Annapurna Sanctuary Trek: Part 1 - Tatopani to Ghorepani

The 5 hour, 60km bus from Jomsom (2800m) to Tatopani (1200m) was beautiful, as the empty desert around us slowly gave way to shrubs, then pine trees, and finally to jungle. 

However, the road itself was not safe, with many steep muddy sections next to cliffs and a few very rickety wooden bridges that had to be crossed. At times we were sure we were seconds away from plunging to our deaths as the ancient bus rattled down the narrow mountain roads. When we eventually reached our destination, we heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Tatopani in Nepali means "Hot Water", and the town is famous for it's lovely and rejuvenating hotsprings, located at the edge of the Kali Gandaki river. The hot water helped soothe our aching muscles as well as the soreness caused by the bumpy bus ride.

After a very warm, humid, and peaceful night's sleep, we awoke early the next morning and set out for Ghorepani. The trail wound up steep switchbacks in jungle and mixed forest, passing a few blissful mountain farm villages and a school filled with laughing children.

Moss!

As we climbed higher, snow covered peaks appeared on the horizon. The environment around us began to change too, and shortly after lunch we began to emerge into a beautiful mossy forest, consisting almost entirely of the most enormous rhododendrons we had ever seen.

A rhododendron tree in all its glory!

Pack horses carrying gas canisters to supply the nearby villages.

The trees had numerous small plants growing on their limbs (known as epiphytes).

Though beautiful, the trail was steep and long. When we reached Ghorepani, we had walked for 9 hours, covering 15km and climbing 1750m. This was the largest ascent we made in a single day during all our time trekking in Nepal.We slept very soundly that night.

The next morning we decided to take a rest day and explore the remarkable forests nearby. We noticed some very strange plants sprouting next to the trail.

Moss carpeted every exposed rock and log.

This tree is rad.

A small fern we saw growing on a massive old rhododendron tree.

A small white flower in full bloom.

This farm we passed had been built entirely out of thin sheets of rock chisled from the nearby cliffs.

We greatly enjoyed our day in Ghorepani, and we felt excited to see what the trail had in store for us next!