The
Annapurna Circuit is the popular name for a 300 kilometre
trek in Nepal around the Annapurna mountain range in the
Himalayas. The trek reaches an altitude of 5,300 metres
on the Thorung La pass, touching the edge of the
fabled Tibetan plateau. The magnificent mountain scenery,
seen at close quarters includes Annapurna 8,091
metres which was the first 8,000 metre peak to be
climbed, the magnificent ice pyramid Dhauligiri 8,167
metres, once the home of the legendary Buddhist guru
Padmasamba, and Machhupuchhare 6,993 metres,
considered by many to be the most beautiful mountain in
the world.
The
trek follows ancient paths used as trade routes between
Nepal and Tibet. These paths have long facilitated the
flow of cultures and religions in this remote and
formerly inaccessible region. Today Tibetan Mahayana
Buddhism, Hinduism and the mysterious Bon-Po religion
still coexist and interpenetrate one another in this
region which contains many pilgrimage sites.
The
unusually
wide
range of climatic zones in such a small area as the path
ascends from 900 metres to 5,300 metres provides a chance
to see many different plants and animals, and the
different ways of life of the many peoples who live
there.
YetiZone.com
and its paper guidebook are both intended to provide a
independent guide to the path itself and also to the
cultural history and mountaineering history of the
region.
I
trekked the Annapurna Circuit and Sanctuary in October
1997. This web guidebook is based on the detailed
journal, sketches, GPS readings and photographs from that
trip. The web guidebook is updated using feedback from
trekkers.
Ian
Johnson,
June 2000
