For over 2,000 years the name Annapurna has symbolised all that is glorious in Nepal. A name that celebrates Nepalese culture in its many forms. She is the Goddess of plenty. The name for a mighty cluster of peaks rising 26,000 feet above sea level. It is the birthplace of the Yartung Festival and sanctuary to one of the most fragile eco-systems in the world.

Legend has it that a long, long time ago, Kathmandu Valley was a holy lake. In the middle of which blazed a sacred flame, dazzling with the divine light of ' Swayambhu ', or the self-born. To make it easier for pilgrims to worship, God Manjushri drained the lake waters by cleaving thesurrounding rock wall with his Sword of

Wisdom. Many centuries later, pilgrims in their thousands continue to come in worship. Of 2000-year-old Buddhist stupas, ancient Hindu temples, and some of Nature's most awe-inspiring creations; the world's highest mountains; holy rivers born deep within the Himalayas; panoramas of rich colour that can only be created by a divine palette.