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Annapurna Circuit

by | Nov 15, 2025 | Asia

Annapurna Circuit Trek, Nepal

The Annapurna Circuit is a famous trek that completes a loop around the Annapurna mountains in Nepal. By some accounts, it was one of the most famous (and sought-after) treks in the world.

However whilst the views of the Himalayas are as magical as always, for some people the replacement of the original walking route with roads to serve the local people have detracted from the original adventure.

I definitely don’t begrudge local people improving their services (such as roads). There has been a push in recent times to develop the Natural (New) Annapurna Trekking Trails. More on that later!

Lower elevation near start of trail

Old trail opposite river – now closed from landslides

Waterfalls are common!

I joined a 15-day tour group. Due to the political unrest in Nepal in September, the tourist numbers are well below normal (despite being peak season). There were 3 of us on the tour, so we had a lot of flexibility! As an unexpected bonus, it also meant I had a private room most nights. Our accommodation was in guesthouses along the route. These were generally comfortable, but none had heating in the rooms & most had no hot water. It’s also useful to know that outside of Kathmandu and Pokhara, toilet paper and towels are rarely supplied. Bring your own! Each guesthouse had a restaurant, and the menu was very familiar each time – obviously the prices go up as you get further from supply points.

Traditionally, the trek would form a loop around the Annapurna mountains. However much of the trail has been replaced with roads. This is great for the locals, but road sections can get very dusty! Besisahar is the “traditional” trek starting point, however we started further along at Ngadi to avoid busy roads. From there, there’s about 50:50 road walking until Chame. After Chame there’s more alternatives to the main road and traffic decreases.  

Our trek wound up the river valley towards the pass

Jagat – our destination after first full day of hiking

One of the 15 suspension bridges during the hike!

We started the trek at Ngadi (900m elevation). Over the next few days we stayed in Jagat (1300m), Dharapani (1900m), Chame (2700m) and Upper Pisang (3300m). The views got better as we went up, and after Chame there was very little traffic. Where possible we hiked on the trails off the road, which could get very dusty! Having a guide helped, who knew which trails to avoid (mostly due to landslide damage / risk)

Enjoying a break beside the river

Looking back down the river. The road can be seen on the opposite bank

Not sure what happened to the third billy goat gruff…

We decided to use the next town (Ngawal – 3700m) as an acclimatisation stop for the altitude (instead of Manang), which allowed for a side climb to a 4000m peak (which happened to have a cave at the top!) The walk up was challenging, as the elevation made it harder to get enough air. The walk went straight up around 1600 steps!

Fortunately we did not have to cross THAT bridge

Views of the Annapurna range grew further up the trail

Yak on the trail near Upper Pisang

Poor weather was forecast for the next day, so we decided to get up early to beat the weather to Manang. However it turned out we had about 1m of snow overnight & all through the next day! We had to take an unplanned rest day, with a lot of uncertainty if we would get to continue the journey. We had no power and no internet, so those of us stuck in the guesthouse played a lot of yahtzee and cards until nighttime! The -20 sleeping bags came in very handy…

Views across the Annapurna range

View from Upper Pisang

Suspension bridge, prior to a 400m climb over 1.6km

The snowstorm was due to a combination of weather phenomena (including a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal) resulting in significant unseasonall falls across Nepal. Without power and data, we used FM radios to hear the impacts and forecasts. 

In the early stage, it seemed unlikely we would still be able to cross the pass & many hikers were heading back down from Manang once the road reopened. Given we were in a remote town, we decided to push on to Manang (3550m) after 2 nights, to get a better update and either continue or get transport from there. It would be a while before roads opened up to Ngarwal anyway.

Ngarwal storm survivalists!

Cold feet on the way to Manang

Happy trekkers

We ended up spending two nights waiting out the storm in Manang, before making the decision to push on to Ledar (4200m). This was a difficult day in the rain, with snow & sleet underfoot. Eventually your boots fill with ice water, and I discovered my faithful rain jacket, gloves and backpack cover were no longer waterproof! Fortunately the tea house in Ledar had a roaring fire going in the restaurant & could thaw out a little!

Trekking through the snow

Trail to high camp from base camp

Snow doesn’t stop suspension bridges!

