Hike the Annapurna Trail in Nepal!

Highlights of the Himalaya’s-Get Salty With Us!

Kathmandu is the capital and largest city in Nepal, with a population of approximately 2.5 million people. The city is the gateway to the Nepalese Himalayas and home to several world heritage sites that should not be missed! Nepal has become a top vacation destination, particularly for adventure seekers like us! Everest Base Camp is on top of the list. Ugh. I wish we had three weeks to spend hiking there! Unfortunately, the real world, our jobs, and our fur family only allowed us to spend 2 weeks wandering the city, trekking through Annapurna, and getting back to nature on safari.

So, we set out to experience “India Light”with the highlight of our trip hiking the Annapurna Trail for 3 days! We had some cool experiences along the way!

Upon arrival into Kathmandu we checked into our hotel and headed out to explore this crazy city. I will admit, I was a little shell-shocked with what I saw. I had expectations of a bustling big city (true) with traffic, (tons), lots of people (everywhere), and vibrant nightlife. But I did not think that the city would still be trying to recover from an earthquake years earlier! It was really sad seeing the rubble and crumbled buildings, the level of poverty still so visible around every corner. But in the midst of the destruction was super-friendly Nepalese people happily living amongst the wreckage.

Kathmandu walking “tour”

We made our way through town- first stop was in the Thamel neighborhood, where every other storefront sells knock off trekking gear. Kevin bought himself a “Chinese North Face” bag for his toiletries. A mini waterproof sack “just in case” our baggage got rained on. You never know, right?

TIP: Do not buy anything here that may be of any level of importance for your hike. IE: hiking boots, rain gear, etc. Everything sold in Thamel is a knock off, so it will not have the level of quality you might expect. Support the locals and buy a fleece, base layers, etc.

As we wound through the streets (there are no sidewalks here- just throngs of people, stray dogs, rickshaws and mopeds) you can’t help but notice the crazy electrical system that caught our eye. How do they know which line to repair if their is a power outage?

Patan Durbur Square, a Unesco World heritage Site, means Royal Square in english. It is a generic name used to describe plazas opposite the old royal palaces in Nepal. It is a big open court with what once was idols, fountains, and temples. Unfortunately, the square was hit hard by the earthquake in 2015 and is still being rebuilt.

We walked around, and got lucky enough to witness a coming of age ceremony of a young Nepalese girl, where she “weds” a god, Vishnu, in an ancient ceremony. The ritual takes place before a girl hits puberty, and will mark the first of three “weddings” she will have in her life. Pretty fascinating stuff!

We also witnessed a procession of elders preparing to sacrifice a chicken to the gods! Yikes!

Next, we headed to Bhaktapur, a unique old town known as the City of Devotees. You will be overwhelmed with pagodas, temples, palaces and monuments galore! There are loads of storefronts with locals making hand made goods to buy. Shopping here is a great way to support the local people.

Another Must-See in Nepal is a Unesco World Heritage Site, the Swayambhunath Buddhist Temple. Its also called the Monkey Temple… because of all the monkeys running wild on the grounds, of course! Head up to the top to spin the prayer wheel and wish for good luck or recite a prayer. Check out the panoramic views of the city from up there!

We found a giant Buddha statue at the top- his eyes follow you everywhere! There is also a sleeping Buddha that you won’t want to miss. Watch out for monkeys!

This site is one of the most ancient and holy in all of Nepal. The stupa is the oldest of its kind, and has stood as a hallmark of faith for centuries.

Everest Flight:

If you are not really into hiking but you don’t want to miss out on seeing the majestic mountain peaks of Nepal, hop on a quick one hour flight to observe Mt. Everest from the air! Its the perfect way to get a birds-eye view of the Himalayas and watch the beauty of mountains unfold right in front of your eyes.

An extra special moment while we were in the air took place as we passed over Mt. Everest. The pilot announced a toast as we flew over the mountain, and the flight attendants passed out a glass of champaign to everyone! It was such a cool moment of the trip.

Pokhara:

Be sure to take a day or two in Pokhara, a cool little town that tourists and trekkers flock to because its so conveniently located to the Annapurna Trail- and it is so beautiful! Phewa Lake and the religious place in the middle of it, Tal Sarahi Temple, are a major draw for visitors. Its a little slice of heaven! Its a great escape from the chaos of Kathmandu and a wonderful way to relax after hiking the Himalayas.

The lake is so beautiful- it is surrounded by snow capped mountains. There is a walking path that goes around the perimeter to enjoy the view, or rent a canoe to paddle out onto the lake. If you are in relaxation mode, hire a boat to take you to the lake and religious site, Tao Sarahi Temple.

If you are anything like me and need a little more of an adrenaline rush- this is a great place for some serious hang gliding! And of course you can always hike!

Local hikes to Sarangkot: Sarangkot is the hill to the north of Phewa Lake. Its the spot where hang gliders and para gliders take off from. Look up! You will see all the beautiful gliders floating through the air between the hills.

It takes a few hours to trek to the top- starting from the Beglung Bus Park. The views are amazing! Phew Lake on one side, the Himalayas on the other. After reaching the top either turn around and go back, or continue on to Naudada, about another 3 hours away. Plan to either stay the night or pre-arrange a ride back to Pokhara.

3 day hike on the Annapurna Trail: The highlight of our Nepalese adventure was our 3 day trek through the foothills of the Annapurna trail. We started out in Naya Pul, where we hiked uphill through remote villages for about 6 hours to reach Ghandruck, and the first teahouse in Landruck.

This teahouse had an amazing view from the communal area. We even had wifi! (For a price, about $1)
Keep in mind the teahouses are pretty bare bones. We had flat beds but had to sleep in our sleeping bags. (If you needed extra blankets you could grab one.) Bathrooms were community, indoor toilets. It got a little cold at night, so bring fleece or layer your clothes to sleep in.

On day 2 we trekked through the foothills from Ghandrok to Landruk. After about 4 hours we stopped at Jhinu along the way, where we took a dip in the hot springs!

After 3 more hours of hiking we arrived! Tea House Landruk had one of the most beautiful views of the whole hike!

And, as a sidebar, it also had some of the best espresso we had the pleasure of drinking thus far too….

The final day of trekking we walked about 5 hours to Dampus.

On our final night we had a dinner of Dal Bhat, a traditional meal in Nepal consisting of steamed rice and cooked lentil soup. Vegetable curry, spicy vegetables, greens and papadums accompany the meal. This is a typical meal for Nepalese- but great for salty hikers too!

In the morning we had about 2 hours of hiking to go to reach Phedi for the final stretch of the hike.

Royal Chitwan National Park: Take a 4 X 4 safari tour through this Unesco World Heritage site. Bring your binoculars to spot the one horned rhinoceros, a family of elephants, or a Bengal tiger.