Annapurna circuit trek is one of the most appreciated classic treks in Nepal. This 300 kilometers of trek is on the trails that traverses through various landscapes. To trek through this beautiful trek takes anywhere between 16 to 22 days. Trekking in Annapurna first began in 1980’s. Since then, this trekking has been one of the favorites of several trekkers coming to Nepal. The reason behind people favoring this trek is because it’s accessibility. On top, this trek offers natural panorama in plenty and can be trekked in a very short period of time. This trek not just shows you beautiful landscape of Nepal but also helps you enjoy amazing cultures. This trek region allows trekkers close access to the culture and people.
There are three famous routes in Annapurna and one of them is Annapurna circuit trek. The gushing tributaries supports the serene ambiance of the trek. Throughout the trek you walk along the rivers Marsyangdi or Kali Gandaki. And the most beautiful settlements besides these rivers are Manang and Mustang. These villages are unique as they disconnect from the world due to high mountains on the south. Furthermore, these villages for this reason well known as the land beyond Himalayas. The inaccessibility helps these villages preserve a very old cultural values.
The trek makes its way through variety of terrains in a short time span. Within couple of weeks it makes it’s way from lush green forest to the altitude of above 5000 meters. Annapurna Circuit trek is different because it also shows you the cultural side of Nepal. On the other hand, it is home of several rare animals and birds. There are several trekkers who have encountered these species while on trek. Other than natural elements, you will also see man made structures. These structures includes local houses, temples, monasteries and many others. These man made structures are as well beautiful components of the trek. Come join us in the ultimate journey of Annapurna Circuit Trek! Book this trek today!
trip overview
| Trip Code: BT-121 | Total Duration: 18 days |
| Destination: Annapurna Region | Best Time: March - May & Sept - Dec |
| Trip Grade: Moderate | Group Size: 1 - 12 |
| Max Elevation: 5416 |
trek map
itinerary
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Arrival in Kathmandu and Hotel/Hostel transfer
Thank you for choosing Annapurna Circuit trek as your next adventure destination! On this day you arrive to Kathmandu and we transfer you to your accommodation. You rest and rejuvenate for days to come. You can as well explore the surrounding and get to know a little about the country and culture.Accommodation
- Hotel in Kathmandu ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- Breakfast only
Trek preparation and shopping
You will meet your trek leader on this day and he would brief you about trekking in Nepal and your chosen destination. Meanwhile, the back office staff will prepare all required permits for your trekking. later in the day, you will do the last minute shopping for your trekking along with your guide. While our back office staff get ready preparing permits from the government offices, our guides help you get acquainted with the country by taking you to the most happening market in Kathmandu.Accommodation
- Hotel in Kathmandu ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- Breakfast only
Kathmandu – Beshi Sahar – Khudi (1100m/3,609m) 5 hours, 2 hours
We should have our breakfast early in the morning in order to leave Kathmandu by 8:00 a.m and board our vehicle early. If you are acquainted with the Nepalese terrain you will not think for another second to pull your camera out, as the bus ride is equally enthralling. We make our way through one of the prime highways, with major tributaries Trishuli and Marsyangdi never leaving our way one after another. By the time we reach Besisahar it is around 2 p.m in the afternoon. In case of public vehicle we usually make a transfer at this very point for Khudi.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Khudi - Sirung (1,854m/4,692ft) 6- 7 hours
If we make it to Khudi we can enjoy couple of things - one getting refreshed on the banks of Marshyangdi and second taking opportunity to soak ourselves in the natural hot spring. On this very first day walking on the lush green hills, we will see the mountains in the Annapurna in the distance. This route is less populous and very tranquil. The lush green forest of pine and orchid is home to some rare species of birds. It is as well advised to keep your eyes open for snow leopards. It is mostly an uphill walk on the very first day to cover 1000 meters. Overnight in Sirung.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Sirung - Chamje
We leave behind the rice terrace of Sirung and embark on the trail that traverses through subtropical forest and ferns. This forest is well known for housing beautiful species of birds. In between we usually stop at Syange for lunch, before scaling to Jagat. After Jagat we make another ascend for almost an hour to reach Chamje. Overnight at Chamje.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Chamje – Dharapani(1,860m/6,102ft) 5 - 6 hrs
We leave the small yet beautiful, cliffside village of Chamje early. Soon you will realize this section of the trek is very beautiful and on a clear day you will enjoy walking through the forest. The lush green hills on this section houses beautiful and rare species of migrant birds, waterfall, barren cliffs and plenty of bee hives. After few tough incline we reach Tal which also the entry village to Manang district but very busy. Tal has hefty amount of teahouses and we usually stop here for our lunch. After Tal the trail has couple of stiff and couple of easy incline until Dharapani. Overnight at Dharapani.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Dharapani – Chame(2,670m/8,760ft) 5 - 6 hrs
