November 11: Lonely Planet, one of the top travel guide websites in the world, has included Annapurna Circuit among the world’s top 10 most incredible travel destinations.

In its Ultimate Travel List, Lonely Planet mentions that Nepal offers golden temples, charming hill villages, jungle wildlife watching, and the incredible walk around Nepal’s Annapurna massif, which has long been considered one of the world’s great treks.

“The scenery is mesmerising and the sense of journey is psychologically satisfying, starting in rice paddies and climbing through yak pastures before crossing the mighty snow-bound Thorung La pass,” says the website, adding, “It’s everything a good trek should be – challenging, majestic and inspirational. And at the end of the day some of Nepal’s best lodges offer hot meals, apple pie and pots of milky tea.”

 However, it is the side trips that make this a truly great trek, notably up to high-altitude Tilicho Lake or to the village of Ngawal, where terraces offer views of snowcapped peaks just across the valley, the website further writes.

Annapurna Region of Nepal. Photo Courtesy: Lonely Planet

According to the state-run national news agency of Nepal – RSS – the Annapurna region which lies to the north of the famous lake city of Pokhara is home to 14 mountain peaks above 7000 meters.

It also boasts of 8,091 meters high Annapurna I which is the world’s tenth highest peak, says RSS.

Lonely Planet has placed the ‘Enigmatic lost city of Petra in Jordan as the top-most places to visit in its ultimate travel list.

Petra of Jordan. Photo Courtesy: Lonely Planet

Other places included by Lonely Planet in the list are the Galapagos Islands off the coasts of South America, Tjuta National Park of Australia, Okavango Delta of Angola, Yellowstone National Park of the USA, Lake Bled of Slovenia, Iguazu Falls in between Brazil and Argentina, temples of Angkor in Cambodia, and Salar de Uyuni – the world’s biggest salt late in Bolivia.

Lake Bled of Slovenia. Photo Courtesy: Lonely Planet