Getting
there
Regardless of the trek chosen it is
most likely that Pokhara will be either the
starting or ending point of your trek. Pokhara
is located 200 km. West of Kathmandu and can
be reached by road travel there are a number
of tourist buses available daily both from Kathmandu
and from Chitwan.
There is no shortage of tourist
facilities of be found in and around Pokhara.
The main center for tourists is at the side
of the largest of the three lakes in the area,
Phewa Tal. The suburbs agencies and suppliers
of souvenirs and trekking equipment. For those
trekking in the eastern side of the Annapurna
massif the most likely starting point will be
Besishahar, the district headquarters of Lamjung
district. Buses from Kathmandu. Pokhara and
the Terai arrive and depart here on a regular
daily basis. The bus trip from Kathmandu to
Besishahar takes around four to five hours but,
at this time, there are no tourist bus services
available.
Most treks starting or ending
in Pokhara will require the use of buses or
hired cars to reach the trail heads. Specific
details appear in the trek descriptions.
Attraction-People and culture
 The
most prominent ethnic groups in the Annapurna
region are the Gurung, the Thakali and the Manangba.
The Gurungs are the most widely distributed
being found from the hills of Gorkha district
to as far west as Palpa. Their heartland, however,
is center on the hills and valleys between the
Marsyangdi River and the Kali Gandaki. The Thakali
come from the upper Kali Gandaki valley around
where their traditional farming has been supplemented
by trade and, in particular, hotel and restaurant
business. The Mananagba are found in the upper
reaches of the Marsyangdi River and are in many
ways similar to the Gurung to whom they are
possibly related. They are skilled traders and
trace their roots back to Tibet. Religiously,
the Manangba and the Gurungs of the upper hills
is Buddhist with traces of their ancient, Shamanistic
faith still apparent. The communities that live
further south are predominantly Hindu.
All of the communities, but
particularly the Gurungs, are famed for their
cultural performances, which are easily seen
while trekking in the region. Many villages
along the trails will arrange performances for
trekkers during main seasons.
Attraction-Flora and fauna
 As
can be imagined, the range of geographical and
climatic regions has led to a diverse variety
of flora and fauna within the Annapurna region.
Both Pokhara and Besishanar are below 1000-meter
elevation and their climate is quite tropical.
These parts of the area are heavily cultivated
and the landscape, therefore, largely consists
of terraced paddy fields for most of the year.
The area is also famous for its winter crops
of oranges, which can be purchased fresh from
the trees along the trails in the foothills.
As you progress higher up into the hills the
natural vegetation changes from the tropical
species to more temperate stands of forest trees
including oak, beech and rhododendron. These
finally give way to coniferous forests of pine
and ultimately. Juniper just below the tree
line. In the rain shadow, to the north of the
mountains, the landscape is quite barren being
an extension south of the Tibetan plateau. Here
there are only stunted bushes and shrubs except
for close to the rivers where irrigated cropping
is possible.
Native animals to be seen include
many birds the most obvious the pica, blue sheep
and Himalayan Tahr.
When to Visit?
As with most of the trekking
areas in Nepal the best times to visit are during
spring and autumn. Spring is the time for rhododendrons
while the clearest skies are found after the
monsoon in October and November. At these times
the weather is generally mild and there is little
rainfall. Unlike other parts of Nepal, the monsoon,
from June to September, is the ideal time to
visit parts of the region that falls in the
rain shadow. In particular, Upper Mustang is
the perfect destination during the rainy season.
The winter months provide good trekking conditions
throughout the foothills but some of the higher
passes will be closed due to snow.
Looking after the environment
Follow the advice listed in
conservation matters at the beginning of this
site but in particular look for the ACAP sponsored
safe drinking water deport that have been established
in the project area.
Trekking styles
Most of the trekking routes
in the Annapurna region are well serviced by
teahouses for most of their length. This is
particularly true for the most popular treks
the jomsom trek, the Annapurna circuit and Annapurna
Base camp treks.
Trekkers should be aware, however,
that there is always the risk of being stranded
by bad weather or injury/sickness between teahouses,
particularly in the more remote parts of the
trek itineraries. A good example is on the Annapurna
Circuit where there is little or no shelter
available for most of this day and some trekkers
have been caught unprepared by bad weather and
altitude problems.
The treks in less developed
areas, particularly the Dhaulagiri circuit and
the treks east of Lamjung, definitely require
trekkers to be self sufficient in food and shelter. |
