Annapurna Base Camp Itinerary

Here's some recommendations for different variations of Annapurna Base Camp.  

I don't count days in Kathmandu or Pokhara, which I recommend spending a couple days in each.  Kathmandu is a big city (with a lot of pollution) and a lot of history to take in.  You'll probably stay around Thamel which is a good place to gear up.  We stay at Kumari Boutique Hotel which is a mid-range place that has really nice rooms and a good breakfast.  

You can also pick up everything you need in Pokhara, but Thamel has a bigger selection.  Pokhara is a more relaxed chill city, although it's getting more polluted every year.  Stay somewhere within walking distance of lakeside, that's probably where you'll be spending most of your time.  We stay at Hotel White Pearl in Pokhara, they have taken excellent care of us, even scrambling to find us a room when our plans changed.  They also have some of the bigger rooms of all the hotels which is good when you end up repacking numerous times like we do before a trek.  Both Kumari and White Pearl have excellent staff that are friendly and extremely helpful.  We've stayed at a lot of hotels in both these places, and we don't even look for alternates anymore unless we have to.

The classic Itinerary:

Day 1:Pokhara to Ghandruk - Ghandruk is traditionally where the Ghurkas are from.  This is a big village and since they have a road going all the way there now there is a lot of construction.  

Day 2:  Ghandruk to Chhomrong (2,170m) - This day is just one big V.  Down to the river.... up from the river.  There are really nice tea houses at both of these villages, it just depends on your budget.  Food was excellent with a good variety.

Day 3:  Chhomrong to Bamboo (2,340m) - Bamboo only has a couple of basic tea houses, but the food is good and at least the tea house we stayed at had gas hot showers.

Day 4:  Bamboo to Dovan (2,600m) - Dovan is a nice stop with hot showers and a good variety of food.  

Day 5:  Dovan to Deurali (3,240m) - Deurali is my favorite stop on the trek, I can't put my finger on exactly why.  The tea houses are nice, you can get a cappuccino and a hot shower, and the atmosphere is great, along with the views.

You're now in Altitude Sickness (AMS) elevations.  The most common symptom is headaches, so always assume if you have a headache, it's AMS.  I had a slight bout with it here in Deurali but was able to continue the next day all the way to ABC and then back down to Deurali the same day.  I don't recommend doing that, it's a really long day and weather tends to move in during the afternoon.  We were racing heavy clouds and rain coming up the valley fast.

Day 6:  Deurali to Annapurna Base Camp (4,130m) - This day is a much more gradual incline, although it still takes a lot of effort.  You will really feel the altitude so gradual is nice.  This day is where a lot of options come into play.  The tea houses at ABC didn't have hot showers or western toilets and the food was good, but very basic.  I would recommend either taking a short day and staying at Machapuchare Base Camp (MBC) at 3,700m on the way up and going to ABC before sunrise, or a longer day option is from Deurali to ABC, then descend back to MBC.  We spoke with many trekkers that stayed at ABC and this was their recommendation because quite a few of them ended up with AMS.  You really shouldn't climb 900m at this altitude in a day unless you are already acclimated.

Day 7:  ABC, MBC or Deurali back to Bamboo (2,340m) - The lower you are the shorter this day is.  It's downhill most of the day with a couple short climbs, but you'll have more energy as you descend.  Just like climbing, be careful on the way down, that's where most injuries occur.  Footing is very important as from Deurali down has some steep loose sections.  Don't end up going down the fast way on your backside.

Day 8:  Bamboo to Jinu (or Pothana and back to Pokhara) - The hot springs at Jinu are really nice to relax in and rest your muscles.  Good teahouses with a variety of food and hot showers.  If you've had enough of tea houses for a bit, you can make it a long day and trek to Pothana and catch a jeep to Pokhara.  We did this and arrived back in Pokhara for dinner.

Day 9:  Jinu to Pothana trekking, then jeep to Pokhara - Only a couple hours of fairly easy trekking compared to the previous week, then that wonderful vehicle with weels to take you back to Pokhara.  You shoud be back in Pokhara by early afternoon to relax, take a long shower and get some good food for dinner.  I'm guessing you'll opt for something other than Dal Baht.  I love Dal Baht, but I'm ready to skip it for a couple meals by this time.