Annapurna Circuit Trek

Overview

Annapurna Circuit Trek is one of the stunning treks that you can do in the world. Its trekking trail takes you to the glaciated rivers and steel bridges in the Annapurna Region.

Annapurna Circuit Trek is one of the stunning treks that you can do in the world. Its trekking trail takes you to the glaciated rivers and steel bridges in the Annapurna Region. Also, it takes you to the green lush forest and snow – covered mountains of that region. As you walk, the glimpse of these mountains keeps on coming to your eyes. You will also see the incredible view of mountains, including Annapurna I and Annapurna II which surround you on a high altitude trekking trail. The climate is cold as well as the region is arid. There is also an unwanted strong wind. Some parts of the trekking trail are covered with snow, some with dust, and some with rocks. And some are little steep as well. These are the characteristics of the Annapurna Circuit Trekking.

Throughout this Annapurna Circuit trek, you will get views of different mountains in the Annapurna range mainly the Annapurna IV. As you trek further, you will see that the scenery of alpine landscape gets more and more amazing. Walking and exploring through these beauties create a sense of achievement and success in you. You will get to see these landscapes in their finest form. Most of the time in this Annapurna Circuit Trek, you will be trekking in an alpine desert region with dusty paths.

This classic Annapurna Circuit Trek Itinerary takes you to Manang, a popular developed village of the Annapurna Region. It is a bustling town with nice bakeries. Exploring Manang is certainly a treat in this trek. From there, you have to muster up your strength to go to a higher altitude. One of the highlights of the Annapurna Circuit Trek is the Thorong La Pass, which is challenging because you have to fight against altitude mountain sickness to cross Thorong La Pass. From the summit of the pass, you can see a great barrier ridge, which separates Nepal from Tibet. The trekking trail from the summit of the Thorong La Pass leading to Muktinath goes downhill.

After reaching Muktinath, which is another highlight of the Annapurna Round Circuit Trek, it is time to celebrate your success.

A THING TO BE NOTED: Before or during the trip, there are certain factors like weather and political situations that are unexpected barriers and out of our control, which will compel us to change your itinerary. In such a case, please try to understand these barriers, but our purpose will always be to follow the itinerary that has been listed in this website that you have gone through before booking the trip.

Mountain Ascend Treks For Social Causes Mountain Ascend Treks works in cooperation with local porters and tea-houses by giving them jobs and using their services and in this way, it uplifts the economic conditions of the people.

Highlights

• Sightseeing in the World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu: Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Pashupatinath Temple and Boudhanath Stupa
• Explore different Nepali cultures
• Walking through lush green forests, colorful rhododendrons and refreshing waterfalls
• Stunning 360 degree vantage points throughout the trek

1. Day 1Arrival In Kathmandu (1400 M) (Overnight At Hotel With Breakfast)

   After your arrival in Tribhuwan International Airport, you will find us outside the airport with the banner of Mountain Ascend Treks. If you arrive in the evening or at the middle of the night, we take you straightly to the hotel by vehicles, such as car, van, depending on the number of passengers. Otherwise, we will take you to our office, where we will talk about your trip in detail, telling you about do’s and don’ts. If you have a free time in the day, then you can use it to visit the places that are around your hotel. Most probably, you will be staying in Thamel, which is a lively town for the tourists. You can also ask any questions related to your trip. If you have made a half-payment to us then you are requested to pay the remaining balance now. As you come to our office, please bring your passport, which has a validity of 6 months, including three copies of passport-sized photos, and a readable copy of your travel insurance paper. This is followed by the signing of the paper of your trip, as well as non-liability disclaimer paper.

2. Day 2Combined Sightseeing Of Kathmandu And Bhaktapur (Overnight At Hotel With Breakfast)

   After breakfast, you will do the combined sightseeing of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur with a city guide. The former is the city of temple, while the latter is the oldest city of Nepal. These cities have lots of historical monuments, so you will visit these monuments selectively. We have to make a selection because the sightseeing of these cities is of half-day.This much time will be enough to visit Kathmandu Durbar Square, Boudhanath, and Changu Narayan Temple in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. Not only these, Mountain Ascend Treks will also provide you an option of visiting Pashupatinath Temple, Monkey Temple, and others. In addition to these, Mountain Ascend Treks gives the top-most prioritazation to your favorite places. Your visit is important to us, and we always cooperate with you.

