In November 2011 I embarked on my first trek in the Nepalese Himalaya Annapurna Region. The Annapurna Region is a great region to trek for first time trekkers as you do not trek to as higher altitude as the Everest Region however saying this there is no easy trek in the Himalaya no matter what region you are trekking in.

The Annapurna region has some of the great 8000 metres plus mountains (Annapurna 1 & Dhaulagiri) which will impress the experienced adventurer.

I travelled with World Expeditions on their “Best of Annapurna Dhaulagiri” 16 Day trip.

It was an amazing and challenging journey. The people and the culture are nothing like I have ever experience in my travels thus far.

We spent the first day and a half in Kathmandu seeing the sights and wondering around the city emerging ourselves in their way of life.

After a short flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara you are already at awe of the mountains. It is hard to find the words that describe their presence, beauty and size other than “just breathtaking”.

To our surprise as we were trekking just before the winter season how warm the first few days were as we trekked through the foothills and forests. We could not have asked for better weather on the entire trip, crisp mornings with clear blue skies and sunny days.

After arriving into camp each night the views never failed to impress and to our amazement each day just surpassed the last.

There we so many highlights from this trip but definitely camping on Kopra Ridge at nearly 4000m at the top of Kali Gandakhi being the deepest gorge in the world, trekking to the famous Poon Hill and being able to see Tibet, walking through the beautiful mountain villages and sampling delicious local cuisine. The entire trip was a photographers dream, you just never knew what you were going to capture around the next corner.

My gratitude can not be expressed enough to the Guides, Sherpa’s and Porters who work in these regions and conditions. There knowledge, experience and zest for life is second to none. I have never seen a happier group of people just doing their job. Their smiles and laughter will stay with me.

I will definitely be trekking in the Himalaya again, however next time I think I will tackle the Everest Region just to push myself to the next boundary.