This is a classic trek, visiting the site of the base camp used by expeditions attempting to climb the massive south face of Annapurna I. The Annapurna Sanctuary (a term coined by outsiders) was explored as a trekking area by Col. Jimmy Roberts in 1956, and brought to the attention of the Western world by the British expedition to Machhapuchhre in 1957. It is a huge cirque of some of the world’s highest mountains, culminating in the awesome South Face of Annapurna. The area encloses the Annapurna and Machhapuchhre Base Camps and is itself a hidden pocket of meadow moraine and glacier, ringed by magnificent sheer-walled peaks: the ‘Fishtail’ Machhapuchhre (6992m), Annapurna I (8091m), South Annapurna (7273m), Gangapurna (7454m), and many more. Traditionally, no women or low-caste people were allowed into the sanctuary, impure foods like meat, eggs and garlic were forbidden, and hunting and butchering were prohibited. The Sanctuary is still an idyllic place, a haven for wildlife and flowers, visited by shepherds who bring their flocks up to graze summer meadows, and believed to be the sacred abode of the gods of the native Gurung people.
The trekking trail begins at Nayapul, after a short drive from the beautiful lakeside town of Pokhara, taking you through many Gurung and Magar villages and along ridges where stunning panoramic views disclose spectacular mountainscapes. Passing through picturesque rhododendron, daphne and bamboo forests, over grassy meadows, between incredibly narrow gorges, and up very steep and rocky steps, the path follows the Modi Khola river valley and on to a single track corridor as far as the ‘gate’ to the Sanctuary itself, which is flanked by the twin peaks of Machhapuchhare and Himchuli. On entering the Sanctuary, trekkers are often filled with emotion by the impact of the sheer beauty and magnificence of this natural amphitheatre of ice-bound peaks.
After exploring this magical place the trail retraces its path down the Modi Khola valley before taking a different route back to Pokhara, through Kande, for some relaxation and a night’s rest, prior to your return to the heaving metropolis of Kathmandu.
