Knowing what to expect on the Annapurna Base Camp trek matters more than any packing list — itineraries tell you where you'll sleep, not what it feels like. If ABC is your first teahouse trek in Nepal, here's the honest texture of those nine days from Pokhara: the beds, the food, the staircases and the morning the whole trip is for.
What are teahouses on the ABC trek like?
You'll sleep in teahouses on twin sharing the whole way — simple wooden rooms, a warm dining hall with a stove at its heart, and a menu that leans on dal bhat, noodles, momos and surprisingly good apple pie. All three meals on trek are included in your TrekNova package. Hot showers, WiFi and battery charging exist at most stops but cost extra, so carry some Nepali rupees and a power bank.
How much walking is there each day?
Expect five to seven hours on most days, and make peace with steps early — Chhomrong alone greets you with 2,500 of them. The pattern from Ghandruk onwards is down to a river, up the other side, repeat, with the gorge narrowing past Bamboo and Deurali until waterfalls thread down cliffs on every side. It's moderate, not easy: train your knees and bring poles.
Is altitude a problem at Annapurna Base Camp?
The sleep at Annapurna Base Camp is at 13,550 ft (4,130 m), cold in any season and giddy in the best way. Our leaders run oximeter checks twice daily, and the gradual nine-day itinerary keeps altitude trouble rare. Then comes the payoff: dawn inside the Sanctuary, when Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre catch fire one by one around you. No photograph prepares you for standing in the middle of it.
What's the reward on the way down?
Few treks end as well as this one. On the descent you drop to Jhinu Danda, where natural hot spring pools steam beside the Modi Khola — the finest post-trek soak in the Himalaya — before an easy riverside walk to Siwai and the drive back to Pokhara's lakeside.
Ready when you are
Nine days, ₹60,000 per person with permits, teahouses, meals and guides included, and departures in the March-May and September-November windows. The Annapurna Base Camp trek page on TrekNova has the 2026 dates — pick yours and come see the Sanctuary at dawn.
