Annapurna Sanctuary Trek: Part 4 - Chomrong to Himalaya

Within 5 minutes of arriving at the village of Chomrong, a fierce hail and thunder storm erupted and it raged all night long. In the morning, the skies were clear and we got an amazing view of the Modi Khola valley. Annapurna South was catching the morning light as we enjoyed our breakfast. This is the view from the Excellent View Guesthouse.

Once we hit the trail, we immediately descended about 500m down very steep stone stairs. Even with rest stops, our knees were wobbly by the time we reached the end of this difficult downhill climb.

We crossed a bridge and then proceeded to climb about 800m of vertical, mostly through green forests full of orchids and ferns, passing through the town of Sinuwa (2300m) along the way. This was the first of many small 'villages' we would pass along the valley, that consist only of guesthouses and have no permanent residents.

This is a rare thing indeed: a coniferous epiphyte! Botany geeks take note...

This bull seemed startled when we walked past him as he grazed on a stand of young bamboo trees.

As the trail went deeper into the Modi Khola valley we got a few glimpses of the area we would reach in the next few days.

The trail kept climbing, but less steeply, through lovely rhododendron forest.

There were a couple of crude wooden bridges along the trail to help cross the numerous small streams and waterfalls.

Ferns!

We descend down another steep stone staircase to the small village called Bamboo (2350m), and a light rain began to fall. The forest here was dominated by thick stands of bamboo trees and large coniferous trees.

We encountered a new species of Aroid. This one had a thicker pitcher and had bold purple patterns on it.

We dissected a broken flower we found, to take a closer look. Inside of the flower were thick waxy ridges that may be used in trapping insects. In the centre are all the reproductive parts of the flower. You see the stamens at the bottom where it is likely the trapped insects would become covered in pollen.

Our legs were growing weary from all the constant climbing and descending. As we came around a corner in the trail, we could see our destination ahead, the tiny village of Himalaya (2920m). However we still had half an hour of walking ahead of us until we reached it.

If you look at the trunk of this rhododendron you can sort of make out an angry face someone carved.

Himalayan blackberry. This will look familiar to anyone who lives in the Pacific Northwest, because this plant has become an invasive species since it was introduced to North America. While it takes over vacant lots and overwhelms gardens back home, here it is much less aggressive,  merely forming small clumps by the side of the trail

Himalaya consisted of only two lodges, and we were a little underwhelmed at the quality of food and service, but what can you really expect almost 3000m up, miles away from any civilization.