The next day, the sun finally returned and the scenery somewhat made up for trudging through the snow. After lunch in Thorong Phedi (4450m), there’s a final 400m climb over just 1km to the high camp. A steep & difficult climb at the best of times, the snow definitely made it harder! It took about 1.5hrs. High camp (4900m) was very cold, and rooms were also very dusty. It’s well above the vegetation line, so in normal (dry) times it would be quite a dustbowl.

View across the Annapurna range from High Camp

High camp views

High camp at night – looking towards the pass

We started at 4am the next day for the pass – Thorong La pass is at 5400m, and the last 500m climb over about 5km typically takes about 3 hours. Of course, the snow made it so much harder but we made it!

Someone had a mountain bike at the top! Of course they were “filming content” of themselves and their bike, but I think they forgot to mention they paid a porter to carry it up there for them – they didn’t carry it themselves…

Hiking up to the pass before sunrise

Almost made it to the pass!! 5417m

Taking a break after the pass

From the top of the pass, it’s then a steep descent down to the town of Muktinath (3800m) for the night’s stay. The snowline stopped at about 4200m, and it was sooo much easier walking from that point!

In 2014, 42 people were killed in avalanches along this trail. We saw a couple (well away from the trail), but our guide was aware of the risks and monitored the official updates. The snow definitely added to the sense of adventure & created different scenery, but made for much harder (and colder!) conditions.

The snowline stopped but suspension bridges didn’t

View looking north coming down from the pass

From Muktinath, we bypassed trekking a road section & took a jeep to Tatopani (1200m). Tatopani felt almost sub-tropical compared to the higher elevations! There’s a hot springs there & we definitely enjoyed a soak in the hot water.

Hiking south of the Annapurna’s

View through the valley

Tatopani to Ghorepani (2800m) means a 1600m climb over about 18km – a fairly consistent uphill climb. Someone said there’s 3200 stairs that day. I didn’t count them, but that sounds about right!

Ghorepani is the base of Poon Hill – a famous sunrise (and sunset) watching point. It’s a 400m climb over about 1.5km, so lots of stairs again. We left at 5am to watch the sunrise views over the Annapurna range (along with almost every tourist in the region!) From poon hill we walked back past Ghorepani and on to Nayapul (1100m). From the top of Poon Hill, it’s a 2100m descent over about 20km, so was pretty hard on the knees all day!

From Nayapol the trekking ended, and we took a jeep to Pokhara – Nepal’s 2nd-largest city. Pokhara is a pretty town on the side of a large lake.

Due to the scenic outlook and accessible mountains with reliable thermals, Pokhara is a hub for paragliding! I took the opportunity to try it out, and was not disappointed. We jumped from 1600m, rode thermals up to 2000m and landed lake-side at 800m. The whole flight took about 30 minutes. My pilot had 17 years experience, which was very comforting.

It’s a very popular activity – there were over 100 other tourists who had the same idea on the day I went

Launchzone, looking towards the lake

Paragliding

Paragliding

After a few days in Pokhara, I flew back to Kathmandu. It’s a journey that takes 9hrs on a bus, or about 25mins by plane…

Reflecting on the trek, I can understand why some purists think the trek has lost some of it’s original appeal. I like the concept of a continous walk and the replacement of the trail with roads has definitely impacted on that. Some parts are too dusty, some are just too dangerous.

However the incredible scenery is still there, and some tours now promote “highlights” rather than a “circuit” – these include places like Tilicho Lake and Annapurna Base Camp. These would be worth investigating as an alternative

Bondi to Manly walk

by | Sep 16, 2025 | Australia

Sydney harbour is arguably one of the prettiest natural harbours in the world. And it’s huge. Occassionally it’ll be used to give context to a large volume – “This is as big as X Sydney harbours!”, but I don’t think anyone really knows what that means. Just that it’s big…

Anyway, one big plus about Sydney harbour is that large chunks of the waterfront is open to the public, and much is natural bushland. Recently, effort has been made to link up existing walking tracks to make a continuous walking track from Bondi beach to Manly beach.

The walk itself is about 80km long, and includes crossing the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. The walk can be done from either direction.

The start and end were logical markers, given both these beaches are well-known and big drawcards to the city. However, there’s also options to extend the walk in either direction. There’s a great option from Bondi to Maroubra, so we included this section as the first part of our walk.

