Day 1: Besi Sahar to Bhulbhule
I hiked the Annapurna Circuit with Michelle from Full Time Explorer. She did a great write-up of our trek which she kindly let me borrow, so what you see below is Michelle's text and my photos. You can find her original article at Annapurna Circuit Itinerary.
The tourist buses from Kathmandu to Besi Sahar weren’t running when I went, so I took the local bus. It takes between 6 and 10 hours depending on your luck. Mine took about 7, so I recommend taking the earliest bus possible and having lunch in Besi Sahar. The local bus costs 360 rupees ($3.60), and it left from Gongabu New Bus Station Park. When the bus arrives in Besi Sahar you’ll want to take it to the very last stop.
If you walk to the end of the main road in Besi Sahar, you’ll find the road goes downhill and to the right along the river. It seems there are several other routes, but for me, it was my first day carrying my own backpack. In the past, I’d always had a porter and carried a small day pack. Both David (my trekking buddy) and I agreed that it was unnecessary to make the first day harder than it had to be, so we decided to stick to the road instead of climbing a steep staircase on the trekking trail.
The road runs along the river and still offers lovely views. We started our trek in mid-May when most trekkers are already completing the circuit. Therefore, there weren’t many jeeps on the road. We were also trekking closer to monsoon season which means rainfall would be more likely, but there was also very little dust. The hike was only three hours up a gentle incline. We wanted to stay in Khudi, but the only guesthouse there was full when we arrived, so we moved on to Bhulbhule where we stayed in the Heaven Guest House.
Dave
Normally a software engineer, recently I've been spending a bit more time in nature.
