Annapurna Circuit Trek

Upon arrival in Kathmandu, you will be greeted at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and transferred to the hotel. It’s only 6km from the airport to the downtown area. After a little bit of rest, you can wander around this old city by yourself. The colorful houses, a dazzling array of shops, and the bustling crowds will make you feel the enthusiasm of Kathmandu for the first time. In the evening, you can try the local cuisines.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu

Drive 176km, 5.5hrs I Trek 4.5km, 3hrs

This morning, you will head west to the beautiful mountainous region in central Nepal, where there are towering Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and the iconic Machhapuchhre (the famous "Fishtail" ). After a ride of 5.5 hours along the Kathmandu-Pokhara Highway then follow the rough road along Marshyangdi River, you will arrive in Besisahar, the capital of Lamjung District, which was also the starting point for your trek.

After lunch, you will start hiking to Gurung Village (790m) of Khudi. Along the gorge, you will pass a small village and tropical forest, then cross the Khudi Khola suspension bridge, and follow the trail north along the Marsyangdi valley to Bhulbule (840m).

Stay overnight in Bhulbule

Meals: Breakfast

Trek 14km, 6~7hrs I Ascend: 330m

This morning, you will cross the Ngadi River via a high suspension bridge, and then continue along its east bank up to the settlement of Bahundanda. This route will take you through the villages of Ngadi and Lampata and to the northeast, where you can enjoy the magnificent view of Manaslu (8,156m). Then you will descend from Bahundanda to a creek, and climb to the village of Lili Bir, from there you continue along the trail above the river. As the trail climbs steeply, the path is cut into the steep cliff surface about 200-300m above the river bed. Finally, you descend to Jagat Village, which is located on a shelf that extends into the Marshyangdi Valley.

Stay overnight in Jagat

Meals: Breakfast

Trek 15km, 5~6hrs I Ascent: 875m

Depart from Jagat in the morning, you follow a winding path and then hike along the Marsyangdi River through the forest to the small village of Chamje (1,430m). After crossing the river to the east bank, you continue to the large settlement of Tal (1,675m), where there are many hotels and shops, surrounded by magnificent valleys. You will have lunch here before continuing to Karte Village.

In the afternoon you will return to the river, winding up the valley, passing through a series of small villages, to your final destination, Dharapani.

Stay overnight in Dharapani

Meals: Breakfast

Trek 17km, 5~6hrs I Ascent: 550m

After breakfast, you will head west, follow the path through pine, fir, oak and maple trees, and hike along the Marsyangdi River up to the Manang Valley, where you could enjoy the magnificent views of Annapurna Peak II (7,937m) and Annapurna IV. Here is the hometown of Manangi people who have traded salt and yaks across these mountains for centuries. Following in their footsteps, you go through the oak forest and maple forest to Dhanakyu (2,290m), and then to Latemarang Village (2,360m). Then, your route winds through several forested ridges to Koto (2,590m), from where you can easily walk to the administrative headquarters of the area, Chame (2,670m), where you can admire the amazing Lamjung, far views of Annapurna II and Annapurna IV.

Stay overnight in Chame

Meals: Breakfast

Trek 14km, 5~6hrs I Ascend: 600m

Departing Chame, you will cross a large suspension bridge over the Marshyangdi River. You winded through the fields along the trail on the north side of the river to reach the village of Bhratang (2,840m). This is an old Tibetan Khampa settlement, now it's basically abandoned. After leaving the forest village, the valley changed from a V shape to a gentle U shape. Going further, you continue along the steep trail to the south side and then cross the 3040-meter-long suspension bridge. When this trail passes through a deep valley, you will see the most breathtaking scenery of the journey so far - the Paungda Danda rock face, which is regarded as very sacred by the locals. It's a curved rock face rising 1,500 meters from the river. After crossing the ridge full of prayer flags and stone piles, you will arrive at the large village of Pisang.

Stay overnight in Pisang

Meals: Breakfast

Trek 15.7km, 5~6hrs I Ascend:300m

In the morning, you continue to trek along the south side of the river and cross a steep ridge with spectacular views of Manang Valley and Tilicho Peak. Then you will descend to the valley of Hongde (3,325m), which is a village with an airstrip, a police post and an impressive Mani Stonewall. Then this route leads you to the vast plains of the Sabje Khola Valley, from where you can see the view of Annapurna IV (7,525m). Going further, you will cross a wooden bridge and enter the village of Mungji. You continue along with the cultivated land, and after a while, you arrive at the Tibetan-style village Bryaga. There is the largest monastery in the area and this monastery houses wonderful Tibetan thangkas, which can date back about 500 years. It's a short walk from here to Manang, our destination today, and on the way, you can get more views of the Annapurna Mountains-Annapurna II, Annapurna III, Annapurna IV, Gangapurna (7,455m) and Tilicho Peak (7,134m).

Stay overnight in Manang

Meals: Breakfast

Today is a day to rest and adapt to the environment. Manang is a low-altitude village where you can enjoy superb views of Annapurna II, Annapurna III, Gangapuna and Chulu East.

