The Annapurna Circuit Trek is one of the classic, most diverse and stunning tea house treks in Nepal, which offers incredible variety due to the region’s rich cultural diversity and mind-blowing beauty for the world! Before one can step into the first high-altitude footstep and catch a glimpse of those snowcapped peaks, stands the pedestrian obstacle that all trekkers must traverse: getting to Besisahar. It’s a large city that you get to visit early on in your trip and near the beginning of every trek here, as it’s the administrative center of Lamjung District, where you will start and end your recreational activities. For as you’ll find out before reciting the Hail Mary at Pasang’s convenience, the trail to Besisahar is an experience all it’d own and an enthusiastic crash course in Nepali heartland. It can pay to understand your shipping alternatives, prices, and logistics, so getting from the madness of Kathmandu or Pokhara into the calm of the Annapurna foothills is as easy as possible. Annapurna Circuit Trekking. This entire manual looks after all of the details on your tour, so you can focus on a notable hike!
Where it begins: Kathmandu or Pokhara
Your starting point is a big factor in your Besisahar trip. Most foreign trekkers fly into the capital, Kathmandu; a few are dropped off in Pokhara, a smaller tourist town and an anteroom of travel to come. Road There are two direct roads to Besisahar, but the time, distance, and experience are very different.
We take a short coach ride of approximately 175 km and arrive in Kathmandu, one of the oldest cities with a rich cultural heritage. By road, it is less expensive but a longer journey, typically a six to nine-hour drive (very much dependent on Kathmandu Valley traffic) as you exit the valley and the state of the route. It’s a whole day of stunning mountain and river valley driving.
Going further, Pokhara is much closer at approximately 87 kilometers. How Long: 3-5 hours from Pokhara. This is the quickest and least bumpy if you are already in Pokhara. And for those heading straight to Nepal, Kathmandu is probably where you will start.
The Cheap Way: Local and Tourist Buses
Buses are generally the most affordable, and (you know the way) to Besisahar for us budgeteers! There are two major options of public road transport, the local bus and tourist bus, or lately, the ‘Sofa’ bus/micro-vans.
Local buses are the workhorses of rural Nepali travel; they’re as cheap as chips, less comfortable than bread and butter. They depart from Kathmandu New Bus Park (also known as Gongabu Bus Park). Expect numerous stops to pick up and drop off passengers, cargo, and occasionally livestock. And it’s a tough road, at that: figure on seven, eight, or even nine hours on the road. Local buses to Pokhara depart from the main bus park there, and they follow a slightly more direct but no less bumpy road. Buses locally are usually very cheap, but there is often no room for luggage, and buses can be filled with people; bags may need to be carried on the roof of the bus.
Quick and Easy: Rent-A-Car or Jeep
Need flexibility, comfort, and speed? Then renting a private hire might be for you. For three or more people, this one works well: everyone can contribute. Your private car or jeep will really give you door-to-door service, easy as you can head back when ready, have a break when feeling in need, and overall the journey is generally faster (approx 5-6 hours drive from Kathmandu on good roads).
Die meeste Inyangas is ‘n ordentlike Private roete voertuig, vir groepe van tot so 4 op redelike gemaklike bietjies road. Then the Earth wouldn’t be that different in How We Bond with groups of cars. Get None. But taking variable nature, if having some rough driving, like after Dumree junction, then the road gets narrow and bad, then it’s better to own a four-wheel jeep. Jeeps are built for the rough driving of the final section of road into Besisahar and can comfortably accommodate from 5 to 7 passengers.
Practical Considerations for the Journey
If you move through any mode of transportation, there are some journey guidelines for arriving at Besisahar that could make your trip more secure. Nepalese roads are particularly unpredictable, specifically during the monsoon season (June – September), whilst landslides and street works can disrupt tour instances. It’s always a good idea to build in an extra day, don’t expect that you will arrive and immediately head off walking.
It should be, but then there are those twisty mountain roads and motion sickness. If you’re susceptible, bring the right meds. Buses and jeeps can be roasting or potentially freezing, so dress in layers. Finally, take all your important documents and valuables with you, as the majority of bags are likely to be thrown on top or interleaved in the cargo.
Besisahar: Entrance to the Trekker
Cycling to Besisahar – the bus stand is not just an ordinary bus station, it is a vital administrative and logistical centre of the Annapurna Circuit Trek. There is some trekking paperwork you need to do as well.
Besisahar is also a place where you can obtain your Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) and Trekkers′ Information Management System (TIMS) card if you do not already have them in Kathmandu or Pokhara. While it’s taken days to acquire these permits in cities, being able to do so in Besisahar is an important contingency.
Onwards: Besi Sahar to the Trailhead
Besisahar is the “official” beginning, but a four-wheel road now continues up the Marsyangdi Valley. Many trekkers will want to take another local bus, or, preferably, because it is less crowded and faster but more expensive, a shared jeep back from Besisahar to one of the trailheads, e.g,. Bhulbhule/Syange/Jagat (a day or two of precious walking at lower altitudes, es wh, ere in case good weather takes its toll, best conserve energy for those higher passes).
Local jeeps can be easily organized from the bus park in Besisahar for continued travel. You decide (time and fitness, ’cause there’s no shortage of ‘traditional experience’ – again) whether you walk or ride this lower piece. The track past Besisahar is rutted, dusty, and often a high-speed jeep track, so the walking is not as pleasant as the higher mountain trails.
Ending: Journeying on the Road of Adventure
Besisahar is more than just a ride in for you — it’s the opening scene of your grand Himalayan adventure. Whether via the immersive and bargain-priced soak of a local bus or the relative cush offered by the private jeep, this opening expanse of travel is an indissoluble thread in the canvas that makes up most any sojourn in Nepal. With a little planning, reserving your type of transport in advance, and realising that getting around the mountains is always going to fuck you round a bit, you’ll end up at the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit ready for the adventure of your life. The road becomes a trail, and from Besisahar, where you’ll first spot the snow giants of the range, envisioned between hassles on the way to here–you could almost pretend it’s all a dream that you’re participating in this incredible journey.