Food and Drinks in Annapurna Base Camp Trek

Food and Drinks in Annapurna Base Camp Trek

If you enjoy being outside, you know how crucial it is to maintain proper hydration and nutrition. Food and drinks in Annapurna Base Camp trek should be your major factor to be concerned about, along with accommodations.

Just like hiking and other physically demanding activities, trekking to Annapurna Base Camp and travel require that you drink more water and eat more food. What you eat and how you sleep each night have a direct effect on your ability to stay strong and have enough energy to finish a hard Himalayan trek like the ABC. One thing that we can ensure is that you will have access to nutritious food and drinks in Annapurna Base Camp trek route.

Almost all of the huts serve the same food, set by the government and limited to a set menu with set prices. The food on the menu is delicious and healthy, and the prices are fair, but they do somewhat rise as you move up the menu.

Local vs. Western Cuisine on the Annapurna Base Camp Trek

The meals you consume while trekking to Annapurna Base Camp are prepared and served to you following the orders you place and the selections you make from the menu. Meals can be prepared in sets for large groups to save both time and fuel. The food is made cleanly and is of very high quality.

Food is provided from the food menu, which includes breakfast items and hot drinks, followed by a brief list of lunch and snack items and dinner. Breakfast, lunch, and snack items are served in that order.

On the menu, you can find dishes from Nepalese, Indian, Chinese, Tibetan, Italian, and Mexican cuisines, as well as other continental cuisines. It also facilitates desserts (fresh fruits as per the season). Fresh bakery goods like loaves of bread, cakes, and pies are available to trekkers in several locations along the trail, such as Chomrong and the base camp.

You have the option of eating either traditional or western cuisine. You should select a meal that is beneficial to your health.

Foods in the Annapurna Base Camp Trek

Since the Annapurna Base Camp trek is considered the “Mother Trekking Trail” over the Annapurna region, it draws tens of thousands of hikers from all over the world every year, especially during the trekking season. So, there have been many modifications to ensure visitors get good food and a good place to stay.

Dal Bhat is a popular choice for trekkers who want good food. It is one of the more expensive options, but it is well worth it because you can get as many refills as you want. Dal Bhat combines rice, lentils, bean soup, vegetable curry, and pickles. In addition, the trail provides a variety of meals made with pasta, noodles, rice, and other grains.

WE REPEAT: What you eat is a major factor in how energetic you feel, especially at high altitudes. It is important to eat, even if you do not feel hungry.

Food Menu for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek

Along the ABC Trek, there are a number of traditional tea shops that offer both food and lodging for trekkers. Because of this facility, trekkers in this area do not need to bring food or tents when they are out in the forest.

Breakfast in Annapurna Base Camp Trek

As you are now on the trekking route and need to build up the endurance to walk for lengthy periods, it is important that the first meal you eat be clean and nutritious. Breakfast is usually served in the lodge where you stayed the night before.

Breakfast time for trekkers often begins at 7 in the morning, and the typical departure time for trekking is 8 in the morning. If there will be a significant number of individuals in the group, you need to place your order for breakfast the day before. Your guide will handle it if you travel with the agency.

Drinks for breakfast, like tea, coffee, and hot chocolate, are available in the hotels. Even pizza is trendy on this route.

The following is a list of the various cuisine types available for your breakfast. Find out which foods will help you enjoy your day the most, and make sure to eat those.

• Gurung Bread or Tibetan Bread: Gurung bread, also known as Tibetan bread, is a one-of-a-kind flattened and compressed doughnut found only on the Annapurna Region Trail. It is a deep-fried bread, and Rosti is a very filling potato cake that is fried in the pan like a patty.
• Eggs: scrambled or boiled eggs; plain or fried omelets; mixed vegetables or cheese omelets.
• Porridge: Apple/honey/oatmeal porridge, and porridge with cinnamon and raisins.
• Soup: veg./mushroom/garlic/Mixed/tomato soup.
  We recommend garlic soup, which works wonders for altitude sickness.
• Pancakes: plain, apple, or chocolate pancakes, along with pancakes with honey, jam, or butter options.
• Others: muesli with hot milk, cornflakes with hot milk.

