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Annapurna Sanctuary
We continued our trek into the Annapurna Sanctuary, a high wilderness ringed by mountains with only one access point up a steep river valley. This is also the gateway to Annapurna Base Camp, from where climbers launch their attempts on the south face of the mountain. From the base camp it was a 2 long days' trekking back to the road.

Above the town of Ghorepani in the southern Annapurna foothills, Poon Hill is a famous viewpoint visited by all trekking groups, usually at sunrise. Walking up the hill in thick cloud in the pre-dawn light, there didn't seem much hope of a view from the top, but as the sun rose the cloud settled below the summit, revealing Dhaulagiri in all its glory. Day 16: Dhaulagiri from Poon Hill
Back in Ghorepani, this was the sight from the window of our lodge across the rooftops to Annapurna South (7,219m) and Annapurna I (8,091m), our first real view of the highest point in the Annapurna massif. Day 16: The tin roofs of Ghorepani
The humidity and high rainfall on the southern slopes of the Annapurna region encourages the lush growth of the rhododendron forests around Ghorepani. The forests are best seen in springtime when the trees are a riot of colour. Day 16: Rhododendron forest near Ghorepani
To skirt around the south of the Annapurna range and reach the Mhodi Khola valley which leads into the Sanctuary involves a lot of difficult descending and climbing through the mist-shrouded forests. A long but very beautiful walk with markedly different scenery to any other day. Day 16: Chris in the rhododendron forest
We reached Chomrong just in time for dinner, and chose a lodge near the top of the hill which granted us this fantastic view of Machhapuchhare (6993m) at sunset. Machhapuchhare means 'fish tail' and it's easy to see why it was given that name. It is a sacred mountain and has remained unclimbed since the one and only permitted climbing expedition in 1957 stopped 50m below the summit out of respect. Day 16: Machhapuchhare at sunset
The following morning, outside our guest house in Chomrong. In the distance is Annapurna South (7219m) - our destination lies behind the mountain and will take us two days to reach from here. This is faster than most trekkers can manage, since we are already acclimatised. Day 17: Chomrong Cottage guest house
Jen on the path between Chomrong and Sinuwa. The path dives down a steep hillside to a bridge over a tributary and climbs equally steeply up the other side. It's 1500ft down, and 1500ft back up. One thing we learnt very quickly in Nepal is that there's no such thing as a level path - despite what the locals might tell you! Day 17: Stairway to Sinuwa
One advantage of trekking in the Annapurna region in springtime, particularly the Annapurna Sanctuary, is that the rhododendron trees such as this one at Dovan are in full bloom. The peak trekking season is autumn (post-monsoon) when skies are clear and the valleys at their greenest. Day 17: Rhododendron blooms
One feature of the upper Modhi Khola valley is the towering cliffs either side, with cascades plunging from hanging valleys. In springtime, these hanging valleys also harbour a deadly threat; it is here that the winter snows collect and avalanches are born. The evidence was all around us - in places, we had to cross recently avalanched snow. Day 17: Waterfall in the Sanctuary
At the village of Himalaya we stopped to watch a local man making a wicker basket. These baskets are sometimes carried by porters but are more commonly seen on the backs of Nepali women carrying firewood, harvested crops or fodder. Day 17: Basket weaver at Himalaya
On the night before our climb to base camp we stayed at Deurali. At this point the Mhodi Khola valley steepens and narrows, and the mountains seem to rise sheer from the river each side forming the gates to the Sanctuary. The most avalanche-prone paths lay ahead of us, so we made an early start the next morning to walk while the snow was still frozen. Day 17: Moon over Machhapuchhare
We had to make an unenforced stop at Machhapuchhare Base Camp to dry out (Chris had slipped on an icy rock crossing a river) before continuing up the snow slopes beyond. The views slowly opened out on each side to reveal the Sanctuary ringed by mountains. We were heading for Annapurna Base Camp at the foot of Annapurna South, the mountain behind Jen. Day 18: Through the gates of the Sanctuary
No sooner had we reached Base Camp than the clouds started rolling up the valley behind us. A few minutes after this photo was taken, the view of Machhapuchhare had completely disappeared, and we didn't see it again for the rest of the afternoon. All we had to do now was pray for a clear morning.... Day 18: Clouds enter the Sanctuary
