First you will catch an early morning flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Upon the arrival, you will meet your guide and porter early in the morning in the hotel and start driving by jeep to Ulleri, which takes 2–3 hours from Pokhara with a scenic view of the valley, rivers, and mountain villages. The official trek starts from here onwards to Ghorpani with a remarkable view of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna ranges, and others, with lunch on the way, as decided by the guide. The trail goes mainly through Rhodondren forest and rivers, followed by a peek at Mt. Annapurna south, Heuchuli, and Mt. Fishtail at some point.
Today, you will wake up early in the morning to catch a gleaming sunrise view over the snow-capped Himalayas. You are sure to be enchanted by the best viewpoint of the Annapurna region with the panoramic mountain views of Annapurna, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri, Fishtail, and the surrounding area. Then, you will hike down to Ghorpani to have breakfast and trek further to Tadapani via beautiful Deurali to see the mountains and landscapes, which is a walk of one and a half hours. After Deurali, the trails are almost complete downhill to Banthati, where you will stop by to have lunch. Passing by the rhododendron forest and rivers, you will arrive at the lodging palace of the day, Tadapani.
From Tadapani, you will move forth to yet another beautiful village of Gurung people named Chomrong when the trail descends steeply into a thicket of rhododendron, oak, and other fauna. The chirping of various kinds of birds will keep you company all the way to Kimrung Khola, from where you will ascend straight and then walk flatly for 45 minutes, which keeps on repeating for a while till you make it to Chomrong.
The journey to the Annapurna Base Camp continues with a hike from Chomrong to the Himalayas after breakfast at the lodge, traversing along the riverbank, which experiences simultaneous ups and downs. Then, you will pass Himalaya through the rhododendron woodland and the landslide region very cautiously through the stone-paved trackway till Dovan, where you can see the two rivers joined together. Although the overall trail of the day is easy to navigate, a few sections passing by the landslide-prone area can be exhausting. However, if you are still left with energy, you will move forward to Deurali for the overnight stay.
Today is the most intense trekking day of the adventurous voyage to the Annapurna Base Camp. You will be rewarded and challenged equally to make it through the sanctuary’s gate to Macchapuchare Base Camp and then to the base camp of Annapurna. Initially, you will follow the Modi Khola River and then head toward Hinko Cave. From the cave, which provides magnificent surrounding glacier views and mountain vistas, you will gradually rise up to catch the 360-degree, complete view of the Annapurna giants in the base camp at an elevation of 4,130m. The trail obviously isn’t that steep, but the high altitude is what makes it challenging, which is worth every shot when you are in the mythical presence of Mt. Gangapurna, Annapurna and its ranges, Fishtail, Dhaulagiri, Tilicho, Pisang, Hiunchuli, Pungda Danda, etc.
After leaving memorable footprints at the ABC, you will retrace the way to Bamboo, which is 1,600m below the camp, on a descent from the route that exits both the Modi Khola River Valley and the Annapurna Sanctuary. Eventually, you will make it to the peaceful Bamboo at 2,350 m (7,700 ft), with outstanding scenery contrasting hugely with the rugged and snow-covered mountains of the Annapurna Base to chill for the day.
Now it is time to let yourself rejuvenate in the natural hot spring of Jhinu Danda whom you will meet on your way to a gentle-rolling path with a beautiful backdrop of the valley on descending sharply to the Chomrong Khola, which later on makes an ascent to Chomorong village. With one more section of descent from Chomrong, you will call it the day at exotic Jhinu Danda to unwind, soothe, and let your muscles loosen up a bit surrounded by lush flora and rhododendron forests. The drive is picturesque, as is the town of Pokhara at the foot of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and Machapuchare. Take a walk around the lake of Phewa in the evening, where one can do rafting, canoeing, boating, and many more tourist activities.
