Annapurna Sacntuary Trekking

The Annapurna Sanctuary is the name given to a tremendous glacial basin which lies to the north of Pokhara. The classic trek up the Modi Khola Valley and into the heart of this vast natural amphitheatre culminates at Annapurna Base Camp, below the awesome south face of Annapurna (8091m).
Rising some 10,000 feet above the glacier this is one of the world’s most famous mountaineering challenges, and without any question one of the most spectacular sights in the Himalaya. Our trek begins in Pokhara where we ascend through breathtaking forests of oak and magnolia, which occasionally part to give tantalising views of the mountains ahead. As we climb higher, we glimpse the fluted peak of Machhapuchhare (6991m), known as the Fishtail Peak because of its distinctive summit shape. As we trek deep into the gorge of the Modi Khola, the walls of the mountains rise so steeply above us that for a while all views are lost. But eventually we emerge into the heart of the sanctuary and little by little the vastness of this unique amphitheatre reveals itself to us. Above our campsite rears a tremendous wall of ice and rock containing eleven of Nepal’s major peaks, and at the centre of this magnificent scene is Annapurna’s massive South Face, climbed by Chris Bonington’s landmark 1970 expedition. Eventually we leave this rugged world of ice and rock and descend to the verdant fields of Ghorapani. Above this bustling village is one of the finest viewpoints in Nepal, and our dawn ascent of Poon Hill provides a breathtaking panorama from the peaks of the Sanctuary right across the Kali Gandaki Valley to Dhaulagiri.