Annapurna Circuit Trek

After a satisfactory breakfast in your hotel, you will embark for a guided tour to some of the most historical and spiritual attractions of the city that are listed under the UNESCO world heritage sites. A visit to the highly venerated Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, the high-flying monkey temple at Swayambbhunath, Bouddhanath – a Buddhist shrine and one of the largest stupas in the world, and the charismatic Basantapur Durbar Square leaves impressive reminiscences at the back of your head for a considerable period of time. Later in the afternoon, you will visit our office where you will meet your trip manager, other trekkers, and crew members. Your trip leader will brief you shortly about your upcoming trip in the Annapurna region, check your equipment and interact for any unclear thoughts in your head before you go back to your hotel. Overnight in Kathmandu.

This is an exciting day to begin your overall trip commencing with a scenic drive along the national highway on oblique roadways beside the gushing Trishuli River. From the juncture at Mugling, the drive continues straight ahead towards Pokhara. On arrival at a point in Dumre, a small commercial town, you will leave the highway and head northwards that leads you to Besi Sahar, which happens to be the district headquarters of Lamjung. En route you will pass several Gurung and Magar villages, terraced fields and mud-built huts. A short drive ahead of Besi Sahar will land you to the starting point of your trek, Khudi amidst beautiful forests. It is here that you will be greeted by the first sight of the astonishing views of Manaslu peak. Overnight in Khudi.

After breakfast in Khudi, you are all geared up for your first day’s trekking which indulges crossing several suspension bridges, heaving trail paths and stunning waterfalls treading along the paddy fields across intense forests. Hiking gradually, the trail turns into steeper paths passing through a Tamang village of Taranche. A few hours of walk from this village will lead you to Sirung village. This beautiful village offers close-up views of Ngadi Chuli and Manaslu peaks. Here you can enjoy the taste of cultural delights and local gastronomies. Overnight in Sirung.

Leaving behind the beautiful tiny Sirung village on an easy track following your breakfast, you will now enter the lush forests, ferns and picturesque hamlets and woodlands, including several species of charming forest birds. In due course of your splendid walk, you will cross small villages and few temples including a suspension bridge over Sangu River at Mipra. Proceeding further, there is another suspension bridge to cross at Syange, this time over the Marshyangdi River. Near the bridge, trekkers will witness a large, beautiful and eye-catching waterfall as the trail keeps pacing beside the remarkable Marshyangdi River. Crossing one last wooden bridge, you will reach Jagat village, your destination today. Overnight in Jagat.

This morning, you will commence the day’s trek with a rather slow descent towards the river, after which it is a gentle ascent through a verdant forest. Hiking uphill for about an hour will lead you through beautiful tropical forests to Chyamje village amidst the celebrated surroundings of the soaring Annapurna. It is a moderate downhill stroll to the river, and after crossing a suspension bridge, it is yet another steep climb up to Sattale. Following the rocky trails and heaving paths, the twisty track to the top of a hill and a reasonable tumble down leads you to Tal village which is your lunch stopping point. Continuing through the jagged and zigzag path, the valley narrows as you approach the steeply forested village of Karte. The trail beyond Karte twists and turns amidst several waterfalls and cliffs to finally cross a suspension bridge at Lower Dharapani. From here, it is a short climb to reach Upper Dharapani village which lies next to the stone Mani wall. Overnight in Dharapani.

After a hearty breakfast today, you will depart from Dharapani along few steep ridges surpassing pine and pine forests to reach Bagarchhap and Danaque villages within a couple of hours. Continuing to trek along with implausible views of Lamjung Himal, Annapurna II and Annapurna IV throughout the entire trek, you will climb up rigorously till the village of Timang. In the course of your trekking spree, you will leave behind small settlements of Lattemarang and Kotho over several ridges and small hot springs to arrive at Chame. Chame is the administrative headquarters of the Manang district. Overnight in Chame.

From Chame, you will continue walking on a tapered path passing dense pine and fir forests, several suspension bridges and apple orchards to reach Bhratang. Walking along the steepest part of the Marshyangdi valley through a very thick forest, the valley broadens towards Paungda Danda exposing the grand vistas. This ridge is an enormous oblique rock face soaring above 1500 meters above the trekking trail. You will keep moving to cross a ridge adorned with fluttering colorful prayer flags and stone cairns to enter the large Pisang village. This village is split into lower and upper Pisang. You can experience some amazing views of the snaky villages and long-winded houses of lower Pisang from the monastery at upper Pisang. Overnight at lower Pisang.

