at 4:30am we saw it was still lightly snowing, but we figured it was now or never. In an attempt to keep our feet and legs as dry as possible, Kurt and I wore rubbish bags over our feet and duct taped them up our legs over our pants. Then, while it was still dark we set off on the gruelling climb. Our two guides were very young, one of which was a 16 year old Gurkha and he was hard as fuck. He made the whole day seem like a walk in the park and he'd have a ciggie whenever he could. Unbelievable. However, because the two guides were so young and light they basically glided over the snow, barely making a dent. That left the guys following the difficult task of actually breaking the path for us through waist deep snow. Mark, Cliff and Czech Tractor took it in turns doing this, following the kid who was practically skipping ahead. It was quite possibly one of the worst days of my life. Howling wind, biting snow, fuck all visibility, -25 degrees, frozen fingers and toes, struggling to breathe...please let it end. It took us about 5 hours to climb the 583m up to the pass, and fuck me if that wasn't a welcome sight when it finally emerged. We had a quick snack on frozen muesli bars and attempted to get some water that wasn't frozen solid, posed for photos, then before we actually froze to death in the howling gale we set off on the descent. This didn't turn out to be much more fun either. It took us several hours to descend the 1,636m as at least half the time was spent on our asses. Every couple of steps would result in a slip, fall or tumble, and the ensuing struggle to get back up was frustrating to say the least. After 10 hours we finally arrived in Muktinath where we promptly washed up (good old baby wipes), changed, and fed our faces. Despite it being a horrifically difficult day, we were all stoked to have made it over when everyone else had said it was impossible. High fives all round. To our surprise, we saw the Canadian girls walk in not long after us - they'd finally cracked the shits with their guide and demanded he take them over. Well done girls.
DAY 12: Rest day in Muktinath (3,760m)
Fucked if we were walking anywhere after yesterday's hellish effort, so the four of us had a rest day just chilling out by the heater. The other three guys headed to the next village and our two guides, quite possibly still drunk after a night on the piss, had to head back over the pass to High Camp. What insane, hard bastards.
DAY 13: Muktinath (3,760m) - Jomson (then bus to Larjung - 2,560m)Going down is so much easier than going up, although there was still snow and ice on the ground which made for some slippery going. We'd decided to walk as far as Jomson where we had lunch, then waited for the bus to take us further down to Larjung which was a ride in itself. I'm surprised we didn't roll over several times or blow a tyre with the rough terrain we drove over.
DAY 14: Larjung (2,560m) - Ghasa (then jeep to Beni - 899m)
This was our final day of the trek, where we walked from Larjung to Ghasa. We started out walking along the road which followed next to a river, then we crossed over to an 'alternate' path which would be more scenic. However, it ended up being the 'alternate alternate' path which was fucking horrible as it was mostly on a dodgy narrow pine covered (and therefore slippery) path with a steep drop-off to one side. I'm OK with heights as long as there's a barrier or I don't get too close to the edge, so I was very much not OK with this path. At least it was warm this time and we made it to Ghasa in just under 4.5 hours. We then had to wait hours for a non-existent bus that people kept telling us was coming, so we finally had no choice but negotiate (and still get ripped off) a jeep ride to Beni. By this stage we all just wanted to get the fuck out of there, but it was a pretty awful ride. After some dodgy driving where the guy deliberately swerved towards, and narrowly missed, a dog, good old Joyce cursed the man when we got out (after thanking him of course - she has manners). Beni is a shithole of a town so thankfully we were just there for the night before getting a bus back to Pokhara the next day.
We made it back to Pokhara at lunchtime the following day, where first order of business was to de-stinkify after two weeks of unwashed sweat and grime. Being clean never felt so good. Food was a close second, and it was a pleasure to eat something other than fried noodles or dal bhat. That night was spent celebrating our success with beers and burgers, and collapsing into a bed with the comforting knowledge we didn't have to wear five layers to avoid freezing to death.
As with all of the physically demanding challenges we've undertaken on this trip, we did no training or preparation whatsoever. But that just goes to show anyone can do what we've done - you don't have to be a freakishly fit athlete to do it. Despite it being one of the most difficult things we've ever done, the sense of achievement upon successfully completing the Circuit, in the middle of winter, was huge. It really is a stunningly beautiful landscape to spend two weeks, and although the time of year we did it made it so much more difficult, it was also that much more rewarding. Another bonus for doing it this time of year is the complete lack of people around - we'd go for hours, if not all day, without seeing another trekker, which is the total opposite to peak season where the track and tea houses are packed. When we passed through a checkpoint we asked how many people usually pass through each day in the different seasons. The guy said when we were doing it about 20-30 people per day, but in peak season that explodes to 300+ per day. I know which I'd prefer. So, if you love trekking and are after a challenge - try the Annapurna Circuit in the middle of January. It's an experience of a lifetime.
