Annapurna trekking holidays
Highlights
Kathmandu | Pokhara | trekking in the Annapurna Range | sleep in eco lodges and campsites | Chtiwan National Park | jungle walk | jeep safariDescription of Annapurna trekking holidays
This Annapurna trekking holiday contrasts the crisp mountain air and neverending vistas of the Annapurna Range with the dense green jungles of Chitwan National Park. After a day exploring Kathmandu, you’ll take a flight to Pokhara to begin your trek. You’ll walk through woods, along valleys and past traditional Hindu Villages, and spend the night in eco lodges or private campsites, all of which afford sweeping views over the landscape.After finishing your trek you’ll head to Chitwan National Park for adventure of a different kind – staying in huts at a jungle lodge and spending your days in search of wildlife on foot and by jeep. Species found in the national park include tigers, leopards and rhinos.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com
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The leaders are not guides – they’re not there to shepherd you around. Instead, they’ll let you know which local restaurant serves great value food – without running the risk of travellers’ tummy. They’ll allow you to avoid hour-long queues at train stations and attractions.
We like to think of small group travel as the Goldilocks option. It is independent travel without the fuss, worry and bunk beds – and organised travel without the coaches. And it’s cheaper than a tailor made tour. It’s sits somewhere in the middle – and we think it’s just about right.
Have big, life-enriching experiences that would be impossible to organise without lots of time and insider knowledge.
Simplicity
Make the most of your holiday time by letting someone else do the hard work and boring logistics!
Peace of mind
Small group tours take care of the security aspects – and provide a safety net should anything unexpected happen.
If you don’t have three months to spend exploring, small groups trips let you cover more ground in less time. Your days are not spent queuing for tickets or finding hotels – so you can squeeze more into your holiday.
Solo travellers who’d like company
Likeminded travel companions plus peace of mind for those travelling alone. Single supplements are usually available – providing privacy if you want it.
Less confident travellers
Stray from the tourist trail without worrying about getting lost, and meet local people without dealing with the language barrier.
Couples and friends have private rooms, and you can choose to eat alone or not. Single supplements give solo travellers their own room.
“There won’t be any free time”
Free mornings or afternoons let you explore on your own, or just relax.
“The accommodation will be basic”
Trips are as high or low end as you like. Though off the beaten track destinations won’t have luxury hotels, this is all part of the adventure.
“I won’t like the other travellers!”
Tour operators try to create groups with a similar demographic – age, families, activity levels... Chances are, you’ll even make new friends.
“Will we be following an umbrella?”
No.
Responsible tourism
Responsible tourism: Annapurna trekking holidays
We stay in tents, not lodges and teahouses. Why does that make a difference? We want to support the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayas. Many lodges and teahouses burn wood to heat their water for cooking and hot showers. This in turn contributes to deforestation, associated erosion and loss of biodiversity. That is why twenty five years ago, we pioneered the use of only kerosene above and below the tree-line – to ensure that we are loyal to our policies of making a minimal impact on the environment. Also, we want to stay off the beaten track. We believe that you will get a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural beauty of your surroundings if you are away from the hordes which follow the ‘tea-house trails.’
Our pioneering Porter Policy
Porters are an integral part of your trip, and we have a close association with the IPPG, IMEC and Porters Progress to improve the conditions for porters. As well as paying our guides out of season, and an above-average take-home wage, our porter welfare supplement includes insurance, all meals on trek, appropriate clothing and accommodation for ALL our porters on all our treks. Their safety and comfort is as important to us as our customers.
We have committed US $3000 to sponsor the Porter Rescue Post at Machermo which has been set up by the IPPG. This facility is for the benefit of sick or injured porters in the Everest region and building has already started.
Our Responsible Travel Guidebook
Our philosophy since 1975 has been to leave only footprints and take only photographs. To reiterate this, every customer who travels with us receives a copy of our award-winning Responsible Travel guidebook. This detailed book outlines our environmentally sustainable principles, and outlines how each customer can minimize their impact while travelling.
Global Warming and Carbon Balancing
The root cause of Global Warming is society's dependence on emission creating fossil fuel. Planting trees is not going to reverse this trend or cancel our carbon emissions very quickly or effectively. We believe the way to reduce these dependencies is to create clean energy production. Therefore, we support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power, and we are aligned with Climate Friendly, the gold standard setter in effective, meaningful action addressing climate change. So, while we believe that tree planting can play a small role in greenhouse gas abatement, we have gone the extra mile in promoting a longer term solution. Is this cheap? No. Is it responsible? Absolutely.
By joining this trek you can be assured that you will not be contributing to deforestation or the associated soil erosion and loss of biodiversity but rather you'll be making a significant contribution by supporting our efforts to set the standards for a sustainable trekking service.
2 Reviews of Annapurna trekking holidays
Reviewed on 04 Nov 2007 by Jane Brandon
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
There was so much. Waking up the first morning of the trek and seeing the sun hitting the peaks of the mountains. The sights, sounds and smells of Kathmandu. The incredibly friendly people of the villages we passed through. Beautiful terraced paddy fields. Crossing rope bridges. The feeling of achievement when you got to the top of a hill, the feeling of relief when you saw your tents at the end of a days walking. The whole trip was an adventure.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
If you share a tent you need to get on well with the person you share with- there's not much room and no privacy. The trekking was slow and steady and any fit person could do it, however it was virtually all walking up or down hill- not much on the flat. Most of the tracks were steps build from lumps of stone which made the steps very uneven and sometimes slippery.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes. The trek was well organised and the porters and guides seemed happy and well looked after. They left each campsite without a trace of us having been there. Water was boiled so we had no waste plastic bottles. At the end of the trip any spare clothes/equipment the trekkers had was fairly distributed amongst the team
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Fabulous, I had a great time. My only suggestion would be that the food could have been less complicated. The cooking team did a great job considering all the equipment was carried from site to site, but some of the food came in strange combinations. I would have preferred simple local food rather than western style dishes.
Reviewed on 02 Apr 2006 by Margaret Pitt
I have come back from one of the best holidays ever, trekking in Nepal and am still on a high.1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The most memorable part of my holiday: waking up on trek and looking out of my tent at the Annapurnas with the rising sun catching the peaks and the truly charming and helpful Nepalese people. I have nicknamed our leader and sherpas our 'guardian angels'. They could not do enough for us. And all the laughs we had together were something to remember and enjoy.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Advice: Practice going up and down lots of stairs - there were even more steps than I expected! Also a thermarest made the camping very comfortable.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
I think our holiday did benefit local people - we employed local people as our team, bought local food and minimised our impact on the environment eg no fires, and bought local crafts.
4. Any other comments?
The food we were served was of an extremely high standard - and a huge variety - produced in the most basic conditions - very impressive. Another comment - don't rush - stop and look and talk to people and you get more out of the trek. I have had some wonderful holidays but this has to be one of the best, if not the best, so I give it 5 stars.
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