Annapurna Circuit Trek

1. Day 1 Kathmandu Luxury hotel Arrival 1,400 m

   Your host meets you at arrivals and takes you to your heritage hotel. The afternoon is for rest. In the evening you meet your guide, check your kit together, and talk through the route over the pass, the acclimatisation plan and what to expect on the long drive tomorrow.

   Getting there

   Arrival

   Sleeping altitude

   1,400 m

   Where you stay

   Heritage luxury hotel in Kathmandu (Dwarika's or similar)

   Meals

   Dinner

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2. Day 2 Dharapani Best teahouse Drive 8–9 h 1,860 m

   An early start for the longest travel day of the journey. A private jeep takes you west out of Kathmandu, then north up the Marsyangdi valley past Besisahar, on a road that becomes rough and narrow as it climbs between waterfalls and terraced hillsides. After eight or nine hours you reach Dharapani, at 1,860 metres. The teahouse is simple and the dinner hot.

   Getting there

   Drive 8–9 h

   Sleeping altitude

   1,860 m (+460 m)

   Where you stay

   Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom

   Meals

   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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3. Day 3 Chame Best teahouse 5–6 h · 16 km 2,670 m

   The walk begins in earnest. You follow the Marsyangdi west through Bagarchhap and Danakyu, climbing through pine and fir forest with the first views of Manaslu behind you and Annapurna II ahead. The trail rises steadily for five to six hours to Chame, the district headquarters, with hot springs by the river and a choice of simple lodges.

   Walking

   About 5–6 h, 16 km

   Sleeping altitude

   2,670 m (+810 m)

   Where you stay

   Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom

   Meals

   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Show on the map
4. Day 4 Lower Pisang Best teahouse 5 h · 14 km 3,200 m

   The valley narrows and the trail passes through Bhratang, known for its apple orchards, before curving around the base of the Paungda Danda, a huge curved slab of rock rising more than a thousand metres from the river. The forest thins and the landscape opens. After about five hours you reach Lower Pisang, at 3,200 metres, with Annapurna II above.

   Walking

   About 5 h, 14 km

   Sleeping altitude

   3,200 m (+530 m)

   Where you stay

   Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom

   Meals

   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Show on the map
5. Days 5–6 Manang Best teahouse 6–7 h · 17 km 3,540 m

   Day 5: instead of the valley floor, you take the high route, climbing steeply to Ghyaru and Ngawal, villages with long views, across to Annapurna II, III and IV, before descending to Manang. It is a long day of six to seven hours. Day 6 is for acclimatisation: a walk up towards Gangapurna Lake or to Braga monastery, then an afternoon at rest.

   Walking

   About 6–7 h, 17 km

   Sleeping altitude

   3,540 m (+340 m)

   Where you stay

   Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom

   Meals

   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Show on the map
6. Day 7 Yak Kharka Best teahouse 3–4 h · 9 km 4,050 m

   Leaving Manang, the trail climbs out of the village and into high, open pastures, where yaks graze below Gangapurna and Chulu. The walking is gentle and short, about three to four hours, and taken slowly to help your body adjust. Yak Kharka, at 4,050 metres, is a handful of stone lodges. You have the afternoon to rest.

   Walking

   About 3–4 h, 9 km

   Sleeping altitude

   4,050 m (+510 m)

   Where you stay

   Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom

   Meals

   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Show on the map
7. Day 8 Thorong Phedi Best teahouse 3–4 h · 7 km 4,450 m

   Another short day of three to four hours, along the side of the valley and across a landslide area your guide will take carefully, to Thorong Phedi at the foot of the pass. At 4,450 metres the lodges are basic and busy. You rest, eat early, check your kit and go to bed soon after dark. Your guide checks everyone's oxygen readings before deciding on the start time.

   Walking

   About 3–4 h, 7 km

   Sleeping altitude

   4,450 m (+400 m)

   Where you stay

   Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom

   Meals

   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Show on the map
8. Day 9 Thorong La · Muktinath Best teahouse 8–9 h · 15 km 3,760 m

   The big day. You leave in the dark, around four in the morning, for the long climb on a steep zigzag trail to Thorong La, at 5,416 metres, marked by prayer flags and a small teahouse. You reach the pass in the middle of the morning. Then comes a long descent of about 1,600 metres, hard on the knees, to Muktinath and its temple, eight to nine hours in all.

   Walking

   About 8–9 h, 15 km

   Sleeping altitude

   3,760 m (−690 m)

   Where you stay

   Best available teahouse, private room, often with shared bathroom

   Meals

   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Show on the map
9. Day 10 Jomsom Hotel 5 h · 20 km 2,720 m

   In the morning you can visit the Muktinath temple, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, before walking down through Jharkot and the old village of Kagbeni into the wide, stony valley of the Kali Gandaki. The wind rises in the afternoon, so we start early. After about five hours you reach Jomsom and the best hotel in town, with hot water and a comfortable bed.

   Walking

   About 5 h, 20 km

   Sleeping altitude

   2,720 m (−1,040 m)

   Where you stay

   Best hotel in Jomsom

   Meals

   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Show on the map
10. Day 11 Pokhara Luxury hotel Flight 20 min 820 m

    Flights from Jomsom leave early in the morning, before the wind picks up. The twenty-minute flight runs down the Kali Gandaki gorge between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna I, two of the highest mountains in the world. By mid-morning you are in Pokhara, checking into a hotel by the lake. The rest of the day is yours.

    Getting there

    Flight 20 min

    Sleeping altitude

    820 m (−1,900 m)

    Where you stay

    Luxury lakeside or hillside hotel in Pokhara

    Meals

    Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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11. Day 12 Pokhara Luxury hotel 820 m

    A full rest day by the lake. You might take a boat out on Phewa Lake, walk up to the World Peace Pagoda, have a massage, or sleep late. After nine days in the mountains, most guests are happy to do very little.

    Sleeping altitude

    820 m

    Where you stay

    Luxury lakeside or hillside hotel in Pokhara

    Meals

    Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

    Show on the map
12. Day 13 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

    Show on the map
13. Day 14 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.