32 PEAKS & VALLEYS
annapurna
sanctuary
NEPAL
The Annapurna Sanctuary is a magnificent
mountain-ringed glacial basin situated above
13,000 feet (4,000 m) in the heart of the
Himalaya. Sacred to the local Gurung people
and unseen by outsiders until the 1950s, it
has become a popular trekking destination,
largely because it serves as the base camp
for climbers tackling the peaks of the sur-
rounding Annapurna range. But no technical
skills are required for the multiday trek up to
the camp, nor for the increasingly popular
day hikes in and around the sanctuary.
DON’T MISS
The trek to the sanctuary climbs through ever more
spectacular scenery, from the Himalayan foothills
to the high mountains of the sanctuary. Stays in
“teahouses” in the Annapurna Conservation Area
ofer insights into the daily life of Nepali villages.
Prayer flags flutter at the Annapurna base camp, one
of the world’s most popular trekking destinations.