Annapurna Circuit Trek
17 Days
Moderate To Strenous
5416m
Spring (March- May) and Autumn ( Sep-Oct)
Annapurna Region
6-7 hours per day
Annapurna Circuit Trek is one of the most fascinating trekking package of Nepal. During the trekking, we will have opportunity to view the excellent view of mountains - Manaslu (8156 m), Annapurna I (8,091 m) and Dhaulagiri (8,167 m), Mt Annapurna II (7,940m), Mt Annapurna III (7,550m), Mt Annapurna IV (7,525m), Annapurna South (7,220m), Tilicho Peak (7,135m), Nilgiri (7,040m), Mt. Fishtail (6,998m), Lamjung Himal (6,985m), Himchuli (6,445m) and Tukuche Peak (6,920m). This trekking includes walking around the mountains of Annapurna region and going through dense forests full of rhododendron, pine trees etc. We can enjoy the majestic view of waterfalls, glaciers, Annapurna Himalayan range and experiencing with the unique local culture and tradition. Local hospitality shown by the local people will always remain in our heart.
The three week trekking will take us round of Annapurna starting from Besisahar ( 800m) and have to ascend till 5416m at Thorang La Pass covering about trekking route of 155 miles. After Thorang La pass, we will visit Muktinath, which has great religious value for both Buddhism and Hinduism. At the end, we will be at Poonhill to have beautiful view of sunrise and sunset.
Day 01 : Arrive Kathmandu
Day 02 : Sightseeing in Kathmandu
Day 03 : Kathmandu- Besishahar ( on drive) - Syange (1100m)
Day 04 : Syange - Dharapani (1960m)
Approximate Distance:
Duration: 7-8 hours
After having breakfast, we will start our trekking through beautiful forests. We will cross a suspension bridge and we will ascend to Tal. We will walk along the narrow cliffs and ridges and then, will be at the village called Karte. Afterwards, we slowly descend and cross the river to reach our next destination- Dharapani. At this place, we can find mani stone printed with mantras and chants related with Buddhism. There are so many tea houses and will spend our night.
Day 05 : Dharapani - Chame (2630m)
Approximate distance:
Duration: 5-6 hours
We will do trekking with ascending and descend today for our 5-6 hours to reach Chame ( the headquarter of Manang district) to spend our night. In the early morning, we gradually ascend and walk through forests of pine and oak tree, which will take us to Danaque. Then, we will find a wooden bridge, which needs to cross and then hike steeply up to arrive Temang. It is located at the base of Lamgjung from where Manaslu Himalayan ranges can be seen beautifully. We can find many tea houses and can have our lunch. Afterwards, then we will trek for an hour and will cross Thanchok settlement. This place is very popular for the apple products. Chame can be reached if we walk thirty minutes more from Thanchok.
Day 06 : Chame - Pisang (3200m)
Approximate distance:
Duration: 5-6 hours
We will ascend steeply from Chame in the early morning to arrive at a place called Bhartang. From Chame, we can see the majestic summit of Lamjung Himal can be see when sunrays touch it. Our trekking continues through the jungle and will become our walk more enjoyable due to the presence of various flora, fauna etc. At the end of the day, we will be at Pisang to spend our night. We can have excellent view of Pisang peak and other mountains of Annapurna ranges from here.
Day 07 : Pisang - Manang (3540m)
Approximate distance:
Duration: 5-6 hours
Now, we will climb steep edge and will have beautiful view of Manang valley. Then, we will trek towards south direction, cross air runway at Hongde ( 3325m) slowly and walk through a village called Ngawal. An hour further trekking from here will take us to another settlement -Manang, where we will stay for acclimatization for two nights. We will experience gradual difference in topographical surroundings and trekking route becomes much drier in the upper half of Manang district. Local people are seen busy in farming activities.
Day 08 : Acclimatization Day (Optional hiking program: Gangapurna lake or Melarepa cave)
Now, we will use this day as acclimatization as we need to be physically and mentally fit if we want to complete our remaining trekking package. We can just explore around Manang village. Or if we are interested, we can trek for two - three hours and ascend up to Gangapurna or Milereppa cave and then again return for night stay. This is not mandatory, but is considered as the best method to be acclimatized in Manang area so we can remain active at high altitude also. A famous local hospital run by Himalayan Rescue Association can also found in this area.
Day 09 : Manang - Yak Kharka (4110m)
Approximate distance:
Duration: 4- 5 hours
Now our trekking becomes challenging as most of the time, we have to be involved in ascending activities above 4000m. After leaving Manang, we will cross a river and climb up to reach a small village- Tenki. We will trek down from here and we will be at Jarsang valley. Then, we will cross a river and have lunch before we climb on strenuous steep. It will take us to the pasturing area of yak, which is popularly called Yak Kharka. Now from onwards, we will not see any greenery surrounding and will be in alpine surrounding area. If we are still interested and not tired, we can think of trekking up to Ledar, otherwise, we can stay at Yak Kharka to spend our night.
Day 10 : Yak Kharka - Thorang Phedi (4420m)
Approximate distance:
Duration:
From Yak Kharka, we will descend for short duration and will be at the riverside of Marshyangdi river. Then, we will hike up to Ledar and our trekking continues until we reach Thorang Phedi. It is taken as the base of Thorongla pass and is located at an altitude above 4600m.We can go up to Thorong high camp to spend our night if still we can walk. Most of the trekkers prefer to stay at Thorang Phedi for their night stay.
