ABC Trek Nepal

The ABC trek starts with a jeep transfer out of Pokhara (822 m) in the early morning. The road runs north-west through Hemja and Nayapul before turning up the Modi Khola valley, deteriorating into rough track as it climbs. Allow around three hours to Jhinu Danda (1,780 m).

Boots on, the trail immediately drops to a suspension bridge over the Modi Khola and then climbs — hard — up the stone staircase to Chhomrong (2,170 m). This Gurung village is the gateway to the Annapurna Sanctuary and the last place with proper shops. Take the chance to look up the valley: the wall of Annapurna South fills the head of it.

From Chhomrong the route drops sharply to the Chhomrong Khola, crosses on a steel bridge, and climbs back through terraced fields and bamboo stands to Lower Sinuwa (2,340 m). It is a demanding first day with a lot of vertical in both directions, and the teahouse at Sinuwa is a welcome sight. Overnight at Lower Sinuwa.

Breakfast at Sinuwa, then into the forest. The path traverses at a fairly even grade at first, passing through Bamboo (2,310 m) where the valley closes in and the vegetation becomes genuinely jungly — thickets of bamboo, dripping moss, and the constant noise of the river below.

After Bamboo the trail turns upward and stays that way. You climb through Dovan (2,600 m) and past the shrine at Himalaya, gaining height steadily along the west bank of the Modi Khola. The gorge tightens, the trees thin, and waterfalls spill across the trail. This stretch is often damp, so watch your footing on the wet stone.

The final push climbs out of the treeline into a rocky defile and reaches Deurali (3,230 m), a small group of lodges wedged into the narrowest part of the valley. You have gained nearly 900 m today and are now high enough that altitude matters — hydrate well and take it easy this evening. Overnight at Deurali.

The big day. From Deurali the trail continues up the gorge, crossing slopes that carry avalanche risk in late winter and spring — your guide will check conditions and set the pace accordingly. The vegetation gives out entirely and the walking becomes rock, scree and snowmelt.

The valley suddenly widens at Machhapuchhre Base Camp (3,700 m), where a few lodges sit on grass directly under the fluted ice of Machhapuchhre — the sacred fishtail peak that has never been officially summited. We stop for tea and to let everyone acclimatise before the last stretch.

The final two hours climb gently across moraine and meadow into the Annapurna Sanctuary itself, arriving at Annapurna Base Camp (4,130 m). You finish standing in a glacial bowl enclosed by Annapurna I (8,091 m), Annapurna South (7,219 m), Hiunchuli, Gangapurna, Tent Peak and Machhapuchhre. There is nowhere else in Nepal where so many big peaks stand so close on every side. Overnight at base camp.

Set an alarm for dawn. The sunrise from base camp lights Annapurna I first, then works its way around the rim of the Sanctuary peak by peak. It is bitterly cold for the twenty minutes it takes, and completely worth it. Photograph it, then go back in for a hot breakfast.

The descent begins after eating. You retrace the route across the meadow to Machhapuchhre Base Camp and then drop back into the gorge toward Deurali, losing height fast. The change is physical and immediate — breathing gets easier by the hour, and by Himalaya you are back among trees.

The trail continues down through Dovan and into the humid green of the lower valley, finishing at Bamboo (2,310 m). Today covers more than 1,800 m of descent on uneven stone steps, which is tough on knees and quads; poles help enormously. Overnight at Bamboo.

The last walking day retraces the forest trail through Upper and Lower Sinuwa, then drops to the Chhomrong Khola and climbs the stone steps back up to Chhomrong (2,170 m) — a sting in the tail after four hard days, but a short one.

From Chhomrong it is a steady descent to Jhinu Danda (1,780 m). Twenty minutes further down, on the bank of the Modi Khola, are the Jhinu hot springs: stone-walled pools fed by natural thermal water, with the river running cold and loud beside them. If the schedule allows, this is the perfect way to finish the trek.

A jeep collects us at Jhinu Danda for the drive back down the valley to Pokhara (822 m), arriving late afternoon. Your ABC trek ends here, with the Annapurna range visible above the lake as a reminder of where you have just been. Overnight in Pokhara.