Annapurna Circuit 2014

RuWiB@ ‘14

Annapurna November 10 ~ December 6 : 2014.

• Permit & TIMS • Guides & Porters • Travel Insurance

• Annapurna Circuit • Tea house & Lodges • Food & Beverages

• Transportation • Budget • Tips & Tricks

; RuWiB@ ‘14

Permit

Trekking in Nepal In 2013 when I decided to spend my 50 th Birthday in Nepal I, as many first timers in Nepal, had many “How”, “When” and “What if ” Questions We hired a porter to simply carry our 2 sleeping bags while trekking 3 weeks in Everest region we not only found out that it was absolutley uneccessary but that sadly as its more than often the case this poor porter has been completely ripped off by our Agency’s Owner.

End of 2014, we decided to trek Annapurna Circuit on our own during the low season.

We have done a bit of researches and of preparations based on our own Everest experience.

This is how we did it, where we trekked / stayed at night and how much it costs us !

Note : This is absolutely not a recommendation or an advise to trek on your own Caution must be applied, wander at your own risk !

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• Gears : Let ‘s start with a simple rule I have applied all around the World especially with Airlines If you can’t carry it, leave it home and keep your load under 15.9 kg !

I carried my own Backpack of 15 kg, Wife her 10 kg including 2 sleeping bags & 2 poles each and yet, we could have sheddred weight a bit more !

• Trekking Permit & TIMS: - TAAN; Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal and NTB - Nepal Tourism Board started recording trekkers’ details and began issuing TIMS Card to trekkers.

- Free Individual Trekkers need to have Green TIMS cards by paying Nepali currency equivalent to US $20 per head .

- Entry permits to Annapurna Conservation Area are 2000 NPR per head This Entry Permit is valid for single entry only non refundable, non-transferable.

- Permits and TIMS cards can be collected by Free Individual Trekkers at Tourist Service Center.

- TIMS and Trekking Permits have 2 distinct forms to fill up. Desks are next to each other in same building - Bring your passport + 4 passport size photo we had ID photo store in KTM printed out 8 portraits for 200 NPR ( or 150 NRP for 4 ) !

-Pick a number , Wait for your turn , That’s it … Done in less than one hour !

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• Trekking Agencies : We went without any as per personal choice!

Do you need one ?

- Choice is obviously yours according to your own World and Travels experiences, to the time you are willing to invest in your preparation and money you want to save .

• Trekking Guide & Porter : - We had a Porter while trekking Everest, None while Trekking the Annapurna Circuit Do you need a Guide ?

During High seasons, those trails are just plain overcrowded Highways :-( !

As for the Off Season we didn’t see the need for a Guide !

Just follow the very well marked trails .. LOL !

Do you need a Porter ?

It depends on your degree of fitness … if a Porter might come handy for booking places to sleep in advance during high overpopulated seasons. We never had a problem finding place to sleep and when we were tired of carrying our Bags … We rested !

• Trekking Insurance : As long as we know there is No obligation of having trekking insurance in Nepal.

Helicopter rescue companies charges about USD 2000 ~ 2500 per head .

Do you need one ?

Since we started travelling in 2007, we never had any Travel Insurance except once, mandatory for our 10 days cruising in Antarctica. We had no Trekking Insurance !

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The Annapurna Journey Day 1 : Transportation Day There are a number of ways to get to Besisahar 1) Local Bus and Microbus 2) Tourist/Direct Bus. 3) Tourist/Local Bus 4) Private Hire.

From Sanepa we hired a taxi -400 Npr- at 6 am and asked him to take us to Micro bus station leaving to Besisahar.

We bought 2 Local-Tourist bus tickets -450 Npr- each and waited 20 mn max We left Kathmandu around 7:30 am and arrived at Besisahar later than we excepted ( I will not speculate on average ride time given by other bloggers/ hikers as there is no such average time in Nepal as everything can get loose in the blink of the eye ) At Besisahar ; Alt 820 We were immediately harassed by bunch of 4x4 Drivers selling Jeep drive to Bhulbule for 2000 Npr. A rip off !

We considered starting the 3 h walking but due to the time we hooped into the local bus - 200 Npr each - packed with Locals and Pupils just out of school!

The local bus ride took us 3 h .

Welcome to Bhulbhule : Alt 820 Plenty of Tea houses on both sides of the River, we spent the night - 300Npr - on the right side at the first tea house we found, as simple as that !

