Annapurna Base Camp

Annapurna Base Camp (ABC), also known as the Annapurna Sanctuary, is one of the world's most celebrated trekking destinations, situated at 4,130 metres within a stunning natural amphitheatre surrounded by towering Himalayan peaks including Annapurna I (8,091 m), Machapuchare, Hiunchuli, and Gangapurna.The trek to ABC winds through diverse landscapes, terraced farmland, dense rhododendron forests, Modi Khola gorge, and alpine terrain, passing through Gurung and Magar villages and offering rich cultural as well as natural experiences along the way.

The walk in takes seven to ten days from Nayapul and there is only one way through, up the Modi Khola gorge and back down it, because the rim of the basin is unbroken except for the gap the river cuts. Base Camp itself is a cluster of lodges on the basin floor, not a climbing camp. Because the surrounding wall is so high and so close, the Sanctuary sees only a few hours of direct sun in midwinter. The permit and TIMS card are issued in Pokhara.

HSJ runs this walk as the 15-day Annapurna Base Camp Trek, starting from Nayapul near Pokhara. For a shorter ridge walk with views of the same peaks, see the 7-day Mardi Himal Trek.