It’s hard to get “lost”, given you’re in one of the world’s largest cities, but there’s definitely a lot of spots where the path/road is not clear. The Bondi to Manly website recommends using their app for navigation, which was definitely a good idea

Bondi to Manly map – we added an extension to Maroubra (bottom right)

Day 1: Maroubra to Bondi (12km)

Our first day is technically not on the Bondi to Manly walk, but is definitely worth adding to the journey. It has dramatic coastal scenery and a number of beautiful beaches such as Maroubra, Coogee and Tumbarumba. 

Walking on this day is quite easy and a good introduction to the walk. There’s some hills going up and down between headlands and beach, but it’s mostly on well-formed concrete paths.

It does get very busy though! Especially on sunny days

Day 2: Bondi to Rose Bay (21km)

One feature with an urban walk like this, is that there’s a lot of flexibility on where each day starts and ends. We reached Bondi by 1pm yesterday, so decided to push onto the Gap and make it a 20km day – it meant today would be a much easier 12kms, and give us time to get back to watch the end of the Sydney Marathon runners finishing. 

By finishing at the Gap on day 1, it made for an easy 250m walk to the Watsons Bay ferry terminal.

Heading North from Bondi, the route moves away from the coast around the golf course (premium land!) The number of walkers through this section is significantly less than south of Bondi, but picks up again around the Gap. 

From the Gap the route passes near the naval base and up to South Head and the Hornsby lighthouse. It’s incredible to know there’s about 70km of walking to go to reach the North Head – it seems so close!

Between Watsons Bay and Rose Bay there’s the picturesque Parsley Bay bridge and a nice bush-walk between Bottle and Glass Point and Rose Bay. 

Through here is also Vaucluse House, plus an opportunity to admire some very impressive houses!

Rose Bay is a good finish point for the day, due to the regular ferry service back to Circular Quay

Day 3: Rose Bay to North Sydney (19km)

Today is probably the most iconic day, due to the crossing of the bridge. 

Starting in Rose Bay, the walk first goes through the mansions of Point Piper. Glimpses of the harbour between houses indicates why this area is so popular!

Moving through Double Bay and Rushcutters Bay, the landscape reflects the inner city preference for denser living and becomes more urbanised. The Botanic Gardens provides a nice respite from the city, and provides great views of the Opera House and bridge

Circular Quay and the  Rocks were very busy (as always!), but also impacted by the marathon the day before and the imminent departure of a cruise-ship.

From the Rocks, the walk heads up and over the bridge and into North Sydney. Definitely quieter on the northern side!

After passing Kirribili house, the plan was to stop at North Sydney wharf, but we decided to push on to Neutral Bay wharf to shave off a few km’s the next day. By doing so we also avoided about 200 steps first thing in the morning!

Day 4: North Sydney to Spit bridge (20km)

Moving away from Sydney, there’s a series of large peninsulas first up. Cremorne is probably the most interesting, as there’s a 3km thin strip of bushland that lines the coastline around the point. Apparently it was decided when opening up the area that the first 100ft from the waterline had to remain public land. It’s a beautiful area

From Cremorne, the walk then moves through Mosman and past the zoo. From Mosman, the trail returns to bushland and becomes quite peaceful. You wouldn’t realise you’re still in the middle of such a large city!

The Sydney Harbour National Park covers most of the rest of the trail to Manly from here

Middle Head is a fascinating spot to spend some time exploring. It was set up with a defence battery to attack enemy ships that entered the harbour. It was part of a comprehensive defense network. Many of the gun emplacements, defensive channels and observations posts remain.

Walking around Sydney harbour it becomes apparent how much of the waterfront is assigned to military and defence installations. At the time, many of these locations were quite remote, but the city has grown over time and consumed them. Some spots (such as the Penguins submarine base) have been rehabilitated into public spaces

From Middle Head the route heads along Balmoral Beach and up to the Spit to finish the penultimate day. The Spit Bridge is a key link for the people living north of it – there’s not a lot of other road options to get down to the rest of Sydney without a long diversion! 

