The Annapurna Circuit Trek is famous for its scenery and cultural diversity. Moreover, these make Annapurna Circuit Trek one of the best treks in Nepal.
This trek is one of the most popular treks in Nepal. Passing through a diversity of landscapes and a country inhabited by a wide diversity of people following different cultures. This trek begins from the lowlands. As altitude picks, you will encounter the differences in the scenes, individuals, and culture until you show up at ” Throng-La Pass” the most elevated go of the world. Presently you are behind the Himalayas and the scene turns dry. You will see shuddering banners, Buddhist Stupas, and soul contacting chyme.
Due to the steepness, of the track to Thorung La (the highest pass in the world), this trek starts counterclockwise. This pass at an altitude of 5416 from the sea level becomes impossible to tackle during mid-December to mid-March due to the snow.
Arrive in Kathmandu. Meeting and assistance at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Rest of the day us free (N)
Accommodation in Kathmandu
The trekking start point is a long way from Kathmandu. After driving 137 km from Kathmandu to Dumre, buses and 4WDs are available regularly to Besi Sahar at 820m.(B/L/D)
Accommodation in a local tea house in Besi Sahar.
This is the first day of your Anaapurna Circuit Trekking. The trail follows the gentle slope of Marshyangdi river to Khudi. This is the first Gurung village you will encounter. Furthermore, the Khude trail offers fine views of Himchuli and Ngdi Chuli climbing at Bhulbhule. The trail then goes to Nagdi before reaching Lampata at 1135m and Bahundanda at 1310m.(B/L/D)
Accommodation in a local tea house in Bahundanda.
Today start trekking through the steep trail until you arrive Lili Bhir. The trail then crosses the Marshangdi river on a suspension bridge. The path then follows the river until arriving to the stone village of Jagat. The trail descends before climbing through the forest to Chaje 1400m.(B/L/D)
Accommodation in a local tea house in Chamje
Today the rocky trail follows the Marshyangdi steadily uphill to Tal at 1700m. Here, ancient landslides fills the valley. Tal is the first village in Manang district. Further, the trail crosses the valley floor and climbs a stone stairway before dropping down to another crossing of Marshyangdi river. The trail them continues to Dharapani at 1920m,which is marked by stone-entrance. Continue to Bargachhap at 2160m, has houses of typical Tibetan style with flat-roof. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in a local tea house in Bargachhap.
Today, the trail is rough and rocky which climbs to Lattemarang at 2440m. Further, the trail continues through the pine and fir before arriving Chame.
Chame, at 2710m, is the headquarter of Manang districts. There are many restaurants, lodges, a health post, and a bank. You will pass through the large main wall entrance with many prayer wheels. The views of Annapurna II are simply outstanding. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in a local tea house in Chame.
The trail runs through deep forest in a steep and narrow valley, and again crosses the south bank of the Marshyangdi River. The view from here includes the soaring Paungda Danda rock face. This rock face is an awesome testament to the power of glacial erosion. The trail then continues to climb to Pisang which sprawls between 3240m and 3340m.(B/L/D)
Overnight in a local tea house in Pisang.
Today, the walk is through the drier part of the Manang district. This region gets a little rainfall as it lies in the shadow of Annapurna range, which blocks the monsoon cloud. The people living here heard yaks and raise crops for the part of the year.
From Pisang there are two trails, north and south of Marshyangdi River. which meet up again at Mungji. The southern route involves less climbing than the northern route. Further, the trail continues to Mungji at 3480m past the picturesque, but partially hidden village of Bryaga at 3500m to Manang at 3570m. (B/L/D)
Overnight in local tea house in Manang.
It is very important to spend a day acclimatizing in Manang before pushing on to Thorung La. In Manang. Moreover, in Manang there are fine day walks and magnificent views around the village.
Manang is a trading center and the locals have cottoned on to what trekkers want. They sell film, batteries, sunscreen, snickers and just about everything. (B/L/D)
Overnight in local tea house in Manang.
