Nepal is blessed with endless natural beauty, from its jaw-dropping scenery to its awe-inspiring mountains and tranquil and shimmering lakes, making it truly special. Whenever I wish to add new memories by exploring the limitless possibilities of life, I venture into new corners of nature with backpacks eager to see the unseen views and uncover the untold stories, beautifying life and renewing my inner selves.
This time I along with other enthusiastic trekkers and a guide from the WalkNepalWalk team, a hiking and trekking group, travelled to a beautiful and soul-soothing place, which has gained immense popularity in recent times, where nature connects the soul to serenity. This is the journey to North Annapurna Base Camp situated at an altitude of 4,190 meters from sea level.
As per the itinerary, a team of 18 people, gathered at Gongabu Bus Park at 5 in the evening. Though we boarded a bus at 6 pm, we crossed Kalanki, which is around 20 minutes from Gongabu, at 8 pm because of a heavy traffic jam. After passing Thankot, we took our first break of the journey at Naubise, where we paused for a while to have some light snacks. As we were travelling at night, the lights of the moon and stars were making the journey absolutely magical. But the sad part is that the highway has not been upgraded yet.
With fun and laughter, we did not even realize that we had reached Abu khaireni, stop for dinner that night. The dinner made us all sleepy and everyone drifted off to sleep. It was around 8 am, when we reached Tatopani, where the jeeps booked in advance were already waiting for us. We had breakfast and left for Humkhola. The jeep journey was thrilling, bumpy and unforgettable as well. Thanks to WalkNepalWalk, everything from transportation to our hotel arrangements was completely hassle-free. This felt even more reassuring when we saw the recent chaos in North ABC due to overcrowding, with many exhausted trekkers forced to spend nights outside in the freezing cold.
Situated at an elevation of 2,840 meters, Humkhola is popular for hydropower projects. There are around five hydel projects currently in operation in Humkhola and two are under construction. It is a good example that if we use natural resources in a good way, it can be useful for many other purposes.
After two hours of off-road travel, we reached Humkhola. Without wasting time, we started the hike at around 11:30 am as we were already two to three hours late then as planned. The more we moved ahead, the more it felt that we were going back to the old days, when we used to walk freely without any worries. Life was simple and full of warmth.
After treading for around two hours along the trail carved by the Nilgiri River, which originated from melting glaciers of Nilgiri Himal, we reached Phutphute Waterfall, one of the highlights of this trek. Walking by the river, hearing the sound of water flowing and birds chirping encouraged us to move forward. The official name of this trail is the Maurice Herzog Trail, named after the French mountaineer, late Maurice Herzog, along with his teammate Louis Lachenal, made first ascent to Mount Annapurna I which stands at an altitude of 8,091 meters.
The trail, however, recently became popular among the travelers as the North Annapurna Base Camp Trek. We spent some time enjoying the waterfall taking photos and videos to recount the memory. In addition to the beautiful surroundings, we also had some mouthwatering dishes there. After walking uphill for around half-an-hour, we reached Sandikharka. The view ahead was astonishing. The forest was alive with vibrant colors and fresh earthy smell of damp soil and fallen leaves made the environment more attractive.
We then walked past Gufaphant (3,319 meters) and reached Busket Mela (3,530 meters), the first station of our jaunt. We stayed in the tents which were surprisingly cozy and warm. We crossed numerous bridges in this trek which were connecting people with nature.
On the next day, we woke up at around 4 am and headed towards Panchakunda Lake guided by headlights. We could see the clear sky with no trace of clouds and the majestic snow-capped mountains standing tall and smiling in front of us, as if she knew the answer to all the questions. She knows what people want and time of blooming and fading. We felt that we were travelling beyond the world with the inner self.
The trail to the base camp is gradually being developed. The problem arises when people go to the untamed pristine areas and leave litter everywhere. Travelling is not only about enjoying the views and taking photos, we should also take the responsibility to protect the environment. After a 45-minute walk, we reached Dharmashala. We could find a hut constructed by ACAP for the travelers to take rest.
The trail ahead was challenging as many sections were frozen as we were travelling in November. We had to walk very carefully. But still some of the friends fell down. Fortunately, no one sustained serious injuries. Walking continuously for around three hours led us finally to Panchakunda Lake.
The lake situated in Myagadi district was established as a tourist destination recently. The lake remained hidden among the Nepalis living in the country and abroad for years as only mountaineers used to come here for expeditions. Nestled at the foot of Mt Annapurna, it reminds us of the serene beauty of Shey Phoksundo Lake.
It has been said that the lake splits into five ponds when it freezes and reunites into one when the snow melts and that’s how the lake got its name. When we reached the lake, half of it was frozen while half remained unfrozen. The unfrozen part of the lake was turquoise in color. It felt like witnessing a piece of heaven on earth.
Since it was freezing cold. We could hardly stand outside for five minutes. Hence, we stayed at the tea house sipping hot tea until the sun rose. We left for the base camp at around 8 am. The North Annapurna Base Camp is not that far from Panchakunda Lake. We could reach the base camp in around a 30-minute walk.
The view from the base camp was priceless and unreal. We could clearly see Mt Annapurna I (8,091 meters) and Tilcho Peak (7,134 meters) standing tall in front of us while Mt Nilgiri rose just opposite to it. That is why, Panchakunda Lake holds a unique significance. After feasting our eyes on nature's splendor, we came back to Panchakunda Lake to have lunch. We then descended directly to Busket Mela and then to Gufaphant to spend that night.
The following day, we hiked towards Humkhola at around 8 am from where we took jeeps to Tatopani. Then we had delicious Thakali khana, dipped into a natural hot spring and wrapped up our journey. Though the trek ended, we came back home with countless memories which will stay with us forever.
