Annapurna Circuit - 15 Days

Welcome to Nepal! You will find someone waiting to welcome you at the arrival gate of the airport. After you complete your airport and customs formalities, please get to the arrival gate where you will find our staff waiting for you with your name plate. He/She will transfer you to the Hotel. This person will tell you about the time for a pre-trip briefing.. Accordingly, your pre-trip discussion will be done. Rest of the day, you can take time to organize things for the adventure which will start the next day such as manage Nepalese rupees cash for spending money, buy a Nepalese Sim card (if you want), or shop any gear that you want to add, etc.

We leave the busy Kathmandu at around 8 am after breakfast. We take the Prithivi Highway. The drive is less than 200 km but it takes time in Nepal’s terrain/roads. Expect no less than 6-7 hours’ drive, it can be more if we happen on some kind of traffic or obstacles along the drive. The drive is scenic if you focus on the rivers, waterfalls, cliffs, forests, beautiful green mountains, and settlements. You often stop for breaks or to stretch your legs or ask the driver to stop if you want to take a picture of beautiful scenery you come along. Just relax and enjoy the drive, the distance is not long but the drive is! As we reach Beshishahar we take the narrow dirt road that is bumpy and full of potholes. Depending upon the day, time and road condition we will walk two to three hours or just one hour. We reach Sirung village where there are home stays. We will be welcomed and we stay at local people's homes (homestays) enjoying the village, mountain views of Mt. Manaslu, Nagdi Chuli and hospitality of villagers. We take people to Sirung village so that you get a close look into the village lifestyle while staying at a homestay.

After having nutritious organic food made at the homestay, we leave Sirung Village. We walk through amphitheater-shaped rice terraces, flanking a steeply sloping vertical cliff, past dense forests and some culturally interesting villages. We walk in a fantastic scenery between waterfalls, forests and small towns. The path won't be that hard until we reach Syange (1,100m). We leave Jagat following the river surrounded by a phenomenal landscape. On both sides rise walls over 500 meters high, from which a waterfall occasionally flows. The top here offers us a view of a thundering waterfall across the valley on the opposite side. From Jagat we will make an effort to walk gradually up to Chamje, a small village built under towering cliffs

Watching the river flowing down the valley we start the walk today. We cross the river and take steep climbing that takes us to the mark which denotes we enter the Manang valley, we might see corn, barley and potato plantations depending upon season, as well as bamboo forests. On the way is a village called Tal, located on the bank of Marshyangdi near the base of a large waterfall. The Tal village (destroyed by flood in 2022) lies near the river basin at 1700 meters above sea level, and right behind Tal is a suspension bridge, which leads us to the other side of the river. We walk along the left bank and continue to Bagarchhap.

Today we do some uphill walk through forested trail. We should not forget look up because we will be treated by sensational views of Lamjung Himal, Annapurna II and Annapurna IV (7,525m). Small hot springs ease the end of your long day of walking. We could see Manaslu Range from the trail all the way to Timang village. We stay on the left bank of the river and gradually ascend to Danaque (2210 m). After Danaque, we cross the suspension bridge and walk up to Timang village (2600m) and continue trekking to Koto (2640m). After Koto, an easy walk to Chame (2670m) , the largest village and headquarters of Manang district. We can see Annapurna II (7937m) for the first time just before we reach Chame village

Today we go from Chame through deep coniferous forest for some time. We cross a few suspension bridges. Shortly after Bhratang the world changes: the landscape becomes increasingly barren with spectacular rock formations. The impressive, majestic 7,000m peaks are now appearing more and more often. And our view opens up to the holy mountain Swargadwari, a nearly 5,000 m high smooth ramp. For Buddhists, this rock is believed to serve as a ramp to the transition to the next life. The air gets thinner and thinner and we have a strenuous climb to reach Upper Pisang. The houses are smaller, simpler and built of stones. Mani stones, prayer wheels and Chortens can be seen often. And the first glimpse of the fantastic Manang Valley opens up to us. We cross the meadow with a drying lake and then we have to climb the final ascent to the beautifully set Upper Pisang Village (3310 m).