Form Manang it’s an ascent of nearly 2000m to the Thorung La. The trail climbs steadily through. Furthermore, the vegetation becomes steadily sparser as you reach Letdar at 4250m. (B/L/D)
Overnight in a local tea house in Letdar.
Today, you will cross the river and climb up to Thorung Phedi at 4420m. At the height of the best time for the Annapurna Circuit trek as much as 200 trekkers a day may cross Thorung La. At this altitude, some trekkers find themselves suffering from Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS). If you find yourself in this situation, inform your guide immediately who will bring you downhill. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in local tea house in Thorung Phedi.
Phedi means ” Foot of the Hill” and that’s where it is, at the foot of the 5416m Thorung La. The trail climbs steeply. The altitude and snow may be the problem this day. Furthermore, if the pass is snow-covered, it is often impossible to cross. It takes about four to six hours to climb up the pass marked by chortens and prayer flags. The view from the top makes this climb worthwhile. The views from the top extends from the Annapurna, along the great barrier to the barren Kali Gandaki valley. From the pass there is a tough, decent of 1600m to Muktinath at 3800m. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in local tea house in Muktinath.
From Muktinath the trail descends steeply through the desert landscape, past meadows and streams to the village of Jharkot at 3500m. Further, the trail descends to medieval-looking village of Kagbeni at 2810m. This Tibetan- influenced settlement has a number of good lodges, and is as close as you can get to Lo Manthang, the capital of Mustang further to the north. (B/L/D)
Overnight in a local tea house in Kagbeni.
The trail continues towards Jomsom at 2710m. Jomsom is the major center of the region. Further, it is the first Thakali village you will encounter. As you continue, you will arrive Marpha, at 2680m, virtually huddled behind the ridges to keep out the wind. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in local tea house in Marpha.
Today starting walking towards Tukuche at 2590m. Tukuche is one of the most important Thakali village, once a meeting place for traders from Tibet. Pass Tukuche until you arrive at Khobang at 2580m. This is a village with Gompa over it. Furthermore, the mountain views on this stretch is the best. Continue onto Larjung at 2570m. This village has an interesting alleyway and tunnels between the houses. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in local tea house in Larjung.
The day starts off with the road continuing over the bridge into the woods on the other side. This is an insanely beautiful walk through the little villages that offer amazing views of Annapurna I. today the walk is beautiful and not too long, until arriving Kalopani. Further, a steep descent through the forest will take you to Ghasa, the last Thakali village, at 2120m. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in local tea house in Ghasa.
This day, the path goes down to the Kali Gandaki gorge, the deepest gorge in the planet. This gorge is located between the Annapurna (8091m) and Dhaulagiri (8167m) peaks. And afterward, the path starts delicately down to the Rupchechhara waterfall. Rupchechhara is the most delightful waterfall in Nepal, where you can snap a photo of the waterfall before pushing forward to Tatopani at 1190m. Tato signifies ‘hot’ and Pani is ‘water’, a name earned affability of the underground aquifers by the waterway. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in local tea house in Tatopani.
After breakfast, follow the Kali Gandaki trail for around 10 minutes crossing a suspension bridge and next in almost no time again climb over an old vaporous suspension bridge. As the path drops up through Durbin Danda, the slopes are broadly terraced. Sikha is an enormous town with shops and inns, from that point the path climbs delicately to Ghara at 1705m. The path makes a rising steeply to Shikha at 1935m. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in local tea house in Sikha.
The path keeps climbing to Ghorepani by means of Chitre. Pass through green grand patios and towns and Rhododendron woodland. Walking through this path during March and April will be brilliant with blossoming rhododendrons everywhere. The last 10 minutes drive you up the path with some lofty rising through foundations of Rhododendrons and then you arrive at astounding Ghorepani at 2750m. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in a local tea house in Ghorepani.