There are two preferred times of the year for visiting Nepal, and for trekking, peak season is from late September to early December as this is the best weather - cool and clear. Another wave of trekkers come in late February to early April as the weather is much warmer at this time, although it might be a little bit hazier. The four of us intrepid travellers, however, had chosen to tackle the Circuit in the middle of January which is the dead of winter. We were hoping to be blessed with relatively warm, clear days but we would have to suffer through freezing (and usually well in to the negatives) nights with no heating to keep us warm. Oh, and of course there might be some snow in places. We had been keenly monitoring the weather in the days leading up to our departure and there had been no major snowfall, so we were crossing fingers we'd be unimpeded along the trek.
Bright and early in the morning (about 5:30am) we got a local bus up to the central part of Pokhara where all the buses leave from, but we then had to wait about an hour until one was leaving for Besisahar which is a small town where the trek begins. The majority of people do the trek in an anti-clockwise direction, as the daily altitude increase is slower and crossing the high Thorong La Pass is easier and safer. As is always the case in Nepal, this 100km or so journey took us several hours, but at least it gave us a chance to rest up a little bit more before starting the trek. The bus dropped us off in Besisahar right across the road from the first check point for the trek (very convenient), so after signing in and showing our permits we were off.
Click here to open a map of our route on the Circuit.
DAY 1: Besisahar (760m altitude) - Nadi Bazaar (930m)
The first thing to notice when we set off was that it didn't feel like we were in the mountains at all. Probably because we weren't at that point. We spent a bit over 4 hours walking the first day, and all of it was along a dusty, winding and slowly inclining road with frequent jeeps and local traffic passing us in either direction. It was also bloody warm which I guess wasn't too much of a surprise considering we were hardly at altitude yet. There was also constant civilisation, with small villages and towns along the way with the locals going about their daily business. After stopping at Bhulbule and having lunch, we didn't have too much further to go til we reached the small settlement of Nadi Bazaar, which is where we spent the first night. Throughout the entire trek are these small local villages with tea houses (guesthouses), which is where trekkers are offered accommodation and food along the way. The rooms are always very basic, usually with two single beds (often a rather thin and/or firm mattress) with sheet, pillow and a blanket (sometimes we had to ask for one, or for extra blankets), no heating and usually very drafty, with shared squat toilet. If there were ever showers we didn't know about them, but during the winter it's actually more dangerous to get wet at high altitudes as it's very difficult to get warm again. Plus, the chance of hot water was pretty much slim to none. Food offered is again fairly basic, but usually nice and filling, with the main staple being dal bhat - a big plate of rice with side dishes of dal (lentil soup) and various vegetable and pickled items, and often a poppadom or prawn crackers. The best thing about this dish is that in most tea houses they give free refills, which is music to a hungry trekker's ears. The guides and locals in Nepal are very fond of a saying - "Dal bhat power, 24 hour", especially on the trek. Kurt and Cliff would end up having this virtually every night, so along with egg and vegetable fried noodles for lunch, we didn't have what you'd call a varied diet. As for the price of accommodation in these tea houses, I'm not sure what it's like in peak season, but the four of us would ask around when we arrived each afternoon until we got a place that would give us free rooms as long as we ate dinner and breakfast there. I think this is pretty standard practice if you know to ask, except maybe when it's really busy.
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| These kids loved posing for photos in Nadi Bazaar |
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| Dal bhat |
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| Our daily lunch of veg + egg fried noodles |
DAY 2: Nadi Bazaar (930m) - Jagat (1,300m)
Every morning soon followed the same routine - get up, eat breakfast (usually champa porridge which is a delicious thick brown concoction made of either barley or corn), sterilise water, pack and set off by 8am at the latest. Day 2 was another warm day of trekking along the road, and when we reached Jagat 7 hours later, we were delighted to hear they had a hot shower. It was roasting hot with good pressure and it felt great to wash off the sweat and dirt after a day's trekking. This was to be our first and only hot shower for the entire 14 days.
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| Village kids playing soccer |
DAY 3: Jagat (1,300m) - Dharapani (1,860m)
The first 3 days of trekking was through quite varied landscape - along flat valleys, next to rivers, through canyons and with tall trees towering around. It was also still quite warm during the day, although by the time the sun was going down the cold quickly set in and would leach any remaining warmth from our bodies. When we arrived in Dharapani at the end of Day 3, it was almost like a ghost town - there was hardly a soul to be seen and many of the tea houses appeared to be shut up for the season so we weren't left with much choice this time. It was here that Joyce and I learnt a lesson - do not order pizza while trekking because you will be disappointed. And still hungry. There's a very good reason dal bhat is usually the best choice.