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Before you keep reading: All villages we passed, tea houses we stayed, number of nights we spent & trekking time are just for informative purposes, not recommendation We had breaks for dry food or drink but seldomly stopped for lunch !

Day 2 : Bhubhule – Ghermu : Alt 820 - 1130 Opt 1: Left bank of river used by buses and 4x4..

Opt 2 : Easy well marked more natural trail on right NATT One night – 300 Npr per room Trekking time : 6 h

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Day 3 : Ghermu- Tal ; Alt 1130 - 1600 Upon arrival we were welcomed by a young Nepali who insisted we visited his Lodge Super Spacious and clean, Hot shower, Free reliable internet ( when powered on ), free room.

Tal is a nice tiny village known for its Horses and Gardens.

2 free nights.

Trekking time : 6 h

Day 5 : Tal – Danakyu ; Alt 1600 - 2179 Danaqyu is a village with several lodges stretching over more than 1 km . Thus by leaving Tal early, we should have pushed all the way to Timang, 2750 alt which is a lot nicer village.

1 free night.

Trekking time : 5 h

Day 6 : Danakyu - Chame ; Alt 2179 – 2670 1 free night.

Trekking time : 4 h

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Day 7 : Chame – Pisang ; Alt 2670 – 3300 Upon reaching Pisang , you will have to choose between Upper & Lower Pisang Treks.

It's the only time I will recommand a Lodge which is located right between the 2 Pisang.

Owners are charming and this is where i had the opportunity to spend 1 h in private with the monks , the reason all trekkers stop in Pisang .

Lodge : Manang Marshyangdi 1 free night.

Trekking time : 5 h

Day 8 : Pisang - Manang ; Alt 3300 – 3540 Rest and Acclimatisation day ..

DON’T go to Ice lake unless you never been above 4000 m before because it’s a Pond ! that won’t worth it, a very tiring day ending having to stay an extra night ;-( Just enjoy the Monastery at Manang gate !

3 nights : 200 Npr per night Trekking time : 7 :30 h

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Day 11 : Manang – Yak Kharka ; Alt 3540 – 4035 I’m not a big meat eater anymore but the Yak Burger there was Yummi !

1 free night : Trekking time : 3 :30 h

Day 12 : Yak Kharka – Thorong Phedi ; Alt 4035 - 4450 Throrong Phedi or High Camp / High Camp or Thorong Phedi We dropped our bags at Thorong Phedi, enjoyed some Viennoiseries & walk up to High Camp An extra acclimatisation day based on Personal Choice.

1 night : 200 Npr per night Trekking time : 3 :00 h

Day 13 : Thorong Phedi – Muktinnath ; Alt 4035 – 3760 via Thorong La Pass 5416 The Big Day … !

The day you have been trekking for .

Check the Weather the night before at Lodge.

It’s best to take off early 4:30 am as wind at top of the pass might freeze you to death .

Best crossing around 9:30 / 10 am as we did It was a sunny day yet Minus 5 C .

The rest of the walk is plain boring .

The worst we ever had.

Gravels, rocks, no vegetation at all .

Hard on the legs and the nerves 1 free night Trekking time : 12:00 h

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Day 14 : Muktinnath - Kagbeni Alt 3760 - 2810 1 free night : Trekking time : 3 :30 h

Day 15 : Kagbeni - Marpha ; Alt 2810 - 2670 3 nights : 200 npr per night Trekking time : 4 : 00 h

Day 18 : Marpha – Ghasa ; Alt 2670 – 2010 1 Free night - Trekking time : 7 : 30 h

Day 19 : Ghasa - Tatopani ; Alt 2010 - 2600 1 night : Trekking time : 5 : 30 h We absolutely skipped the so called Hot Spring .. a boring concreate bath … full of trekkers I prefer my Japanese Monkeys in “Rotenburo” Natural Hot Spa up the Japanese Mountains.

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Day 20 : Tatopani - Ghorepani ; Alt 2600 - 2750 1 night : 200 Npr Trekking time : 7 :15 h

I did not like Poon Hill, full of noisy people at 5 am …

Wake up at same time 3 am start your trek toward Ghorepani on your way up, you will find a small tea house at same Alt with same magnificient view than Poon Hill minus the “Tourists”

Day 21 : Ghorepani - Tadapani ; Alt 2750 - 2710 1 night : 200 Npr Trekking time : 4 :30 h Push a bit down the hill to a Pink Lodge called: Moutain Discovery Mind that during peak season it might be full

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Day 22 : Tadapani - Bamboo ; Alt 2710 - 2335 1 night : 100 Npr Trekking time : 8 :00 h Bamboo is full of wanna be “Hippies” / “Yogies” We stayed in a lodge by river owned by a very grumpy old man Shaddy room, very humid and cold but he serves the BEST raksi we ever had during the trek.

