Finally, a view of Annapurna

March 13, 2025 · by Dano · in Ghandruk

Finished off yesterday with a trek to the German bakery here in Ghandruk. Had to try the apple strudel and a cinnamon roll for our Nepali fika. The trek was a bit farther than we remembered from the hike up the hill, took about 30 minutes of up and down stairs and dodging the mule bombs. Not a bad couple of pastries but we’re not going to make the journey again today.

Local grocery store complete with Lays chips.

Good use of a buffalo

Rhododendron tree – the national flower of Nepal

Some who wander are lost…

Woke at the usual time, right around 6:30am, to peek out and see Annapurna South peak bright and clear. There was a pretty good rain last night so most of the smog was washed away making viewing much better. Also caught a quick glance of the peak called, “Fishtail” but didn’t get a good photo.

Sundis met us early and brought our coffee and hot chocolate to our room so we could enjoy the sunrise and catch a few glimpses of the mountains. We’ll have breakfast here on the patio so we can enjoy the view with our breakfast. The Himalayas sure make for an amazing backdrop!

Today is a down day, nothing planned but hang out and enjoy the lodge and the views. Forecast is calling for a slight chance of rain around noon with a high of 63F. Very comfortable but the humidity is off the charts, around 75%.

Tomorrow, we head back to Pokhara, departing promptly at 10am to make the hour walk back to our ride. We’ll have 1 sherpa to lump the suitcase and hopefully we’ll be able to keep up since it is downhill. Collette’s going to try to count the steps so we’ll see what she comes up with. I’m betting there is around 2,500 steps or more.

Fun facts about Annapurna- Annapurna Range is the 10^th highest mountain in the world; it is much harder and deadlier than Everest or K2; it has a fatality rate of 29%; 365 people have made the summit, 72 have died in the attempt.