It’s been less than 24 hours and I am already missing the village of Ghandruk and Panorama View Point Lodge.

I started the project with minimal knowledge of any birds, butterflies and mammals in the Annapurna area. 3 months later and I could recognise all the birds & butterflies when leaving Ghandruk, as well as showing some tourists the monkeys I had spotted in the trees. During my stay I was part of the volunteer group that saw two common leopards in the wild. Although not a single one of us had our camera, it was the first time any volunteers had seen them live and they were beautiful to watch, even if we did scare them off. The camera traps we set up have captured the same leopards, along with footage of large Indian civets, yellow throated martin, barking deer and us volunteers when we can’t find the same cameras we set up.

However much I love Ghandruk, there are endless beautiful places around it which I was able to explore. Poon Hill was my first weekend hike and the view was gorgeous. It involved a 4:40am wake up but it was totally worth it for the sunrise. ABC was another trek that I completed and it is my favourite place I have ever visited. The view will stay in my memory forever and it was a beautiful hike with some great people. I visited Jhinu three times and each time I had a quality time, who wouldn’t have a good time chilling in a natural hot spring with some monkeys around you. My last weekend involved a weekend trip to Little Paradise where we also climbed the cell tower. Wasn’t the safest of climbs but we were rewarded with a breathtaking 360 degree view of the Annapurna mountain range and the surrounding villages.

The lodge in which I stayed, Panorama Lodge, became such a friendly home that the host family, volunteers and staff members were all one big loving family. I can admit there was a language barrier at times but that has only created even better moments. After 3 months I wish I could say that my Nepali is decent but I would be telling a huge lie.

If anyone is thinking of visiting Nepal,then I thoroughly recommend you go to Ghandruk and the surrounding area.

I start my next chapter in Kathmandu to work on the Earthquake Disaster Relief project.
KP