The Annapurna region is situated in middle north Nepal and is defined by the Kali Gandaki River to the west, the Marsyangdi and Dudh Khola valleys to the east, the Pokhara valley to the south and the Himalayan foothills that run along the Nepal-Tibetan border to the north. To experience the ethnic and cultural diversity of the people in this region to the fullest extent you can undertake the 3-week, 118 miles Annapurna Circuit. The wide variety of flora and fauna, the ever changing views of the mountains and of course the trekker-friendly climate all make this a truly memorable experience.The Annapurna Conservation Area was established in 1986 under the auspices of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation. The project was built on the principle that ‘conservation is not a separation of people from nature. It is the empowerment of people as nature’s protectors’. The program began by educating the local lodge owners in hygiene and sanitation matters, fuel diversity (moving away from using local forest timber) with an emphasis on the maintaining of local culture. ACAP, a non-governmental organisation, has supported and encouraged the development of the local infrastructure and income generating activities in environmentally sensitive ways using solar power, bio-gas cooking and bio-degrading toilet systems. All this has resulted in the area providing some of the best and most environmentally-friendly trekking services to be found in Nepal.