14-Day Annapurna Base Camp Trek from Kathmandu

We just completed the 14 day ABC trek with Outfitter Himalaya Holidays. Our guide was Deepak who made sure we were well looked after and our bags were carried by porters, one porter for two people. The trip was pretty much exactly as per the posted itinerary with some minor adjustments in order to make our progress to base camp a bit easier. Some things to consider in preparation; do lots of stair circuits to get your legs ready for all the up and down hill walking, almost no flat walking anywhere. Have good rain gear in your day pack, the mountain weather conditions change very quickly. We had beautiful fine weather each morning but experienced showers, storms and snow on most afternoons. The mountain lodges are pretty basic, just a room with beds and shared facilities. Some lodges do not have western toilets and you will have to use the local squat style of toilets, not easy with aching legs but it can be done with practice. The company will cover your breakfast lunch and dinner on the trek but all drinks are extras and of course you will have to pay for your water on the trek. Local water needs filtering and the use of purification tablets. You can buy bottled water lower down the mountain but further up you can only get filtered water. Bottled water costs around 100 to 200 NRP, filtered water about the same. You can buy Wifi in most lodges for around 200 to 300 NRP and hot showers are free lower down, but cost up to 300 or 400 NRP further up. There are no eftpos on the trek and you will need cash to cover all of the extras so carry plenty as it disappears pretty quickly once you start buying chocolates etc. We went with Tripadeal (Australian tour agency) whose tipping guide was way off the mark. The porters will expect $120 USD per trekker, and your guide will expect $60 USD per trekker. Not unreasonable amounts but a long way from the suggested tip of $90 AUD for both. The Good: The sights and mountains are simply spectacular and uniquely Himalayan. The food is limited in variety but of good standard and well presented. The guide and porters are fabulous and determined to make sure that you enjoy your experience. The lodges are basic but clean and welcoming, think of up market camping rather than glamorous cabins. The not so good: There is a lot of going up and down stone cut stairs which can stress the knees and legs if not well prepared. We had three of our party of six end up using knee braces on the trek. There are some parts of the track that are not well maintained and required some scrambling over and around boulders. The trek ended up being about 145 kilometres in total which will test even the fittest. The bus ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara is a test of endurance which took 10 hours thanks to 100 klms of road works and an afternoon thunderstorm. The company offer an alternative of flying which costs $130 USD each way, none of our group were willing to endure the bus ride back to Kathmandu so we all flew back and found the 25 minute flight a worthwhile investment. Overall I would thoroughly recommend the ABC trek for the unbelievably scenic views and Outfitters Himalayan Holidays for their professionalism and great service.

The scenery was absolutely spectacular. Loved the challenge of trekking up and down the mountain. Need a certain level of fitness as there are a lot of steps. The guide and porter's were all awesome.

Trip was fantastic. Scenery was incredible and no photos do it justice. We started with a city your in Kathmandu which was excellent. The next day the trek started with a bus trip to Pokhara where we overnighted. We booked the standard accommodation and it was basic, clean and met needs and the breakfast was good. Would have liked to spend more time in Pokhara to explore but didnt have enough time and the next day the trek really began. We started in Naiypul and trekked upwards from there to finally reach ABC. Accommodation throughout was in mountain lodges which differed from very basic ie a bed with a sheet, to a room with a bathroom and duvets. All were clean and the service was welcoming and friendly. These are basic mountain lodges so dont expect heating. Our guide and porters were really helpful and encouraging. The porters do an amazing job carrying the luggage as its a tough walk up many steps. The tracks are mixed with many steps along the way. I would recommend having 2 hiking poles to help with extra balance. Also dont forget your rain poncho as the weather is changeable and can go from brilliant sunshine to afternoon rain quickly as the mountains seem to have their own weather system. The guide was responsive to the groups needs changing the itinerary and accommodation to meet the needs of the group so we could really enjoy the trek. We did encounter hail and snow on our trip up on one of the days and our guide got us through this to our destination. The trip up to ABC is very beautiful and is at altitude so everyone reacts differently. It was a fantastic trip which we will remember forever.