Trekking the Annapurna Sanctuary
When I first started planning my sabbatical, I’d never given a second thought to visiting Nepal and had never even heard of the Annapurna range. Early in my planning process though, I met Mike and Anne Howard of HoneyTrek, who couldn’t speak highly enough of this small Asian nation. While I caught some flack from fellow travelers for booking an organized tour with Intrepid Travel to trek the Annapurna Sanctuary – a range of mountains in the country’s west – it didn’t change any of the scenery. And best of all, my partner got to join me and celebrate his birthday with two weeks of hiking, hot springs, and teahouse stays. Tag along through the photos below.
Tips for trekking in the Annapurna Sanctuary
Practice on the stair master.
My trek training was just taking long walks. At the advice of Intrepid, I thought as long as I could stay on my feet for four to six hours, I’d be okay. And I mostly was. But the Annapurna Sanctuary trek involves a lot of up and down. Much of the path is straight flagstone steps with many steep climbs and descents. If doing it again, I’d spend less time just walking in my training and more time on the stairs.
Pack light!
There are many porters who get overloaded – it’s dangerous and irresponsible. Intrepid ensures no porter carries more than the legal limit, but less is always better.
A few must-haves you don’t want to leave out: a headlamp for finding the bathroom at night, a SteriPen and water bottle to purify tap water and reduce waste, silk thermals for chilly nights at altitude, and cough drops. You can get a kind of decongestant on the trail, but no lozenges.
Take the opportunity to detox.
Drinking alcohol and eating meat make your ascent harder to adjust to. We kept a vegetarian diet and avoided alcohol until the trek was over. We had enough trouble hanging onto our health at altitude. No sense in making it more difficult.
Withdraw all the cash you need for your trek in advance, but change it back to US dollars before you leave.
It is illegal to take Nepali rupees out of the country. I got lucky and didn’t get in any trouble with the law when I accidentally missed this step of leaving the country, but I was left in the quandary of having cash that no one will exchange.
Observe basic trail etiquette.
Let people know verbally if you’d like to pass them, particularly on narrow paths. On the trail’s many suspension bridges, match the step and pace of the person in front of you. And always greet folks you encounter with a friendly ‘Namaste.’
