TREK THE CLASSIC GHANDRUNG LOOP IN THE ANNAPURNA FOOTHILLS OF NEPAL
The Annapurna
foothills provide tremendous trekking with delightful trails connecting
villages and ridge tops. This picturesque trek winds through enchanting
villages with ochre thatched houses, terraced rice fields and rhododendron
forests, which are spectacular in the spring when whole hillsides are cloaked
in colorful flowers. The ridge top village
of Ghandrung provides one of the
finest viewpoints of the Annapurna
Mountains with
magnificent views of the four Annapurnas, and Machapuchare with its fishtail
summit.
It is an easy walk as the altitude
never crosses 1950 metres and its ideal for first time trekkers. This is
one of the most popular treks of South
Col and has been done by children
as well!
Day 01 Kathmandu to
Pokhara (885 metres) – 6 hours by vehicle
Drive to Pokhara in our own
private micro bus and check into the Gurkha Haven Hotel http://www.hotelgurkhahaven.com/ in Damside which is a quiet area of Pokhara.
Spend the evening in Pokhara taking in the sights near the lake and relaxing
prior to the start of the trek.
Day 02 Trek to Dhampus and
Pothana (1650 metres) 4-5 hours walking
Leave Pokhara around 7.30 am after
a good breakfast at the German Bakery and travel in our own micro bus to Phedi
the start of the trek. From here we
begin our trek with a walk to the scenic ridge village of Dhampus .
(3 hours walking). Have lunch in Dhampus
with spectacular view of the mountains.
From Dhampus walk for about two hours after lunch through scenic forests
and Annapurna views along the ridge to
Pothana. Overnight at a lodge in Pothana which has possibly one of the best
views of Macchapuchare.
Machhapuchare, Annapurna II and IV from Pothana |
Day 03 Trek to Landrung
(1550 metres) 5 hours walking
From Pothana the trail climbs
gently through forest to Bichok Deorali (2100m). From this pass there are views
through the rhododendrons in several directions with Dhaulagiri
being visible from here. A steepish descent through trees takes us to the old
suspension bridge at Bheri Kharka. From here we follow a level trail to the
large Gurung village
of Landrung . This village
is directly across the valley from Ghandrung and stretches 500 metres up the
hillside. There are good views up the Modi Khola to the Annapurna Mountains
from here. Overnight at a lodge in
Landrung.
Day 04 Ghandrung (1939m)
4-5 hours walking
The largevillage
of Ghandrung can be seen
directly across the valley from Landrung. This is a short walking day allowing
time to explore Landrung and Ghandrung. From Landrung we descend to the Modi Khola
River and cross on a
large suspension bridge. The ascent through terraced fields to the picturesque
town takes around 2 hours. Ghandrung is largely a Gurung town and is the
headquarters of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). Many of the
lodges here have the more environmentally friendly features that ACAP
encourages such as back boilers, solar panels, etc. The views of the Annapurna Mountains
and Machapuchare from here are stunning.
Day 05 Rest Day at Ghandrung
to explore the village and see the spectacular views and chill out!
The large
Walking down to the bridge from Landrung to Ghandrung |
Day 06 – Ghandrung to
Birethanti to Pokhara (885 metres) 5-6 hours walking
The trail descends from Ghandrung to thevillage of Syuli Bazaar next to
the river (3 hours). After an early
lunch at Syuli Bazaar around 11 am, we
set out for the level walk to the village
of Birethanti , a village
situated on the banks of the Modi Khola, the valley leading to the Annapurna
Sanctuary. We cross the Modi Khola on a suspension bridge then follow the river
valley to the road-head at Nayapul. Here our trek ends and our private micro
bus takes us the short way to Pokhara. Here we check-in at the Gurkha Haven Hotel
again. From the hotel roof, across the
lake and above the terraced hillsides, we may catch a glimpse of the k sun
setting on Annapurna and Machapuchare once
again.
The trail descends from Ghandrung to the
Day 07 Kathmandu (1526
metres)
We return toKathmandu by the morning flight.
In case anyone wants to stay on in Pokhara please let me know and arrangements
can be made. In case bookings are required in Kathmandu
for a hotel please let me know as well.
We return to
The cost of the trek is Rs 27,500 per person for Kathmandu to Kathmandu (7
days) for SAARC citizens and USD 700 for
foreigners as per the itinerary above and excludes meals. For more details please email me at
sujoyrdas@gmail.com