Day 23 : Bamboo – Deurali ; Alt 2335 - 3230 1 night : 200 Npr Trekking time : 5 :00 h When walking into Deurali, We noticed a lodge selling real Cappuccino, we paused there and gave it a try.

Our first Caffeine shot in 2 weeks While basking, I enjoyed every single drip finding its way into my veins We pulled out our map, agreed on doing a Speed hike to ABC early the next day.

My second Cappucino sent me way Higher than I physically was ( 3230 ) .

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Day 24 : Deurali – ABC - Dovan Alt 3230 – 4130 – 2870 1 night : 200 Npr Trekking time : Deurali – ABC 2:30 h Trekking time : ABC - Deurali 1:30 h Trekking time : Deurali – Dovan 3:10 h Why doing a Speed hike and not staying at ABC ? …

Because after a bit of reading over the net, we understood that Sunrise wouldn’t be as beautiful as it is sold to you. With disappointing Poon Hill in mind we also knew that not only it might be cloudy but the Sun will rise behind Fish Tail ... in other words … see no Sun !

And It might sound like being the least romantic couple of Earth but after 8 years on the road all around the Planet . it's the same bloody Sun rise over & over !

We left after BreakFast before 7 am, packed light just a Wind-breaker in my Ultimate Adventure vest leaving our big Backpacks at reception, reached ABC at 9:00

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Savoured a second meal

Walked around … and both ran back to Deurali.

ABC - Deurali 1:30 h

Picked up our Heavy duty Bags.

Hiked down to Dovan Deurali – Dovan 3:10 h

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Day 25 : Dovan – Chhomrong Alt 2870 - 2170 1 Free night with Free Wifi .

Trekking time : 4:00 Bad thing about Chhomrong area is that you will have, like them or not to walk again more than 3000 stairs.

Yet we had noticed on our way to ABC the German Bakery selling Black Forest & Chocolate Cake .

NB: Don’t drink raksi there !

Day 26 : Chhomrong – Pokhara ( via Siwar ) Alt 2170 - 820 3 nights with Free Wifi .

Trekked down to Siwar in 3h30 and originally planned to keep going to Pokhara but trail has been transformed into a heavy duty traffic road, mostly asphalt covered . WTF !

Feeling guilty , We jumped into a Jeep arrived at our Hotel in Pokhara 2h Later 15

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Tea Houses and Lodges Except across the Thorong la pass you will find tea houses and lodges every more or less 3 h Places where you can buy hot drinks, food , sweets and stay for a night .

They come in all types and shapes. Years back tiny villages of 2 or 3 places offering accomodations expanded. They provided trekkers more sleeping opportunities yet the Jeep road is killing them. During peak seasons “tourists “ skip them not providing any source of incomes to villagers. They are financially bleeding to death therefore offering free accomodations to survive, gambling on the profit they get out of the meals & drinks.

Beautiful on the outside, basic in the inside .

Prices being variables and NEGOTIABLES We never had to book in advance as per low season. they normally all provide heavy Blanket .

Some are “en-suite” shower + toilet.

Some have only 2 rough beds.

With most of the time very clean kitchen

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Food & Beverages During the trek, lodges will offer you the very exact same menu … it seems to be imposed by government and among the list of meals you can choose : The Dal Baht Diet : Dal, or lentils, and bhat, steamed rice, traditionally eaten on large metal platters called thalis.

The ingredients including different vegetables and condiments vary by lodges, by region.

We had Dal baht almost every night As it’s a all you can eat for a flat price it makes the best price /value and they all taste different ;-)

“Mexican Food” : red beans , rice , grilled potatoes with vegies on the side !

- Fried Potatoes with melted cheese

You of course will find pizza, pasta , omelets .

