13 Days
12 Nights
Annapurna Circuit Trek is all the time the best trek in the world. Some even call it ‘Apple Pie Trekking’. It takes you to lush river valleys, and fascinating Himalayan villages inhabited by Manange, Thakali, Gurung, Mager ethnic peoples with Tibetan culture. A thrilling high pass, and the best viewpoints to look at the Himalayas, hot springs, and the Tibetan plateau beyond the Himalayas are mind blowing. The impressive, panoramic views of the world’s highest mountains are also the main attraction of this trek. And it provides you enough time to be away from work and city life and spend it in one of the culturally and naturally rich places in the world.
The Annapurna Circuit Trek is located within the Annapurna Conservation Area(ACAP), west of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, at the base of the Annapurna Himalayan range. This trek begins in the hilly region and gradually ascends to the trans-Himalayan area of the Manang Valley, eventually reaching the Tibetan desert-like landscape of the Mustang Valley. The Marshyangdi and Kaligandaki Valleys serve as natural boundaries, separating the Annapurna range from the Mt. Manaslu and Dhaulagiri ranges.
Trekking the Annapurna Circuit offers a diversity of landscapes, flora and fauna, people, culture, and lifestyle. In the first few days, you will experience the hilly region, sub-tropical vegetation, and the Gurung people. In the second part of the trek, as soon as you enter the Manang Valley, the landscapes and vegetation change completely, along with the Manange people and their lifestyle. In the third part, after crossing the Thorong La Pass (5416m), you will encounter desert-like landscapes and vegetation. Additionally, the Mustang and Thakali people, along with their culture, are different. As you descend into the lowlands, the landscapes and people change once again. Throughout these two vast valleys, you will encounter Himalayan civilization, alpine lakes, high mountains, including the three highest mountains in the world: Manaslu, Annapurna, and Dhaulagiri. You will also pass through the deepest Kali Gandaki Valley and one of the highest passes in the world, Thorong La."
The Annapurna Circuit Trek is one of Nepal's most famous trekking routes, primarily spanning the Manang and Mustang valleys. These areas have been home to communities for centuries, thriving on trade between the lowlands of Nepal and the highlands of Tibet.
Nepal opened its borders to foreigners in 1950, ushering in an era of exploration into previously inaccessible regions. However, due to the sensitive political climate surrounding the Tibet-China dispute, many border areas near Tibet remained off-limits until the 1970s and 1980s. The Nepalese government officially opened the Annapurna Circuit to trekkers in 1977, marking the beginning of its transformation into a world-renowned trekking destination.
Initially, trekkers followed ancient trails established by locals. In the early days, the trek began in Dumre and ended in Pokhara. Over time, the route shifted to start from Besisahar and finish in Beni. Today, with improved road infrastructure and changing preferences, the trek commonly starts near Chame and concludes in Jomsom, offering a shorter yet equally rewarding experience.
The Annapurna Circuit Trek is indeed not recommended for beginners due to its challenging nature. With an altitude that reaches 5,416 meters at the Thorong La Pass, combined with its diverse and difficult terrain, the trek requires a significant level of preparation and endurance. Additionally, the trek typically spans 12 to 18 days, which adds to the physical and mental demands, making it a moderate to difficult trek.
However, for experienced trekkers who are accustomed to long-duration hikes and have prior exposure to high-altitude conditions, the Annapurna Circuit is manageable and highly rewarding. It is crucial for trekkers to have a good fitness level, adequate acclimatization, and knowledge about managing altitude sickness to ensure a safe journey.
For beginners determined to take on this trek, a longer duration with a slower pace, proper acclimatization days, and guidance from experienced trekking guides can make the experience safer and more enjoyable.
Kathmandu | Pokhara- Besisahar- Dharapani- Chame- Pisang- Nagwal-Manang- Ice Lake- Tilicho Lake-Thorong Phedi- Thorongla Pass-Muktinath- Marpha- Tatopani- Pokahara-Kathmandu
Day 1: Kathmandu | Pokhara to Besisaher
Day 2: Besisahar to Chame
Day 3: Chame to Upper Pisang
Day 4: Upper Pisang to Nawal
Day 5: Nawal to Manang
Day 6: Manang Acclimatization and short hike to ice lake
Day 7: Manang to Tilicho Basecamp
Day 8: Tilicho Basecamp to Tilicho Lake and Shreekharka
Day 9: Shreekharka to Letder
Day 10: Letder to High Camp
Day 11: High Camp to Throng La Pass to Muktinath
Day 12: Muktinath to Jomsom
Day 13: Jomsom to Pokhara
The total cost of Annapurna Circuit Trek is $867 per person if group size is 2. Find more discount as per group size.