There’s regular buses along this route to get back to the city

Day 5: Spit Bridge to Manly (20km)

The final day is one of the most scenic. The first half completes the journey through the Sydney National Park to the Manly wharf. The second half loops up and around the North Head, finishing on Manly beach. It’s only 200m from the beach back across to the ferry terminal

After crossing Spit Bridge, we crossed Clontarf beach and were back into the Sydney Harbour National Park. 

The trail follows the bushland through to the outskirts of Manly, and is very different to the bushland further into the harbour. The plants are much more coastal and vegetation more sparse, due to the prevailing winds.

After passing the Manly ferry terminal, the trail heads up into the North Head via Collins Beach. There’s a lot of small beaches throughout the harbour, but this one was particularly scenic. It even has a waterfall!

North Head has an old quarantine station and remnants of military defence (no surprise by now). Most of it is part of the Sydney Harbour National Park.

The highlight was reaching the head, and looking back at the South Head we had been at only a few days (and 70km!) ago… Having walked the route, landmarks became easy to identify

After North head, there’s a relatively short walk via Shelly Beach to the finish at Manly Beach. With the coastline exposed to the open ocean, the coastline in this section is very rugged

The Bondi to Manly walk is an excellent harbour walk that truly showcases Sydney’s magnificent harbour. It’s relatively easy, however there is more elevation gain than you’d first expect.

Public transport makes it easy to start/ stop each day from a central base, but be aware that some sections are relatively remote and access points are limited (particularly in the northern section). 

Stay somewhere in central Sydney, and each day can easily be reached by transport in less than an hour!

The Great Appalachian Adventure 7

by | Sep 8, 2025 | Appalachian Trail

Gorham to Mt Kathadin (Mile 1896 to Mile 2200)

After thinking it would never arrive, finally the last state! Maine!

But first was an interesting side-trip to see a 1954 plane crash on Mt Success (not named after the flight). Two people lost their lives in the crash due to poor visibility

 

Flight 792 crashed on Mt Success in 1954

The site is about 0.5mi from the AT

With less that 300 miles to go and the big mountains behind us, we were starting to get optimistic about progress. However, the Mahoosuc Notch was next up. This is considered the toughest mile on the AT, and I think it’s a clear winner. Nothing else comes close. It took 2 hours to cover the one mile, mostly by scrambling over, under and around massive boulders. It really sapped morale!

Mahoosuc Notch – it gets worse…

After the rough introduction to Maine, the trail became a bit easier, albeit still with plenty of hills, mud patches and water crossings.

We stopped in Stratton, which a beautiful mountain town. Following Stratton is Monson, which is the last town on the AT before the final “100 Mile Wilderness”

Monson is a popular spot for hikers to rest, regroup and resupply for the final 100 miles!

water crossing on the trail

Every mountain in this section – “is that Kathadin?”

The 100 Mile Wilderness is not technically difficult, but good planning is needed to ensure sufficient supplies, and support is difficult is there’s a problem. For most north-bound hikers, it isn’t terribly challenging as by now everyone is familiar with the gear they need and the supplies they should have for that distance. The wilderness itself is very scenic, and we were fortunate to have good weather throughout

100 Mile Wilderness

100 Mile Wilderness

After about 6 days in the wilderness, we finally reached Baxter State Park!

The end of the AT is quite peculiar. The designer of the AT wanted Kathadin to be the end-point of the trail, but it had been bequeathed to the people of Maine in perpetuity. An agreement was reached where AT hikers are allowed to summit in return for Baxter remaining in state hands…

100 Mile Wilderness requires careful preparation

The end is in sight!

Baxter State Park has a campground hikers can use, but it is limited. The logistics for the final summit require careful preparation.

Fortunately, the park also have cabins in a number of locations around the park. Of course, they book out months in advance but if you’re lucky you can call and secure an accessible cabin if no-one has booked it yet. It was fantastic to finish the last night o the trail at a lake-side cabin!

Finally, after 151 days, 2200 miles and 450,000 feet of elevation gain, the summit day was here!

The final summit is a 4000ft climb over 5 miles. Whilst normally this would be considered a typical tough day on the trail, most hikers carry a light pack today and the excitement carries them up this final mountain. Upon reaching the top, there’s a queue for the photo and lots of celebrations!