Day 11 : Thorong Phedi - Thorongla Pass (5416m)- Muktinath (3800m/12467ft)
Approximate distance:
Duration: 8-9 hours
Since we are crossing Thorongla Pass, the highest altitude we will experiencing in this trekking package, hence, we need to be physically and mentally fit. When we stand at this pass, we feel we are at the same elevation of Annapurna mountain ranges. It is mandatory for us to arrive at Thorongla pass before 10:00 am in order to avoid strong wind and cloud, which can shatter our dream to have fantastic and majestic view of Annapurna ranges. Hence, we should walk before 5:00am as soon as our breakfast. While getting ready for Thorongla pass, we should be extra cautious since it is one of hardest part of this trekking package. Coordination with team leader, members and update information about weather information of this area is also must to avoid any kind of risk we may face. Thorongla pass is prone to heavy snowfall, therefore, we should have accurate information about weather of this area. At this point, we will be surrounded by Annapurna ranges and other mountains like Yakgawa Kang, Khatung Gang etc. After spending time at the pass, we descend and move towards another destination, which is considered as the sacred place for both the religions- Buddhism and Hinduism, i.e. Muktinath. We can just wander to have opportunity to visit temples, monasteries, 108 surrounding water spout, Jwala Mai temple.
Day 12 : Muktinath - Marpha (2660m)
Approximate distance:
Duration: 4 -5 hours
After doing breakfast, we walk slowly downhill to arrive place- Eklebhatti. We need to be careful since we have to follow very steep trail. Just patiently walking and enjoying the surrounding view, we can reach Eklebhatti conveniently. Then, we continue our walk to arrive a very windy place called Jomsom. We need be on full mask and wear wind stopper jacket to face strong wind. This place will have windy in the afternoon, therefore, we must try to cross Kaligandaki and arrive Marpha before noon. This village is very popular for apple products and in the dinner, we will taste it.
Day 13 : Marpha - Kalopani (2530m)
Approximate distance:
Duration: 4 -5 hours
We can have taste of different products like tea, brandy, chocolate etc at Marpha. We can also find so many local tea shops in that area and if interested, then we can also drink tea / coffee. Then, we will walk on the flat land conveniently with beautiful view of Mt. Dhaulagiri and will cross another village called Tukuche. From this place, we can see Dhaulagiri icefall and beautiful landscape. Next villages that we have to go through are Largung and Kobang, then we will be at Kalopani for our night stay.
Day 14 : Kalopani - Tatopani (1190m)
Approximate distance:
Duration: 4-5 hours
After having our breakfast, we will move for another destination i.e. Tatopani, physically located more than 1000m down in elevation. Let us note that Kalopani is the perfect place to have splendid view of Mt. Annapurna and other mountains of this region. From Kalopani, we will descend to another place called Dana, where we will have lunch. We can see the deepest Kaaligandaki gorge of the world, Niligiri mountain including peaks from this place. It will take about 3 hours trekking from Dana to reach Tatopani. Local natural hot spring is found in this place and we can relax here if interested.
Day 15 : Tatopani - Ghorepani (2780m)
Approximate distance:
Duration: 6-7 hours
Our next destination for night stay is Ghorepani and we will have trek for 7 hours to get there. Because of high elevation ( 2780m) compared to Tatopani, it will be little bit difficult for us to hike, therefore, we will do it comfortably. We will also cross villages like Ghare, Shika, Phalate and Chhitre. Most of the people living in these villages are Magar and Gurung communities. Going through the jungles, narrow trails and looking at the beautiful Annapurna, we will arrive Ghorepani. We will sleep early today so that we can wake up early on the next morning to hike up to Poonhill to have splendid sunrise view.
Day 16 : Ghorepani - Poonhill (3210m), Descend to Nayapul and Drive to Pokhara
Approximate distance:
Duration: 5-6 hours
Poonhill is the popular spot to have excellent view of sunrise and its ray on Annapurna rays. Hence, we will get early in the morning and hike for about 45 minutes to reach at the top of Poonhill. After viewing sunrise, then we descend to Ghorepani to have our breakfast followed by trekking through Ulleri, Tikhedhunga, Birethani and then up to Nayapul. From this place, we will catch our reserved vehicle for Pokhara for our night stay.
Day 17 : Pokhara- Kathmandu ( On air or surface transport)
Have a safe journey!!!
Inclusion
- Airport pickups and drops in a private vehicle
- 3-star hotel accommodation in Kathmandu and Pokhara with breakfast
- Teahouse accommodation during the trek All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) during the trek
- Welcome and farewell dinners
- All ground transportation on a comfortable private vehicle as per the itinerary
- Domestic flights (Kathmandu-Pokhara-Kathmandu)
- An experienced, English-speaking and government-licensed trek leader and assistant trek leader (4 trekkers: 1 assistant guide) Porter service (2 trekkers: 1 porter)
- Staff costs including their salary, insurance, equipment, food and accommodation
- All necessary paperwork and trekking permits (ACAP, TIMS)
- Medical kit (carried by your trek leader)
- All government and local taxes
Exclusion
- Nepalese visa fee
- International airfare to and from Kathmandu
- Excess baggage charges
- Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu and/or Pokhara
- Extra night accommodation in Kathmandu and Pokhara in case of early arrival, late departure, and early return from the mountain (due to any reason) than the scheduled itinerary
- Travel and rescue insurance(Should be covered helicopter evacuation incase of problem on the trek and medical also)
- Personal expenses (phone calls, laundry, bar bills, battery recharge, extra porters, bottle or boiled water, shower, etc.)
- Tips for guide(s), porter(s) and driver(s)
Note
We shall not be responsible for any changes and alterations in the itineraries due to avoidable circumstances i.e. landslide, road blockage, floods, snowfall, political unrest, cancellation of flights, delay arrivals, sickness or accidents and any extra cost incurring there of shall be borne by the clients themselves at the spot. It is most advisable for clients to have full INSURANCE against medical and personal accidents.