There are several entry points to the Annapurna Circuit. We began at Nayapul Village.

The plan was to trek to Poon Hill because of timing constraints. But one text from Mr Lim while we were still in Kathmandu changed everything.

“So near yet so far. Make sure you don’t regret it.”

I knew that we would. So Jasmine and I calculated our budget, considered our buffer time and broached the subject to our guide – less than one hour into our trek.

Bil, our guide, immediately patched us to his agent. 5 minutes and US$250 poorer later, we were set.

Our itinerary went roughly like this:

Nayapul > Tikhedhunga > Ghorepani (ascend to Poon Hill) > Chomrong > Deurali > ABC > Chomrong > Landruk > Pokhara

The trek took us through winding villages, perched high atop millet and rice terraces. Agriculture dominates Nepal’s economy, with tourism also taking up a massive chunk of the pie.

ABC has one of the busiest hiking trails in Nepal. Every guesthouse we stayed in had at least two other groups; and every village we passed through had a minimum of three guesthouses.

Much like a pilgrimage to the river source, we followed the trail of the mighty Modi Khola – a muddy, thundering river – across suspension bridges and timber houses.

On the third day, en-route to Chomrong, we stopped by a ridge. Given the rainy season, we were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a cloudless view.

From where we stood, we could see these snow-capped peaks:

Dhaulagiri (8,172m), Tukuche (6,920m), Nilgiri (6,940) Annapurna 1 (8,091m), Annapurna South (7,291m) , Hiunchuli (6,441m)

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