Lunch and Dinner in Annapurna Base Camp Trek

Likewise, for lunch and dinner, the items of food and drinks in Annapurna Base Camp trek are almost the same. The most popular meal while on a trek is dal bhat. It is a rich, nutritious, and healthy food choice that most Nepalese love to consume. Additionally, you can refill the dishes as much as you want to. Besides this national dish, one can find various options.

Choose the foods that give you enough stamina to trek for 5 or 6 hours a day in the arduous landscape. The following are the items most teahouses offer as lunch:

• Rice: Dal Bhat (veg./non-veg. ), Thakali Khana Sets, Rice with chicken or vegetable curry, Mixed fried rice, Egg fried rice.
• Noodles: Veg. fried noodles, Egg fried noodles, Mixed fried noodles, Fried noodles with cheese.
• Spaghetti: Spaghetti with cheese, Spaghetti with tuna or tomato sauce, Spaghetti with veg. sauce.
• Pasta: vegetable fried pasta, mixed macaroni, pasta with cheese, pasta with egg, pasta with tomato sauce, fried pasta with cheese.
• Pizza: Mixed pizza, Mushroom pizza, and chicken pizza.
• Burger: Mix burger, Veg. burger, Chicken burger, Hamburger, Hot dog.
• Dumplings: Veg. dumpling, Buff dumpling, Chicken dumpling, Cheese dumpling, Potato dumpling, Paneer dumpling.

Local Cuisines of Annapurna Base Camp Trek

When you go on a trek in the Himalayas of Nepal, you can count on eating at least one regional delicacy of the region. Let me tell you, do not expect fancy ingredients in the food while trying the local cuisines in any part of the Nepal Himalayas because the ingredients come straight from the local people, who have lived there their entire lives and grown up eating the same foods.

Likewise, ABC Trek also offers the chance to try Gurung cuisine. Along the Annapurna Base Camp trek route, there are many local foods to choose from.

Gurung bread, also known as Tibetan, is one of the options found mainly in the Annapurna Region. This is the breakfast meal that Gurung people living here have. It is fried bread with a sprinkle of salt as the main ingredient. People often spread maple syrup, honey, or even cinnamon sugar on the bread. You can decide how to eat it based on your tastes. There are also good choices like omelets and potato curry.

Second, one such regional food is Dhido. It is basically a porridge made of corn, buckwheat, barley, or millet. It goes best with chicken soup from the area. People who only want to eat vegetarian food can get dal (lentil soup) or other vegetable curries.

Sukuti, which is smoked dried buffalo meat, is another great thing about this area. You should try this dish if you are a non-vegetarian.

Drinks in Annapurna Base Camp Trek

Drinks like tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and cold drinks like Coca-Cola, Mountain Dew, Sprite, etc. are usually on the route. There are a few teahouses along this path that serve drinks other than tea and coffee, like Americano, Cappuccino, and so on. However, the prices for these drinks are much higher than you would expect.

Drinking water in Annapurna Base Camp Trek

You should be aware that staying hydrated is critical throughout the trek. We suggest consuming at least four liters of water spread out throughout the course of the day in little sips.

Every tea house has a place to get water to drink. On the ABC trekking trails, there are many clean rivers and waterfalls, but drinking the water straight from them is not a good idea. At the very least, you should bring a LifeStraw water purification tablet. You can also ask locals about the cleanliness of the water along the ABC trails.

Drinks to avoid during the Annapurna Base Camp Trek

A common misconception about what to drink when trekking in Nepal is that it is acceptable to drink alcohol. First of all, drinking alcohol is bad for your health while trekking. You raise the risk of altitude sickness as alcohol increases your body’s dehydration level. Therefore, we highly suggest avoiding such drinks to avoid such terrible circumstances.

Tips for Safe Ways to Drink Water in Annapurna Base Camp Trek

This is a tip on how to drink enough water in the Himalayas on treks like the Annapurna Base Camp Trek. If you are traveling to a high-altitude area, you should drink a lot more water than usual.

The International Society of Mountain Medicine defines high altitude as being between 5,000 and 11,500 feet. Extremely high places are those that are between 11,500 and 18,000 feet above sea level. Very high places are between 11,500 and 18,000 feet. Maintaining adequate fluid intake becomes increasingly crucial at higher altitudes.

