Annapurna Region is THE CHOICE for many seeking a trekking experience in the Himalayas. The landscape and its characteristics, the people and their cultures, and the wildlife and their ways do not let them down either.

Who would not desire a rendezvous with the stunning Machhapuchré?

Who would not want a meeting for a discussion with the mighty Annapurna I right from its foothills?

Who would, perhaps, not wish for a coffee-chat, from very up close or a comfortable distance, with the elevations in the Annapurna Range or the Dhaulagiri one including the Annapurnas, the Dhaulagiri, Gangapurna and Nilgiri?

Then, there are the lakes – Tilicho, Gangapurna and Ice – and the rivers – Kali Gandaki and Marshyandi and Modi – and the water falls – Ghermu, Chamjé and the Ruptsé.

Traversing on a landscape with patches of greenery blending with the barren cold deserts on the way up and through farm lands and villages allows for an experience memorable. With the Kali Gandaki and Marshyandi Rivers still carving their way, the valleys and gorges managed thus far, certainly, are no miserly.

And so are the inhabitants. En route, the numerous settlements including the affluent Manang, Muktinath, Jomsom, Ghorenapani and Ghandruk as well as a number of interesting villages, Pisang, Braga, Marpha, Kalopani, and Tatopani, not only allow for a peek into the livelihoods of six different ethnicities but also make the space for that insight into the beliefs the locals hold, whether it is the Monasteries in Pisang, Braga, Manang and Jomsom or the Muktinath Temple or the cairns, chortens and the prayer flags.

The Annapurna Conservation Area is also home to a number of species who prefer to live in the wild. The Pikas find themselves busy storing food for the winter; the Blue Sheep sits basking in the sun; resting on a rocky outcrop, the Himalayan Tahr watches from a distance; the heat sensitive Red Panda curls up for a rest at noon; the Snow Leopard attempts a kill three times its size while the domesticated yak grazes care freely. Witnessing the life around, the oaks, the rhododendrons, the bamboos, the firs, the pines as well as the chestnuts and the schimas smile in content.

Trekking in the land, no surprise, is popular. The favourite ones include the GhorepaniPoonhill Trek to an altitude of 3,200 metre, Annapurna Base Camp Trek to 4,130 metres, Mardi Himal Trek to 4,500 metres, and Annapurna Circuit Trek to a high of 5,416 metres. Others gaining popularity include theKhopra Trek, Khayar Lake Trek, JomsomMuktinath Trek.