Tent Peak Climbing

We will start our trip with early morning flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara. It is a city located in the western part of Nepal. The flight provides a first glimpse of the beautiful Himalayan peaks of Nepal. After take off from Kathmandu, we will see the majestic peaks of Langtang and the Dorje Lakpa range. A few minutes of flight will take us to the central part of Nepal. The central part of Nepal is home to mountains of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and the Manasulu Himal range. Pokhara is a beautiful city and is also known as the city of seven lakes. It is the primary destination for tourists who come to Nepal. Pokhara is also the gateway town to the Annapurna Sanctuary. We will get a beautiful view of the Begnas and the Fewa Lake as we land in Pokhara.

A jeep will be waiting for us at the airport. We will waste no time and get into it after collecting our luggage. The coach will take us through picturesque farmlands, villages, waterfalls and swirling rivers.  The drive up to Nayapul takes us through one of the busiest highways in Nepal. The experience is smooth along the black topped road. After Nayapul we will leave the highway which goes towards Beni. We will then head on an off road track towards Ghandruk Phedi. The name of the village means the base of the Ghandruk village as it is situated directly beneath it.

We will collect our bags and head towards the heart of the Annapurna Sanctuary from the bus stop. Will cross the Kimrong Khola via a high suspension bridge and get into the opposite mountain ridge. We will see picturesque villages perched on mountains on all sides after crossing the river. We will then walk towards the foot of the ridge we are walking in. The hill we are in is known as Jhinu Danda. There is a hot spring located a few minutes of walk down from Jhinu Danda.  We will go to the hot spring and take a relaxing bath there. We will come back to Jhinu Danda and rest here for the night.

We will resume our trek following breakfast. The first hour is an uphill climb to the village of Chhomrong. Chhomrong is the largest village in the Annapurna Sanctuary. It is a tourist village with many facilities like guesthouses, restaurants, shops and even a basketball court for tourists. Upper Chhomrong is situated at the top of the hill and lower Chhomrong is spread towards the foot of the hill. The Chhomrong Khola flows from the base of the village. We will go downhill from Upper Chhomrong towards the river. There is a high suspension bridge over Chhomrong Khola. We will cross the bridge and get into to the ridge on the other mountain. The path is evenly paved. We will meet many mule caravan, traders and fellow trekkers on our road.

The trail again starts to go uphill after we cross the suspension bridge. From here the forest starts to get denser than in the lower part. We will only come across little far flung villages which constitutes of a few houses and hotels. Trees of rhododendron, juniper, pine and fir are common in the region. If you happen to be trekking during spring, the entire forest is turned into red by the blooming rhododendrons, which is also the national flower of Nepal. If you are lucky then we can also catch a glimpse of rare and endangered wild animals like Asian Black Bear, Mountain Fox, Deer and other animals. The Himalayan Blue Sheep and the Himalayan Tahr are rarely seen at this altitude as they live higher up.

We will rest at a place called Lower Sinuwa and then resume our trip through dense forest of bamboo. You will be surprised to see that the entire forest is now dominated by bamboo which was only found in traces in the lower belt. We will reach upper Sinuwa after walking for about an hour from Lower Sinuwa and we will stay at a guest house there for the night.

Will resume our trek following breakfast. We have two options for breakfast. We can either enjoy regular breakfast or indulge in local made breakfast set of Tibetan bread, Himalayan tea and organic cereals harvested from nearby fields.  Mountain peaks like Annapurna, Himchuli, Gangapurna, Dhaulagiri and Manaslu become more and more prominent as we move northwards. However, the highlight of the  scenery is the stunning view of the Machhapuchhre or the Fish Tail mountain.

We will take short breaks at places like Khuldi Ghar, Dovan and Bamboo.  Apart from these small villages, the entire part of our trail is covered in woods of pine and fir. Our trail  also starts to get covered in snow as we approach the village of Deurali. The literal meaning of the name deurali is pass in Nepali, which is also known as Bhanjyang in other places. Deurali is a pass between the last Hills of the Mahabharata range because after crossing Deurali we will reach directly in the foothills of the Machhapuchhre and the Himchuli mountain.  We will rest at a guest house in Deurali following a long hard day of trek in Annapurna sanctuary.

We will resume our trip from Deurali and head into one of the most thrilling parts of our trek.  Today’s trek takes us through a narrow pass located between the Himchuli and Machha Puchhre mountain. The pass is the only gateway into small valley of 10 miles in diameter where lies gigantic Himalayan peaks like Annapurna, Tent Peak, Himchuli and others.  Because this narrow pass is the only gateway to the Annapurna Base Camp the region was  completely unexplored by outsiders until the 1940s.  In 1950, a French team led by Maurice Hezog made the first successful climb of Annapurna I, making it the first peak in the world over eight thousand metres in altitude to be climbed.

The Modi river flows out of this narrow pass and into the wild valley which we walked during the last two days of our trek. We have two road options after travelling from Deurali. One road takes us from the near side of the Modi river while the other road runs parallel in the opposite side. There is not much difference between the two paths but if we are travelling during peak winter it is better that we travel from the far side because there is risk of avalanche in the nearest side. We will cross the river  once again and get into the base of a hill directly above it is situated in.  The base camp is only a symbolic one because climbing in the peak is prohibited as the locals considered the mountain as a sacred one and it is offensive to set foot on top of it.

