Annapurna

Seen from he lakeside town of Pokhara in central Nepal, a tremendous wall of snow and ice-capped mountains dominates the northern Horizon; the Annapurna Himal. With no less than twelve summits topping 7000 metres (23,000ft) soaring above a foreground of intricately terraced foothills, this one of the most beautiful and ethnically diverse landscapes on earth. Around this island block goes the route of the classic Annapurna Circuit -- one of the great walks of the world. Into the heart of these mountains another trekker's trail leads to the Annapurna Sanctuary.