Meat: Chicken & Yak Steak as you have seen Desserts of all sort and even Capuccino near ABC ;-)

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As we almost never had any lunch We relied on the Annapurna Famous Biscuits . lot cheaper than all dry fruits available at Tea shop ‌

Note : You might want to forget your creepy feminist Magazine and a very popular diet that sells you a Low carb eating program and as Most fish, poultry and meat don't contain carbs so you can feel free to enjoy them, - I have done exactly the opposite followed a strict all you can eat Carbs diet, no meat , no diary, almost no alcohol and lose 6 kgs within 26 days So come over to Annapurna walk 6 h a day Carrying your 15 kg bag up to over 5000 Alt. Tested and Proven !

Beverage: On the Annapurna Circuit there is a series of Safe Drinking Water Stations that sell water purified by ozonation. On ABC after passing through Chomrong Bottled water has been banned, you can buy Safe drinking water which has been boiled from lodges.

My preference being : Hot Tea before bed time* * Tips and Tricks explains Why Most lodges now use gas for boiling the water so this is still quite an environmentally acceptable way to purchase your Safe Drinking water.

Raksi (Nepali local alcohol), Beers, Soda , Soft drinks, Tea Coffee are also available to you . * I have included next page 2 Myths regarding Drinking Coffee or lot of Water at Altitude *

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Stay Well at Altitude How can I optimize my health at altitude ?

Altitude Myths from http://www.altitudemedicine.org/index.php/altitude-medicine/stay-well-at-altitude Myth # 1 – Don't drink caffeine at altitude.

We don't know where this false assumption came from, but likely from the fact that caffeine is a mild diuretic (makes you pee). The concern is that it could dehydrate you and contribute to altitude sickness.

This concern is unfounded unless you drink pots of black sludge coffee a day and little else. In reality, caffeine stimulates your brain, kidneys and breathing, all of which are helpful at altitude. And for those people who drink several caffeinated beverages a day, stopping abruptly can cause a profound headache.

See Dr. Hackett's article on caffeine and altitude.

Myth #2 – Diamox masks symptoms of altitude sickness.

Taking Diamox to prevent AMS will not mask symptoms. It works on the same pathway that your own body uses to help you acclimatize. It is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor which makes you urinate a base chemical called bicarbonate. This makes your blood more acidic and therefore stimulates breathing thereby taking in more oxygen. It speeds up your natural process of acclimatization and if you stop taking it you will not have rebound symptoms. It is one of the main medicines doctors use to prevent and treat acute mountain sickness (AMS).

Myth #3 – Physical fitness protects against altitude sickness.

Physical fitness offers no protection from altitude illness. In fact, many young fit athletes drive themselves too hard at altitude prior to acclimatizing thinking they can push through the discomfort.

They ignore signs of altitude illness thinking it can't affect them because they are fit and healthy.

Everyone, regardless of fitness, is susceptible to AMS. Myth #4 – Drinking extra water will protect you from altitude illness.

Staying hydrated is important at altitude. Symptoms of dehydration are similar to AMS. In reality you only need an additional liter to a liter and a half of water at altitude. Too much water is harmful and can dilute your body's sodium levels (hyponatremia) causing weakness, confusion, seizures, and coma.

A good rule of thumb to assess for hydration is to check your urine. Clear urine indicates adequate hydration, dark urine suggest dehydration and the need to drink more water.

Myth # 5 – Children are more susceptible to altitude illness.

Several studies have shown that children have similar rates of altitude illness as adults. No evidence exist that children are more susceptible to the altitude. If your child is otherwise healthy and the basic rules of acclimatization are followed they will likely do well at altitude. Children do get altitude illness and the main challenge in those very young is that they can't communicate their headache and other symptoms. Excessive crying in a baby the first 1-2 days at altitude could be altitude illness.

Children with AMS bounce back quickly with treatment as do most adults.

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Transportation As said previously There are a number of ways to get to BesiSahar you can now hire a 4 x 4 all the way to Manang You can even fly to Jomsom or ride a Motor bike .

I had the privilege to talk with locals and some of the best Nepalese runners, we all share the same point of view.

Yes , Building the road has huge benefits : Buses can bring kids to school, elderly to Hospital , It helped 4x4 jeeps in providing the basic needs for villages: secure drinking water supplies, sanitation, health centres, bridges, microhydro projects yet they have destroyed the Region in the sense that lot of villages turned into Ghost places, Porters lost their Jobs .

Shark tour Agencies being the only winner . Road should be closed to “ Non Local “ Strick check points should be implemented … but as my wife says : “ If you can’t walk, you don’t belong here or at least hire a Donkey or a Yak “ .