From Upper Pisang, we have two options to get to Manang. The lower trail is faster (with roads too) and is less demanding than the higher route. The higher route avoids roads and is more challenging but scenic and spectacular. Beautiful scenery on the way from Upper Pisang to Ghyaru and from Ghyaru to Ngawal; snow peaks, pine forest, valley etc. We take you through the upper trail as it helps people acclimatize better in addition to its added bonus of picturesque views. We follow a nice easy track even passing a little green lake and after a mani wall we cross the suspension bridge. The trail zigzags and steeps up the side of the mountain. It takes over an hour to climb this section! It is very steep for about 400m ascent from Upper Pisang (approx. 2 km) to Ghyaru. Ghyaru is a typical village of the Manang area and has beautiful homes made of stone with flat roofs. Located at 3730 meters above sea level, Ghyaru offers picturesque views of Annapurna II, IV and III. It is truly a beautiful place to have a well-deserved rest having just climbed about 300 meters at one go. Finally, the trail starts descending downhill into the village of Ngawal. After having our lunch in Ngwal village, and after visiting its beautiful gompa that is in the middle of the village, we walk past meadows and reach Julu village. Leaving Julu, we walk through Braga village which looks fairly abandoned, but visiting the monastery complex in Braga is recommended. The walk between Braga and Manang is easy along the road.

The prosperous town of Manang is the livelier destination on the Annapurna Circuit and is full of unforgettable sights. Manang is the last village accessible by road before the Thorong pass, there are many hotels and guest houses, coffee shops with real coffee, restaurants with all sorts of food, several gear shops etc. The town of Manang has great views of Annapurna III and Gangapurna right above the town, as well as the gorgeous looking Gangapurna glacier which seems close. This glacier is massive as well stretching over some several hundred meters. For acclimatization hike, we can select among Gangapurna lake (2 km), Ice lake (16 km), or Melarapa cave (10 km). If you want to make today’s day shorter, Gangapurna Lakes is a good option. After a steep hike to Gangapurna lake, you can take a rest and save energy for the next few days' challenging walk in the high altitude. There is also a free lecture session at 3pm at the clinic in Manang where you can learn about altitude sickness and the ways to prevent it. The service for tourists is not free. You can also visit a place in Manang where they show videos on trekking related movies every night.

The total journey from Manang to Yak Kharka is about 10 kilometers of hiking over 4 hours and an elevation increase of 570 meters. After walking through the central part of Manang where all the lodges are located we walk along the paths uphill to the area of Tanki Manang where most of the locals live. We squeeze through the tight gulleys making our way out. The trails towards the end of Tanki Manag are quite steep. It may only be a short 3 kilometer hike to Gunsang, but with an elevation increase of over 300 meters, it is not easy. The road ends and now we are on a small path leading us up towards Throng La Pass. Heading out of Gunsang the hike to Yak Kharka is a lot easier than the first portion of today. It may be longer, but it has a steady, barely noticeable incline of 150 meters about 7 kilometers. Crossing a beautiful swing bridge from one side of the valley to the other we are well above the tree line now. Only small shrubs and grasses cover the surrounding ground. The trail is full of sheep/yak/mule herders, porters and horses carrying supplies to higher destinations on the trail and there are no any roads here. Basically, everything you see in villages higher than Manang had to be brought there manually, by either horse, yak or person. We shouldn’t forget to look back as we walk ahead, or we will miss the incredible scenery that is behind us.