Early morning, hike up to Poon Hill at 3210m. This viewpoint provides great perspectives on the dawn and an all encompassing perspective on the Himalayas, including Mt. Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Fishtail, and others. In the wake of visiting Poonhill, we will return to Ghorepani, have our morning meal, and keep strolling to Tadapani at 3210m. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in local tea house in Tadapani.
The Ghandruk trail dives steeply through woods to the town of Ghandruk at 1950m where we will land around early afternoon. Appreciate the perspectives on the cascades, scenes, Annapurna South, Himchuli, Fishtail and some more. (B/L/D)
Accommodation in local tea house in Ghandruk.
This day, for the most part stroll down where the path with stone stairs. This is an exquisite climb through nature with wonderful view of the rice field with towns along the path. The last two of the path follows the Modi River. At Birethanti, meet an intersection for Ghorepani before intersection a scaffold. In this manner, the path proceeds for thirty minutes more to reach Nayapul where you will take a car and drive to Pokhara.
Upon arrival in Pokhara transfer to the hotel. (B/L)
Accommodation in Pokhara.
After breakfast, transfer to the domestic airport in Pokhara and fly back to Kathmandu. Upon arrival in Kathmandu, transfer to the hotel. Evening, transfer to the authentic Nepali restaurant for a farewell dinner.
After dinner, transfer back to the hotel.(B/D)
Accommodation in Kathmandu.
Free till departure. Transfer to the airport in time to connect your onward flight.
There are direct flights to Nepal from Kuala Lumpur, Delhi, Dubai, Doha, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Mumbai, Bangalore, China, Dhaka, Muscat and Istanbul. Flights to Nepal are expensive as it does not lie on any major transit route, particularly during the peak tourist season (March till May) and (October to November).
Nepal is 5 hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT & 15 minutes ahead of Indian Standard Time.
Nepal extends trouble-free issuance of visa to all the citizens. Except for Indian tourist all nationals will require a valid passport. The tourist visas can easily be obtained at the airport or any entry point upon arrival. They have to fill up the application form and submit it together with a photograph.
15 days US $ 25 ; 30 days US $ 40 ; 90 days US $ 100
The fees must be paid in cash (credit cards are not acceptable)
Nepalese currency notes are available in 20, 50, 10, 500 and 1,000 rupee denominations.
Indian notes of 200, 500, 1000, and 2000 are banned in Nepal. All hotels, restaurants, shopping centers will accept USD currency. However, please note the USD currency should be new and it should not be tampered in any way. Visa, Master Card, American Express are widely acceptable in hotels, restaurants and shopping centers.
Saturday is the weekly holiday. Most of the shops remain closed on Saturdays. Sunday is normal working day in Nepal. Embassies remain closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and on public holidays.
Shopping can also be very gratifying and exciting in Nepal (especially Kathmandu & Pokhara). There are numbers tourists’ shops with tempting clothes, typical Nepalese craft, beautiful potteries and even gems & jewelries. Singing bowls are likewise a famous souvenir.
Tipping is not mandatory, however the guides, drivers who are involved in your tours do expect some tips. If you are very much satisfied by the service provided by your guide and driver you may tip them. The information regarding tipping will be provided prior to your commencement of the trip.
We recommend that the clients get themselves immunized against certain illness that are not prevalent in their home country such as Cholera, Typhoid, Malaria, Meningitis, Hepatitis etc; Your physician would be best to advise you the best suggestion of these inoculations. Make sure the water you consume is boiled & filtered.
We organize private trek only, hence you will be accompanied by an English speaking Sherpa guide. However, please note these Sherpa guides are born and brought up in the remote mountain region of Nepal. Most of them are not even formally educated; hence they will be able to communicate in basic English only, however you will greatly appreciate their sense of humor.
You will then have porters as per the requirement. You are required to carry a rucksack with personal belongings such as a camera, your passport and the things that you require. The rest of the things will be carried by the porters. The porters will walk at a fast pace and you will meet them at trek endpoints, each day, be sure that you have all the required items in your rucksack.