Total trekking distance is 110 km. The travelling distance is 396km (Kathmandu to Chame and Jomsom to Pokhara).
The Annapurna Circuit Trek offers a stunning adventure, the rapid elevation changes make it a physically demanding trek that requires careful planning to avoid altitude-related illnesses such as High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) and High-Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE). Proper acclimatization and pacing are critical for a safe and enjoyable journey.
Day 1: Begin at Kathmandu with a drop of 560m,
Day 2: Gain 1,860m, climbing steeply to 2,620m.
Day 3: Gain 680m, reaching 3,300m.
Day 4: Gain 350m, arriving at 3,650m.
Day 5: Drop 100m, maintaining stability for acclimatization at 3,550m.
Day 6: Acclimatization day at Manang (3,550m) to adjust to the altitude.
Day 7: Gain 700m, climbing to 4,250m.
Day 8: Gain 667m up to 4,919m (Tilicho Lake) and drop 919m, descending to 4,020m.
Day 9: Gain 180m, reaching 4,200m.
Day 10: Gain 750m, heading towards 4,950m.
Day 11: Gain 466m (summit Thorong La at 5,416m) and descend 1,616m to 3,800m at Muktinath.
Day 12: Drop 1,200m, descending to 2,600m.
Day 13: Drop about 1,780m, ending at Pokhara (820m).
From Kathmandu or Pokhara, we will take a local bus to Besisahar. It will take about 6 hours to arrive at Besisahar. After we arrive at Besisahar we will spend leisure time at a hotel or looking around the market.
This will be our exciting day. We will take a ride following the Marsyangdi River and continue our journey to witness Mt. Manaslu with its beautiful landscape and old villages. We will also spend some time in between in front of mountains, waterfalls villages. Finally, after a long off-road drive, we will be in Chame. Chame is the headquarters of the Manang district. It’s a beautiful little town with more facilities than the coming days.
After breakfast, we continue our trek to Upper Pisang. We continue our trek through the dense pine forest, along with Marsyangdi River valley. The trails goes gradually up. During this walk, we will see the view of Lamjung Himal, Annapurna II and gigantic Haven’s Gate Dada. After 6 hours walk, we will reach Upper Pisang from where we can see a Majestic Annapurna range standing high on our south.
Today, we wake up early in the morning for the beautiful sunrise and the first golden rays on Annapurna Range. After breakfast, we will continue our trek towards Nawal. The trail to Nawal is so beautiful and great opportunities to see high-altitude flora and fauna with beautiful valleys and high mountains like Annapurna II, Annapurna IV, Annapurna III, Gangapurna, Tilicho Peak, Khangsar Khang and Pisang Peak.
After our nice breakfast at Nawal we start our trek to Manang. The trials are so beautiful and easy. It will take 3 hours. After we arrive at Manang, we spend our leisure days doing some walks around the village and monasteries. Manang is a big village having a long history from a long time. It has its cultural and spiritual importance and unique lifestyle.
Manang is a big village. And this place has lots of things to do and side trips. On our leisure days, we can hike to Ice Lake Milenerepa cave or Gangapurna Lake or old Monastry or viewpoint. Your guide brief you about the place and you will decide where to go.
After acclimatizing at Manang, we continue our adventure towards the Tilicho Lake, situated on the west end of Manang following the path down to the river. We continue from Khangsar on a large path, passing a Gompa (monastery). After the Shreekharka the route ahead goes on a recently constructed path through the landslide. We continue along this path, reach a main valley at the corner where Tilicho basecamp is located.
Our day starts early in the morning around 4 am. From the Base camp to Tilicho lake, it takes 3-4 hours. Tilicho Lake is a cold barren place that is the highest-altitude lake in the world. After we spend some time around Tilicho Lake, we will return the same way to Base Camp. There are no accommodation facilities at Tilicho Lake is situated. We will take lunch at Tilicho Base camp and head towards the Shirekharka with the same trials.
After breakfast, we continued our trekking towards Ledter. This trail is one of the most beautiful trails of our trek. You will enjoy marvelous mountain views, Marsayandi valley as well as some mountain animals like deer, Himalayan thar and birds like dafee, monal, vulture etc.
