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Trekking Routes: Annapurna Sanctuary
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Because of the amazing scenery in the Annapurna Sanctuary, this trek has become one of the most popular in Nepal. The sanctuary is a huge amphitheater surrounded by 10 peaks that are more than 20,000 feet (6,100m) tall, including Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Annapurna III, and Machhapuchhare. While there are no villages between Chomrong and the sanctuary, there are collections of lodges about every 2 hours. However, many of these lodges are open only during the peak seasons of October to November and February to March. During December and January, innkeepers move back down to Chomrong because of heavy snows. In the spring, frequent avalanches close down the sanctuary and make trekking very dangerous. In the winter months, if it has been raining at low elevations, you can be sure that snow has been building on the slopes above the trail into the sanctuary and that avalanches are likely to follow. Be sure to ask anyone you meet coming from the opposite direction about trail conditions. This is a remote area a day or two beyond the last village and is as close to a wilderness experience as you are likely to find on a trek in Nepal. Look for Himalayan tahrs on the slopes above the sanctuary, especially to the north of Machhapuchhare Base Camp.
As part of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, there is a kerosene depot at Chomrong village (though it is not always available), which is between the large village of Ghandruk and the sanctuary itself. If you are doing your own cooking, you should stop at the depot and secure enough kerosene for your trip into the sanctuary. The use of firewood is prohibited beyond Chomrong, and all lodges are required to use kerosene for cooking. Consequently, the price of meals goes up considerably beyond here, making this one of the most expensive teahouse treks you can do. Expect to pay around Rs800 ($12.10) per day beyond Chomrong. The numbers of trekkers on this route have had a heavy toll, worsening deforestation and increasing the amounts of trailside garbage along the trail to the sanctuary. It was in part due to the abuse of this pristine area that ACAP was founded. In recent years, ACAP has standardized lodges along this route and, in order to limit deforestation and provide a more wilderness experience, has closed lodges that had sprung up between the groupings of lodges that are spaced at 2-hour intervals.
Pokhara is the starting point for this trek, and you should allow at least 10 or 11 days and preferably 2 weeks to allow for avalanches interrupting your trek.
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