Trekkers start arriving at Annapurna base camp

By Thakur Prasad Acharya,Myagdi, Mar. 24: Trekkers have begun arriving at the base camp to ascend Annapurna I, standing at an elevation of 8,091 metres, situated in Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 of Myagdi district. 

According to the Department of Tourism, 54 individuals from five separate groups have acquired climbing permits to ascend Annapurna during this spring season.

Indra Singh Sherchan, a tourism entrepreneur from Dana in Annapurna Rural Municipality-3, has reported that the first group has arrived at the base camp for the trek. 

According to him, four climbers from the first team, who embarked on their ascent of the mountain through Junge Altitude, have successfully reached the base camp.

He said that one climber each from Australia, Switzerland, the UK, and Ukraine, along with a team of Sherpas and assistants, had arrived at the base camp. He added that other climbers who have secured permission are also en-route to the base camp.

Sherchan informed that this year, Australian mountaineer Allie Pepper is preparing to ascend Annapurna Mountain without the use of supplemental oxygen. He added that French citizen Maurice André Raymond Herzog had made the historic first ascent of Annapurna I on June 3, 1950. 

Annapurna stands as the earliest among the mountains where mankind first set foot above 8,000 metres in altitude.

Climbing Annapurna typically starts from the northern base camp. A well-organised footpath has been built to access the Annapurna base camp from Narchang, which has been named the Maurice Herzog Trail.

In recent years, with the increasing number of mountain climbers and tourists, the rural municipality has initiated the construction of physical infrastructure at the base camp. Recently, a team from the municipality, comprising tourism experts and technicians, conducted a study to prepare a tourism master plan for the base camp and footpath.

Chief Administrative Officer Amrit Subedi said that the municipality had progressed with plans to construct infrastructure, including lodges for tourists at the base camp. 

Climbing Annapurna I is considered extremely challenging due to its technical difficulties, unpredictable weather conditions, and high altitude. The mountain has a name for its danger and has claimed the lives of many climbers over the years. 

Despite its challenges, the successful ascents of Annapurna I has been celebrated in the mountaineering community.

The region is rich in biodiversity, with a wide variety of flora and fauna, adding to its allure for nature enthusiasts and adventurers alike.