DAY 4: Dharapani (1,860m) - Chame (2,670m)
This was our biggest altitude increase so far, but we were trying to cover as much ground as possible each day without overdoing it or risking the chance of altitude sickness. And for the first time, there were other trekkers staying at the tea house we chose. We met a French couple who were going to have to get a jeep back down to Besisahar the next day, as they'd wrongly been told there were ATM's along the trek. It was such a waste of time and money, we felt sorry for them. But we were more angry at whatever morons had told them there were ATM's available - they obviously had no idea what they were talking about and it was just ridiculous information to pass onto someone. There are dickheads in every corner of the world. It was also the first time we had a fire in the dining area to keep the chill away at night. And when I say fire, I mean a barrel of burning charcoal, but it does the job nicely. We were all very reluctant to leave the warmth and retire to our freezing cold rooms.
DAY 5: Chame (2,670m) - Lower Pisang (3,200m)
Sometimes the decision on where to stay was as simple as how much further we had to walk. Such was the case when we reached Lower Pisang. Upper Pisang was clearly visible across the river, but as it involved walking further uphill, we very quickly ruled it out (Cliff would have been happy to continue up, but he's a freak and didn't seem to suffer like the rest of us. Annoyingly). We found a place with a fire and a couple of rooms with not too much draft (we hoped), so we settled in for a late lunch and some card playing before dinner. We were soon joined by a group of three others - two Americans and a Canadian (working for Outward Bound), but they proved to be rather unstimulating and reluctant conversationalists. Cards it is then. Long after going to bed (we'd usually turn in at about 8-9pm) I got up at about 3am for a trip to the outside toilet, and what do you know - it was snowing! Obviously 3am is not the time to be waking others to point this out, so I went back to bed.
DAY 6: Snowed in at Lower Pisang (3,200m)
The morning revealed the extent of the snowfall, which covered everything at least a foot thick. And it was still snowing. We headed down to breakfast to discuss our options, but clearly the smartest thing to do was stay in Lower Pisang and wait out the storm, especially since the track was now completely obliterated by a foot of undisturbed snow. The three girls had other ideas though - being Outward Bounders they were obviously seasoned professionals and knew everything, so even after consulting their magical weather predicting barometer watches (which indicated the storm was worsening), they decided the best course of action was to set out into the snowstorm and see what happened. Great idea ladies. We were half hoping they'd show up again later that day, but we did find out they didn't make it very far before having to give up. Take that bitches! And just to further prove their stupidity, they'd left their boots outside the night before so they got wet in the snow. At least us inexperienced trekkers didn't make that schoolboy error! So while they were out wandering in the snowstorm, in between bouts of helping shovel snow off the roof, we settled in for the day to play cards, read and eat, in what we thought would be relative comfort. However, it turned out to have the worst, most ineffective fire imaginable which probably wasn't helped by the fact there were gaps, some fairly gaping, in the walls. It would be awesome if they learned how to construct a building properly, maybe with no gaps and perhaps even some insulation - kind of necessary at this altitude in the middle of winter when temperatures are below freezing. Also not helping the situation were the Nepalese who are all obviously born in tents - they are incapable of shutting a door behind them, despite letting in freezing cold air and snow. Kurt inevitably lost his patience and we all had to resort to getting up and closing the doors ourselves.
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| Joyce getting stuck into some snow shovelling |
DAY 7: Lower Pisang (3,200m) - Manang (3,540m)
The next day dawned bright and clear, and thankfully others had left before us to mark the track. However, it was still pretty slow going as we'd sink into snow almost up to our knees which resulted in permanently wet feet and legs. After stopping for lunch we noticed a large group of people approaching from the other direction, and after a few quick words with some of them their guide proceeded to tell us to turn around as it was pointless to continue further because Thorong La was impassable. He wasn't even polite about it either, so we just said silent fuck you's and continued on our merry way. No-one was telling us what to do thank you very much! After 7.5 hours of trekking through the snow we reached Manang, which is probably the largest village on this side of the trek. It's also where the road ends, so from hereon out all supplies have to be trekked up the mountain. We ended up at a tea house with two Canadian girls (and their guide and porter) we'd been leapfrogging all day, and after dinner we spent the entire night trying to dry everything by the fire (and not burn it in the process) - a nightly, and sometimes futile, event from hereon in.