3. Day 3Drive To Dharapani (1,900 M) From Kathmandu By Private 4WD – 7/8 Hours. Overnight At A Guesthouse

   Today we will take a Private car from Kathmandu to Besisahar and from there we will take a jeep to Dharapani . We will witness beautiful landscapes, rivers and waterfalls on the way.

4. Day 4Trek To Chame (2,670 M) – 4 Hours. Overnight At A Guesthouse

   After having breakfast, you follow an ascending trail. Here, you might trek along with mule. This animal is used to carry goods by the locals. This trail goes into the forest of fir and along the river. Ahead, there is a forest of Oak and Maple. The part of the today’s trek is scenic and different, for it offers the spectacular, breath-taking, and awesome view of mountains till you reach Chame, which is your next stop.

5. Day 5Chame To Pisang (3300m) 5 Hours (Overnight At Hotel With Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner)

   The trekking trail is narrow and takes you to the Marshyangdi Valley, where the upcoming trekking trail is very steep. After you have finished walking on it, you see the majestic vista of mountains, such as Pisang Peak and Annapurna II. Gradaually, the valley becomes bigger, and the trekking trail leads us to the Paungda Danda, a hill, from where the on-going trail goes to Pisang, a village.

6. Day 6Pisang To Manang (3570m) 4 Hours (Overnight At Hotel With Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner)

   Today’s trek is more scenic than yesterday, for it offers the breath-taking view of mountains, including the famous ones like Pisang Peak and Annapurna. The noticeable feature of the trek is it has from the forest of Oak, Maple, and Fir to the dry land, having the features of desert and cold climate. This is your next stop for tonight.

7. Day 7Manang – Acclimatization Day (Overnight At Hotel With Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner)

   Today is an acclimatization day, which means, we have to prepare ourselves for tomorrow’s higher altitudes. Your trekking guide will provide information on this. Acclimatization also means a resting day. It means a time to give a rest to your legs and heart that have walked uphill and that has beated. Further, acclimatization also means hiking to the nearby areas.

8. Day 8Manang To Yak Kharka (4,110m) 4 Hours (Overnight At Hotel With Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner)

   From Manang, we follow an ascending trail that goes to the valley, that goes higher, that heads off to Juniper forest, that heads off to a river and that takes you to pasture. The trail also takes you to meadow, where you see the horses and yaks grazing. There is a wooden bridge across the river from where the trail ascends and connects to Yak Kharka, your next stop.

9. Day 9Yak Kharka To Thorong Phedi (4,600m) 4 Hours (Overnight At Hotel With Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner)

   After having breakfast, we follow an uphill trekking trail all the way to Thorong Phedi, crossing suspension bridge and reaching Ledar village. We see tall cliffs on the way and then reach Thorong Phedi. We also see the spectacular view of mountains, such as Gundang, Syagang, Thorung Peak and Khatungkan. Tomorrow, we will climb the Thorong La Pass from where we see the breath-taking view of the Annapurna Massifs.

10. Day 10Thorong Phedi To Muktinath (3800m) Crossing Over Thorong La Pass (5416m) 8 Hours (Overnight At Hotel With Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner)

    Whenever, we have to cross the pass, we have to start early in the morning. Probably your guide will start at 3 a.m. The trekking trail is easy and safe, but we have to walk with an experienced trekking guide because you might get lost if you walk alone. When you reach the top of the Thorong la Pass, we will be rewarded with the view of the famous mountains of the Annapurna Region, and then we head off to Muktinath.

11. Day 11Drive To Tatopani (1,190 M) In Local Shared 4WD Vehicle – 5 Hours

    In the Jomsom to Tatopani segment, the trekking trail and the road are same and it is busier with vehicles than any other part of the Annapurna Circuit. To make your experience better, we have kept a drive from Jomsom to Tatopani which will take about 5 hours. We will use a local shared 4WD vehicle to descend through the Kali Gandaki River Valley. The vehicle will be shared among our own group or with travelers of other companies. But, if our group size is bigger, for example 4 and above clients, we will arrange private transfer. On the way, we will encounter the world’s deepest gorge, Kopchepani. Tatopani is famous for its hot springs. This is the best place to relax our body after a long trek. We will spend another day relaxing at this spot.