There are two routes that lead you to Manang from lower Pisang. After breakfast today, you will tread on the upper (north) trail via upper Pisang to Ghyaru instead of the southern trail via Hongde. En route you will witness the calm Mringchho Lake and also be able to observe stupendous vistas and marvelous views of beautiful landscapes and mountain peaks of Annapurna and Pisang. Before continuing to Ngawal village, you may visit the old monastery during your hike today. After lunch at Ngawal, the path descends gently until you reach Braga village from where it gets cold and the dry weather creates an inconsiderate environment. At Braga, you will get a chance to visit the largest monastery in the entire Manang district, the Braga Monastery. Finally, from Braga, it is a short walk till you arrive Manang, your destination. Overnight in Manang.

Today is the acclimatization day at Manang. However, being active is only the right way to adapt and get acquainted and adjust with the higher altitude and the thinning air rather than laying low. To help to get acclimatized, there are options for a hike to Bojho Monastery or to the ridge nearby Gangapurna glacier or walking up to the cave above Manang village. Another option would be a hike up to Chhunker viewpoint from where marvelous views of the Annapurna ranges and peaks like Tilicho, Pisang, Chulu, and Thorong can be appreciated. Remaining time can be spent wandering around the villages savoring the beauty of the village, native people, their culture and lifestyle. You can also visit the Himalayan Rescue Association and learn about the altitude sickness. Overnight in Manang.

After a scrumptious breakfast in Manang, you will begin a relaxing hike today as it is a short walk to Yak Kharka. The walk becomes gradually challenging from Tengi village as the air begin thinning so you are advised to walk at a slower pace and frequent halts. Entering the valley of Jarsang Khola, you will continue to Gunsang, a tiny hamlet with flat-roofed mud-built houses. The trail after this small village is on a leveled path and enters into pastures and small forests where you may witness barberry and juniper forests. Grazing yaks or horses in the picturesque meadows is a common sight before crossing a small streamlet on a wooden suspension bridge. Beyond the bridge, the path leads you to an ancient Mani wall in a pleasant meadow to reach Yak Kharka, a tiny settlement. Overnight in Yak Kharka.

After breakfast and a steep climb from Yak Kharka for less than an hour, you will cross a suspension bridge and reach Letdar village. This village is also used by some trekkers as a stopping point instead of Yak Kharka. You may probably encounter a herd of yaks as you tread on the narrow valley with steep slopes along with outstanding views of Annapurna III and Gangapurna. The dreamlike beauty of multi-hued hills envelope the areas from Letdar to Thorong Phedi. After a brief climb, it is a drop down till the river whereupon you will cross a wooden bridge. From here, the path ambles with a steep ascent up the other bank to a petite teahouse. After a brief halt at the teahouse, you begin hiking across a landslide-prone area which must be crossed in a jiffy and very carefully. You will now enter Thorong Phedi after a gentle downhill ramble. This place is nothing more than a beautiful rock-strewn meadow. Overnight in Thorong Phedi.

Today is perhaps the most enlivening portion of the entire trip for which you are required to wake up early to reach Thorung La Pass, the highest pass in the world at 5416 meters. The path takes a steep course on leaving Phedi but it is well defined and easy as it is regularly used by aboriginal yak herders and mule trains since ages. You will reach a teahouse at the top of the pass after almost 4 hours of the rigorous climb, all adorned by prayer flags and a small chorten. The views of the grandiose snow-clad peaks, hills of Mustang and Kali Gandaki Valley are simply awe-inspiring. You will retrace back with gentle descend after spending some finest moments at the highest pass in the world. The downhill walk to Mustang is quite tiring and seems more demanding on your knees; nonetheless, it is highly reimbursed with tantalizing views of Dhaulagiri peaks. Finally, you will arrive at Muktinath walking along the Jhong River Valley. Muktinath is a famous pilgrimage for both Hindus and Buddhist faith-worshippers. Overnight in Muktinath.

The hike from Muktinath to Marpha would rather be a memorable one as you will be covering comparably much more distance than the previous days. So after a sumptuous breakfast at this sanctified place and a brief visit to the temples and sightseeing fling, you will begin the adventurous walk towards Ranipauwa. You will reach Eklebhatti after tumbling down the spectacular Kali Gandaki valley for almost 3 hours. During the course, you will bump into reasonable steep track walking past the gateway to the remote and baffling mountain kingdom of Upper Mustang. The trail from Eklebhatti is rather flat through the river bed and dusty canyons. Sauntering for about an hour, you will reach Jomsom, a good-looking village where you will stop for lunch. Continuing after lunch, your next destination is Marpha and the journey involves much sidestepping to evade the whirlwind of dusty flight of the passing vehicles. After a steady walk for a couple of hours against the windy afternoon, you will arrive at the famous apple capital of Nepal, a charming village of Marpha. This village is popular for the legendary apple orchards and also the locally brewed apple wine or brandy favorably named as Marpha. Overnight in Marpha.

