3210 steps at 4am, no regrets from Ghorepani trek
Poon hill sunrise is everything people say it is. woke up stupidly early, freezing, worth it instantly the second the light hit annapurna. ghandruk village after was such a nice slow day, stone houses everywhere, good coffee too surprisingly. 8 days felt like the perfect length honestly, not too short not dragging
Marco Bianchi
Turin, Italy
My mistake was underestimating mardi
Went in with low expectations since it’s a shorter trek and came out properly impressed. high camp to base camp on day 6 was tough going, thin air hit me harder than i thought it would at only 4500m. views back down the valley from up there though, ridiculous. siding village after felt like stepping into a totally different Nepal, lower, greener, warmer. Guide knew every shortcut and viewpoint along the way.
Connor Walsh
Cork, Ireland
Mardi gave beuatiful memories in such short time, totally worth it
Picked mardi himal because i only had limited days in nepal and wow, glad i did. deurali forest walk on day 3 was so pretty, moss everywhere, felt like a fairytale kind of path. high camp morning was freezing but worth it just for that first light hitting the peaks. base camp itself, small and simple but the setting makes up for it completely. legs were done by low camp again on the way back down, going down is somehow worse than up for me every time. would recommend this one to anyone short on time
Hannah Kruger
Durban, South Africa
Mardi Himal is underrated really
Did this as a shorter alternative to abc and honestly zero regrets. base camp day was the best part, 4500m and barely anyone else up there compared to other treks i’ve read about. low camp to high camp was steeper than i expected ngl, wait no scratch that, it was steep. views of machapuchare from high camp though, insane, felt like it was right on top of us. siding village on the way down was such a random peaceful contrast, kids waving at us the whole way through. 10 days flew by way faster than i thought
Jack Sullivan
Brisbane, Australia
Dharamsala in manaslu surprised me
Wanted something quiet and manaslu delivered. namrung village stone houses were so pretty, kept stopping for photos. dharmashala night before the pass was freezing, barely slept lol not sorry for using that here. larke pass itself scary for a sec, hands went numb near top but guide stayed close whole time. tilje village at the end was such a nice calm way to finish. Already looking at flights for my next nepal trip.
Freya Lindqvist
Gothenburg, Sweden
Best 14 days in Manaslu Circuit Trek
I switched to this trek last minute after my ebc plan fell through, no regrets at all. jagat checkpoint was cool, felt like proper expedition vibes with the permit checks. samdo village so close to tibet border, loved that. larke pass morning was brutal, hands basically frozen but view from top made up for it instantly. should’ve broken in my boots more tho, blisters by dharapani were rough. still doing this trek again someday.
Diego Martins
Porto, Portugal
Manaslu Circuit was no joke
Did manaslu circuit in october. larke pass at 5160m absolutely wrecked me, water bottle froze solid which was a first for me. samagaun views of the mountain were unreal tho, just stood there for like 10 min not even talking. way less people than everest or annapurna which i loved honestly. bimthang after the pass felt like a different planet, so green compared to up top. guide was solid, kept us moving right pace. legs are still sore but 100% worth it.
Nathan Reyes
Portland, Oregon, United States
Discovered my foodie side in Annapurna Circuit Trek
Thorong La pass destroyed my snacks before it destroyed my legs, everything froze solid in my bag by the time we hit the top. Worth it though. The stretch from Chame to Upper Pisang was underrated for me, less talked about than the pass but the shift in scenery there, forest to proper mountain terrain, was probably my favourite few hours of the whole trip. Guide was sharp about pacing us before the high camp push which I appreciated, some in our group struggled a bit with the altitude and he handled it well. Jomsom on the way down was a nice reward, sat with a beer watching the wind pick up dust across the valley. Solid trek, would do it again honestly.
Owen Whitfield
Bristol, England
My brother definitely regrets not joining annapurna trek with me
My brother backed out two weeks before so I ended up doing this one alone, which honestly turned out fine. Everyone talks about Thorong La as the big moment and yeah, it’s intense, legs burning, freezing wind, the whole thing, but for me the rest day in Manang is what stuck. I wandered up toward Gangapurna Lake without really planning to, just walked until the trail stopped feeling crowded, and sat there a long while. Nobody rushed me. Muktinath the next day hit different after that pass though, seeing the temple down in the valley after such a brutal morning almost made me emotional, not gonna lie. Food was solid the whole way, dal bhat twice a day never got old for me somehow.
Mateus Alves
Porto Alegre, Brazil
Annapurna Experience as a female trekker
My first time traveling alone without my friend circle actually so i was a bit nervous at start. the rest day in manang ended up being one of my favorite parts, i didnt expect that. i hiked up toward ice lake just to move my legs and ended up sitting there for almost an hour looking at the valley, nobody around, just me and the wind. thorong la pass on day 9 was brutal honestly, started at 4am and my hands went numb somewhere near the top, but reaching muktinath after felt like something shifted in me. the guide checked on me constantly which i really needed as a solo female traveler, made me feel safe the whole way. jomsom on the way down was such a nice contrast, warm and windy and full of apple everything. came back different than i left, in a good way.
Camila Fernandez
Madrid, Spain
Guides story made gokyo trek a memorable experience
This trek completely wrecked me in the best way possible. there was a night early on where the stars were so clear i just stood outside the teahouse for ages, forgot how cold it was until my hands went numb. the pace of the trek let me actually notice things instead of rushing to the next stop. guide had so many stories about the mountains, made the long walking days go by fast. came home and immediately started looking up more treks, which probably says it all. cannot recommend this enough if you want something that actually stays with you
Isla Fraser
Edinburgh, Scotland
Gokyo Lake became my second home
went into this trek not knowing what to expect and came out kind of obsessed with mountains now. the silence up during gokto lake trek is something else, proper silence, no phones, no traffic, just wind. made some good mates in our group too, we still send each other photos from the trip. pretty knackered by the end, feet were destroyed, but worth every blister honestly. staff looked after us really well the whole way, always checking in. already thinking about which trek to do next
Liam O'Connor
Galway, Ireland