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Price(per-person)
Region
AnnapurnaDuration
2 daysAccomodation
Tea-House (Lodges)Altitude
2065mMeals
Breakfast/Lunch/DinnerDifficulty
EasyActivity
TrekkingSeason
March, April, May, September, October, NovemberStart End Point
Pokhara - PokharaGroup Size
2-30Total Distance
56 km/35 milesTransportation
Private vehicle
Australian Camp Trek is a short hike for a day and a half. This trek can be a perfect adventure for women of all ages whether you are travelling solo or with your fellow female explorers. It is a great way to be close to a range of peaks of the Annapurna Himalayas with the majestic Machhapuchare Himal. A scenic and serene country walk on the foothills of the great massif Annapurna Himalaya.
Australian Camp, also called Thulo Kharka, is a place for grazing domesticated cattle. A green meadow with a grassy field, in the past two decades as the influx of visitors increased then several good lodges have been built for the comfort of hikers and trekkers. A beautiful spot to enjoy a day, in the close harmony of a pristine natural environment. You can also relax and marvel at the incredible panorama of the Mid-Western Himalayas including the world’s three highest peaks Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and Annapurna Himal, with arrays of peaks as far as your eyes can reach. In the early 1970s, Australian Mountaineering Expeditions camped on this lovely spot en route to Annapurna Base Camp.
From then on, the name was tagged as Australian Camp and became popular instead of the local original name Thulo-Kharka. A beautiful place with nice green meadows, amidst the forest surroundings lined with oaks, blue pines, and rhododendrons tall trees with spectacular scenery of snow-capped peaks and rolling green hills. The Australian Camp Trekking itinerary is for a two-day walk with an overnight halt at lovely and picturesque surroundings.
A short drive leads to a hill village of Kande and then a few hours climb into the cool shade of the forest. Then reach Australian Camp for a pleasant day in the close backdrop of the Himalayan peaks. The next morning, catching a stunning sunrise as it reflects over the chain of white peaks and enjoying the sunrise views. After a wonderful moment of sunrise view, you will head to Dhampus. The walk slowly ends with a pleasant walk down to Dhampus Village. Another scenic viewpoint for the last look of Annapurna Himalayan Panorama. From Dhampus, a short drive brings you to Pokhara, after a marvelous experience on Australian Camp Trekking with the great services of Women Adventures guide and staff.
Food and accommodation are important, besides the best seasons for trekking to Australian Camp. After staying in a nice tourist standard hotel in Pokhara, the food and lodge accommodations around villages are simple. En route to designated overnight stops, the lodge accommodation is nice and small providing a limited food menu to enjoy. In Nepal the favorite and common meal is Nepali Dal Bhat, boiled or steamed rice. It is served with mild seasonal vegetable curry, including Dal, a lentil bean soup with homemade pickles, and hot sauce as options. The food menu lists from breakfast, lunch, and dinner to snack items.
Breakfast from oats porridge, and cereals to cornflakes with toast/ chapattis, and pancakes includes a choice of egg variation. Lunch and dinner options include a variety of main courses from Continental, Chinese, Indian, Nepali, and Tibetan cuisines, along with a selection of soups. The most common food for snacks and main course is the Nepali Dal, Bhat with vegetables which include meat curry where available, mostly buffalo dry meats and fresh chicken are rare sometimes. The most available food besides Dal, Bhat is noodles, fried with vegetables or eggs. Another item is Tibetan Bread which is made from wheat, millet, or barley flour. Sometimes vegetable dumplings are also available, along with fried or boiled potatoes.
Fresh bakery bread is rare around most villages en route to Australian Camp, but one can order pancakes or chapattis. It goes well with fresh country honey, jams, and pickles or butter to add along with refreshing hot drinks. In hot drinks, you can order Nepali Tea, coffee, and drinking chocolate where available. All lodges have large dining rooms with a fireplace to heat the rooms while you enjoy the meals.
Rooms with attached Bathrooms and Toilets are available in Australian Camp only in a few standard lodges. The lodges have electricity for the dining room powered by local hydro or solar power. Trekkers can charge electronic items at an extra cost per hour and for each gadget. Internet and Wi-Fi are available but slow and disturbing in some places due to weather and conditions of landscape terrains.
Nepal is a country of great diversity of landscape and people with their age-old religions, cultures, and heritage. The mid-hill people around the Annapurna Himalayas and Mid-West Nepal are Gurung hill tribes. The Gurung are the main inhabitants around the southern hills of the Annapurna Himalayas. The main Gurung villages on this trek at Kande, Australian Camp and Dhampus villages are inhabited by the Gurung ethnic tribal. The Gurung are predominantly farmers and cattle herders with livestock. The Gurung menfolk are also famous as Gorkha Soldiers in the Indian, Nepal, and British Army Regiments. The Gurung tribes follow both Hindu and Buddhist religions and cultures and celebrate their tribal festivals and events. The Gurung also practices ancient Bon sect of pre-Buddhism, a worship of nature and mountain spirits.
Trekkers planning to join for Australian Camp Trekking or other adventures around the Nepal Himalayas should be aware that Nepal is a country of high land of mid-hill to higher mountainous landscapes and terrains. The trek involves a lot of uphill and downhill sections, with only a few gradual paths to enjoy along the way. The only flatland is the low sub-tropical Terai belt around southern Nepal.
En route to Australian Camp and Dhampus Village, the trek starts with steep ups for some hours from Kande farm village. Once you reach the top of Australian Camp, the highest point of the trek, the journey continues downhill to Dhampus village, where an exciting drive back to Pokhara awaits. The walk is mostly on forested paths, with some stone steps on leaving Kande village. The climb includes a few gradual sections, but more or less, it offers an enjoyable walk along with surrounding glorious scenery.
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Price Starts From $ 280
General
Daypack
Upper Body - Head / Ears / Eyes
Hand
Body
Lower Body – Legs
Feet
Medicines and First Aid Kits
(Our guide will carry first aid kit bag during the trek. We still recommend you to bring your personal first aid kit as you feel it necessary).
Antibiotics.
Miscellaneous
Women's Health Essentials
The items mentioned on the list are recommended by us but not compulsory so you can pack your stuff according to your necessity. Women Adventures lends you down jackets, fleece liner and sleeping bags as a part of their service but if you have your own then you can bring it according to your preference.
