Annapurna Sanctuary

The Annapurna Sanctuary is a high glacial basin lying 40 km directly north of Pokhara. This oval-shaped plateau sits at an altitude of over 4000 metres,  and is surrounded by a ring of mountains, the Annapurna range, most of which are over 7000 metres. With the only entrance being a narrow valley between the peaks of Hiunchuli and Machapuchare, where run-off from glaciers drains into the Modi Khola River, the Sanctuary was not penetrated by outsiders until 1956.