Annapurna Base Camp Trek
Into the Annapurna Sanctuary
- 13 days
- Moderate
- From $3,800
- Duration
- 13 days
- Walking grade
- Moderate
- Highest point
- 4,130 m
- Best months
- Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov
- Starts and ends
- Kathmandu
For trekkers who want to sleep inside a ring of great peaks, Annapurna I (8,091 m) among them.
- Sleep inside the Annapurna Sanctuary, below Annapurna I
- An extra night at Machapuchare Base Camp for a safer ascent
- The Modi Khola gorge and Chhomrong village
- Hot springs at Jhinu on the way out
The Modi Khola gorge leads into the Annapurna Sanctuary, a high basin ringed by Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machapuchare.
This is a good first trek at altitude for fit walkers. The highest night is at 4,130 metres, and the challenge is less the thin air than the stone staircases: thousands of steps up and down between villages, especially around Chhomrong. The walk begins with a drive from Pokhara, so there is no mountain flight to wait for.
You start in the terraced Gurung villages of Ghandruk and Chhomrong, then follow the gorge through bamboo and rhododendron forest and out above the trees into the Sanctuary. The first night, in Ghandruk, is in a mountain lodge with en-suite rooms. From Chhomrong onwards every lodge on the route is simple, with shared bathrooms in most places, and we book the best private rooms early.
Most itineraries go straight to Base Camp from Deurali. We stop a night at Machapuchare Base Camp first, which keeps the ascent gentle and gives you a second sunrise inside the Sanctuary. Your guide checks your oxygen and pulse each morning and evening from Deurali up. The walk out ends at the hot springs at Jhinu, and you finish with nights in Pokhara and Kathmandu.
Annapurna Base Camp Trek: the route
9 places · starts and ends in Kathmandu
Your journey at a glance
Choose a day
Highest night 4,130 m at Annapurna Base Camp
Way upWay backPositions are approximate; peaks are shown for orientation.
Annapurna Base Camp Trek, day by day
-
Day 1 Kathmandu Luxury hotel Arrival 1,400 m
Your host meets you at arrivals and takes you to your heritage hotel. The rest of the day is for rest after the long flight. In the evening you meet your guide, check your kit together, and go through the route to the Sanctuary.
- Getting there
- Arrival
- Sleeping altitude
- 1,400 m
- Where you stay
- Heritage luxury hotel in Kathmandu (Dwarika's or similar)
- Meals
- Dinner
-
Day 2 Pokhara Luxury hotel Flight 25 min 820 m
A short morning flight west takes you to Pokhara, with the Annapurnas visible on the right on a clear day. You spend the afternoon by Phewa Lake, walking the shore or out on a boat, and have an early night in a comfortable lakeside or hillside hotel before the drive to the trailhead.
- Getting there
- Flight 25 min
- Sleeping altitude
- 820 m (−580 m)
- Where you stay
- Luxury lakeside or hillside hotel in Pokhara
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
-
Day 3 Ghandruk Mountain lodge 4 h · 6 km 1,940 m
A drive of about two hours brings you into the hills to the start of the trail. From there you walk for around four hours, on stone steps through terraced fields and small farms, up to Ghandruk, a large Gurung village with slate-roofed houses. You arrive in the afternoon at a mountain lodge with en-suite rooms and views of Annapurna South and Hiunchuli.
- Walking
- About 4 h, 6 km
- Getting there
- Drive 2 h
- Sleeping altitude
- 1,940 m (+1,120 m)
- Where you stay
- Mountain lodge with en-suite rooms (Ker & Downey or similar)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
-
Day 4 Chhomrong Best teahouse 5 h · 9 km 2,170 m
The trail contours out of Ghandruk, drops to the Kimrong Khola and climbs again on long stone staircases to the ridge above. From there you follow the hillside to Chhomrong, the last large village before the Sanctuary, facing Annapurna South and Machapuchare. It is about five hours of walking with real ascent and descent. From here on the lodges are simple, and we book the best private rooms.
- Walking
- About 5 h, 9 km
- Sleeping altitude
- 2,170 m (+230 m)
- Where you stay
- Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
-
Day 5 Bamboo Best teahouse 4–5 h · 7 km 2,310 m
Below Chhomrong a long flight of stone steps drops to the Chhomrong Khola, which you cross on a suspension bridge, before an equally long climb to Sinuwa. Then the trail enters the Modi Khola gorge and a damp, green forest of bamboo and rhododendron, with the river loud below. Bamboo is a cluster of lodges in a clearing, reached in the early afternoon.
