Introduction

Any trek in Nepal usually begins with your arrival in Kathmandu, the capital city and main international entry point into the country. Kathmandu is a busy, bustling Asian city with animals wandering the streets and auto-rickshaws, tuk-tuks, and a variety of other automobiles contributing to the choking fumes and dust that assaults your senses. It is also historically rich with centuries old temples and buildings that line its many narrow streets and roadways.

There are some treks that you can begin from Kathmandu but the majority of popular trekking begins out of the village of Pokhara in Central Nepal and the gateway to the Annapurna Mountain Range. From Kathmandu you can take a bus to Pokhara or you can fly on one of the country’s many local airlines. The bus trip is quite cheap ($4 - $5 US) but the length of the trip can vary from about 6 hours to 10 hours. On the other hand, the flight only takes 35-40 minutes and the cost is still reasonable at $61 US.

Pokhara is a small, relaxed town centred around the scenic Phewa Tal lake that offers great views of the nearby Annapurna range to the north. Clean and low-cost guest houses are plentiful in Pokhara and are mostly centred around the lake area. There is also an abundance of good restaurants serving all varieties of food, making Pokhara a good place to spend a few days relaxing and enjoying the wonderful Nepali hospitality.

The trek that is described here is the Jomsom Trek and was completed in late October of 1997. The Jomsom Trek can take anywhere from 7 to 12 days to complete depending on how fast you want to walk and how far you want to travel each day. With a guide and porter, my husband and I were able to complete the trek in 8 days. However, in hindsight we wished that we had given ourselves at least one extra day for a rest day.