The total journey from Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi is about 6 kilometers of hiking over 4 hours and an elevation increase of 400 meters. The whole day is a highlight, the scenery is very similar to the preceding day; mountains, snow peaks, a river at the bottom of the gorge. . The trail is pretty steep so we have to take frequent breaks. We reach Ledar in about 1 hour and after a brief break (we need to take breaks as this aids acclimatization). We then walk past pastures where we might see dozens of yaks, sheeps and goats grazing. We cross a suspension bridge. We have to keep our cautious eyes on the trail as the track is narrow with loose stones. From there, not too long afterwards, we could finally arrive at Thorong Phedi

A big day!! Depending on the season, we start early (4-4:30 am) The hike from Phedi to High Camp is only 1 km but the stretch is quite steep, needing a break every 5-10 minutes. The altitude and the cold (and sometimes wind) would definitely add to the toughness. Although we will have shortness of breath and a little dizziness we still become strong and move ahead and the phenomenal views of giant mountain views are there to inspire us. Words can barely describe the excitement and gratitude to be able to stand up there and experience all this. Views are mystical and magical. Leaving High camp, we are a little relaxed by the flat trail. The whole distance from High Camp to Muktinath is 15km with the portion to the pass making up just 5km from it. After about 4-5 hours of walking, we will be standing in front of the prayer flags swathed sign confirming we are finally at Thorong La at 5416m above sea level. It might be an epic moment of our life. Feeling accomplished and grateful we would not believe we did it! We deserve congratulations, cheers, celebrations! We start to descend from Thorong top. Its about 10 km from Thorong top to Muktinath which is going to take 3-4 hours. Trekking poles will be most useful today on the descent. Walking down for the first one hour might seem interesting but you will realize today that descending is not easy either. Reaching Muktinath, our officially hardest day of the trek ends. We explore the Muktinath temple, the temple which is sought by thousands of Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims for salvation because the name of the temple itself means ‘one that provides liberation.’
We check into a better teahouse with a private bathroom with a warm shower which you have well earned.

Rather an easier day, but your legs must be aching after yesterday’s walk. With a stiff back and muscle pain in your legs, the journey to Kagbeni is fortunately not very difficult. Even today you descend a lot, more than 1000 meters, but it is very gradual. Leaving Muktinath, we walk past Ranipauwa and Jharkot village. We descend and walk through some marshy land (depending upon season) and see some poplar, willow and apple trees. We walk past fields and terraces, cross mountain streams and can see grazing animals. The landscape is more arid that turns into green pastures (seasonal) where we can see livestock grazing. Slowly the landscape changes into desert-like as we enter the lower Mustang region. At Kagbeni the maze-like alleys are interesting. Kagbeni village sits below deserted mountains and has the Kali Gandaki River passing right through it, separating the old from the new part of the village. After having lunch at this medieval-looking settlement, Kagbeni in Lower Mustang strongly influenced by Tibetan culture, we start our trek to Jomsom which is now about 10 km (3 hours). We can also opt to take a local sharing vehicle if we don’t want to walk on the road. Kagbeni to Jomsom trail is on a typically very windy, dirt road where we often see vehicles so we drive to Jomsom from Kagbeni.

We catch an early morning flight to Pokhara. The flight is sometimes affected by weather so delay and cancellation are not unusual. We suggest trekkers come with 1-2 buffer days at the end of the trek. If the flight happens smoothly as planned, we reach Pokhara quite early and can spend the day in a luxurious hotel bed. Exploring Pokhara lake side area is recommended in the evening. There are plenty of restaurants, stores, etc.

Pokhara is a beautiful lake city and has a few options for adventure sports you can do before flying to Kathmandu, depending on flight times (just ask if you would like to extend your stay here). You can just relax or book a city tour also. You will fly back to Kathmandu in the afternoon. You will be dropped to the airport in Pokhara and again will be picked up at the Kathmandu airport and transferred to hotel.

Your Annapurna Circuit Trek officially comes to an end today. We will provide an airport transfer three hours before your flight. Hoping you have collected nice pictures and memories of your Annapurna circuit trek, and you will again give us a chance to serve you, we will transfer you to the airport for your flight back home.