Travel blog: Trekking in Annapurna

A combination of too many years in London, a lack of proper responsibilities and an unhealthy admiration for Michael Palin have led Nick Claxton to spend a year travelling the globe. A terminally-disorganised 24-year-old taking on the world - solo. He will be sharing his experiences from India and Nepal, south-east Asia, New Zealand and South America. This month he is reporting from India and Nepal. Here is his ninth blog entry:




Next on my whistle-stop tour of Nepal was Pokhara - a little lakeside town just south of the Annapurna mountain range.

Whereas Kashmir's long, sweeping valleys had taken me gradually up to the Himalayan snowline, the Annapurna range was a sudden, unbreachable, ice-topped wall in comparison. They rear up from the horizon and seem to take up half the sky.

If you're not inclined to go trekking, the town of Pokhara is geared to every tourist's whim. There are all kinds of restaurants, live music shows, packed bars with happy hours and even Wi-Fi connections for those yearning for the comforting hum of a direct link back home.

I wish I'd had more time to spend there but my extra weeks spent in India left me on a tight schedule.

So after a day of relaxation at the Pokhara Palace hotel (450 Nepalese rupees per night or £3.40), I went along to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) office to pay for an entry permit (2,000 rupees or £15) and register my route.

With only three days trekking time, I decided to shun the organised groups. Unlike the remote Himalayas of Kashmir, trekkers cover these mountains like ants and I would likely bump into others along the way.

This is the Costa Del Trekking, so I was confident that I'd be fine heading out by myself.

After an hour's taxi ride to Naya Pul (around 700 rupees or £5.30) I crossed the Birethanti bridge to enter the Annapurna Conservation Region and set off for Ghandruk - my overnight stop at a height of 1,939m.

I planned to do the short Poon Hill trek which normally takes four or five days, but my lack of time meant I would have to push it slightly and get around in three.

The trip up to Ghandruk was just as I'd hoped - it was the tail-end of the tourist season and the trekking paths were uncrowded.

When I did run into groups the tranquillity of the mountains was suddenly broken but it soon returned when I turned the next corner.

Eventually, the tourist rest-stops became fewer, the route became steeper and the views became more impressive - making up for the sporadic tour group interruptions.

I arrived at Ghandruk at around six thirty as it began to get dark. Despite my tired legs, the sunset turning the peak of Annapurna South crimson stopped me in my tracks. Simply stunning.

That night I stayed at the Annapurna Lodge (100 rupees a night or 75p) - although I wouldn't recommend it apart from the view at sunrise.

I had wondered why most trekkers I met were heading in the other direction, but day two - trekking west from Ghandruk to Ghorepani - made it clear why.

Thick forest shaded the trail but it was consistently steep - I was always climbing against the flow of waterfalls while other trekkers skipped happily down the opposite way.

Despite this, my spirits were raised when I stopped for breakfast at Bhaisikharka. As well as being taught some Nepalese guitar-playing by the lodge owner, I met a group of locals making the same trip as me en route to a community meeting at Ghorepani.

It was fascinating to hear them discuss the issues confronting the Annapurna region. Dyabin, the group's chairman, told me about conservation problems, the need to forge closer relations with the Maoists and the incredibly low wages in the region.

Foreign trekkers may pay high prices to trekking agencies but this is not always passed on - often porters get just 300 rupees (£2.25) a day for their hard work carrying 40-50kg loads up the mountainside.

Although the company kept my spirits up, it was hard going for all of us under the hot sun.

Thankfully, a cloudburst gave us welcome relief as we made the steepest climb to Deurali - the highest point of the day at 3,103m above sea level.

From there it was only an hour or so more to Ghorepani along a ridge with the clouds swirling beneath us on both sides and the peaks only making fleeting appearances out of the mist.

Ghorepani's Sunny Hotel belied its tacky name and proved to be an excellent place to stay, with its large dining room/bar as a crowning feature.

In high season I can imagine it being a real trekkers' haven. The whole town is heavily geared towards tourists - even following a colour scheme to look all the more idyllic - and its proximity to Poon Hill makes it one of the most visited trekking stages in the world.

A 4am start is needed to catch the sunrise from the top of Poon Hill (3,210m), when the view of the mountains is clearest, but I was still curled up in my sleeping bag come 6.30am having slept through my alarm. This was the only time I regretted not taking a guide or joining a group!

Most people were heading back down around 7am as I rushed to the top - but the view over the range was still spectacular. Taking a look at some other people's photos, the only thing I missed was the first rays breaking over the peaks - so I wasn't too disappointed.

In fact, I enjoyed being up on the peak by myself - probably staying there longer than I would have done otherwise.

Having reached the highest point of my trek, all that remained was the long walk down to Naya Pul. Naturally, this was by far the easiest day - though a heavy thunderstorm made it more interesting than it might have been.

I grabbed a taxi back to Pokhara and dived into the shower to warm up, then collapsed into bed - my head still filled with images of cloudy peaks. I wish I'd had more time - perhaps to head up to the Annapurna base camp - but I still had much more of Nepal I wanted to see.