Annapurna Base Camp (4,130m) consists of a handful of lodges side by side which are comfortable but more basic than those at a similar altitude on the Circuit. The distant sharp triangular peak is called Fang, appropriately enough. Day 18: Annapurna Base Camp
A magical moment at dawn as the top of Annapurna is illuminated by the sun's rays. Below, the ice cliffs of the north face and the glacier are still in shadow. Eventually, we started to feel numb with cold and retired to the comfort of the dining room for porridge and ginger tea. Day 19: First light on Annapurna I
Bathed in sunlight, trekkers leave Base Camp for the descent back down the Mhodi Khola. With snow lying deep in the Sanctuary, it became a bit of a suntrap as the morning progressed. Nevertheless, the urge to linger and take more photographs delayed our departure until the last possible moment. Day 19: Trekkers leaving ABC
Here, Chris is walking along the crest of the lateral moraine above the South Annapurna Glacier. At this altitude I would be standing on the summit of an average Alpine peak. Day 19: Morning exploring at base camp
Jen in front of Annapurna I (8,091m), the highest mountain in the region and the 10th highest in the world. Going by the ratio of the number of deaths to the number of successful ascents, it is the deadliest mountain in the world. Day 19: Jen and Annapurna I
Jen and Chris with the south face of Annapurna I. The face was first climbed in 1970 by a British expedition, twenty years after Frenchman Maurice Herzog became the first man to climb an 8000m peak when he stood on the summit. Day 19: Chris and Jen at Base Camp
This is one of many memorials at base camp to climbers killed attempting Annapurna. It remains one of the most dangerous peaks in the Himalayas due to its reputation for avalanches. To this day, very few people have successfully climbed Annapurna, and even fewer have made it down alive. Day 19: Shrine to fallen climbers
A rather gratuitous shot of a very happy man! Day 19: Chris above the glacier
Retracing our steps back to the Mhodi Khola was a revelation. What had been an exhausting trudge through the snow on a chilly morning the day before was now a delightful romp downhill in the sun. We spent a long time photographing the wintry scenes around us. Day 19: Jen in the birch forest
This photo emphasises the steepness of the Mhodi Khola gorge and partly explains why the Sanctuary remained undiscovered by Western explorers for so many years. Day 19: Gateway to the Sanctuary
Descending from the Sanctuary, we followed the path across the river to avoid the dangerous avalanche-prone slopes. The late snowfall just a week or so earlier made these stretches of path particularly risky. Here we are near the treeline: only the hardiest species of birch and bamboo can survive at this altitude. Day 19: Crossing the Mhodi Khola
As we approached Chomrong the wet weather finally caught up with us. The storm hit about an hour from our guesthouse, so by the time we arrived we were soaked to the skin. Now we could shower, dry out, order one of the fantastic pizzas and watch the lightning crackle all around! Day 19: Storm in the Sanctuary
The following morning dawned beautifully clear. From the top of the village, the mountains had never looked so enticing. Sadly, we were now turning our back on them and walking out to the road and the end of our trek. Day 20: Annapurna South from Chomrong
The trail clings to the hillside high above the river. It was a humid morning and the haze over the forested slopes only added to the atmosphere. Day 20: Hazy slopes on the path to New Bridge
Dropping below 2,000m, the air became hot and sticky and the surrounding hillsides seemed to erupt with life. A huge variety of trees, flowers and calling songbirds seemed to fill the valleys. Day 20: Forests of the foothills
The valley we followed was typically steep, but that hadn't stopped some enterprising Nepalis from trying to farm the land. Some of these farms were little more than a wooden shack, with their nearest neighbours often above or below them rather than further along the path. Day 20: Hillside farmhouse
A young boy leads his family's water buffalo down to the farm. Buffalos are still used to plough the fields because the terraces are inaccesible to machines. Descending through a zone where agriculture was being tested to the limit, we eventually dropped down to the river and we followed it all the way to the road at Naya Pul, the end of our three weeks in the mountains. Day 20: Farm boy with buffalo

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