There are many options from Kathmandu to Pokhara (flight, bus, car) and then jeep or taxi to the picturesque Ghandruk village (1940m). For those with extra time, you can take a bus to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Entry Post at Birethanti (1050m) and begin your trek along the road route (add 4½ hours of walking time). 

Ghandruk is an amazing example of drystone-work and worth exploring a day. Spread over the entire hillside there are views of the Annapurna range which are best appreciated from one of the many bakery cafés in the village. 

There are many route options between Ghandruk and Chhomrong. The fastest and most popular is via Kot Danda and Kimrong but it bypasses the hot springs at Jhinu. Either way, you begin at the top of Ghandruk on an easy trail that contours through the forest.

To reach Jhinu, take a well-signed left fork and descend to Jhinu Danda (1780m, 3.5 hours) and then it is a quick 30 minutes to the hot springs! The climb from Jhinu up to the main trail at Chomrong (2170m) takes 1 hour.

To reach Kot Danda, follow the main trail out of the north-western end of the village, which heads to Tadapani. Once you leave the village it is easy to see Kot Danda on a ridge across a small valley and the trail route as it branches away from the Tadapani trail. It’s a pleasant stroll for 2 hours to Kot Danda where there are some tea shops to sit and enjoy the view. It is a steep downhill to Kimrong (1860m, 30 mins) where groups often stop for lunch. A steady climb for 1 hour brings you to Taulung (2180m) and Chhomrong (2170m) is 1 hour further.

Descend a stone stairway and cross a bridge to the true left bank of the Chhomrong Khola and then climb through some small terraces to Tilche (2010m, 40 mins). Beyond the village, enter a bamboo forest, traverse above Bhanuwa, and enter the Modhi Khola valley, forming a striking V shape ahead. The trail climbs to the last permanent settlement of Sinuwa (2360m, 35 mins) and continues through oak and rhododendron forest interspersed with large stands of bamboo. 

After 45 minutes you will reach Kuldhigar (2540m), where there are a few teahouses and another ACAP post. From here onwards, sections of the valley are affected by avalanche debris falling from the flanks of Hiun Chuli; you should check with ACAP staff if the trail is clear and safe. A short climb is followed by a steep descent on a well-prepared paved track to Bamboo (2310m, 30 mins), where the trail now deteriorates a little with tree roots and slippery sections forcing your pace to slow. Three small bridges cross tributaries en route to Dobhan (2600m, 1.5 hrs), where there are a few teahouses. 

From Dobhan the forest becomes more impressive with large rhododendrons covered in Spanish moss and pockets of orchids. The locals believe that the god Baraha protects the Sanctuary. Accidents are frequently explained as the unfortunate outcome of upsetting him by taking meat or eggs beyond a small shrine you’ll find opposite a pretty ‘weeping waterfall’. In 1.5 hours you reach the village of Himalaya (2920m), so named because there was initially a single teahouse here, called Himalaya, and the village sprang up around it once the trek became popular.

Continue to climb through dense forest to a large rock overhang, called Hinku Cave (3170m, 1 hour), once the site of a teahouse. Deurali (3230m, 1 hour) can be seen ahead, beyond another avalanche-prone area. The valley broadens and a fine birch forest fills the far bank before you pass a small snow cave that has been slowly melting for decades. Two obvious rock pillars mark the ‘gateway’ to the Sanctuary, which suddenly opens out to broad grassy slopes and a series of teahouses at MBC (3700m, 1½hrs).

The last expedition to climb this sacred mountain was in 1957; out of respect, it stopped short of the summit. Many trekkers begin to feel the effects of altitude at MBC, so it is a good idea to initially rest and enjoy the views of Machhapuchhare, Gangapurna, and Annapurna South on arrival.If you are still feeling symptoms of altitude sickness later that evening or the following morning, you should rest for the day or consider descending to Himalaya.

The trail climbs ancient moraine, now covered in grass, to the west of MBC. There are many trails that wind slowly upwards to ABC (4130m, 2hrs), some on the edge of the moraine for views of the Annapurna South Glacier, others towards the lower slopes of Hiun Chuli (giving a better perspective of the Sanctuary).There are four teahouses at ABC, which was the site for the 1970 British Annapurna Expedition, and a day spent wandering further up the valley or along the edge of the nearby moraine is a great way to absorb the majesty of the Himalaya.

Backtrack along the same route to Bamboo (2310m, 5.5hrs).

Reach Sinuwa (2360m) in one hour from Bamboo and continue to Taulung (2180m, 1½ hours from Sinuwa). At the end of the village the trail forks: the right leads back to Kimrong, but take the left trail, which descends steeply to Jhinu (1780m, 45 mins). Before the track swings sharply west (into the Kimrong Khola valley) there is a small sign for a hot spring about 30 minutes to the north in the Modhi Khola valley. If you don’t want a hot bath, continue along the trail as it descends to a bridge, which you cross to the true right bank of the Kimrong Khola and then climb the far bank to Samrung (1750m, 30 mins).

After Samrung, descend to the Modhi Khola on a trail heading towards New Bridge (1340m, 20 mins). Just before the final descent to the bridge there is a sign to another hot springs down a scrambly track to the north of the bridge.

Cross the bridge to the true left bank of the Modhi Khola and pass through some small villages before a short climb to the large Gurung village of Landruk (1565m, 1.5 hrs), where there are taxis and shared jeeps to Pokhara. Then it’s back on the bus or flight to Kathmandu.