Personally, I found the finish of the trail to be a little frustrating. Whilst I can appreciate the significance of this particular mountain, the conclusion of the trail requires a 5 mile hike back down, followed by a shuttle to Millinocket, followed by a shuttle to Bangor, followed by other transport options back to the real world. There’s limited sense of conclusion at the end of the trail.

Am I glad I did it? Yes

Would I do it again? No

It is a really tough trail. Really tough. It’s a mental challenge to keep going through the rain, drought, heat, cold, mud, rocks, pointless hill climbs & terrifying descents.

Anyone with sufficient fitness that can put one foot in front of the other can do it, but they need incredible mental resilience to keep going. It’s an incredible challenge

The Great Appalachian Adventure 6

by | Sep 8, 2025 | Appalachian Trail

Kent to Gorham (Mile 1474 to Mile 1875)

Leaving Kent in the rain made for a pleasant afternoon after the heat and humidity over the past few weeks. Hiking clothes would be soaked in sweat at the end of the day, and still wet from sweat when putting them back on the next morning. Not a pleasant experience.

The rain continued during camp setup, and overnight became very significant. We later learned it was considered a 1-in-500 rain event and caused considerable damage to the trail and local infrastructure. Ahead of us, Vermont had a state of emergency declared and hikers were advised to avoid the state completely. We also learned later that a hiker was tragically swept away at a creek crossing and drowned a few days hike ahead of us. We stopped at that creek for a break with other hikers on the day before his body was found downstream. At the time, it was a very peaceful & beautiful spot for a break.

Water and mud in the tent after the big rains

High creek levels become hazardous after rain

Connecticut is a pretty state, but with all the water around, this became the focus of the time on the trail here. In some sections, mud became quite thick on the trail, and any attempt to avoid it was quickly crushed. Once again, choosing to hike in boots instead of trail runners proved to be helpful.

Within this section in Connecticut and Massachusetts I managed to make up some distance with a 40 mile and 25 mile day back-to-back. Hiking 100km in two days seems a significant achievement in hindsight, but at the time it flowed quickly.

Yes, this is the trail…

enjoy the scenery and don’t look down

The next state is Vermont. Vermont is often referred to as “Vermud” due to the usual state of the trails. With the extra rain, this was always going to be an issue, and it didn’t disappoint. Obviously hiking through mud is much harder than firm trails. It’s slower and takes much more effort. Despite this, Vermont itself is a beautiful state and was enjoyable.

The trail here overlaps the famous Long Trail from the MA/VT border for about 100 miles. A particular highlight through here is Little Rock Pond. It’s a beautiful shelter right beside a pristine lake.

Media reports of the rain damage behind us

not much chance of avoiding mud

Crossing into New Hampshire sees a return to big mountains. The White Mountains start at the border, and are definitely one of the major highlights of the trail. Despite the difficult (and slow) trails, the scenery is incredible and represents what a mountain trail really should look like.

Mt Moosilake – not sure the views were worth it…

Mt Moosilake descent was certainly challenging

First up was slackpacking from the Notch hostel over Mt Mist, then the big one – Mt Moosilauke. It’s a long, hard slog up the mountain to the peak, followed by a long, steep descent on the other side. And of course, the top was clouded in, so didn’t even get a good view…

The mud continues…
Views in the Whites

Over the next few days, there were more mountains to cross – Mt Wolf, the Kinsmans, Mt Lincoln, Mt Lafayette, Mt Garfield, etc. Stunning views, but really tough hiking

Hikers resting at a mountain lake
Views from Franconia Ridge

One unique feature of hiking in the Whites is the possibility of work-for-stay in the huts. The huts are fully inclusive and cater to tourists visiting the area. They are very expensive normally, but sometimes they will offer a couple hikers the opportunity to sleep in their common area & a cooked dinner & breakfast in return for a couple hours of work. Fortunately this worked for us at Mizpah hut – 2 hours cleaning out the freezers for a warm stay!

Franconia ridge – above the tree line
Photo opportunity before the weather moved in

The next milestone is Mount Washington. It’s not the highest point on the AT, but the climb is nearly 4000ft from the base. The weather is quite changeable and fortunately had perfect weather for the climb up. The top is quite accessible by road and rail, so was packed with tourists. There’s a line to get a photo with the sign at the top, but the crowd let thru-hikers take priority – a small benefit for walking up instead of driving!