At the same time, in order to acclimatize to higher altitude conditions before crossing Thorong La, you will spend time exploring the area around the village and taking a short hike into the mountains to enjoy the view of the Chulu Ranges and Thorong La in the distance.

Stay overnight in Manang

Meals: Breakfast

Trek 10km, 5hrs I Ascend: 510m

Departing from Manang in the morning, you will cross a creek, climb Tengi (3,620m), and then head northwest from Marshyangdi Valley to Jar Sang Khola Valley. As you head north, the trail rises slowly. You will pass some pastures and juniper trees. Along this trail, you will pass a small village called Gunsan, where the houses are flat mud roofs, and then you will pass pastures with yaks and horses. After crossing a small river on the wooden bridge, you walk along the spectacular valley to an open, peaceful meadow, which is called Yak Kharka.

Stay overnight in Yak Kharka

Meals: Breakfast

Trek 7km, 4~5hrs I Ascend: 470m

Today you will head to Throng Phedi, the foot of Thorong La Pass. Due to the altitude, you can take the next climb at a leisurely pace, which means you will have time to admire the magnificent views of this part of the route. The first small settlement you will arrive at is Letdar (4,250m), which needs to climb from Yak Kharka for an hour. From here you continue to climb along the east bank of Jarsang Khola to Thorong Phedi, which is the starting point for your trek to Thorong La Pass tomorrow.

Stay overnight in Thorong Phedi

Meals: Breakfast

Trek 15km, 8~10hrs I Ascend: 976m I Descent: 976m

Trekking from Thorong Phedi (4,525m) to Muktinath Temple (3,760m) through the Thorung La Pass (5,416m) is the most challenging part of the trip. Today you set off early to cross Thorung La (5,416m). After 4 to 6 hours of climbing, you reached the top of the mountain pass, the highest point of this hike. It is decorated with prayer flags, traditional Chorten and mani stone piles. Standing on the top of the mountain, you can also see the majestic panorama views of the Himalayas, as well as the huge Kali Gandaki valley to the west and the towering Yakgawa Kang peak (6,481m) to the north. The glorious scenery at the top of the mountain will make you feel all hardships along the way totally worth it!

After a good rest, you will start another long trek to Muktinath(3,760m). This section of the road is a steep downhill, with a 1600-meter descent, which provides you magnificent views of Dhaulagiri (8,167 meters) and Tukuche Peak (6,920 meters). Muktinath is a famous religious sacred place. Many believers come here to make pilgrimages every year. There is a large Hindu temple and a Tibetan Buddhist temple.

Stay overnight in Muktinath

Meals: Breakfast

Trek 8km, 4hrs I Descend: 960m I Drive 12.3km, 31m

Muktinath is a holy city in the area, and there are thousands of pilgrims every year, especially Hindus and Buddhists. Today, you will first visit the Muktinath Temple. Vishnu is its main shrine, and the temple's highlights are 108 taps. Jwala Mai is another temple with a natural eternal flame. Next, you will visit a famous Tibetan Buddhist temple.

After visiting the temples, you will head to the ancient village of Purang for a branch trip. Go up from the village and continue on the inaccessible route, you will pass another medieval-looking village of Jhong (a monastery perched on a hill with good views). There are large chörten, gompa and atmospheric animistic totems. Starting from Jhong, descend to Jhing Khola (river). Follow the path along the river to reach Kagbeni. This is the northernmost village where you can continue to Mustang without a permit. From Kagbeni, you will take a public bus back to Jomsom. You will spend the last night of your trek here.

Stay overnight in Jomsom

Meals: Breakfast

In the early morning, you will fly to Pokhara from Jomsom Airport (20 minutes). End of the Annapurna trek.

In the afternoon, you can hang out in the Pokhara Lakeside area. It is world-famous for its beautiful scenery and pleasant climate. Pokhara sits under the snow-capped peaks of the Annapurna Mountains. The beautiful Fishtail Peak is reflected in Fewa Lake, beautiful and peculiar, making people feel peaceful and comfortable.

Stay overnight in Pokhana

Meals: Breakfast

Today you will enjoy a free day in Pokhara and relax after hiking. You can consult your leader and then choose to participate in outdoor adventure projects (at your own expense) according to your preferences: paragliding, taking ultralight aircraft, renting a mountain bike to tour around the lake, self-driving motorcycles, etc. We can go boating on Fewa Lake in the afternoon. The lakeside area has excellent shopping venues and cafes.

Pokhara also has interesting old blocks, as well as elaborate Hindu temples and a Buddhist monastery. You can also visit the Peace Pagoda, where you can admire the magnificent mountain views of Annapurna and the famous Machhapuchhare, then back to Pokhara.

Stay overnight in Pokhara

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, drive back to Kathmandu. You can also choose to take a 25-minute flight back to Kathmandu(not included in the package).

Upon arrival in Kathmandu transfer to your respective hotel. The rest of the day is free at leisure for your last-minute shopping, souvenir shopping, etc.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu

Meals: Breakfast

Your adventure around Nepal is almost complete. Your tour guide will then fetch you at your hotel to lead you to the airport. You can bid your new friends and your guide farewell. You will surely be most welcomed to come back to Nepal for another great visit.

Meals: Breakfast