Budget The following is a detail of our expenses: - Passport size photo per head :

Npr

200

- Free Individual Trekkers Green TIMS cards : Nepali currency equivalent to US $20 per head ( or at time of writing )

Npr

2000

- Entry permits to Annapurna Conservation Area are per head :

Npr

2000

- Taxi for 2 from Sanepa to Ring Road Bus Stop

Npr

400

- Local Tourist Bus from Kathmandu to Besisahar per head :

Npr

450

- Micro Bus from Besisahar to Bhulbule per head :

Npr

200

- 26 days of Lodging plus F&B ( For 2 )

Npr

72 500

- 4x4 Jeep from Siwa to Pokhara per Head :

Npr

700

- Taxi for 2 from Pokhara Hotel to Micro Bus Stop :

Npr

200

- Local Tourist Bus from Pokhara to Kathmandu per head :

Npr 500 ……….…….

Total

Or in your Currency of choice about :

Npr 85 200 US$ Euro JP¥

870 750 100 000 20

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Tips and Tricks Remote locations such as tea houses present a different set of challenges.

How to keep your devices batteries full all the time at convenience.

As in all of the places you will come accross the biggest rip off ever runs by all Tea houses

The Rip off : #1 Batteries : #2 Internet #3 Hot shower #4 Heater

Our Away around : #1 Batteries : it will cost you 100 NPR or 1 US$ per hour or full charge.

If you have a Digital Camera, a Phone, a Ipad, a Garmin or Suunto watch at the end of your 21 days trek all add up to a small Fortune and good luck finding a socket in your room .

So where’s the power going to come from to keep your devices functioning?

To answer this question, let’s take a look at some possible options : 1) Bring an spare battery for each device; adding extra weight and won’t work with IPhone 2) Bring a folding 20W solar panel thus not always cheap and you depend on Weather This is what you will need : Socket +2 Outlet Adapter We tried it and It worked as a charm.

It’s light and cheap & along with my external Battery , we could charge 4 devices at once at no Cost !

You can buy this socket in any Electrical shop in Kathmandu Price : 20 NPR

#2 Internet ( rate varies ) Seldom Internet connection around Annapurna . Some lodges offer it for free, but some do not hesitate to charge between 100 to 500 NPR for freaking slow or none existant connection. if you really need it and don’t wanna pay , ask for Hotel name card. a) Punch their phone number or any detail found on the card .. worked most of the time . b) Punch a sequence 0123456789 or 9876543210 … Funny right ? c) Ask the guy sitting at table next to you for the password ;-) ~ buy him a coffee cost you a bit more but you just got a new friend !

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#3 Hot shower : Price 150 NPR per person even if no hot shower.

As most are solar panel, If you arrived last at lodge … Good luck !

Do they have a problem having you pay … not at all !

So either you don’t wash for a month or try to keep your personal Hygiene to the minimum … ~ Baby Wipes are your best friend You will be able to buy those cheap packs 110 Npr or so everywhere in Kathmandu as all trekkers use them Question remains : ~ How many do you need … ? … Well ! How big is your …body ?

#4 Heater …

If you walk into a Dining room with stove Do not have high expectation.

As a well prepared Traveller you must have in your first aid Bag, a foil emergency blanket that enveloppes your entire body and conserves heat to 90% and is waterproof and windproof This is not a fun product.

This is a very serious cold-fighting tool .

If you are a runner they come for free … or you can find them at any outdoor store !

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#4 Heater … last but not least Remember Tº can drop easely to minus 20ºC at night …

So rent a nice warm slepping bag .60 npr a day And buy a Water Bottle … as during your trek, you will need to carry and drink water …

Thus DON’T bother with plastic or PBA - Get yourself a Tin Bottle , - Make sure it DOESN’T leak .

- Carry also 1 thick sock but a Buff can do as well keep the sock Clean for that purpose only as a sock you been wearing for more than a week will once in contact with heat release its “Aroma “ - Before going to bed. ask for a medium or big pot of Hot tea - Pour the Boiling tea into the Tin Bottle … which was previuosly and carefully wrapped into the Sock so you won’t burn yourself .

- Put it into your sleeping bag You got yourself a hot water bottle for the first hours of the night !

- Next morning you already have your all day long drink !

This is the latest on my trick’s list and believe me : You gonna love it as much as we did !

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