The Annapurna Sanctuary is a natural amphitheatre, a glacial basin about 4,000 m high enclosed almost completely by a ring of peaks. The only way in is a narrow gorge between Hiunchuli and Machapuchare, and the trail up that gorge ends at Annapurna Base Camp, 4,130 m, with the south face of Annapurna I, 8,091 m, rising three vertical kilometres above the lodges. It is the most direct route in Nepal to a truly big mountain setting, and it can be done in a week from Pokhara. We think it rewards a slightly slower pace than the minimum, and this is how we would plan it.
Why the sanctuary is different
Most Nepalese treks follow a valley and reveal the mountains gradually. The sanctuary hides them. For four days you walk through terraced villages, bamboo and rhododendron forest, and a deepening gorge where the river is loud and the sky is a strip. Then, above Deurali, the walls step back, the trail crosses into the basin, and within an hour you are surrounded. Annapurna South, 7,219 m, Hiunchuli, 6,441 m, Annapurna I, Annapurna III, Gangapurna and the fish-tail summit of Machapuchare, 6,993 m, stand in a circle. The effect is theatrical, and it is why this trek is so often recommended to people with only a week to spare.
Machapuchare deserves a note. It is considered sacred and has been closed to climbers for decades, and its summit has never been officially reached. Trekkers stay at its base camp, which is a lodge cluster and not a climbing camp, and are asked to treat the mountain with the respect that the local Gurung communities give it.
The standard route in stages
The trek usually begins with a drive from Pokhara to a roadhead above Nayapul or, more commonly now, to the village of Ghandruk or the hot springs at Jhinu Danda, saving a day of walking on a road. From Jhinu the trail climbs steeply to Chhomrong at 2,170 m, the last full village and the gateway to the gorge. Chhomrong is where the sanctuary trail becomes a single line: everything beyond it is a lodge stop rather than a settlement.
From Chhomrong the path drops to the river and climbs again to Sinuwa, then continues through forest to Bamboo at 2,310 m and Dovan at 2,600 m. Deurali at 3,230 m is the last stop below the treeline. Machapuchare Base Camp at 3,700 m sits at the mouth of the sanctuary, and Annapurna Base Camp is a final two hours up the moraine. Most people sleep at Machapuchare Base Camp on the way up, walk to Annapurna Base Camp early the next morning for the dawn, and either sleep there or start back down the same day. The descent to Chhomrong takes two days, and the drive back to Pokhara is possible on the third.
Seven days or ten
The seven-day version goes Chhomrong, Bamboo or Dovan, Deurali, Machapuchare Base Camp with a dawn visit to Annapurna Base Camp, then two long days down. It works for fit walkers who are already used to altitude, but it puts the sleeping height up from 2,170 m to 3,700 m in three nights, which is on the fast side.
The ten-day version adds two things worth having. The first is a night at Annapurna Base Camp itself. Dawn there, with the first light on the south face and the glacier cracking below the lodges, is the best hour of the trek and cannot be had on a day visit. The second is the western approach through Ghorepani and Poon Hill, 3,210 m, reached in two days from Nayapul via Ulleri and its famously long stone staircase. From Ghorepani the trail traverses east through rhododendron forest to Tadapani and Chhomrong, and the sanctuary section follows. This combination is around 110 km on foot, gains height more gently, and gives two very different views of the same range.
Altitude and avalanche
At 4,130 m the base camp is high enough for altitude sickness to be a real factor, especially on a fast schedule. The sanctuary compresses a big gain into a short distance, and headaches at Machapuchare Base Camp are common. The trail is short enough that descending is always simple, and losing 500 m to Deurali solves most cases within hours.
The more specific hazard is avalanche. The gorge between Deurali and Machapuchare Base Camp is crossed by avalanche chutes from the slopes of Hiunchuli and Machapuchare, and in late winter and early spring, or after any heavy snowfall, the lodges close the trail until the slopes have released. This is not theoretical; the section has been closed for days at a time in many years. In these months, ask at Deurali before continuing, walk the exposed stretch early in the morning, and do not linger under the chutes.
Seasons and permits in general terms
October to November is dry, clear and busy. March to April brings warmer days, rhododendrons in bloom around Ghorepani, and more afternoon cloud in the basin. December to February is cold with snow above Deurali and periodic closures. The monsoon from June to September makes the lower trail wet and leech-ridden and hides the peaks for most of each day. The whole route lies within the Annapurna Conservation Area, and an entry permit and trekker registration are needed and checked at posts on the way in. Lodges are found at every stage and, unusually for Nepal, are set at fixed distances that make it hard to improvise long days in the gorge; the stops above Chhomrong are the stops.
What to carry and what to expect
Nothing technical is required. The trail is stone steps, forest path and, at the top, glacial moraine. A three-season sleeping bag suits autumn and spring; a warmer one is wise in winter. Rain cover matters in every month. The hot springs at Jhinu Danda, a short walk below Chhomrong beside the river, make a very good last stop before the road.
The sanctuary is not a wilderness trek. It is a lodge-to-lodge walk on a busy path. What makes it special is the last hour, when the gorge opens and the ring of mountains closes around you. That hour is worth every stone step.