DAY 8: Manang (3,540m) - Yak Kharka (4,050m)
Another hard slog of trekking through knee deep snow up and down ridges and valleys, with the sun blazing down on us (and yet not having much warmth). When we finally trudged into Yak Kharka I had a thumping headache from the blinding reflection of sun on snow (my sunnies aren't polarised), and I felt a bit sick and dodgy in general. I was worried it was altitude sickness setting in, but thankfully I felt better after food and rest. Everyone else seemed to be holding up well too. While eating and drying our clothes yet again, Mark (English) and Lawrence (Aussie) rolled on into the dining room. They were on their way back down after a failed attempt to cross the Thorong La pass, but after hearing we were continuing up the next day, Mark decided to head back up with us and Lawrence would go down by himself. Earlier in the day we'd passed a Kiwi guy with his wife and son who were also on their way down after being told crossing the pass was impossible, so we were very surprised to see him walk in that evening. Turns out that after talking to us he left his wife and son to head back up and try and make another attempt to cross the pass with us. His good intentions didn't last long though, as he got the guilts and went back down again the next day.
DAY 9: Yak Kharka (4,050m) - High Camp (4,833m)
This proved to be a pretty tough day. When we set out, Kurt, Joyce and I were adamant there was no way were going all the way to High Camp in one day - it was simply too much (an increase in altitude of almost 800m). After a harrowing walk along a very narrow and slippery trail which was dangerously close to the edge and a steep drop to the valley below (cue freakout for me), we made it to Thorung Phedi, about 300m below High Camp. We had all intentions of stopping there for the night so we had lunch, then debated what to do as it looked like more snow was imminent. Believe it or not they had satellite TV at the tea house (and yet they don't have walkie talkies or working phones to communicate between villages - go figure), so we were able to watch the weather forecast on the BBC. We all wanted to get as far as we could and refused to give up at this late stage, so we pushed on to High Camp. We'd come this far, might as well keep going - fucked if we were turning back! The two Canadian girls also made it to Thorung Phedi and were settling in for the night, but when we told them we were continuing up to High Camp they convinced their guide to take them too. The 300m up to High Camp was a very steep trek over rocky, slippery ground, so we were ecstatic to finally arrive. This is the highest place to stay before crossing the pass, so it's probably the smallest camp on the trek. There ended up being quite a few of us though, as apart from us and the Canadians there was also a French guy and his maniac Czech mate who had powered on way ahead. We dubbed him the Czech Tractor as he could plow through anything. Funnily enough, it turns out he sold tractors for a living too. No shit. A couple of hours after we arrived at High Camp it started snowing, but we made plans to get up at 5am anyway and see what conditions were like - who knows, we might be able to make it across. Just as we were going to bed at about 8pm we saw a couple of lights coming down over the mountain. Who the fuck would be out trekking at 8pm in the middle of a snowstorm? It was a Chinese couple and their guide (that they'd picked up along the way - somehow) who'd set out from Muktinath, which is the other side of the pass, 15 hours ago. Crazy bastards. To attempt the crossing in that direction is difficult enough, let alone in the middle of winter. Hats off to them, I couldn't have done it.
DAY 10: Snowed in at High Camp (4,833m)
When we got up at 5am after all having a sleepless night, it was still snowing and didn't look like stopping. We knew it was far too dangerous to attempt to cross the pass in a snowstorm, so we spent the whole day debating what we were going to do. Wait and see what happens, or give up and go back down? The Canadian girls went back down that day, in the snow, at the insistence of their retarded guide. We're pretty sure he'd never guided in the winter as he didn't seem to know anything. We all had cabin fever and were anxious to get over the pass, but at what risk? Was it worth it? All we knew was, it was demoralising to think about turning back now. So with that in mind we all agreed to hire two of the locals to break the path for us and guide us over the pass and down into Muktinath the next day, weather willing. Czech Tractor was confident he could break the path himself, but we knew it was far too dangerous to try and find our own way without a path to follow or a guide. So the Czech relented and we negotiated a fee for our guides. We all went to bed that night nervous yet hopeful.
