Annapurna Base Camp

Still water mirrors the Himalayan skyline and lakeside trees in Pokhara, the starting point of the journey.

The white World Peace Pagoda stands among trees above Pokhara, with the city's buildings spread across the valley beyond.

The long suspension bridge at Jhinu Danda stretches across the valley between steep, terraced hillsides.

A trekker crosses the narrow Jhinu bridge toward the forested hillside on the way to Chhomrong.

The trail passes Chhomrong's colorful stupa and lines of prayer flags as the day's walk toward Bamboo begins.

The group stops to take in the view as layers of wooded mountain slopes fade into the mist.

A small footbridge carries the trail through the forest, beneath the steep cliffs of the valley.

Uneven stone steps and small bridges wind through rocky, wooded terrain on the way to Bamboo.

A brightly patterned butterfly rests on a teal wooden surface along the route from Bamboo to Deurali.

Water spills down the steep rock face as a trekker pauses beside the bridge to look up.

The stone-paved trail passes a mountain teahouse as the valley narrows between towering cliffs.

Lodges and colorful flags line the path at Deurali, a stop in the high valley before the climb toward base camp.

Beyond Deurali, the trail follows the river between steep mountain walls toward the snowy peaks of the sanctuary.

Machhapuchhre rises above open alpine slopes as the route passes through the upper valley toward Annapurna Base Camp.

The forest gives way to open grassland and rocky paths, with snow lingering on the surrounding slopes.

The welcome sign marks arrival at Annapurna Base Camp, 4,130m above sea level, surrounded by the peaks of the sanctuary.

Snow lies around the lodges at Annapurna Base Camp as clouds gather around the peaks above.

The lodges sit beneath a vast wall of snow and ice, with wind-blown snow streaming from the high ridges.

The group follows the trail down from base camp, with the snowy peaks still filling the skyline behind them.

A saddled horse waits in the courtyard while trekkers take a break outside a mountain teahouse on the descent to Dovan.

A small stone-slab bridge carries trekkers across a rocky stream on the return through the lower valley.

Pack horses pick their way along the rocky forest path, beneath arching bamboo stems.

The trail returns to the shade of tall trees, winding over exposed roots and through the forest toward Jhinu Danda.

Long flights of stone steps lead down through the hills, with green valleys opening up ahead.

Houses and winding paths sit above layers of green and golden terraces in the lower hills.

The group stops for a photograph with forested ridges and the snowy Himalayan skyline in the background.

Terraced slopes and scattered settlements stretch toward the mountain range on the return toward Pokhara.

The last light catches the snowy summits above Pokhara's rooftops at the end of the journey.