Annapurna Sanctuary Trek

• 4 nights standard hotels and 10 nights teahouses
• 11 days point-to-point walking with full porterage
• Group normally 4 to 16, plus leader and local staff. Min. age 16 yrs
• Altitude maximum 4130m, average 2440m
• Travel by private bus and one internal flight
• Between 5 and 8 hours walking per day
• Numerous stone steps

Breakfast is included throughout the trip. On trek the breakfast will be a fixed set menu usually consisting of porridge or muesli, with either toast, chapatti or pancake, plus an egg or omelette and a cup of tea/coffee. Any additional items that are not included in the set menu should be ordered and paid for separately. We do not include lunch and dinner on trek allowing you to choose what you want to eat. Lunch will be taken at a teahouse en route - sometimes one of your guides will go ahead with the group’s order to make it more expedient. Dinner will be in the same teahouse that you sleep at (this is custom in Nepal as teahouses base their room rate on it). The menus in the lodges are almost identical to one another but offer a varied choice, ranging from traditional Nepalese dhal bhat to pizza and apple pie. Dhal bhat is the staple diet in Nepal and comes in many different forms but generally comprises some curried lentil dhal and meat or vegetables, some rice, and a pickle/chutney. Another popular snack is momos; a type of Nepalese dumpling, fried or steamed, filled with meat or vegetables. Although meat is available in the teahouses, we advise against eating it on trek. The meat has often been carried in the heat from lower altitudes for several days before reaching the lodges and can cause stomach upsets or illness. Germs can also be spread by handling dirty money - we recommend using hand sanitiser. If you have a gluten free diet, then we strongly recommend you bring some extra food and snacks with you to supplement the food on trek as there will be little variety available for you, particularly for breakfast. Even many of the soups are from powder/packets and contain gluten. If you buy imported food and drink whilst on trek you will spend more than the suggested amount. Drinking Water Staying hydrated is important when undertaking any physical activity but particularly so at altitude where it is generally recommended to drink at least 3-4 litres per person per day. We strongly encourage you not to buy bottled water on trek as this contributes to the growing problem of plastic pollution in Nepal’s trekking areas. A few villages along the Annapurna Sanctuary route have safe drinking water stations selling UV treated water for Rs40-50 per litre but these are not always open. The teahouses also sell boiled water for approx. Rs150-300 per litre (the price increases the higher you trek) which should not require treating. This is also perfect for a bedtime refill as it can double up as a hot water bottle. Alternatively, all teahouses will provide cold water free of charge, if requested. Although this should not be drunk untreated, we recommend that you bring a reusable bottle (or two) and use an effective form of water treatment. There are a wide range of products available these days which are more effective than traditional purification tablets - we recommend talking to an outdoor retailer for the latest advice as technologies are improving all the time: make sure to check the product’s performance in cold/freezing conditions and consider battery life (lithium batteries are best in cold conditions). Handheld UV filters such as a ‘SteriPEN’ are widely available to purchase from online retailers such as Amazon and Ebay – they’re very effective, can treat 1 litre of water in a couple of minutes and the water is ready immediately – look for lightweight lithium battery models and remember that you will need to bring a wide-mouthed bottle (e.g. Nalgene) for use with these devices. There are also an array of water filter and purifier bottles on the market but be wary of their weight, bottles with a small capacity and the products performance in freezing conditions. Exodus has partnered with Water-to-Go, a filtration system that eliminates over 99.99% of all microbiological contaminants from any non-salt water source – please visit Water-to-Go for more information. Exodus customers can claim 15% off your first order, and better still, 15% of the purchase value will be donated to the Exodus Travels Foundation. Please note that if the water freezes it will clog up the filter – in this event, defrost before use by sitting the filter in lukewarm water for 10-15 minutes.

The main trekking season in Nepal is from October to mid-May when daytime temperatures at most altitudes are generally comfortable for walking, the sky is clear much of the time and rain and snow are occasional occurrences. Daytime temperatures will vary from 15ºC to 30ºC in the Kathmandu Valley to around 10ºC at 3,600m and progressively lower the higher we go. Different seasons offer different advantages for trekking. There can be snow in Annapurna Base Camp at any time of year.

Post Monsoon/autumn: Mid-September to November. This is the main trekking season in Nepal. Day temperatures in Kathmandu are approximately above 20ºC. Skies are usually clear and days on trek are sunny and mild with clear mountain views. Nights will be colder with temperatures dropping as low as to minus 5ºC at the higher altitudes.