- Walking
- About 4–5 h, 7 km
- Sleeping altitude
- 2,310 m (+140 m)
- Where you stay
- Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
-
Day 6 Deurali Best teahouse 5 h · 9 km 3,230 m
The gorge narrows and the trail climbs steadily through Dovan and Himalaya, past waterfalls and out of the forest into open grass and boulders. Deurali, at 3,230 metres, is a small group of lodges below the cliffs. It is about five hours of walking, and the air feels noticeably thinner by the time you arrive. Your guide starts the twice-daily oxygen checks here.
- Walking
- About 5 h, 9 km
- Sleeping altitude
- 3,230 m (+920 m)
- Where you stay
- Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
-
Day 7 Machapuchare Base Camp Best teahouse 2–3 h · 3 km 3,700 m
A short climb of two to three hours takes you up the head of the gorge and into the Annapurna Sanctuary. Your guide checks conditions on this stretch, where snow can lie in spring. Machapuchare Base Camp sits at 3,700 metres with the fishtail summit directly above. Stopping here for the night makes the ascent safer, and the afternoon is free to rest and watch the light change.
- Walking
- About 2–3 h, 3 km
- Sleeping altitude
- 3,700 m (+470 m)
- Where you stay
- Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
-
Day 8 Annapurna Base Camp Best teahouse 2 h · 3 km 4,130 m
An easy two hours on a gentle trail across the basin brings you to Annapurna Base Camp at 4,130 metres, ringed by Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machapuchare. You arrive in good time for lunch and a rest. In the late afternoon the south face of Annapurna I turns gold, and the night sky here is remarkable.
- Walking
- About 2 h, 3 km
- Sleeping altitude
- 4,130 m (+430 m)
- Where you stay
- Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
-
Day 9 Bamboo Best teahouse 6–7 h · 14 km 2,310 m
You wake to sunrise inside the Sanctuary, which is worth the cold. After breakfast you begin the long walk out, back past Machapuchare Base Camp and Deurali, and down into the bamboo forest. It is a full day of six to seven hours, mostly downhill, so walking poles help. You reach Bamboo by late afternoon.
- Walking
- About 6–7 h, 14 km
- Sleeping altitude
- 2,310 m (−1,820 m)
- Where you stay
- Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
-
Day 10 Jhinu Danda Best teahouse 5 h · 10 km 1,780 m
The trail climbs back up to Sinuwa and Chhomrong on the stone staircases, then turns off to drop steeply towards the river at Jhinu Danda. You reach the lodge after about five hours. Below the village, a twenty-minute walk down, are natural hot springs beside the Modi Khola, a welcome soak for tired legs at the end of the trek.
- Walking
- About 5 h, 10 km
- Sleeping altitude
- 1,780 m (−530 m)
- Where you stay
- Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
-
Day 11 Pokhara Luxury hotel 1–2 h · 3 km 820 m
A short walk of an hour or two along the river brings you to the road, where your driver is waiting. Two hours later you are back in Pokhara by the lake, in time for a long lunch, a hot shower and an afternoon of rest at your hotel.
- Walking
- About 1–2 h, 3 km
- Getting there
- Drive 2 h
- Sleeping altitude
- 820 m (−960 m)
- Where you stay
- Luxury lakeside or hillside hotel in Pokhara
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
-
Day 12 Kathmandu Luxury hotel Flight 25 min 1,400 m
A short morning flight takes you back to Kathmandu. The rest of the day is free. Your guide can take you to Patan or Boudhanath, or you can stay at the hotel and rest. In the evening there is time for a last dinner in the city.
- Getting there
- Flight 25 min
- Sleeping altitude
- 1,400 m (+580 m)
- Where you stay
- Heritage luxury hotel in Kathmandu (Dwarika's or similar)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
-
Day 13 Departure Departure
Your host drives you to the airport in good time for your flight home, after breakfast if the timing allows.
- Getting there
- Departure
- Meals
- Breakfast
Walking times are typical at an unhurried pace and include rests; your guide adjusts each day to the group and the weather.
Is this journey for you?
- Walking
- Five to seven hours a day, sleeping as high as about 4,000 metres.
- Fitness
- Regular exercise and some hill walking before you come.
- Altitude
- You sleep as high as 4,130 m, with acclimatisation built into the route. We send a health questionnaire and talk it through before you book.
- Terrain
- Stone staircases between villages, a forested gorge with rough, sometimes wet paths, and an open moraine basin above 3,700 metres.
The practical details
Where you stay
Named lodges or similar, confirmed in your proposal.
