Hi Guys… I am Dev. Let me just start by saying this is my first trek and it was wonderful. To be honest I never thought I will go on this trip and I would not have completed this without the help of Backpackers and City Freaks‘s BCF – Only Hikes and Treks Group. It was well organized, and everything went as planned. We did this with a very professional guide (Bharath Madhava Reddy) .
I am confining this blog only to what you should know about ABC trek before you leave from your hometown / city. This is completely based on my experiences as a first timer. I will be coming up with my day to day experiences during the trek very soon.
Our Trek plan:
Day 01: Pokhara (Hotel Manasulu) – Nayapul – Jhinu danda – Chhomrong( Lucky guest House)
Day 02: Chhomrong – Sinuwa – Bamboo – Dovan – Himalayan (Himalayan hotel & Restaurant)
Day 03: Himalaya – Deurali – Machhapuchhre Base Camp – Annapurna Base Camp (Guest House & Restaurant)
Day 04: Annapurna Base Camp- Machhapuchhre Base Camp – Deurali – Himalaya – Dovan- Bamboo (Buddhist hotel & Restaurant)
Day 05: Bamboo – Sinuwa – Chhomrong – Jhinu – Nayapul – Pokhara
Things to take with you:
Altitude sickness medicines (Diamox), Camera, Cap, Down jacket, Flask, Garlic, Gloves, Granola (a food item like snickers, but taste may not be as good), Hand kerchief of big size, Headlamp, Kneecap, Medicines (Moov, Oral Rehydration Salt, Pain killers, Paracetamol, Vicks, Eno or Pantop, Glucose, Antiseptic ointment), Hand sanitizers, Snickers, Soap, Sunglasses, Sunscreen, Toilet paper, Tooth brush and paste, Towel, Trekking shoes, Trekking sticks, T-shirts, Water purifier tablets
Mountain sickness:
We had some garlic soup prior to our final ascend from Himalaya to ABC. It is thought that garlic and cloves may dilute the blood and are good preventive measures for the same, when taken Orally
Food and water:
Food is available in all the hotels, which are almost two-hours walk apart. It is relatively expensive. Luckily, they won’t charge more than what is given in menu. Most widely available food items are Gurung bread or bread toast with jam and egg for breakfast, noodles for lunch, and rice with dal curry for dinner. Pure drinking water is difficult to obtain as mineral water bottles are also banned. We had Pizza on the way to ABC.
Trekking:
If you are good at walking, used to trekking or a sportsman, you can be quite quick in trekking compared to others. But it is always good to ascend the heights slowly, taking breaks in between. The ways are almost always isolated. Once in a while you will come across other tourists who are descending.
Weather (I visited during 2nd week of April):
We went in the season so the weather was nice. There was rain and we enjoyed the snowfall. Trekking at daytime till around 3 PM can be exhausting and you may sweat a lot. It is better to carry some light T-shirts for the same. But near sun set, temperature drops drastically.
Toilets:
Toilets are available in all hotels, which are located almost two hours walking distance apart. Don’t expect good hygiene. They will charge for warm water if you are planning to take bath.
Cloths:
It is better to carry 3 light T-shirts, 3 sweaters,1 pair of thermals, 2 track suites, a pair of woolen gloves, one woolen cap and one jacket.
Backpack:
It is better to carry a trekking backpack of your own (volume around 40 L). But if you are planning to carry heavy objects in the bag, it may become difficult for you to carry and would have to ultimately hire a porter.
Duration:
Our total trekking took seven days. It may vary depending on your stamina. We were average in trekking, and this was my first Trek. So, expect that it may cost seven days in total for normal people. If you want, you can opt for Helicopter to ABC also, which may cost around NPR 30,000/- per head, sacrificing the joy of trekking together as a team.
Mobile network:
From Bamboo upwards, you won’t be able to access any mobile networks. The only way of communication is Wi-Fi in hotels, for which they may charge up to NPR 200 per day per person. Sometimes, they don’t charge you anything. Since we went there during COVID most of the hotels were empty, so they gave us free Wi-Fi.
Taking bath and brushing teeth:
You will get water in all hotels, but if you need to take a warm shower, you may need to pay NPR 200-300 per person. Consider taking your own soap, oil, toothbrush, paste and towels.
Porter:
Porter is almost always a must if you are not used to trekking after carrying bags. You may be able to hire one from Nayapul, Ghandruk or Chhomrong. Better contact the hotels for the same.
Permit:
Permit has to be taken from Trekkers’ Information and Management System, which is available in Pokhara or Chomrong. Our Permits were arranged by BCF, so we didn’t put many efforts into it.
We were a team of Sixteen and our trekking to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) started on Apr 11, 2021 and ended on Apr 15th, 2021 (total of Five days – 3 days for ascending and 2 for descending). Our overall experience was excellent as we enjoyed each and every moment of the trip. We had many tiresome ascends and breathing difficulties. But once we reached the ABC, we forgot all the troubles encountered as the view from above was really worth, especially since we were lucky enough to see the first rays of rising sun falling on the Annapurna Mountain top.
As I have always dreamed to be in the area surrounded with beautiful scenery of mountains and snow, my dream was fulfilled when I reached Annapurna Base Camp. It shows me the whole mountain range that are magnificent and beautifully snow-covered mountains. The morning view of Annapurna when sunlight kisses the snow-covered mountain was amazing and memorable which I can never forget.
Notes from BCF:
We organize this trip very often through out the year. You can follow us on Instagram for regular updates. Insta ID –bcf.official. For more info on BCF upcoming events visit us here. About logo you can read here.
Article by Devender. Thanks a lot to Devender for penning down your experiences from the event.
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