Winter: December to end February. Despite the colder conditions this is an ideal time to trek in Nepal. Skies are usually very clear especially in December and the mountain views are at their best. Nights will be very cold with temperatures down to minus 10ºC at Annapurna Base Camp, but days are pleasant and sunny. The trails are also much less busy at the time of year. In Kathmandu maximum daytime temperatures are 19ºC.

Pre-monsoon/spring: March to May. Both day and night temperatures will be warmer in general, but haze will often build up in the afternoons and there can be some rain. It is very hot in the lowlands and temperatures rise to 30ºC in Kathmandu. Flowers bloom in this season and this is one of the reasons people chose to trek in spring. The Annapurna region is famous for the rhododendrons in spring. Snow can be expected in spring on the way to and at the Base Camp.

Please remember that in any mountain area the weather is never wholly predictable, and you should be prepared and equipped to deal with any differences in weather beyond the conditions described above.

This trek is graded as moderate/challenging (level 4) and comprises 11 days point-to-point walking with full porterage throughout. Please read a description of our Activity Levels, found on our website.

The maximum altitude is 4,130m and the average is 2,440m - we ask you to refer to the 'altitude warning' within the Trip Notes. This is one of the best-paced trekking routes in Nepal for acclimatisation - the ascent is gradual; most nights are spent at low to medium altitudes (below 3000m) with only two nights spent at high altitude (over 3500m).

This is an ideal trek for those who are confident of their physical fitness, although most of the more challenging walking is on the last approach to the Sanctuary itself. Some previous trekking experience and physical preparation, such as hill walking, is recommended.

On most days we walk for between approximately five and seven hours a day, although there are some shorter and longer days. There are numerous stone staircases to be climbed and descended on this route and we would not recommend this trek to anyone with weak knees. There are prolonged ascents and descents on some days (more than 1000m). Because of the ascents and descents and the stone staircases, this trek is at the higher end of a grade 4. It is graded as level 4 and therefore a lower level than Everest Base Camp as it does not go above 5,000m. We highly recommend using trekking poles. The trail crosses approximately five modern suspension bridges; all have mesh sides, and none are particularly long or high, however, anyone with a strong fear of heights or vertigo may find them difficult.

Walking hours stated within the itinerary are given as approximates only. Timings stated exclude lunch stops and will vary depending on the pace of your group.

To help you better prepare for your Nepal holiday, please also see our Nepal Destination Guide.

Why Trek with Exodus?

• Over 30 years’ experience of organising treks in Nepal.

• ‘Ask an expert’ – talk to Exodus office staff who have done the treks themselves.

• Experienced English-speaking local leaders who are qualified in first aid and trained in recognising and dealing with altitude sickness.

• One of the highest staff to client ratios on trek - 1 staff member: 4 clients.

• All staff (leaders, guides and porters) are fully insured and paid a fair wage.

• Carefully planned ascent rates and itineraries with built-in acclimatisation and contingency days.

• Staff carry oxygen and first aid kit.

• Self-assessment AMS cards used to monitor every client at high altitude.

Nepal Flight Safety

Many of our treks in Nepal use domestic flights to reach the trekking areas.  The mountainous Nepalese terrain is subject to changeable weather, which makes flying conditions complex and challenging, and unfortunately there are significantly more incidents here than in other countries, including fatalities.  The EU highlighted the poor safety record in Nepal in 2013 by including all Nepalese-registered airlines on the EU banned list, which prevents them from flying in EU airspace. While no Nepalese-registered airlines currently fly within the EU, the EU instigated this ban to highlight the risk of flying in Nepal to EU citizens.  These airlines are unlikely to be members of any internationally recognised safety audit systems and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Nepal does not operate to the same standards as those of Western nations.

Flying within Nepal is therefore a known risk, and we strongly encourage you to consider this carefully before booking. We suggest you refer to the following sources:

The current travel advice for Nepal issued by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

The Air Safety Network entry for Nepal

In response to concerns over this safety record, Exodus arranges for independent air-safety auditors to visit Nepal annually to assess the suitability of the available carriers. We then restrict our use to only those approved as part of this audit. In emergency situations, we will need to use helicopters, so we also have a list of approved helicopter carriers.  Should concerns arise regarding the safety of an airline on our approved list, we will remove the carrier from the list immediately, and it would only be reinstated once our air-safety auditors are confident that the airline meets acceptable safety standards.

We appreciate that you may have concerns about flying within Nepal, so we ask that you please consider all the information above when deciding to book this holiday.