The Sherpa guide will be with you all along. Our Sherpa guides are very experienced, hence request you to follow all the instructions given by him for a safer trek.
No special equipment will be required for trekking in Nepal. You will be trekking through well-established trails. However, we recommend you to bring good down jacket to keep you warm, hiking boot with perfect ankle support, fleece jacket and quality sleeping bags, water bottle. Sleeping bags can also be hired from Kathmandu though will not be very clean.
Trekking in the mountain region of Nepal will involve walking over uneven terrain. This can prove physically tiring, especially as the altitude increases. The best thing to do is start with basic exercises, walking up and down. If you have a busy time, then, you should train yourself with exercise machines.
Trekking puts much effort into the quadriceps muscle in front of the thigh hence do start with walking and jogging at least a month prior to your trek. Take stairs whenever possible instead of lifts/elevators.
AMS is one of the problems for the trekkers who gain the maximum altitude in a day. Our tour itineraries are designed very professionally to prevent AMS during your treks. However, if you have the symptoms of altitude sickness such as a headache, loss of appetite, nausea, and fatigue then your immediate inform your Sherpa guide. He will help you in which case you will have to walk down to lose the height immediately and seek help from the local health post.
Please note, travel insurance is not included in the tour/trek packages. Hence it is worth taking insurance from your country before traveling, to cover against injury, theft or loss. Before buying a new policy, please check whether you have been already covered: some all-risks home insurance policies may cover your possession and medical schemes include cover when abroad.
Tourists should make sure that their insurance policies also cover soft adventure activities during their stay in Nepal such as rafting, trekking etc.; If you are planning some adventurous activities like bungee jumping, rafting and trekking the insurance policy must also include “dangerous activities”.
Choose the policy that covers medical and emergency repatriation, including Helicopter evacuation and in the eventuality of serious illness, accident or if clients are stranded in remote areas due to unexpected bad weather conditions.
Accommodation during treks will be very basic. We request clients not to have high expectation. As you move to the higher altitude, you may even have to share the dormitories and toilets. The accommodation in these regions cannot be booked in advance; hence our guide will try their level best to accommodate you in the best available lodge in the area.
All the meals during the trek will be included in your package. However, please note that in the mountain region, there will only be less variety of food available. You will be offered a fixed meal planned by your Sherpa guide.
The breakfast will comprise a cup of tea/coffee, cereal, egg & bread/toast. The lunch will include the main course (fried rice/dal Bhat/noodles/macaroni/potatoes) & tea/coffee only. The dinner will comprise of soup, one main course, dessert and a cup of tea/coffee.
Any additional consumption over the regular menu will incur extra cost and will have to be paid by you. Lunch will always be light, consisting of vegetarian items only. Non- veg dinner will be provided twice a week. We recommend carrying a bottled mineral water for drinking.
All these fees are already included in your tour cost. We will require your scanned copies of passport in advance (before your arrival to Kathmandu) so that we can start processing the permit in advance. After you arrive in Kathmandu we will collect your 2 photographs and by the same evening or the next morning we will hand over your required permits.
However, if you are trekking in the restricted areas such as The Upper Mustang, Dolpa, the trek permits for these regions will be advised separately and will not be included in your trek cost. The amount should be paid after you arrive in Nepal. However, there is the video charge of USD 100 per video camera in all national parks which must be paid directly.
The Sherpa guide and porter, who will be along with you, do expect few tips, though it will never be demanded. These people are from a very poor background; hence tips are also their source of income.
It is totally up to you to reward Sherpa guide/Porters after the service is over, the amount may depend on how satisfied you are from the overall service provided by them.
In case of emergencies, our Sherpa guide will do anything to help you. However, you should have the travel insurance from your home country that covers medical and emergency repatriation, including Helicopter evacuation, in the eventuality of serious illness or accident or if clients are stranded in remote areas due to unexpected bad weather conditions.
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