Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp is one of the best experiences one can have while being in Nepal. But besides experiences, you will also need to consider food in the ABC Trek.
As you travel from village to village, you will experience delightful meals that they serve in cozy teahouses that also give a taste of what the local area has to offer, hospitality-wise.
In this article, we will look at what food is available on the trek. The type of meals you can expect at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and how you may choose to fuel your body as you enjoy the adventure.
Whether it is as a vegetarian, vegan, or a person who is into heavy and filling fare, we will be going over everything there is to know about the food at ABC Trek.
Foods on the ABC Trek
During your Annapurna Base Camp Trek, you will find various kinds of food and drinks. So, based on the different kinds of meals, we have differentiated the types below:
Breakfast on the ABC Trek
Breakfast in the mornings is done at an early hour to start your day's hike. Most teahouses provide a range of basic yet filling breakfast options.
The main items are Tibetan bread, toast with jam or honey, pancakes, porridge, chapati, and eggs (boiled, scrambled, or omelettes). In some places, you'll find muesli with milk or fried potatoes.
You will always have a hot cup of tea, coffee, or ginger lemon honey to warm you up. Breakfast is simple, but it is enough to get you going for the day's trek.
Lunch on the ABC Trek
Lunch at midday is what you will see most often, also in the village by the trail. What we see the most of is Dal Bhat, which is a plate of steamed rice, lentil soup, vegetables, and sometimes pickles or a small piece of meat.
The great thing is that we have a refillable option for you to enjoy as much as you like. Also, they have a variety of lunch options, which include fried noodles, pastas, Momo (Nepali dumplings), fried rice, and spring rolls.
Most travellers go for high-carb options at lunch, which is when they also stock up on calories to burn off in the afternoon.
Dinner on the ABC Trek
After a long day of hiking, most people go for something hot and comforting. As with lunch, Dal Bhat is a popular dinner choice.
Also, you can get garlic soup, which is said to help with altitude, thukpa (noodle soup), pizza (Nepali style), spaghetti, or boiled potatoes with vegetables.
Many teahouses serve up large portions of soup and what we may call heavy desserts like rice pudding and apple pie.
Snacks on the ABC Trek
The ABC trek needs to include snacks. Despite the availability of main meals in the teahouses, it is recommended that you carry your own light snacks to munch on during your walk.
Popular ones include energy bars, dry fruits, cookies, chocolates, and nuts.
Teahouses and small stores may have chips, instant noodles, and chocolates, which may be fundamental in a few places, yet at higher prices than those in the cities.
You should also consider buying snacks of your favourite food stuff at Pokhara or Kathmandu, prior to hitting the trail. These small snacks sustain you between big meals during the long days when you are walking.
The cost of snacks along the route of the ABC trek can be very expensive, since there are transportation costs incurred.
Water at the ABC Trek
A trek in the Annapurna region requires the consumption of a lot of water, which is also unavailable in vast quantities in plastic bottled mineral water.
Communities and conservation bodies have eliminated the use of plastic bottles to conserve the environment and minimize waste.
Instead, we ensure that it is presented to the trekkers using reusable water bottles that can be filled up with safe drinking water as one proceeds.
Paying for the boiled water is a small payment for the teahouses, but some villages also provide safe water to drink.
You should carry water purification tablets or a portable filter for that, which you may get from the tap or the stream. This is a great solution for hydration, also at the same time, very much so for the preservation of the beauty of the Himalayas.
Popular Nepali food to try on the trek
The Annapurna Base Camp trek also offers up great choices for delicious and authentic Nepali food.
On the trail, you will find the dish Dal Bhat, which is a main event of rice, lentil soup, veggies, and pickles.
It is delicious and healthful, and we see a lot of them that come with free refills. Also very popular are Mo:Mo, which are Nepali-style dumplings filled with veggies or meat.
You may also try thukpa (a hot noodle soup), chatamari (rice flour crepe), and gundruk (fermented leafy greens).
These dishes that will fill you up also bring the true taste of Nepal to your table during your adventure.
Vegetarian Dishes on Annapurna Base Camp Trek
A lot of vegetarian foods and vegan options are available on the ABC trek. Regarding Nepali food, which is mostly composed of vegetarian meals, including rice, lentils, and vegetables, many times, approximately, that is in the case of Dal Bhat.
You will come to learn that we have fried rice, vegetable noodles, pasta, soups, and boiled potatoes with greens. Please tell us in advance that you need a vegetarian or meat-free meal, which we will prepare.
But, when it comes to vegan trekking, then it would be better to watch out for ghee (clarified butter) and milk-based meals, which in Nepali culture are highly available.
You can carry your own vegan snacks and powdered soy milk or almond milk.
Access to Non-Vegetarian Food
There is an availability of non-veg food during the trek, but this is not the best option sometimes. There are also teahouses which serve chicken of different quality and freshness at high altitude.
Many trekkers choose to go for vegetarian options, which they think is safer for their stomachs.
If you do try local meat dishes, go for lower altitudes where the food is still fresher. As for your choice of meat, always go for well-done options instead of raw or underdone.
Cost of food in the Annapurna Base Camp Trek
Food prices along the Annapurna Base Camp trail are, for the most part, higher than in cities like Kathmandu or Pokhara. That is because all the supplies must be carried up the mountains by porters, mules, or, at times, by hand.
As you progress further along the trail and go to higher altitudes, food tends to cost more. Also, expect to pay a little more as you get closer to base camp.
A usual meal of Dal Bhat is between 700 and 1,200 NPR (which is to say 6 to 10 USD) based on the location and altitude. In the lower villages, food is cheaper.
But as you go up in altitude, in very remote areas like Annapurna Base Camp, which also includes issues of access and supply, prices go up. Other meals like pasta, noodles, or momo cost between 600 and 900 NPR.
Breakfast is a more affordable option, which goes from 300 to 600 NPR based on what you order. Eggs, toast, porridge, and pancakes are common items.
Snacks such as energy bars, chocolates, or biscuits, which you find at the trail, are usually marked up at much higher prices, at times double or triple city prices.
Drinks, which include tea, coffee, and hot chocolate, usually cost between 200 and 400 NPR per cup. Bottled water is a rare item due to environmental conservation rules, but you can get boiled water, which will set you back 100 to 200 NPR.
While food options during a trek may be costly, many find that the prices are, in fact, reasonable for the remote setting and the great effort put in by porters, which increases the cost.
Some trekkers opt to bring their own snacks and energy foods from Pokhara or Kathmandu.
Foods to avoid during the trek
While in remote mountain areas, you must pay attention to your food to avoid stomach issues or illness.
It is not advisable to consume meat in high-altitude areas as they lack an effective refrigeration system.
Snack and street foods that are cooked by roadside vendors are not always cooked in hygienic conditions. This makes it better to visit what is served in trusted teahouses.
Avoid eating fruits and raw salads that are not thoroughly washed. Some dairy products, when not pasteurized, such as milk or cheese at high altitudes, can give stomach problems.
Watch out for ice and iced beverages whose water might not be purified. To be safe, stay with hot, ready-prepared food and bottled water.