From Dharapani the trail is technical and strenuous as we ascent fair amount of altitude within 5-6 hours of time. Immediately outside Dharapani we notice sparse trees and barren cliffs and less greener. Initially we make our way through the forest of blue pine, spruce, hemlock, maple and oak. The trail is steep, narrow and we stroll on the trails through landslide prone region as well. This section of the Annapurna Circuit Trek offers a beautiful view of the Annapurna Massif. After the first half of today’s trek the trail gets more gradual and the inclines are somewhat easier. Once we make it to Chame we can as well rejoice the small hot springs. Overnight in Chame.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Chame – Pisang (3,200m/10,500ft) 5 - 6 hrs
We make 600m ascents from Chame to Pisang within 4-6 hours. The first couple of hours we walk on crisply pine scented trail. We go past the deserted village of Bhartang where trekkers stop by for tea. Further down the trail, we go past apple orchard and furthermore the memorial of Japanese trekker who died in the avalanche trying to cross Thorung La. With the transitory view of Manaslu, Annapurna II, Himchuli and Ngadi Chuli, we make our way through Tibetan communities and beautiful manis; prayer apparatus of Buddhist followers and fields of Buckwheat. Overnight in Pisang.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Pisang – Manang (3,540m/11,614ft) 6 - 7 hrs
Today we leave early in the morning after breakfast, to ascent 600 meters through a mediocre difficult trail. From the very first day Marsyangdi river never leaves the trail and does the same for this day. We start strolling on a relatively flat ground in the beginning and then gradually climb upwards. The first noticeable village on this day is Humde - the only village in Manang with airport. After crossing Humde the landscape gets more barren but the views get more better. The views of Annapurna III and IV on one hand and the barren cliffs on the other is captivating. We usually stop for lunch in Mungi. one and half hours easy uphill walk after lunch we make it to Manang. We traverse through various terrain and through the fields of buckwheat, barley and potato and pine. On this day we make our way through remarkable Kani’s (gate) to rustic settlements of Tibetan community namely Manange. Overnight in Manang.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Rest Day
Today is set aside as acclimatization where we will rest and adapt to the altitude. We have an opportunity to walk around and observe the life and culture of Manang-pa; people of Manang, explore the archaic monasteries and thangka’s that dates back to some 500 years, we would also hike short for a glacial lake named Gangapurna. Manang also has hotels and restaurants, which would cater fix for your desires to have coffee and bakery.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Manang – Yak Kharka (4,018m/13,182ft) 3 - 4 hours
The hike gets strenuous from this day onwards because of the altitude and kicking in of thin air and it is advised to drink more water. On this day we ascent somewhere around 500 meters and we do not descend at all but we make our way through one of the most amazing view of Annapurna on our south. We reach Khangsar by 2 and half hour and immediately after Khangsar we climb a sheer uphill to Yak Kharka. We walk through Tengi; the last permanently inhabited village in Manang and make our way through pastures and miniature forest of Juniper, roses and barberry to Yak Kharka. We stay overnight at Yak kharka and enjoy yak cheese and dishes made out of Yak.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Yak Kharka – Thorung High Camp (4,450m/14,600ft) 4 – 5 hours
From what looks like an old cowboy town of Yak Kharka we get ready for strenuous hike of 600+ meters, which includes some steep and sheer trails up and down hill. The first initial climb of two and half hours is painstaking but however the surreal view of the surrounding, blue ships and wild Yaks will help you forget all that. Furthermore we keep inclining through narrow and barren trails exposed to the slopes and crossing the wooden bridge we make to Thorung phedi. There are very few pine plants towards the Yak Kharka end but towards the Thorung high camp the land is more barren and the only plant seen is silver birch. Thorung phedi is a valley, which is not inhabited year around but offers a very uncanny view of surrounding cliffs and mountains in the Annapurna. We hike uphill further for an hour until we reach Thorung High pass where we rest for the night and acclimatize before we ascent to Thorung-La pass.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Thorung Phedi – Thorung La – Muktinath (4:00 am and out by 5:00 am) (3760m/12,336ft) 5 -6 hours
We rise and shine early and head out of Thorung Phedi for the longest day of Annapurna circuit trek. Furthermore, this is the most difficult section of the trek but equally beautiful that helps us forget all the slogging and hard work. Most of the day’s walk is sheer and uphill, on barren cliffs with wild Yaks. The initial climb from Thorung Phedi connects with Thorung high camp and further around 3 hours of uphill, we would reach Thorung la. The main idea behind starting the day early is to make sure that we cross Thorung – La pass before the sun is up and at its best. We ascent 650+ meters to Thorung – la which is one of the highest passes in the world, from where the view of the mountains in the periphery is as well of the premier quality. From Thorung – La we make a sheer drop 1600 meters toward the holy shrine of Muktinath.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Muktinath – Marpha(2,670m/8,727ft) 7 – 8 hours
