Guided a client to Annapurna Base Camp at -14˚C in January 2024
I love trekking. I love going to the mountains more often than anything. Before, I used to trek during the ideal weather and temperature in Spring and Autumn. However, on cold January 7, 2024, I decided to trek to Annapurna Base Camp. I was ready to experience the freezing temperature. I was prepared to guide my client on her maiden high-altitude trek to the Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal.
This is a story of how I got my client to book this trek with my company NepTrek Adventures and how we trekked for five days from Pokhara to Annapurna Base Camp. Also, I’ll share the detailed itinerary I made for this short Annapurna Base Camp Trek from Pokhara.
How I got my client?
On October, I was returning from Everest Base Camp and was at Lukla. While waiting for the flight, I met a Vietnam-American guy, Nam. The weather wasn’t good and there were no flights. So I decided to walk down to Bupsa and take a bus to Kathmandu.
While walking down, I met Nam near Chheubas. From there, we two trekked to Bupsa and stayed at a tea house. Next morning, we returned to Kathmandu together. Since he was new in Nepal, I acted as a guide while returning. And he was impressed with my guiding service. Later, he recommended me to his friend who was planning to trek in Nepal.
Fast forward to early November, I got a message on my WhatsApp saying “hey I got your number from Nam. He told me that you two did Everest trek together. I’m planning to visit Nepal and do a short trekking”. After that we started chatting and made a decision about the trekking. We planned Annapurna Base Camp and scheduled it for January first week.
There was no conversation with my client as she was having trouble with her plans and uncertain about the trek. She told me that she won’t be able to come Nepal in January. And I was like okay! This is what usually happens when client enquires. Sometimes you get the client and sometimes you don’t!
Fast forward to January 3, I got a message. My client told me that she’s in Pokhara and want to trek to Annapurna Base Camp in January. I immediately fixed the date, and on January 8, we started the trek with a drive from Pokhara to Jhinu and trekked to Upper Sinuwa.
From here, I’m sharing how we trekked each day during our 5 days trek. So its more like itinerary breakdown.
5 days Annapurna Base Camp Trek from Pokhara- Itinerary
Day 1: Drive from Pokhara to Jhinu Danda (3.5 hours).Trek to Upper Sinuwa (4 hours)
We took a taxi from Lakeside to Hari Chowk at 7 am. As there are no direct bus from Lakeside to Hari Chowk, its better to take a taxi ride which usually costs Rs. 500.
Note: For almost-all trekking around Pokhara, to Ghandruk, Mardi Himal, Khopra Danda, etc. you have to take a jeep ride. And the jeeps departs from only one place, Hari Chowk.
After leaving Pokhara, we stopped at ACAP Permit Office at Birethati. At ACAP entry check post, I submitted my clients ACAP permit for check-in. Here, every foreign trekkers must check-in their ACAP permit.
After two hours from Birethati, we reached Jhinu Danda. It was around 11:30 am.
We then crossed a suspension bridge, trekked to Jhinu, and further up to Chhomrong. Since the sun was strong, we were sweating and struggling to walk. Haha! However, with multiple rest, we managed to reach the Chhomrong top. Here, we stopped for lunch.
The walk was very peaceful as there were no any trekker than we two! It was total peaceful walk from Chhomrong to Upper Sinuwa.
We reached Upper Sinuwa around 5 pm, on-time as we predicted before leaving Chhomrong. The cold was okay.
We ate dinner at 7 pm.
Day 2: Trek from Upper Sinuwa to Deurali (6–7 hours)
The weather in the morning was clear and crisp. We got the amazing glimpse of Machhapuchhre, Annapurna III, and Himchuli.
After breakfast, around 8 am, we left Upper Sinuwa.
We stopped at a tea house in Bamboo for coffee but there was no electricity. Instead, we opted ginger lemon honey.
From Bamboo, we trekked further one hour to Dovan. The sun started shining bright. And we were enjoying every warmth we were getting. Sometimes we used to get warm and take-off our layerings.
We didn’t stop at Dovan. We trekked further 40 minutes and stopped at a waterfall near Himalaya. It was much needed rest for us. Also, we had some amazing time for photography.
From the waterfall, we climbed uphill for 20 minutes, trekked on almost-flat trail, and stopped at Himalaya for lunch. The sun and clouds were playing hide and seek. And we were getting cold!
After lunch, we took some 30 minutes rest at Himalaya.
We resumed our walk and stopped at a big stone cave near Deurali. Deurali was on our sight and we were bit relaxed. Also, we were on-time!
As we reached Deurali, the wind blew fiercely. And the cold once again hit us. But we were at the tea house and relieved. Hot water and some biscuits gave some warmth. I went to the room, got changed, and went to dining to enjoy talking with a German trekker. Also, I was waiting for my friend who was coming down to Deurali from Annapurna Base Camp.
Day 3: Trekked from Deurali to Annapurna Base Camp via Machhapuchhre Base Camp (5 hours)
As usual, we resumed our walk after a good breakfast at tea house in Deurali. Also, the morning weather was clear and cold.
From Deurali, we walked for two hours to Machhapuchhre Base Camp. Most sections between Deurali and MBC trails along the serene Modi Khola.