Water filling stations

Filling stations for water are a great way to get more water at different points of your trek. On the Annapurna Trail, there are many clean water stations where you can get clean water to drink. In the Himalayas, these stations are a great way to get water.

However, per liter, you have to pay extra fees ranging from 25 to 100 NRP. The water at these gas stations has been heated and put away. So it is safe to drink the water. Some people have said that the filling stations cause deforestation because they use fuel to boil the water. However, boiling is done with yak dung or the sun. It is a great way to ensure that the water you drink on your trip is safe and tastes good. It is also beneficial to the environment and hygiene.

Drink Boiled Water

Most likely, boiling water for a long time is the best way to clean it. This is the most useful method for getting rid of both bacteria and viruses that can make you sick. In places below 2000 m, it would be enough to keep water boiling for 1 minute. But at altitudes above 2000 m, you must keep a rolling boil going for at least 3–4 minutes.

You can fill up your bottles with hot water at the tea houses where you will be staying. If it was cold the night before, boil the water and use it as a hot water bottle. You will find a cool bottle of water when you wake up. But you should remember that the water will cost you more.

Portable Water Filters

The use of modern technology in trekking has made the activity much easier in many ways. These days, portable water filters that can clean water in a matter of seconds are readily available.

Portable water filters are really basic and uncomplicated to use. Additionally, given its low weight, it will be much simpler for you to take it throughout your hike.

Water purification tablets

Bring a water purification tablet whenever you go trekking at a high altitude. You do not know much about the flow path, which can cause diarrhea in some people. These tablets help clean the dirty water and keep us from getting sick. This is an easy and effective way to get rid of bacteria in water.

Tablets with chlorine or iodine are often used along the trail to clean water. Once the water has been filtered, you put the tablet in it and wait 30 minutes for it to destroy all the harmful things in the water. Then drink it! You can drink the water. Remember that the chemicals used to clean the water can leave a taste that some people do not like. Because staying hydrated is so important for trekking, you should bring flavor packets if the taste bothers you.

Carry two water bottles.

On a typical hike, travelers will only carry one bottle with them. They have no idea that bringing along two bottles they can reuse will greatly benefit them. You can drink from a different bottle while the first is sanitized.

In addition, there are instances when you will have to walk for hours without being able to see any shops. As a direct result, you will be carrying an additional bottle with you as a precaution during this period.

When going on a trek, it is crucial to keep yourself well hydrated by consuming lots of water and making sure you drink lots of it. Therefore, ensure you bring your refillable bottle on your trek and fill it up each morning before you set off.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are non-vegetarian items available on the Annapurna Base Camp trek?
Yes, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food options are available on the Annapurna Base Camp trek. In non-vegetarianism, you will get to enjoy meats like chicken, buff, pork, and even yak.

Is it safe to eat food on the Annapurna Base Camp trek?

The food and drinks in Annapurna base camp trek are safe compared to other places to trek in Nepal. As you go higher, there may be less food to choose from. So, bringing snacks with you on the trails is best to make up for the protein you lose when you walk. If you are unsure about a dish, it is best to avoid it. Always eat simple foods from your area that will not upset your stomach.

Are meals included in the Annapurna Base Camp package?

Except for when in Kathmandu and Pokhara, all of your meals throughout your Annapurna Base Camp Trek will be provided for you. You can easily choose your meal here because these two cities have thousands of options. However, if you request it, we can include it in our package.

Which trek provides better food, Annapurna Base Camp or Everest Base Camp?

Both the Everest Base Camp Trek and the Annapurna Base Camp Trek have plenty of food options available. Though the Western food options are pretty similar, you will get to enjoy the local cuisines, which represent their own cultural tastes. There are a lot of great cuisines available at both EBC and ABC, so picking the finest food available is challenging.

How much water do I need to drink when I am trekking?

To stay fit, drinking half a liter of water every hour while trekking is recommended. This can be around 5 liters while trekking to Annapurna Base Camp. This depends a lot on your age, weight, and other factors. However, while trekking at Annapurna Base Camp, drink at least 3 to 4 liters of water per day.