Mt Washington summit is slightly off the AT. Views were better away from the crowds
Mount Washington train looked like a better option than hiking up

Gorham is the next main town towards the end of the Whites, and definitely a welcome rest town after the challenging terrain.

The Great Appalachian Adventure 5

by | Sep 4, 2025 | Appalachian Trail

Harpers Ferry to Kent (Mile 1026 to Mile 1474)

From Harpers Ferry, the trail continues into Maryland and then Pennsylvania. Maryland and the first part of Pennsylvania was a welcome break from the Virginia grind and constant hills. The terrain became easier & faster, with plenty of civil war history to break up the days of walking. 

The Mason/Dixon line is in Maryland, and I don’t think the line has moved much over time. Slow-traveling through a country allows time to get a better insight into the culture. It was apparent that the southern states conform with “Southern” values and the northern states much more “Northern”. What was surprising is how fast the culture swaps between the two – this occurred through southern Pennsylvania. Towns were consistently “southern” up to Maryland, then there’s a patchwork where it flips southern/northern a few times, then solidly “northern”. It was really interesting to observe

Rocky trails in Pennsylvania. A sign of things to come…

Shortly after entering Pennsylanvia, the half-way point is finally reached! It’s a bitter-sweet moment, recognising that there’s still a long long way to go…

The half way moves around a bit, as the trail gets minor changes and revisions over time. Always nice to be able to celebrate multiple times!

One of the more bizarre half way milestones is the “half gallon challenge” at the Ironmasters hostel. Of course, the ice cream they sell comes in a container slightly less than a half gallon, so hikers also buy a pint to ensure the half gallon is consumed. Sounds like great marketing for selling icecream!

1100 miles done!

The (unofficial) half way point

Next highlight was Duncannon, where the rocky trail of “Rocksylvania” really starts. Leading into Duncannon is quite flat and fast, and I easily completed a 26 mile “half marathon” day from Boiling Springs. 

Most hikers struggle with the rocks in the next section. Yes, they are slow and brutal, but I found that it wasn’t as tough as I expected. I think this was largely due to my choice to hike in proper hiking boots rather than the popular trail runners. They provide a lot more support and resistance to the rocks underfoot, and really are a better tool for the job. Personally, I prefer the high ankle support and solid sole to the lighter trail runners

Duncannon, Pennsylvania

Yes, this is the trail

Plenty of views in this section

In some places, the rocks were ridiculous!

Finally coming out of Pennsylvania, there’s hope that the rocks disappear once you reach New Jersey and New York. Nope! That’s just hype to keep you going. Some sections in these two states are a real scramble…

But one advantage of these more populous states is the concept of “deli-blazing”. There’s a lot more taverns, cafes and restaurants close to the trail that give hikers the chance to eat real food. These are always very welcome!

Crossing into New Jersey

Flatter rock-free terrain felt very fast!

In addition to the gourmet meals, a highlight through this section is the Warwick Drive-In. The drive-in cinema allows AT hikers to camp for free at the back of the cinema and watch the evening movie. For $5 you can hire a radio to hear the soundtrack, and for another $5 even hire a comfortable chair!

The movie of the night was Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – although within 30 minutes of the movie starting, all but three of the hikers had gone to bed! Hikers tend to go to bed very early on trail…

Camping at the Warwick drive-in cinema

This section of the trail also has the most trail magic! There were plenty of groups out providing hikers with much-needed breaks from the trail. These unexpected breaks and opportunities to meet people really reflect the great AT culture and is definitely a highlight of the trail experience

Two ex-hiker families cooking for hikers in Pennsylvania

Sometimes lucky enough to arrive during magic setup!

The trail passes close by New York, so took a few days off to take a break. There’s a train station on hte AT itself, but unfortunately trains only stop there on weekends… There are a couple of access points for buses, however.

Returning to the trail, we finished the New York section and entered Connecticut. First stop was Kent for resupply, at which point it started raining. This was quite exciting, as the weather had been exceptionally dry up to this point – leading to some difficulties obtaining water from streams. Fortunately trail angels left water bottles at strategic road crossings for hikers. 

The rain in Kent continued up until the campsite that night. Little did we know at that point that it would end up a 1-in-500 year rain event and cause major damage to the trail!