Experience of a lifetime - 7 day Annapurna Base Camp w/ Nepal Hiking Team - Nepal Hiking Team is one of the best hiking companies in Nepal. We had planned a 7 day trek to Annapurna Base Camp (5 days of walking and 2 days... read more to get there and back) before the pandemic but our trip had to be postponed multiple times because of the pandemic. Ganga the leader of Nepal Hiking Team worked with us patiently over the years to plan the trip and customize it the the needs and schedules of our party. The trip was arranged by Ganga end-to-end with transportation to and from the hotel and Kathmandu and Pokhara airports, a few days stay in Kathmandu on either end, equipment, and the guides, porters and trek to ABC. The hotel in Kathmandu was modest, clean and central to the nice spots and restaurants in Kathmandu. Ganga organized a fascinating day trip to visit the sites in Kathmandu with a very knowledgable guide. I had a private audience with the Royal Kumari (Princess) of Kathmandu. Don't miss Pashupatinath Temple - one of the holiest Shiva temples.
Our guide for ABC was Hari Saran, the head porter was Rabin Bhandari, and junior porter was Krishna. Foremost they were great company, and very responsible and caring of all the members of our group - the tortoises, the rabbits, the ones with food preferences, ones who needed help carrying their bags at times, etc. We had two birthdays during the trek and had wonderful surprises and treats for the celebration.
Hari was an incredible guide and next time we come to Nepal we definitely want him back. Hari was very knowledgable about the area, the flora and fauna, and during the trek gave us an introduction to the history, people and politics of Nepal. He made the trek safe, smooth and highly enjoyable for us all organizing the lodges, food, showers and WiFi along the way.
Rabin was a lovely human being, concerned for all of us and our needs and safety and foremost we are grateful that he carried a huge load for us. Rabin spoke perfect English and was a great complement to Hari. Our young porter Krishna was always smiling, and training to become a guide.
Nepal that was the hippy destination in the 60s and 70s is now a destination for hikers and NGOs. A lot of young adults simply show up in Nepal for a few months and are often hiking without a guide or porter. We met a lot of wonderful people along the trek and had great conversation with them in the lodges - Nepalese, Europeans (lots of French!), Indians and surprisingly Malaysians.
The lodges along the ABC route are very simple and cold - no insulation or heating. Bathrooms can be dirty (no western style toilets in many lodges) and very few hot showers. But it sure beats sleeping in tents.
Some tips: take Diamox and don't be the one that has altitude sickness and has to be brought down. Be careful with what you drink (no fresh juices) and eat - it will be no fun getting dysentery. And choose a good hiking company - we chose Ganga's Nepal Hiking Team and it was an amazing trip!
Namaste