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| Snowed in at High Camp |
DAY 11: High Camp (4,833m) - Thorong La Pass (5,416m) - Muktinath (3,760m)
Getting up at 4:30am we saw it was still lightly snowing, but we figured it was now or never. In an attempt to keep our feet and legs as dry as possible, Kurt and I wore rubbish bags over our feet and duct taped them up our legs over our pants. Then, while it was still dark we set off on the gruelling climb. Our two guides were very young, one of which was a 16 year old Gurkha and he was hard as fuck. He made the whole day seem like a walk in the park and he'd have a ciggie whenever he could. Unbelievable. However, because the two guides were so young and light they basically glided over the snow, barely making a dent. That left the guys following the difficult task of actually breaking the path for us through waist deep snow. Mark, Cliff and Czech Tractor took it in turns doing this, following the kid who was practically skipping ahead. It was quite possibly one of the worst days of my life. Howling wind, biting snow, fuck all visibility, -25 degrees, frozen fingers and toes, struggling to breathe...please let it end. It took us about 5 hours to climb the 583m up to the pass, and fuck me if that wasn't a welcome sight when it finally emerged. We had a quick snack on frozen muesli bars and attempted to get some water that wasn't frozen solid, posed for photos, then before we actually froze to death in the howling gale we set off on the descent. This didn't turn out to be much more fun either. It took us several hours to descend the 1,636m as at least half the time was spent on our asses. Every couple of steps would result in a slip, fall or tumble, and the ensuing struggle to get back up was frustrating to say the least. After 10 hours we finally arrived in Muktinath where we promptly washed up (good old baby wipes), changed, and fed our faces. Despite it being a horrifically difficult day, we were all stoked to have made it over when everyone else had said it was impossible. High fives all round. To our surprise, we saw the Canadian girls walk in not long after us - they'd finally cracked the shits with their guide and demanded he take them over. Well done girls.
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| Victory at Thorong La Pass! |
DAY 12: Rest day in Muktinath (3,760m)
Fucked if we were walking anywhere after yesterday's hellish effort, so the four of us had a rest day just chilling out by the heater. The other three guys headed to the next village and our two guides, quite possibly still drunk after a night on the piss, had to head back over the pass to High Camp. What insane, hard bastards.
DAY 13: Muktinath (3,760m) - Jomson (then bus to Larjung - 2,560m)Going down is so much easier than going up, although there was still snow and ice on the ground which made for some slippery going. We'd decided to walk as far as Jomson where we had lunch, then waited for the bus to take us further down to Larjung which was a ride in itself. I'm surprised we didn't roll over several times or blow a tyre with the rough terrain we drove over.
DAY 14: Larjung (2,560m) - Ghasa (then jeep to Beni - 899m)
This was our final day of the trek, where we walked from Larjung to Ghasa. We started out walking along the road which followed next to a river, then we crossed over to an 'alternate' path which would be more scenic. However, it ended up being the 'alternate alternate' path which was fucking horrible as it was mostly on a dodgy narrow pine covered (and therefore slippery) path with a steep drop-off to one side. I'm OK with heights as long as there's a barrier or I don't get too close to the edge, so I was very much not OK with this path. At least it was warm this time and we made it to Ghasa in just under 4.5 hours. We then had to wait hours for a non-existent bus that people kept telling us was coming, so we finally had no choice but negotiate (and still get ripped off) a jeep ride to Beni. By this stage we all just wanted to get the fuck out of there, but it was a pretty awful ride. After some dodgy driving where the guy deliberately swerved towards, and narrowly missed, a dog, good old Joyce cursed the man when we got out (after thanking him of course - she has manners). Beni is a shithole of a town so thankfully we were just there for the night before getting a bus back to Pokhara the next day.
We made it back to Pokhara at lunchtime the following day, where first order of business was to de-stinkify after two weeks of unwashed sweat and grime. Being clean never felt so good. Food was a close second, and it was a pleasure to eat something other than fried noodles or dal bhat. That night was spent celebrating our success with beers and burgers, and collapsing into a bed with the comforting knowledge we didn't have to wear five layers to avoid freezing to death.
As with all of the physically demanding challenges we've undertaken on this trip, we did no training or preparation whatsoever. But that just goes to show anyone can do what we've done - you don't have to be a freakishly fit athlete to do it. Despite it being one of the most difficult things we've ever done, the sense of achievement upon successfully completing the Circuit, in the middle of winter, was huge. It really is a stunningly beautiful landscape to spend two weeks, and although the time of year we did it made it so much more difficult, it was also that much more rewarding. Another bonus for doing it this time of year is the complete lack of people around - we'd go for hours, if not all day, without seeing another trekker, which is the total opposite to peak season where the track and tea houses are packed. When we passed through a checkpoint we asked how many people usually pass through each day in the different seasons. The guy said when we were doing it about 20-30 people per day, but in peak season that explodes to 300+ per day. I know which I'd prefer. So, if you love trekking and are after a challenge - try the Annapurna Circuit in the middle of January. It's an experience of a lifetime.
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