7–10 days
Annapurna Base Camp
Into the sanctuary: a high glacial basin north of Pokhara, ringed by 7,000- and 8,000-metre peaks. A week or more. Teahouses all the way.
The walk starts in Gurung villages and terraces, then follows the Modi Khola into a gorge of bamboo and rhododendron. After Chhomrong the country tightens: stairs, forest, the river in a slot. Machhapuchhre and Hiunchuli form the gate. Beyond Machhapuchhre Base Camp the trees are gone and you are on moraine, heading into a high glacial basin — the Annapurna Sanctuary — about 40 km north of Pokhara.
ABC itself is a cluster of lodges at about 4,130 m on that plateau. The peaks stand in a ring: Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Machhapuchhre, and the rest of the wall. The sanctuary only gets a few hours of sun. This is the walk people mean when they say they are going “to base camp” from Lakeside.
- Days
- 7–10 days
- Beds
- Teahouse · Teahouses every night from the villages through Bamboo, Deurali, Machhapuchhre Base Camp, and ABC. Busy in October. No tent required.
- Start
- Nayapul, or jeep farther toward Ghandruk / Siwai when the road is open
- High point
- 4,130 m