Annapurna Sanctuary Trek

What's Included

• All breakfasts

• Morning bed-tea on trek

• Welcome drink at each overnight lodge

• Four nights in standard hotels and 10 nights in teahouses

• All transport and listed activities

• Tour leader throughout, plus local staff (staff to client ratio of 1:4 on trek)

• Free arrival and departure transfers for everyone

• Full porterage throughout trek

• Exodus kitbag

• Trekking permit and national park fees

What's Not Included

• Travel insurance

• Single accommodation (available on request, Kathmandu and Pokhara only)

• Visas and vaccinations

• Sleeping bag (possible hire in advance through Exodus)

• Down jacket (possible hire in advance through Exodus)

Food

Breakfast is included throughout the trip.



The breakfasts on trek are fixed set menus, usually porridge or muesli with either toast, chapatti or pancake, plus an egg or omelette and a cup of tea/coffee. You may also be able to supplement your included breakfast with additional items on the teahouse menu should you wish. Items not included should be ordered and paid for separately.



Please note, some more remote teahouses/lodges are unable to provide an extensive menu due to irregular delivery schedules and during periods of bad weather or a high volume of trekkers, there may be a more limited menu choice. Also, the higher altitude the more expenses the menus and extras generally are.



We do not include lunch and dinner on trek allowing you to choose what you want to eat. Lunch will be taken at a teahouse en route – sometimes one of your guides will go ahead with the group’s order to make it more expedient. Dinner will be in the same teahouse that you sleep at (this is custom in Nepal as teahouses base their room rate on it).



The menus in the lodges are almost identical to one another but offer a varied choice, ranging from traditional Nepalese dhal bhat to pizza and apple pie. Dhal bhat is the staple diet in Nepal and comes in many different forms but generally comprises curried lentils and meat or vegetables, rice, and a pickle/chutney. Another popular snack is momos, a type of Nepalese dumpling, fried or steamed and filled with meat or vegetables.



Meat is available in the teahouses but we advise against eating it on trek. The meat has often been carried in the heat from lower altitudes for several days before reaching the lodges and can cause stomach upsets or illness. Germs can also be spread by handling dirty money – we recommend using hand sanitiser.



If you have a gluten-free diet, we strongly recommend you bring extra food and snacks with you to supplement the food on trek as there will be little variety available to you, particularly for breakfast. Even many of the soups are from powder/packets and contain gluten.



If you buy imported food and drink on trek you will spend more than the suggested amount.



Drinking water



Staying hydrated is important when undertaking any physical activity but particularly so at altitude where it is generally recommended to drink at least 100floz to 135floz (three litres to four litres) per person per day.



However, we strongly encourage you not to buy bottled water on trek as this contributes to the growing problem of plastic pollution in the trekking areas of Nepal.



A few villages along the Annapurna Sanctuary route have safe drinking water stations selling UV-treated water for about 50 rupees (US$0.40) per litre but these are not always open.



The teahouses also sell boiled water for approximately 150-300 rupees (US$1.15-US$2.30) per litre (the price increases the higher you trek) which should not require treating. This is also perfect for a bedtime refill as it can double up as a hot-water bottle.



Alternatively, all teahouses provide free cold water. Although this should not be drunk untreated, we recommend you bring a reusable bottle/water bladder/Camelpak (ideally two) and use an effective form of water treatment. There are a wide range of products available including Steripens or purification tablets, which are the quickest and easiest options to use on trek – we recommend talking to an outdoor retailer for the latest advice as technologies are improving all the time. Make sure to check the product’s performance in cold/freezing conditions and consider battery life (lithium batteries are best in cold conditions).



Exodus has partnered with Water-to-Go, a filtration system that eliminates more than 99.99 percent of all microbiological contaminants from any non-saltwater source – visit Water-to-Go for more information. Exodus customers can claim 15 percent off their first order and, better still, 15 percent of the purchase value will be donated to the Exodus Travels Foundation. These bottles filter the water as you drink through the spout may not be the most efficient while on the go on a trek. Please note, if the water freezes it will clog up the filter. In this event, defrost before use by sitting the filter in lukewarm water for 10-15 minutes.

Accommodation

We stay in teahouses for most of this adventure, a classic experience for trekkers in the Himalaya. We spend the rest of our time in hotels. The accommodations we typically use are on the day-to-day itinerary; however, below are a few of the notable places we stay on this trip. 



Kathmandu: Royal Singi Hotel (nights 1 and 14) 



The Royal Singi, a three-star hotel, has been welcoming our groups for more than two decades. The name is inspired by the Snow Lion, a mythical creature in Tibetan Buddhism, which represents immense joy, positivity, delight and comfort. The hotel embraces the name with a restaurant, bar, outdoor courtyard, and complimentary wifi throughout. There’s also an Exodus desk in the lobby and an Exodus representative is usually available daily in the mornings and evenings. The Royal Singi is well located near the Thamel district, close to banks, restaurants, shops and attractions. 



Annapurna: Teahouses (nights 2-11) 



Staying in teahouses is a time-tested tradition for hikers in the Himalaya. They may be basic, but they’re a welcome sight after a day of walking among the spectuacular peaks. The hub of teahouse living is the dining room, which is usually decorated with traditional rugs, sometimes with a stove or heater (some lodges charge a fee to put the heater on). Most teahouses sell snacks and other essentials such as tissues, soap and toilet paper. 



On nights 2-6 and 11, we stay in twin-share bedrooms, which come with foam mattresses, bedsheets and a pillow. On nights 7-10, we stay in rooms with four beds, due to limited options in the more remote areas. Remember to bring (or hire) a sleeping bag, rooms are unheated so they can get cold at night. 



Worth knowing 



Some teahouses above 9,845ft (3,000m) may not be heated due to local environmental restrictions. Occasionally, kerosene burners can be used to heat common areas if requested. We recommend against using these due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Your leader will not offer this to you. 

Most teahouses have electricity, but it is not wholly reliable, and lighting may not be bright enough to read by – a torch (flashlight) is essential. Charging facilities are generally only available in the dining room (charged at approximately 200-500 Nepalese rupees/US$1.50-US$3.80 per hour per device). Many of the teahouses use solar power, so sometimes there is not enough electricity for charging. Many also have wifi, though it can be slow and temperamental. 

Most teahouses have Western-style toilets, though some may have squat style. Toilet paper is not provided, so you should bring your own or buy it locally (please dispose of it in the receptacle provided). If there is not a flush handle, there should be a container of water to pour down – if it is empty (or frozen), please refill it or ask the lodge to. 

Some teahouses have hot ‘showers’ (charged at approximately 250-500 rupees/US$1.90-US$3.80 per shower). Sometimes this is simply a bucket of hot water. 

Standards of cleanliness vary, especially in the peak trekking season and in winter when the water freezes at night. Please report any problems to your leader or the teahouse staff and be vigilant in your personal hygiene regime – use soap or hand gel before and after toilet breaks, snacks and mealtimes. 

Generally, the higher the altitude, the more basic the teahouse and the more expensive food and services. 



Extra accommodation 



If you require additional accommodation in Kathmandu, either before or after the tour, we can book this for you (subject to availability). Please enquire with your sales representative. 



Single accommodation 



If you prefer your own room, we offer a single supplement for the hotel nights in Kathmandu and Pokhara only (subject to availability). While in the teahouses, single rooms cannot be guaranteed so these have not been included in the single supplement price paid in advance. However, if a single room is available on arrival at a teahouse, you can pay locally on a day-by-day basis.