- 4 nights
Luxury hotel
Heritage luxury hotel in Kathmandu (Dwarika's or similar)
Kathmandu · Pokhara
- 1 night
Mountain lodge
Mountain lodge with en-suite rooms (Ker & Downey or similar)
Ghandruk
- 7 nights
Best teahouse
Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom
Chhomrong · Bamboo · Deurali · Machapuchare Base Camp · Annapurna Base Camp · Jhinu Danda
Best time for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek
- JanJanuary: Possible. Cold and clear; snow can close high passes.
- FebFebruary: Possible. Cold and clear; snow can close high passes.
- MarMarch: Best. Spring begins: clear mornings, rhododendrons in bloom lower down.
- AprApril: Best. Peak spring season: warm days, flowers, busier trails.
- MayMay: Good. Warmer and hazier, with afternoon cloud as the monsoon nears.
- JunJune: Not recommended. Monsoon: rain most afternoons, leeches low down, mountains often hidden.
- JulJuly: Not recommended. Monsoon: heavy rain and frequent flight cancellations.
- AugAugust: Not recommended. Monsoon: heavy rain and frequent flight cancellations.
- SepSeptember: Good. Monsoon clears late in the month; lush valleys, some cloud.
- OctOctober: Best. Peak autumn season: clear views, festivals, busier trails.
- NovNovember: Best. Clear, stable and cooler; quieter after mid-month.
- DecDecember: Good. Cold, clear and quiet; short days at altitude.
Seasons for this journey: Spring, Autumn. Choose a month for what to expect.
Comparing prices for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?
Cheaper treks are usually group departures. Ask any operator:
- Is the guide yours alone?
- Yes. Only your own party travels together, never a group departure.
- How many guides and porters?
- A senior guide and a porter for every two guests.
- Are altitude checks written down?
- Twice a day above 3,000 m, with bottled oxygen on every high route.
- What if someone needs evacuating?
- A standing helicopter agreement, and insurance confirmed before you travel.
Included
- Himkora Host, plus a senior guide and a porter for every two guests
- All hotels and lodges as described
- All meals, including dinners in the cities
- Kathmandu–Pokhara flights
- Permits: Annapurna Conservation Area permit
- Porters, private vehicles and every transfer
- Down jacket, sleeping bag and a Himkora duffel on loan
- Treated drinking water every day on the trail
- Twice-daily oxygen and pulse checks, and a full first-aid kit
- Guided sightseeing in Kathmandu as described
- The Himkora Care Standard, in full
Not included
6 items
- International flights
- Nepal visa (US$50 on arrival for 30 days)
- Travel insurance with evacuation cover (required)
- Gratuities and drinks
- Wi-Fi, charging and hot showers where lodges charge for them
- Extra nights or helicopters caused by weather delays (often covered by insurance)
Before you go
Permits we arrange for you
- Annapurna Conservation Area permit and TIMS card
We need a scan of your passport photo page and one passport photo about six weeks before travel. Permit fees are included in your price.
Visa and insurance
- Most nationalities get a Nepal tourist visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport, or online in advance. Check the Department of Immigration before you travel.
- Travel insurance is required. It must cover trekking to at least 5,000 m and helicopter evacuation; we check your policy before departure.
How we manage altitude
- Above 3,000 m, sleeping altitude rises by about 500 m a night (never more than 700 m, and then next to a rest day), with acclimatisation days built in.
- Your guide checks blood oxygen and pulse twice a day and carries bottled oxygen and a full medical kit.
- Guides always have the authority to descend, and we hold a standing helicopter-evacuation agreement in Kathmandu.
Getting ready
- Walking grade: Moderate. We send a training plan with your proposal.
- Talk to your doctor or a travel clinic about altitude medication and vaccinations at least six weeks before you travel.
- We send a health questionnaire before booking and talk it through with you.
Mountain flights
- Your itinerary ends with a night in Kathmandu. If delays run on, we can arrange a helicopter (at cost).
- Domestic baggage is usually limited to about 15 kg including your cabin bag; extra can stay at your Kathmandu hotel.
Weather
- Days are usually bright and mild in season; nights drop below freezing above about 4,000 m.
- Afternoon cloud is normal; mornings bring the clearest views.
We provide
- A Himkora duffel for your porter to carry (up to 12 kg per guest)
- Down jacket and sleeping bag rated to −20°C, on loan
- Water purification, first-aid and the Care Standard kit
You bring
- Broken-in walking boots and four pairs of trekking socks
- Layers: base layers, fleece, waterproof shell jacket and trousers
- Warm hat, sun hat, gloves, sunglasses (category 3 or 4) and sunscreen
- Daypack (25–30 litres), refillable bottles, headtorch
- Personal medicines, and a copy of your insurance policy
A full packing list comes with your proposal.