From Muktinath we further descend down to Jharkot and watch Kagbeni from the ridge and make our way towards Jomsom. We take jeep track all the way to Jomsom; a beautiful mountain settlement placed on the laps of Nilgiri Mountain. Jomsom also has an air strip which serves the entire region on everyday basis. Further down on jeep track dodging it time and again we reach Marpha. Marpha is famous for its apple orchards and apple brandy distillery and also homes one of the oldest distilleries in the country. Marpha is the center of Thakali community, which is famous for making apple cider and apple pie amongst trekkers.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Marpha – Kalopani(2,530m/8,300ft) 5 – 6 hours
We start early on this day and we trek easy jeep trail along one of the major tributaries Kaligandaki. We stroll through 2 remarkable settlements of Tukuche and Larjung until we reach Kalopani. On this day we make a transition from arid landscape to lush green knolls.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Kalopani – Tatopani(1,190m/3,904ft) 5 - 6 hours
We further head downward and majority of the trail include unfrequented jeep track. From Ghasa we enter the district of Myagdi from Mustang. The inevitable attraction of this section in Annapurna circuit trek is the 3rd largest waterfall named Rupse, in Dana. Finally we make it to Tatopani which mean hot water; this place holds one of the best natural hot springs. Usually trekkers are found enjoying this natural hot springs after a long aching trip.Accommodation
- Local Teahouse ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu.
Tatopani - Beni - Pokhara (6-7 hours)
Since most of the walking has to be don on the newly opened jeep track and on a very rugged trail, we opt to take bus. The bus through the off road from this point onward is very thrilling and not very dangerous. We reach Beni in around 1 and half hours and make transfer to another bus to Pokhara. The road from Beni to Pokhara is relatively very good and black topped. The coiled and hilly terrain ride will take around 4 hours before dropping us at the Pokhara - Baglung buspark. Overnight in PokharaAccommodation
- Hotel in Pokhara ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- Breakfast only
Pokhara - Kathmandu
Another day on road but better and broader. The bus ride takes around 7 hours to Kathmandu. The bus traverses through beautiful lush green hills and views of mountains (only in season). Once we reach Kathmandu we transfer you to your accommodation and hence officially come to an end of Annapurna circuit trek.Accommodation
- Hotel in Kathmandu ( 1 Night)
Meals Included
- Breakfast only
cost includes
- All government and local taxes
- A comprehensive medical kit
- Trekking Guide
- All accommodations on the trails and 3 times meals during the trek (staple meal of Daal Bhat for lunch and dinner or any one item from the menu )
- 3 Cups Tea while on the Trail ( in most of the places where applicable)
- Best available local lodges / Teahouse in mountain
- Taxi to and from airport
- Certificate of trek Completion
- Porters
cost excluded
- Travel and rescue insurance
- Personal expenses (phone calls, laundry, bar bills, battery recharge, extra porters, bottle or boiled water, shower, mineral water etc)
- Additional food
- Tips for guide
- Anything else that is not mentioned on what is included
Important Notes
- Please bring 2 passport size photographs for your trekking permit to the group meeting.
Essential Trip Information
- The trip begins from Kathmandu
- You need to arrive at least 2 days prior to your scheduled trek initiation date
- You will begin your trip from day 2 of your arrival and only after signing necessary formalities
- You need to bring along at least 2 passport sized pictures and hand it to the company on day 2.
- In case of trek cancellation or trek forfeit due to unseen circumstances, we shall compensate with an alternate itinerary or activities.
- You need to bring along at least 500 dollars additional in cash. The funds will help you in case of delayed flights or unseen circumstances
- You need to aware of the company of any medical conditions developed recently
- You need to be of age 15 and above to join this trip
places to visit
reviews
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Average rating: 2 reviews
Apr 16, 2018
Annapurna Trekking
Me and my friends in a group of five decided to go to Annapurna regions in March and luckily found Hemad in budget tracking company. He questioned us about how much time we had and our preferences and gave us the best plan we could have.
Also he helped us to buy whatever we need for tracking in best price in Kathmandu and it was very nice of him.
By the help of all these wonderful guys in budget trekking( Shaurab ,Sameer, Hemad and Dev) we have an amazing experience in Annapurna region.
No word is enough to appreciate, you are wonderful guys, thank you all.
Hope see you again
Apr 3, 2018
Best annapurna experience
Budget Trekking and their team provide us great experience & a chance to see the real Nepal and it's people. A good level of fitness will make the trip enjoyable so train well before you go. Take both short and long sleeves plus warm clothes for nighttime and higher altitude - can get loads of gear in Katmandu before hand. Wet wipes are a must !