JUNE-SEPTEMBER The monsoon, often ignored by trekkers en route to the Annapurna Circuit, Nepal’s monsoon (mid-June to early September) is the great sweep that shakes the rug of much of the country. Typically, the terrors are rain, landslides, and leeches, which are indeed all real. But there is a more sinister aspect of the monsoon that few people will whisper: the dying. It’s also the time when the mountains breathe, the valleys are, and the trail offers a kind of solitude, mystique, and natural grandeur that, at its best, is, or we are, ephemeral.
Not many people decide to trek the Annapurna circuit in the monsoon, but for those who do, the world is a beautiful place. Done properly, the rain reveals a second rhythm of the Himalayas — a greener, quieter, and often more essentially personal one.
A Different Kind of Beauty
At some point throughout the monsoon, Annapurna Round Trek becomes an inexperienced veil. Hillsides erupt in a sprout of small inexperienced leaves, waterfalls cascade down cliffs with the repressed enthusiasm of a teenager, and terraced fields shimmer in every viable colour of green. The clouds are by no means, nonetheless — they roll away to reveal a mountain dusted with snow, or wrap the hills within the smooth, mysterious glow of fog. This liquid landscape lasts for only a matter of minutes; it is an entrancing spectacle where light and landscape spin in a ceaseless ballet.
Such a paradise for Photographers – Mesmerising Monsoon Photographers call it the unexplored! There is a sort of magical mix of fast racing clouds, mist-filled valleys, and shiny-stone villages for dramatic scenes hard to find in the clear, dry months. Raindrops on prayer flags; reflections in puddles; trails quieted by water — there’s a mood few other seasons quite hit.
Fewer Crowds, More Solitude
Surefirest Plus, no gang. At times, the surface may become crowded, particularly in the high season and near the popular villages of Manang and Thorong Phedi. But in the monsoon season, you can walk them for mile after mile and never pass a single soul.
Annapurna Circuit Nepal Super-crowded teahouses are empty and receiving and offering discounts. Just for the taste of what living there actually feels like, you can be the only guest at a lodge in a village; unpack the suitcases of your hosts with jars of smoked kraut rolls and tell stories over tea to pass the time together. That should still give you plenty of wiggle room to contemplate your existence seriously while you’re on the placid trail. And if you like your soaking more as a meditation, a full-body immersion, well, the monsoon has that for you as well.
The Challenge of Rain
That’s not to say the monsoon’s all fun and games. In this neck of the woods, you can almost set your watch by the rain: Every few days, just before the rain comes, the clouds unburden themselves over the afternoon and evening — and at least a good part of the days that follow. Muddy trails, leeches, occasionally, if you are in the low country, and the hassle of managing wet gear. There are snow-glazed slippery slopes in the lower reaches (between Besisahar and Chame in particular), so keep the trail under review and enquire of local guides or lodges for up-to-date info about conditions before setting out on certain parts of the stage.
Poles for walking and a good pair of waterproof boots aren’t only nice to have: They’re the basic equipment you need to navigate the slippery terrain — and to keep your feet above the mud and puddles. A good watertight rain coat, easy dry clothes, and ater swimming backpack and electronic sleeves are unnecessary too. zip lock bags< or Dry Sacks) These were great for keeping a few key items bone dry and also tethered while on the trail.
The key is mental readiness. The monsoon’s all about not getting blue sky and perfect trails all the time, it’s about those little moments of honesty, effortless characters, giggling as we curse the unknown, and ultimately, that’s what it all comes down to after all — learning to love the trek for its unruly, beautiful Annapurna Trek.
Best Things to do in Monsoon Trek
This part of the world receives the most rainfall anywhere along the side of the earth; however, the colossal amounts of pristine snow and ice high in the upper catchments of the valleys prevent any of that moisture from ever reaching the ground through the winter and barren cold springs when the entire region remains virtually rainless. That leaves them with much less rain, even during the monsoon.
And so nearly all monsoon trekkers, I know of, climb (most) of the AC up from Chame at least and or out to about or less than where Pisang is, and then head, generally east, to get away from the wettest parts (down) South. Once you’re up there, you’ll also encounter some of the clearest skies, highest mountain views, and driest trails compared to the gorges. Manang – Tilicho Lake Yak Kharka and Thorong La Pass crossing will be easier now.
The farther along on the hike you go, the less likely you will be to experience landslides or discover a trail that’s a little too muddy to navigate. Local jeep transport or even inexpensive flights in towns like Jomsom could keep you out of the worst-hit areas and still capture the essence of the circuit.
Cultural Encounters and Festive Season
Nepal has so many traditional festivals, and monsoon is also the festival season. Village life slackens as well, and you’re apt to find locals gearing up for the bright celebrations of Teej, Janai Purnima, and many other colorful village fests that take place throughout the year. The daily round of life — the farm work, the prayers — comes into sharper focus in season’s quiet.
3c All to the good of the cross-cultural exchange. Bartenders and servers, too, are generally more chatty when the tourist crowd appears under control — and once again, diners eating alone also seem more likely to get fed, be introduced to local food traditions, and invited to share in some local event. For Kenyon-Levine and others of his kind, who are not content to walk landscapes but instead walk lives, those previously lived in them, the monsoon is a kind of truth serum.
Safety Considerations
Monsoon treks are magical, but be careful, be vigilant! Dig into and always check the weather AND the trail conditions on the trail you are planning to hike! Do not walk when it’s been raining heavily or immediately following rain, and in landslide areas. This is a good time to have a local guide with you —certain paths are safe, the teahouses that are still open, things that don’t shock you.
And because it is, of course, trekking in the Himalayas, travel insurance is still a must, including altitude and emergency evacuation. Carry a basic first aid kit, a few extra pairs of socks, a nd insect repellent if on the lower stretch of the trail, where leeches are quite common.
Final Thoughts
It’s not a heroically perfect experience to trek the Annapurna Circuit in monsoon, and that is what makes it so great. It is the rain that gives us a soft, green world. The crowds vanish. The trail becomes yours. You feel the pulse of the land and the rhythm of the season in a way few hikers ever do.
For those who want to get away from the crowd, watch nature in its prime,eand discover the local culture and nature in its most authentic form – do a monsoon trek – you wowon’t regret it can be tough on your patience and your gear, but it will also bring you stories, introspection, and bits of beauty that only rain can accommodate.