Once we cross Machhapuchhre Base Camp, the path starts to get wider and wider with the himchuli and the Annapurna mountains forming a semicircle at the front and the Machhapuchhre mountain now in our background.  If you are lucky then we can also capture dreams of the rare Himalayan Blue Sheep and the Himalayan Tahr at this altitude.  About two hours of work from here will take us to Annapurna Base Camp, which provides a 360 degree view of the mountains in the Annapurna massif and the Dhaulagiri range. We will enjoy the breathtaking view of the mountains from Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) and rest at a guest house there. The guest houses are equipped with all the modern facilities needed for trekkers including VSAT telephone.

We will wake up before the sun break at Annapurna Base Camp and head towards  a view point located a few  minutes ahead. The sun rising over the peaks of the mountain is glorious from this place. We will also get a complete look at the sweeping glacier beneath the cliff which drains as Modi river a few kilometres down south near Machhapuchhre Base Camp.  The place is packed with trekkers and climbers jostling for space to get the best view of the mountains and the glaciers. After spending some time there we will get back to our hotel and enjoy our breakfast.

Following breakfast we will head towards the Tent Peak Base Camp which is located a little bit towards the south from Annapurna Base Camp. After walking for a few minutes we will leave the regular trail which goes down towards Machhapuchhre Base Camp and head towards the Tent Peak Base Camp which is located at around the same altitude as Annapurna Base Camp and the climatic variation is not huge. However, there are less facilities Tent Peak Base Camp as compared to Annapurna Base Camp making the stay hard.

In fact, during peak winter Tent Peak Base Camp is not served by any guest houses at all unlike the Annapurna Base Camp where guest houses are open all year round.  We will set up tents at the base camp following five hours of walk from Annapurna Base Camp. The walk is not long but because will have to walk along the glacial moraines we will go slowly towards our destination.

We will stay at the Tent Peak Base Camp today and acclimatize ourselves for the hard and tough climb tomorrow.  Tent Peak Base Camp is situated at the slope of the Tent Peak itself and we will get plenty of opportunity to learn how to use tools like ice axes, ropes and harnesses which might be needed while trying the final part of the peak.  We will also learn how to communicate and coordinate effectively while walking in a single file in the treacherous slopes of the mountain. Our team leader will teach us about some of the most frequent signs and signals used in the mountain slopes.

We will explore the places around the Base Camp after our training and drill in the afternoon. However, we will not venture far from the Base Camp because we are looking to preserve energy for the next day. We will slide into  our tents early because a cold  and chilling wind blows in the mountains during the evening.

We will the Summit of the Tent Peak today.  We will get up up two to three hours before sunrise because we have to climb for about eight hours and then we need half that time to come down to the base camp. Moreover, it is ideal to reach the peak before midday because a strong afternoon wind blows at the top of the mountain during this time, making the climb more difficult.  We also don’t want to be in the mountains by the time the last light of the day goes out. The first part of the climb is relativity easy and we won’t have to use rocks and harnesses during the first hour.

The second part of the trek is relatively difficult. As we approach the peak we might need to make use of ropes during the final 400 metres. We will get a spectacular panoramic view of mountain peaks like Annapurna I, Annapurna II, Gangapurna, Himchuli and other peaks.  We will spend some time at the peak and then start slow but careful descent towards the Base Camp. We will celebrate our success at the Base Camp and stay for a day more at the tents before heading out of the mountains.

We will get back to Sinuwa today  after completing a memorable tour of the mountain in the Annapurna massif and the ascent of the Tent Peak, which is also known as Tharpu Chuli by the locals.  We won’t have to go towards Annapurna Base Camp today and we will directly head down towards Machhapuchhre Base Camp.  Despite the past being downhill, we will have to go carefully up to Machhapuchhre base camp because the glacial slope is slippery and full of crevasses.

After reaching the base camp, we will walk along the labelled banks of the Modi river up to Deurali.  We will go slightly uphill from Deurali and from here the kingdom of snow ends and the green hills of the Mahabharata range starts. We will take a short break at Deurali and then resume our trek after break among the dense forest of bamboo.  The Modi river thunders below and we will see pipes around which connect the river with the local hydroelectricity project located in and around our trail.  We will reach Sinuwa  during the second part of the day and rest at a  guest house there.

We will resume our trip from Sinuwa today and head towards the beautiful and picturesque village of Ghandruk. We will come across the Chhomrong village once again and we have the climb down to the foot of the river and the climb up to the top of the peak to look forward to. We will slowly walk alone the stone paved path towards the river which we will cross via a high and airy suspension bridge. The view of the river below is stunning from the suspension bridge.

After crossing the suspension bridge, we will slowly walk towards the top of the village. It takes about an hour to reach the top of the village from the foot of the river. After reaching the top of the village, we will again go down towards Jhinu Danda. We will cross the Kimrong river after walking about an hour from Jhinu Danda. After crossing the river, we will walk for another hour and reach the beautiful village of Ghandruk. The village is settled by the local Gurung people and is famous for its homestay experience. We will spend the night at Ghandruk and learn more about the culture and the tradition of the Gurung people.

We will head towards Pokhara after enjoying a wonderful day in Ghandruk. We will take a bus ride from Ghandruk and then enter the off road, which meets with highway in Nayapul. We will reach Pokhara following three hours of drive.

We will spend the night by strolling into the Fewa Lake side in the evening. Pokhara has a vibrant nightlife and we can enjoy some of it if we are not too tired. We will rest at our hotel after enjoying some time at the Lake Side.

We will end our trip with a bus ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara. The bus ride takes us along the beautiful Prithvi highway. The highway swirls along the banks of the Marsyangdi and the Trishuli river. It is a joyride along the serene gree mid hills of Nepal.

We will reach Kathmandu after six hours of drive. We will go to our hotel after landing at the bus stop near Thamel. Our trip ends with you checking into your hotel.