12. Day 12Trek To Ghorepani (2,810 M) – 6 Hours

    Today is another big day. It will take about 7 hours to walk from Tatopani to Ghorepani. We climb about 1,620 meters up. From Ghorepani, we will be able to see Annapurna South, Himchuli and Tukuche Himal. We will pass a couple of Magar and Gurung villages on the trail. Overnight at a guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

13. Day 13Hike To Poon Hill (3,210 M), Trek To Tikhedunga (1,570 M) – 5 Hours And Same Day Drive To Pokhara Via Nayapul (1,010 M) – 2.5 Hours (Drive For 1.5 Hours On Dirt Road And 1 Hour On Concrete Paved Road)

    Very early in the morning, we start an hour hiking to Poon Hill at an elevation of 3,210 m – a brilliant spectacle. This vantage point provides unobstructed views of the early morning sunrise over the high Himalayas, weather permitting. There we spend about an hour. We return to Ghorepani where we take a hot breakfast at the hotel. We trek down towards Tikhedunga, walking down along the ridges and through rhododendron forests before reaching Tikhedhunga. Upon reaching Tikhedhunga, we will take a short break and then take a drive to Nayapul in a local shared 4WD or bus. The drive will take about 1.5 hours on a dirt road. At Nayapul, we will stop for a tea break and change our vehicle. From here onward until Pokhara, the drive, which takes about 1 hour on concrete paved road, will be in a private tourist vehicle. Your guide will travel together with you and make all the arrangements for the transfers. Overnight at a hotel. Breakfast and lunch included.

14. Day 14Guided Sightseeing In Pokhara

    After breakfast, a full day sightseeing tour of Pokhara city begins. There will be a professional city guide and a private tourist vehicle at your disposal. You will visit the following sites: Phewa Lake: Situated at an altitude of 800m above sea level, it is the second largest lake in Nepal. The lake sits like a sparkling jewel with the majestic Mt. Machhapuchhare(Fishtail Peak), Annapurna and the Peace Pagoda reflected on its calm waters. Thick forest lies on the adjoining southern slopes of the lake. Barahi Temple: Built almost in the middle of Phewa Lake is the island temple of Barahi. The two-storied pagoda temple is dedicated to the female force Shakti. Bindhabasini Temple: The temple lies in the center of the religious old bazaar. It is dedicated to Goddess Bhagwati, another manifestation of Shakti. The park grounds offer a fine picnic and relaxing area. Davis Fall: Locally known as Patale Chhango and located in the southern flank of the Pokhara valley, it is where the stream flowing from Fewa Lake collapses and surges down the rock into a deep gorge, leaping through several potholes. This is hugely popular with tourists and locals alike. Gupteshwor Cave: The revered Gupteshwor Cave is situated 2 km from the Pokhara airport. The entrance is right across from Davis fall and the cave is almost 3 km long. It has some big hall-sized rooms and some passages where you have to crawl on all four. This cave holds special value to Hindus since a phallic symbol of Lord Shiva is preserved here in the condition it was discovered. Seti River Gorges: Carved by the Seti Gandaki River, it is one of the natural wonders of Pokhara. K.I. Singh bridge at Bagar, Mahendrapool and Prithivi Highway Bridge near bus park provide a perfect view of the river’s dreadful rush and the deep gorge made by the turbulent flow of white water. Tibetan Refugee Camp: The Tibetan camp Tashi Ling, which is behind Gupteshwor Cave, is renowned for the production and trade of woolen carpets and other handicrafts. The original Tibetan settlers in this region migrated to Nepal in the ‘50s. Overnight at a hotel. Breakfast included.

15. Day 15Drive Back To Kathmandu (1,400 M) In A Tourist Bus – 7 To 8 Hours

    We will be driving back to Kathmandu in the morning. If you are interested in extending the trip, there are many options such as Chitwan jungle safari, river rafting adventure, Kathmandu shopping tour, mountain biking and other activities. In the evening, we host a farewell dinner in a fine restaurant. (Your guide(s) and an office staff will accompany you). Overnight at a hotel. Breakfast and farewell dinner included.

16. Day 16Transfer To The International Airport For Your Final Departure

    The trip concludes here. Our airport representative will drop you at the international airport in Kathmandu for your flight departure from Nepal. Breakfast included.

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