Day 5: Pokhara & Annapurna Base Camp

I get the opportunity to sit in the front seat on the way in and it is spectacular! It is not a long trip in but we hover over the foot hills and see the changing shapes of the peaks as we pass. One sacred peak is called the Fishtail – you are not allowed to climb that.

Once we get up there the morning is absolutely magnificent – even our pilot (a young South African) is keen to be taking photos. It is not as cold as we expected because the sunshine has warmed it up. We are told we will have 20-30 minutes to explore before we have to go down again – our rapid ascent to 4130m means that we will start to get altitude sickness if we stay any longer. We spend some time taking photos around the base camp area and then take the steps down to the sign that welcomes people to base camp. It is very much harder going back up but we make it back to the helicopter on time. In fact we end up having 40 minutes because it is so fabulous and the pilot needs to have some oxygen before he can take us back down.

It is just so humbling to be standing up there amongst the majestic grandeur of the mountains with the sun sparkling off the snow. We would have loved to have stayed there longer and most were wishing we could continue hiking.

We get back to the hotel with enough time to unpack our warm gear and get ready to join the others (Jenny is still sick). Although today is supposed to be a free day, our delays yesterday meant that we have some activities still to see. Our first stop is up a steep road to the Peace Pagoda that sits shining white on top of the hill. We have a steep climb up steps ourselves once we leave the bus and as I’m not feeling very well by then it is a very hard slog.

There is a zone of silence around it and we walk around appreciating the views and the beautiful flowers. We look over to an area where there are 30-40 hang gliders swooping around. There are also lots of glamorous girls being photographed by their admirers. There is also a big banner for a marathon that is due to take place.

Our next stop is the lake (the second biggest in Nepal) where we board a paddle boat. Jan is a keen cyclist so she jumps at the chance to pedal as well. We head first to a very crowded sacred island where people go to worship. They obviously feed the pigeons as well as every aerial surface is covered and we are at great risk of being pooped on. Then we have a much more peaceful paddle around the lake and enjoy the scenery and tranquility (as long as you didn’t look back to the multitudes of boats on the lake front.

Kishor takes us for a much needed lunch in the Pokhara township and then we have some free time to look around. Andrew and Doreen find a pharmacy, we find some snacks for our journey tomorrow at a supermarket (after deciding bakery goods wouldn’t last), and walk along expecting to reach the waterfront. After a while we find our way down a side street and discover a well used waterfront pathway. Doreen finds a little stall selling ice creams but the experience is spoiled when the guy try to tell us we haven’t paid. After some arguing we walk off.

Kishor has arranged for the hotel shuttle to come and pick us up at an appointed place and time. We weren’t sure how long it would take us to walk back but we are early and get to enjoy a fresh lemon soda at a cafe while we wait.

Although the walk this morning made me feel somewhat better, I still had a very sore head and wasn’t feeling very well. When I got back to my room I discovered that I also had quite a fever and was shivering with cold, so I put on my fleece, hopped into bed and slept for 12 hours. (This seemed to do the trick as I was feeling pretty good in the morning apart from a cough).

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For this and other similar tours see:

Explore Asia with Intrepid Travel (a range of different travel styles – see my post on travel styles)

Peregrine Adventures (Comfort tours)

Geckos Adventures (for 18 to 30s)

Note: After people telling me they had booked an Intrepid Tour on my recommendation, I now have affiliate links with the Intrepid Travel group of companies and may receive a commission if you book a tour online within a couple of months after clicking through to these sites.  So if you are enjoying my tips and stories and finding them useful in choosing your own travel, please click on these links and help me to bring you more .

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