Annapurna Circuit Trek

Also known as Round Annapurna Trek (Thorong La).

Annapurna Circuit Trek is a difficult 10-16-day teahouse trek in the Annapurna region of Nepal, reaching 5,416 m. It starts at Besisahar (most trekkers now jeep to Chame or Dharapani to skip the road) and ends at Jomsom (fly/drive to Pokhara); purists continue to Tatopani/Ghorepani.

Key facts

Region
Annapurna (Lamjung, Manang, Mustang, Myagdi)
Duration
10-16 days, 5-7 hours walking per day
Distance
115 km
Maximum altitude
5,416 m
Difficulty
Difficult — Sustained multi-day ascent to a 5,416m pass with a 900-1,000m summit day from Thorong Phedi and a 1,600m descent to Muktinath. Trail itself is non-technical teahouse walking, but altitude, cold and the pass-day commitment make it a serious undertaking.
Trek type
Teahouse, point-to-point route
Best season
Autumn (Oct-Nov) and Spring (Mar-Apr)
Guide
Not mandatory
Restricted area
No
Budget cost
NPR 55,000–85,000
Comfortable cost
NPR 90,000–140,000
Guided cost
NPR 120,000–180,000
Getting there
Kathmandu -> Besisahar (bus, 6-8h, 176km) -> Chame (shared jeep, 5-7h, rough track) -> trek over Thorong La -> Jomsom -> Pokhara (flight 20-25min, or bus/jeep 8-10h)
Altitude sickness
High: the route climbs steadily to 5,416m and pass day starts from 4,450-4,880m; AMS is the most common reason for evacuation, especially for trekkers who jeep high (Chame 2,670m+) and skip the Manang rest day.

Weather

Manang side sits in partial rain shadow so monsoon trekking is possible (road access can be cut by landslides); the Mustang side is full rain shadow but very windy after ~11am (Kali Gandaki valley winds). Thorong La is regularly closed by snow Dec-Feb and can be hit by out-of-season storms - the 14 October 2014 blizzard (remnants of Cyclone Hudhud) killed at least 21 trekkers on the Circuit.

Permits

Itinerary

  1. Day 1: Kathmandu to Besisahar, 0 h, 760 m — Drive along Trishuli and Marsyangdi rivers
  2. Day 2: Besisahar to Chame, 0 h, 2,670 m — Dramatic gorge road via Syange waterfall, Tal, Dharapani; first Manaslu and Lamjung Himal views
  3. Day 3: Chame to Upper Pisang, 5-6 h, 3,300 m — Paungda Danda rock face, pine forests, first dry-zone scenery
  4. Day 4: Upper Pisang to Manang, 6-7 h, 3,540 m — High route via Ghyaru and Ngawal - Annapurna II/III/IV panorama; Braga monastery
  5. Day 5: Manang to Manang (acclimatization), 4-6 h, 3,540 m — Day hike to Ice Lake (4,600m) or Gangapurna viewpoint; HRA altitude talk at 3pm
  6. Day 6: Manang to Yak Kharka, 3-4 h, 4,050 m — Leaving the Marsyangdi for the Jarsang Khola valley; grazing yaks
  7. Day 7: Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi, 3-4 h, 4,450 m — Landslide-scree section before Phedi (follow marked trail, do not linger)
  8. Day 8: Thorong Phedi to Muktinath via Thorong La, 7-9 h, 3,800 m — Thorong La 5,416m - prayer flags, Dhaulagiri views; sacred Muktinath temple
  9. Day 9: Muktinath to Jomsom, 5-6 h, 2,720 m — Desert scenery, detour via Lubra village Bon monastery or Kagbeni; Kali Gandaki valley
  10. Day 10: Jomsom to Pokhara, 0 h, 822 m — Flight through the world's deepest gorge between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna

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