Annapurna Circuit

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When I entered Nepal, I had one thing on my mind: the Annapurna circuit. A 2-3 week trek in the Himalayas, said to be one of the best in the world.

Both physically and mentally it proved very demanding. Usually 6-7 hours hiking daily: through jungle, alpine forests, mountains and barren dessert landscapes, in rain and snow.

The landscapes here are just spectacular, with views over vast lands, surrounded by towering mountains. We saw many traditional Nepalese and Tibetan villages, seemly cut off from the rest of the world, looking like something out of the lord of the rings.


We came across many convoys of pony’s carrying supplies up steep rocky paths, and many wooly yaks, and eagles and giant 3m long griffins high in the sky. The trail was full of small Nepalese men portering huge loads much bigger then themselves up the track, taking the weight on their heads, yet never breaking a sweat.

Although I set off alone, and with no guide or porter, I met and traveled with many people on the way. I ended up walking most of it with Rick, a Royal Marine, and we kept a ferosious pace - covering much ground and overtaking everyone. In fact we completed the whole circuit about 3 days ahead of most people.

On our map we found a trail leading to Tilicho Lake, which at 4900m is the highest lake in the world. The lonely planet and a couple of local guides advised us against taking it, especially without a guide, for there is a big risk of avalanches and the path can be treacherous. Feeling adventurous we did it anyway!

The 3-day detour was the best trek I have ever done (and probably ever will do!). Much of it was walking on a small path on shifting scree slopes, which plummet a kilometer into the valley below. At one point we were dodging rocks that were tumbling down the scree, desperately trying to keep our balance. We felt the rocks swishing past our heads. I have never felt so scared in my life!

We attempted the final approach to the lake at 4am (to catch sunrise over the mountains) using headlamps. It was a very steep relentless climb, with thick snow in parts, and a blasting cold wind, which numbed my face and hands. By the time we reached Tilicho 'base camp' (which was just a sign in the snow), the water in my bottle had completely frozen.

The main part of the trek was the Thorung La pass (5400m). Luckily we had acclimatized enough beforehand not to get altitude sickness, which seemed to be quite a common problem for many.

We returned to Pokhara traveling on the roof of a local bus, tired and proud. We feasted on a well-deserved gigantic steak - that cost just 3 quid!

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Photos

Buddhist mantra
hundreds of these prayers were etched into rock and piled high. for luck

Prayer wheels
whenever you passed the metal prayer wheels you must spin all on them for good luck

prayer flag
prayers are written on the colourd flags and can be seen everywhere. it is said that whenever the wind blows it, the prayer is send to the heavens