ANNAPURNA, a Sanskrit name, literally means “full of food” and translated as ‘Goddess of the Harvests, the universal and timeless kitchen-goddess and the mother who feeds.’ This makes her a universal goddess. She is also known as Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth. This a Himalayan massif in Northern Nepal, is surrounded by a ring of mountains including one peak over 8,000m, thirteen peaks over 7,000m and sixteen peaks over 6,000m.

It is 55 kilometers long bounded by the Kali Gandaki Gorge on the West, the Marshyangdi River on North & East & Pokhara Valley on the South. At the Western end the massif encloses a high basin called the Annapurna Sanctuary. Mount Annapurna (8,091m) is the 10th highest mountain in the world and the journey to its Base Camp at 4,130m height is one of the most popular treks on the earth. The entire mountain and surroundings are protected within the Annapurna Conservation Area (7,629 km), which is the first and largest conservation area in Nepal. This is a very well-known trekking region with three major trekking routes: Jomsom Trek to Jomsom and Muktinath, the Annapurna Sanctuary route to Annapurna Base Camp and the Annapurna Circuit circling Annapurna Himal itself including the Jomsom route.

ABC trek is an amazing walk through diverse landscape and culture with rich mountain vistas, terraced fields, Gurung villages and a wide variety of flora and fauna. The entire sanctuary is sacred to the Gurung, one of many natives of this area. It is believed that it was the repository of gold and various treasures left by the Nagas, the serpent-gods known in India. The sanctuary is believed to be the home of several deities from Hinduism and Buddhism as well as older animistic gods. The peak of Machhapuchhre at the entrance was believed to be the home of the god Shiva. Bringing non-vegetarian things into the Annapurna Sanctuary is still discouraged.

The district of Mustang, a former kingdom bordering Tibet, is also part of the Annapurna region. The majority of trekkers in Nepal visit the Annapurna region. This is easily accessible with many guesthouses and treks, which offers incredibly diverse scenery, high mountains and lowland villages. This trek goes through a trail of terraced terrains, thick delightful woods of rhododendron, bamboo fields, rivers and more. It is a fairly strenuous alpine trek from 900m up to 4,130m offering close-up views of the Himalayas with the ever-smiling Nepalese inhabitants.