Experience the Base Camp Annapurna trek in Nepal through the lens of travel photographer, Randall Garnick.
Trekking in Nepal, specifically to Base Camp Annapurna, is no easy task. You really have to want it, to trek for days and stand among the Himalayas and see those mountains with your own eyes. We traveled about 30 hours by plane to Kathmandu from Boston, then another 9 by van to Pokhara and the starting point before we took one step on the trail. If you get a clear morning at Annapurna Base Camp and wake up for sunrise, I promise you it's worth it. I was lucky to spend my 44th birthday morning waking up in 30-degree temps at an elevation of 13,550 feet to catch the morning light rake across the Annapurna mountain range. I'll never forget it.
The trek to Base Camp Annapurna takes 11 days, around 80 miles, and travels through a variety of beautiful terrains. Through lush jungles, small mountain villages, Rhododendron forests, glaciers, Bamboo forests, and of course more bare high mountain landscapes. Each day on the Annapurna base camp trek you'll trek for 6 - 8 hours, but all the villages provide rest stops where you can find snacks and of course tea and coffee. At the end of each day, you'll stay in small basic teahouses, that vary in quality. All have a bed to recover, heavy blankets, and decent food. Access to a shower and wifi is a different story if you can't live without those. Getting a sense of the culture and life in these remote mountain areas was by far one of my favorite parts of trekking to Base Camp Annapurna.
I'll go through more detail about my take-aways and specific experience trekking in Nepal to the Annapurna Base Camp below the photos, so scroll way down if you're interested. Please enjoy this selection of images from our 3-week journey through Nepal.