Since we were just two trekker on the trail, we decided to take some good rest at Machhapuchhre Base Camp. Also, Annapurna Base Camp was just two hours away from MBC and it was around 11 am.
I ate noodle soup and black tea. My client ordered the same.
While sitting and sunbathing, we spotted few mountains goats on the cliffs of mountains around. It was joyful moment.
After 12, we resumed our walk. The picturesque glimpse of Annapurna South emerged. Also, Annapurna Fang greeted us.
There were snow on the either side of the trail. Also, there were some icy blocks on the route. We were walking cautiously.
We stopped for a photograph at the base camp. And then we went to the tea house.
As expected, there were no one on the tea house except the tea house staffs. They were playing cards. We went to our room, got changed, and ate lunch.
My client felt mild headache and went to the bed. I was excited to be at Annapurna Base Camp for second time. And went to explore some nearby areas.
At 5:30 pm, we watched a beautiful sunset. Sadly, my GoPro frozed and got formatted. I lost every videos I had made during the trek. They were all beautiful as weather was very good.
We ate dinner and went to the bed at 8 pm. It was cold.
Day 4: Watched sunrise from Annapurna Base Camp. Trekked to Bamboo (almost-all-day)
The morning cold was intense but we woke up to see beautiful sunrise on the Annapurnas. Last time I was at ABC, it was October and the sunrise was at 6 am. But, the sunrise in winter is late, around 7 am.
We enjoyed sunrise from the base camp. It was a beautiful moment we enjoyed.
After viewing the sunrise, we prepared for the return trek. Of course we ate breakfast before leaving the base camp. Haha!
We had planned to trek down to Upper Sinuwa. But my client struggled to trek down at a pace. While trekking up, she was trekking efficiently. It took us exactly 4 hours to trek down to Deurali from ABC which usually takes 2 hours for many.
After lunch at Deurali, my client told me that she’s not fast enough to walk down. And I totally understood her issue. I respected her slow pace and trekked down with her.
We stopped at Himalaya for tea break.
From Himalaya, we stopped at Dovan for another tea break.
We then decided to stop at Bamboo for overnight.
Fun part in Bamboo: As there was no electricity at Bamboo, we enjoyed candle light dinner. We even stayed on the courtyard, enjoyed stars, talked about life, and adventure.
Day 5: Trekked from Bamboo to Upper Sinuwa-Chhomrong-Jhinu Hot Spring. Drive back to Pokhara (5 hours)
Our plan for the day was:
- Trek to Upper Sinuwa
- Stop for the breakfast at a tea house
- Trek to Chhomrong top and sit for lunch
- Trek down to Jhinu, leave our backpack at the tea house, visit Hot Spring
- Take a Jeep ride to Pokhara
And we did everything exactly as we had planned.
Jhinu-Pokhara Jeep Ride and Cost
A jeep from Jhinu to Pokhara costs Rs. 7000. The jeep carries 7 pax and the cost gets divided per head.
We managed to reach Jhinu before 4 pm. There were almost no people returning to Pokhara. We waited for 30 more minutes and two other people joined us. With just 4 pax, we ended up paying Rs. 4000. Other two paid Rs. 1500 each as they were locals and requested us to pay 1000 extra. We happily paid Rs. 1000 more and returned Pokhara at 7:30 pm.
We stayed at Street № 21 for overnight. We also celebrated our trek success with pizza at the cafe in Lakeside, Pokhara.
Next morning, I took the flight to Kathmandu. My client took tourist bus ride from Pokhara to Kathmandu.
We ended Annapurna Base Camp Trek on a happy note. It was a successful trek!
Where did we stay during our Annapurna Base Camp Trek 5 days?
- Pokhara- Hotel Sweet Dreams, Khare, Lakeside, Street No 21
- Upper Sinuwa- Real Sinuwa Lodge
- Deurali- Shangri-la Lodge
- Annapurna Base Camp- Annapurna Sanctuary Lodge
- Bamboo- Trekker’s Inn
Where to get Annapurna Base Camp Trek Permits in Pokhara?
If you’re in Pokhara and don’t have idea of where to buy ACAP Permits, its easy to get one.
You can get ACAP Permit at Nepal Tourism Office inside Department of Immigration. It’s close to Tourist Bus Park, Damsite.
All comes down to this “Is Annapurna Base Camp Trek in January worth it?”
Yes. I wholeheartedly recommend everyone to trek to Annapurna Base Camp in January. You’ll experience the best weather in January. You’ll get an awe-trucking opportunity to see beautiful mountains all day long. Also, sunrise and sunset from the base camp become elegant.
The only downside of trekking to Annapurna Base Camp in January is that it gets cold. During snowfall in January, the temperature often drops to -14˚C. But with proper trekking gear, you can be warm all day and night.
Want to trek with me?
I’m a licensed trekking guide with a couple of year’s guiding experience. Also, I run a trekking agency based in Kathmandu.
We do have Annapurna Base Camp Trek Five Days that starts from Pokhara. Or, if you want to join from Kathmandu, you can join our upcoming fixed departures for the March/April/May months.
Contact me
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