Today is yet another long hiking day to Kalopani. So you will gulp down sufficient breakfast before kicking off from Marpha. To reach Kalopani, there are two options, either via Chokhopani village or through the Larjung route. You will tread on through the former route crossing the conventional hamlets of ethnic Thakali tribes and lots of apple gardens. You will also be greeted by 360-degree vistas of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Tukuche, Fang and the Nilgiri peaks. Walking with brisk steps, you will reach Kokhethanti village where you may rest for some time. After relaxing for a while, you will walk further ahead and cross a river and reach a newly constructed road which will lead you to Kalopani. Overnight in Kalopani.

After a hearty breakfast in Kalopani, you will lace up your boots to continue descending to lower altitude through the Kali Gandaki River Valley. To avoid the newly constructed dusty roads, you will follow the new hiking trail to Tatopani. Crossing a bridge at Ghasa and emerging into thick forests, the trail descends to lower heights continuing along Rupse Chahara, a very popular waterfall in this region. The downward trail leads you to Kopchepani via Garpar to a bridge at Dana to arrive at Narchyang Besi. Walking downhill for the major portion of the trek today, you will finally cross the river to reach Tatopani, which is illustrious for its naturally-healing hot water springs. Overnight in Tatopani.

After a fulsome breakfast in Tatopani, you will begin another mesmerizing walk leaving behind the Kali Gandaki and heading towards Ghara Khola Valley. You will pass through the quaint villages like Sikha, Phalate, and Chitre treading on through terraced fields and inclined farmlands enveloped by mountains. Rhododendron, birch and magnolia forests and some lovely meadows are some wonderful encounters en route. Some breathtaking views down the Kali Gandaki Valley and across Dhaulagiri peaks can be witnessed from the vantage point of Sikha village. The day’s experience encompasses abundant chances to observe the lifestyle of the local people inhabiting the midland villages. You will ultimately reach Ghorepani surpassing small beautiful villages, rhododendron forests and a steep uphill climb. Gorgeous views of Annapurna South, Tukuche Peak, and Hiunchuli are at their mighty best from here. Overnight in Ghorepani.

Marked as one of the remarkable highlights of the entire trip, you will begin with a pre-dawn, steep uphill climb for almost an hour through rhododendron forests till you reach the grassy top of Poon Hill. Considered to be the most popular trekking destination in the Annapurna region, the vantage point of this hill offers tantalizing views of far-off Mustang, Pokhara and over 20 highest mountains that include Dhaulagiri I, Annapurna I, Machhapuchhre and Manaslu. The most inspiring moment today would be the unperturbed and elucidated sunrise views over the Himalayas. After spending some time at Poon Hill, it is time to descend to Ghorepani for breakfast and then proceed to hike to Tadapani. Walking mostly over hilly terrain meandering through forests and village farmlands passing charming waterfalls, Tadapani lies below the rhododendron forests. Overnight in Tadapani.

From Tadapani, it is a comparatively easy and a steep downhill walk along scenic views of wildflowers and amazing mountain views. The path becomes much easier as you approach a slope settlement with stone houses that are majorly inhabited by Gurung people. This is the Ghandruk village and the spot offers mesmerizing views of Machhapuchhre, Annapurna South, and Hiunchuli peaks. Leaving behind the picturesque Ghandruk village, it is a gentle descend through Syauli Bazaar from where the trail along the Modi Khola is flat and crossing terraced farms. You will keep walking along staircases paved with stone slabs till you arrive at Birethanti along with scenic mountain views and landscapes. From here it is an easy stroll for about 30 minutes to Naya Pul from where you will drive in a private vehicle leading you to Pokhara. At your hotel in Pokhara, you may relax in leisure or walk around the city and go for a boat ride in Phewa Lake. Evening time is fun around the lakeside where you may sit in a decent bar and sip your favorite beer along with some live band playing soulful melodies. Overnight in Pokhara.

Leaving the lake city this morning after breakfast at your hotel, you will get on a road trip leading you to Kathmandu. The bus journey itself is exciting as you will observe scenic greeneries, small roadside shops, small settlements, streams, and vegetation farms on the entire trip. After an adventurous drive for around 6-7 hours, you will finally reach Kathmandu where you will be immediately transferred to your hotel room. After relaxing for a while, you may wander in the streets of Thamel for some souvenir shopping that you may want to take home with you. Rest of the evening you may relax in some cozy bar or pub, watch and enjoy live music show or grab your favorite cocktail. Overnight in Kathmandu.

You will be dropped off at the airport well ahead of your scheduled flight time by one of our representatives. If you have an evening flight, you may wish to visit certain heritage sites of Kathmandu on your own. However, if you wish to extend your holidays in Nepal, then Royal Holidays are ever ready to create another wonderful trip in the Himalayas.