The Annapurna - Manaslu Region

For those who revel in thin air and prefer staying close to the summits, Khumbu is an unmistakable choice. But for those who want it all - from subtropical valleys to snow - bound passes and the high desert landscape - the Annapurna - Manaslu has it.

The ecological diversity of the central west Himalayas supports a great variety of wild life, from rhesus and langur monkeys and wild boar to musk deer, black bear, and blue sheep with some 440 recorded bird species. Distinct religious and ethnic communities, each with a different life style, follow altitudinal gradients: the Hindus of Aryan descent occupy lowland valleys, while Gurung's and Mangars, Mongoloid features, populate the middle hills: Manangis, Lopa and Thakalis, evidently from Tibet is face and culture, eke out a living in windswept valleys to the north. Deep in the gorges, ammonite fossils abound and holy waters gush forth: snow clapped peak create a natural amphitheater. Most Treks begin or end near Pokhara, a road side retreat accessable by road or by air.