Photo Essay: Hiking the Andes with Mountain Lodges of Peru

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The Annapurna Sanctuary can be added on to the Annapurna Circuit or the Jomson Trek. It adds about a week to your trip. Of course it can also be its own independent hike, which can take between 10 and 14 days, depending on the route you choose.

The trek follows a slippery, steep trail up the roaring, raging Modi Khola through subtropical forests of bamboo. If you are trekking independently, you should know how to recognize avalanche danger because the route crosses several avalanche-prone slopes; detours may be necessary. Finally, the trek reaches the sanctuary, an amphitheater surrounded by the peaks of the Annapurna Chain and the sacred peak of Machhapuchhre, which has never been climbed. At night, you'll hear the mountains talk as avalanches roar down the slopes and the glaciers creak and crack and calve. Base Camp is at 13,500 feet. The views from here put this trek into the"not to be missed" class.