Short Trek In Annapurna Region- Nepal

I'm just back from my second trip to Nepal this year, I go out to do some training for farmers but if I'm lucky can get some time to myself. August was monsoon time and generally not recommended for trekking (you can't see the mountains for cloud anyway), but March was great and I did a 3 day trek in the Annapurna Region. Based in Pokhara, "Thamel by a lake", with its good hotels and food, we started out from Nayapul and trekked clockwise to Birethani, Ghandruk, Potana, Dhampus and finally Phedi.

There was some rain but short and sharp, I preferred to shelter in one of the frequent tea houses along the way rather than wear hot sweaty waterproofs. Light trekking shoes were fine rather than heavy boots - but make sure they have good quality soles with grips as the rocks on the paths can be treacherous when wet. I took a 35l backpack with 8kg weight, including a 0.9kg sleeping bag (ultralite and compact, from Tesco UK, excellent quality and price, GBP35).

The scenery was, well, amazing as you might expect. Waking up in Ghandruk village and seeing the Annapurna range, across the pristine meadows and in silence was unforgettable. I do a fair bit of hill walking in Scotland but I found the trekking in Nepal more strenuous, the ascents and descents were more frequent and steeper, at least on the trek that I did. Also, I was unfit after all work and no play before I left the UK.

If you haven't been trekking in Nepal before, I wouldn't recommend it first time without a guide as the routes are mostly not signposted, maps not detailed enough and taking a wrong turn is costly in time and energy. My guide was Ram Shrestha of Splendid High Adventure, Thamel, Kathmandu (http://splendidhighadventure.com/index), who was recommended by a friend in Nepal. Ram organised everything, from airport pickup, accommodation in Pokhara and en route, and was my attentive guide on the trail. I felt safe and well looked after - thoroughly recommended - thanks, Ram.

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