Tour Overview
The Annapurna Circuit - rightly known as Nepal's classic trek - offers more variety than any other equivalent length trek, taking us through virtually every type of scenery that Nepal has to offer. There are superb views of the Annapurnas and Dhaulagiri, and an amazing variety of landscapes ranging from sub-tropical through alpine to an arid semi-desert akin to Tibet. The climax of the trek is crossing the formidable Thorong La Pass (5416m). This is a lodge-based trek, so we spend time in villages inhabited by many of Nepal's different peoples, both Buddhist and Hindu. There is also a chance to visit our Tree Nursey in the Upper Manang Valley. Though demanding enough for the seasoned trekker, this trek is also an excellent introduction to walking in the Himalaya. As this route has good teahouses along its length and most campsites are now within settlements, this trip uses teahouses as accommodation. Please see our Teahouses versus Camping webpage for more information.
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1Start Kathmandu.Those on Land Only arrangements will join us in the evening at the Royal Singi Hotel.
Day 2
Today there is a half-day tour of Kathmandu, led by a trained local guide. The tour visits the Durbar Square in the heart of the old city. Here is the old Royal Palace, with its intricate woodcarving and four fine towers. Outside is Kumari Chowk, home of the Kumari, the young girl who is revered as a living goddess. All around is a maze of temples and images, such as the terrifying Black Bhairab, and Shiva and Parvati gazing benignly down on their subjects. Leading away from the square in all directions are narrow alleys, full of the most amazing variety of shops and stalls. The afternoon is free for individual sightseeing – you may like to visit the monkey temple at Swayambunath, one of the largest Buddhist Stupas in the world at Bodnath, or the most important Hindu temple in the valley at Pashupatinath. There will also be a full trek briefing today.
Day 3
We depart from Kathmandu early in the morning by bus towards Pokhara. After leaving the Kathmandu valley over a low pass, the Chinese built road snakes its way westwards along the Trisuli Valley. We get superb views of the mountains, particularly the Ganesh Himal and Manaslu as we follow the river to Mugling, where we stop for lunch in one of the roadside cafes. A short while after Mugling we turn off the main road at Dumre, and we continue along this to the start of our trek at Besisahar.
Day 4-9
We now experience a dramatic change of scenery, quickly leaving behind the forests and vegetation of the alpine regions, and entering the upper district of Manang, known as Nyeshang. At first our trail follows the river closely through a deep canyon, passing a number of waterfalls on the opposite side of the river before coming to Brathang at 2,919 m. The trail then follows the steep narrow valley through deep forest, and to the south there are fine views of Annapurna II. We cross the river again where the impressive curved rock face of Paungda Danda rises nearly 1,500 m. from the riverbank, and climb away from the noise of the water to the village of Pisang at 3,185 m. To reach Manang we walk over a low pass into the valley below Pisang Peak. As we continue up the valley, it becomes much more barren, and eventually we reach Braga, a picturesque village of clustered, flat-topped houses, dominated by a large and ancient gompa. This village is the site of our Tree Nursery and there will be time to visit it to see how it is progressing. We pass carved mani walls and come to the village of Manang at 3,351 m.
Day 10
We spend this day around Manang to acclimatise to the altitude. Most people climb the hill behind Manang to enjoy the magnificent views of the whole Annapurna range and the enormous icefall that crashes and rumbles down from Gangapurna. This is the part of the trek where we are closest to the mountains. Across the valley the huge bulk of Gangapurna and the Annapurnas towers way above us and the sunset and sunrise over this great amphitheatre is one of the best mountain views ever.
Day 11-13
We leave Phedi very early the next morning for the stiff climb to the pass. The first part of the ascent is very steep, but it eases somewhat as we get nearer the top, although the altitude still makes the going tough. Eventually, after numerous false summits, we reach the pass itself at 5,416 m. Ahead there is a magnificent panorama of snow-capped peaks extending northwards into Tibet, and looking back we can see several of the main peaks of Annapurna. Directly in front of us is the great chasm of the Kali Gandaki, 2,500 m. below. The long descent starts gently but gets steeper, switch-backing down moraines to reach grassy slopes and easing off to a gentle descent into Muktinath, set in a grove of poplar trees at 3,802 m.
Day 14-16
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Day 17-20
The last stage of the trek takes us over two ridges and on to the end of the trek at Pokhara. We first have a long climb to Ghorepani (2,855 m.), from where we have a chance to climb Poon Hill for superb sunrise views over the Annapurnas and Machhapuchhare. The trail then descends steeply to the attractive village of Birethanti by the Modi Khola and from here it is a short walk to the new road from where we will pick up transport to take us to the lakeside at Pokhara
Day 21
We fly from Pokhara to Kathmandu. During the flight there is a good overview of the western end of the Nepal Himalaya from the left side of the plane. The rest of the day is free in Kathmandu for last minute shopping and sightseeing. Very occasionally it may not be possible to fly, in which case we return to Kathmandu by road, arriving in the evening.
Day 22
There is the opportunity to do a scenic mountain flight to view Everest (weather permitting). This optional extra can be booked in Kathmandu at the trek briefing.End Kathmandu.
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