Money
- Your journey is paid in advance, so you only need cash for drinks, souvenirs and tips.
- Nepali rupees are best on the trail; there are ATMs in Kathmandu, Pokhara.
Connectivity and tipping
- Most lodges have Wi-Fi, often slow and sometimes paid; mobile data works in many villages. Your guide carries a satellite messenger.
- Gratuities are not included and are always your choice. We send guidance for guides, porters and drivers with your pre-departure notes.
Similar journeys
All journeys
Poon Hill and Ghandruk Trek
Mountain lodges in Dhampus, Landruk and Ghandruk, the forest to Ghorepani, and sunrise over Dhaulagiri and Annapurna from Poon Hill.
Mardi Himal Trek
A quiet ridge through rhododendron forest to the Mardi Himal viewpoint, almost touching Machapuchare.
Annapurna Circuit Trek
Through Manang and over Thorong La (5,416 m) to the temple at Muktinath, finishing at a lodge in Jomsom and a flight back to Pokhara.
Questions guests ask
More answers on our questions page, or write to hello@himkora.com.
How much does the Annapurna Base Camp Trek cost?
The Comfort journey is $3,800 per person for two travelling privately, and the Signature journey is $4,300. The price includes guiding, porters, accommodation, meals and permits as listed. Your proposal gives one clear price for your dates.
How many days is the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?
13 days as we have planned it, from your arrival in Nepal to your departure. Because it is private, we can add rest days or extra nights, or shorten it if you have less time.
How difficult is the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?
We grade it moderate. Five to seven hours a day, sleeping as high as about 4,000 metres. Regular exercise and some hill walking before you come.
How high does the Annapurna Base Camp Trek go?
The highest point is 4,130 m, and the highest night is at 4,130 m. The itinerary includes acclimatisation days, and your guide checks your oxygen levels every morning and evening.
When is the best time for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?
The best months are March, April, October and November. See the month-by-month guide above for the rest of the year.
Which permits do I need for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?
You will need: Annapurna Conservation Area permit and TIMS card. We arrange all of them for you and include the fees in your price.
Is every journey private?
Yes. You travel only with the people you choose, on your dates. Your guide, porters and vehicles are yours alone, and the route can be adjusted before or during the journey.
What is included in the price?
Your Himkora Host and senior guide, porters, every hotel and lodge named in the itinerary, meals as listed, domestic flights, permits, park fees and private transfers. International flights, your Nepal visa, travel insurance, drinks and gratuities are not included.
How do deposits and payment work?
A 30% deposit confirms your journey, and the balance is due 90 days before travel. Your proposal sets out the full price and the cancellation terms before you pay anything. Our full booking terms are on the Booking terms page.
How fit do I need to be?
Each journey has a walking grade, explained on its page. Before you book, we send a short health questionnaire and talk through your walking history. If a route isn't right, we will say so and suggest one that is.
How do you manage altitude?
Above 3,000 metres our itineraries raise sleeping altitude by about 500 metres a night, never more than 700 metres and then only next to a rest day, with acclimatisation days built in. Guides check blood oxygen and pulse twice a day, carry bottled oxygen on high routes, and always have the authority to turn back.
Do I need special travel insurance?
Yes. Your policy must cover trekking to the highest altitude on your route (up to 6,000 metres on our high journeys), emergency medical treatment, helicopter rescue and repatriation. We check it before you travel.
What if flights to Lukla are delayed?
Mountain flights depend on the weather, and in busy months they may leave from Ramechhap rather than Kathmandu. Every Everest itinerary keeps a spare day in Kathmandu after the Lukla flight, so a weather delay doesn't cost you any of the trek. If delays run on longer, a helicopter can be arranged at cost.
Short on time, or a few days spare?
Add to this journey
Annapurna Base Camp Helicopter Tour
A private helicopter from Pokhara up the Modi Khola gorge to Annapurna Base Camp, with time on the ground inside the Sanctuary. Back for a late breakfast.
Everest Helicopter Tour
A private helicopter from Kathmandu up the Khumbu at dawn, a landing where the rules allow, and breakfast facing Everest. Back by noon.
Chitwan Safari in Three Days
A short flight to Chitwan, two nights at a safari lodge, jeep and canoe safaris for rhino, deer and birds, and a Tharu village evening.