After an hour's ascent, the trail descends and crosses the river. We then climb up to Thorong Phedi at 4,450 m where guesthouses have been built in recent years. We spent some time there with a cup of tea and a fresh bakery. After checking your health condition and making sure everything was fine we climbed up to High Camp and spent overnight there.
Today is a long trek starting before sunrise about 4 am to reach the pass by 9-10 am. Otherwise, weather conditions (strong winds) will greatly affect the journey, particularly at the Thorong La Pass. We climb steeply on a regular route which is quite easy to follow. However, some problems may arise due to altitude and snow. It often causes terrible problems to cross the pass if it is covered by heavy snow. After 3 hours of climbing to the pass marked by the Chortens and prayer flags, we will be rewarded with stunning views from the top of the pass. Another four hours of walking will take us to the holy town of Muktinath.
Muktinath means the place of nirvana and is home to the Muktinath Temple as well as several monasteries. It is said that all sorrows we feel are relieved upon the visit to the Temple. It is a sacred pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists. The prime pilgrimage month is September. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and has 108 waterspouts around it. Another attraction nearby is the Jwala Mai Temple which has a gorgeous natural spring and an eternal flame fueled by natural gas.
We head along the trail up to the Lubra Pass which has a magnificent 360-degree view of Mt. Dhaulagiri and other several Mountains. After we spent some pictures time we decent down to Lubra village and have a short rest there. A walking an hour down along the Lubra stream from the village we follow the Kaligandaki River to Jomsom. Jomsom is a large town with many facilities. It is also the headquarters and official town for the whole Mustang district where all the district government offices are present.
You can continue to the beautiful Thakali ‘Marpha’ village. Marpha is famous for apple and apple products. This is a great place the spend the overnight.
As per your flight schedule, you will go to the airport. A 30-minute morning flight takes to Pokhara from Jomsom. Once we arrive at Pokhara airport, then drive to the hotel and rest the whole day.
This flight service is dependable. Sometimes, flights may be canceled due to mountain weather conditions or other technical problems. In such a case, we will organize the alternative available road transportation to ensure you are on schedule for your international flight. The expense of the road transport will be managed from the flight ticket after the deduction of the cancelation charge.
Or you directly take any other transportation to get to Pokhara. The buses and jeeps leave from Jomsom and Muktinath daily.
We provide the following services according to client preferences:
Your comfortable is our priority
When to trek at Annapurna Circuit
Autumn and spring season are the best season for trekking season in Annapurna Circuit. Summer is another perfect season to trek in this region. Most of the days of Annapurna Circuit lie at the trans-Himalayan region. So this region has less rain in summer. Sometimes the heavy rain may affect at the lower part of trekking and transportation in summer.
Trans-himalayan region is cold and dry at winter also heavy snow. Journeys always risk to affected by the bad weather even in autumn, spring, summer, and winter. The trekking route is always open and has an availability of hotels. For correct information always keep consulting with us and your guide about the situation of the route and places.
Note that if you like to visit in low season like summer or winter just plan few more extra days just for in case.
About the weather check yourself at Here and consult with our expert. For more please visit our page Best trekking season in Nepal.
Risk & Respond
There is several risk during this trekking because of high altitude and long distance. Your safety is our first priority. We keep in contact with your guide or porter frequently and ask about the situation and your health condition. We also keep updating the weather. If we find any adverse situation then we immediately responds. For more details to know risk and response please visit the page Risk and Response here.
Trekking Equipment/ Gear
This is a porter-supported tea house Trek. The season, geographical terrain, and trekking duration determines the trekking equipment. This trek needs proper trekking equipment than low altitude trekking. Please find the list of trekking equipment here and consult with us before you prepare.
The weight limit for the porter is 20 kg 10 kg for each client. So, we recommend you to pack as carefully as you can and not exceed the weight limit. You can leave your non-trekking stuff in the Kathmandu and Pokhara hotels or office at Pokhara.
Note that you also can buy or hire each piece of equipment here in Pokhara and Kathmandu.
Can i go trekking?
All of the clients ask me this question. Often they doubt because they don’t know the condition and situation of the trekking. This trekking is considered as one of highest highest-pass trekking routes and hard in the world. This trek is not for those trekkers who does not have experience at high altitude and long-distance walking. However, if you are fit or athlete then you can do it but very slowly because your body needs to adapt at high altitudes. Any age group before 70 they have done this trekking. Your desire and time decide your performance at the field.
