Annapurna Circuit Trek

Adventure Mountain Explore Treks and Expedition welcomes you to Nepal. Upon arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), you will be greeted by one of our company representatives and transferred to the hotel booked for you in Kathmandu. Later that day (if your arrival time is before noon), or the following day, a meeting will be scheduled at the same hotel to brief you the details of your upcoming trek. In the meeting, you will also be introduced to your trekking guide, who will check your equipment. The time after the meeting can be spent at leisure. The best way, however, to make the best use of time is to explore the nearby area, buy last minute items and
explore the eatery options to buy your next meal. Overnight in a hotel in Kathmandu.

You will start this day after breakfast in Kathmandu. Your city tour guide will come to pick you around 9:30-10:00 am for the sightseeing tour of the attraction in the Kathmandu Valley. Today, out of 7 World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu, you will visit 4 of them, namely, Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath and the Kathmandu Durbar Square. If you have already visited these sites, you also have an option to visit the Patan Durbar Square, the Bhaktapur Durbar Square and one of the oldest temples in Kathmandu, Changunarayan. Moreover, if you have already visited all of these sites, you can go for a warm-up hike (day hike) to one of the hills surrounding the Kathmandu Valley. After the tour or the hike, you will be dropped back to the hotel in Kathmandu for overnight stay.
Meals: Breakfast

Located roughly 176 kilometers north-west of Kathmandu, it takes about 7 hours to reach Besisahar from Kathmandu. Therefore, the buses to Besisahar leave early in the morning. Your guide will come to pick you up from your hotel before breakfast. Carrying packed breakfast, you will drive to the bus station in Kathmandu to catch your bus to Besisahar.
Leaving Kathmandu, the bus heads west to catch the Prithvi Highway. It’s a winding highway that mostly runs along the Trisuli River. It’s a very scenic drive that continues on the Prithvi Highway till Dumre. The amphitheater-shaped terraced fields flaunting different seasonal crops, hamlets situated higher up on the hills, green hills, distant yet spectacular view of mountains, waterfalls and the roadside settlements are so interesting and scenic that you will definitely want to reach for your camera. From Dumre, leaving the highway, the road forks north to Besisahar. The bus will stop for lunch and a few short tea and toilet breaks along the way. After reaching Besisahar, you
will check into the hotel for dinner and overnight stay. If you are not tired, the settlement of Besisahar is a good place to stroll around to understand the local culture and lifestyle of the inhabitants.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

It’s the second day of the two day’s drive before the trek. Today you will drive to Chame located roughly 66 kilometers north-west of Besisahar. The journey takes about 5 hours, thus, you will hit the road early in the morning, after breakfast at the hotel. Today’s drive will be on a shared jeep and mostly on a pitted, rough and uneven road that runs along the Marsyangdi River. Leaving the Lamjung District, as you head towards Manang, gradually gaining altitude, the road grows more adventurous (the twisting and turning road grows narrow and sometimes just hangs on the cliff that is without any guardrails). The surrounding landscape also gets more picturesque (the landscape flaunts terraced farms, rivers, a number of waterfalls, green hills and a spectacular view of mountains). Leaving the semi-modern and traditional settlements of Besisahar, Bhulbhule, Ngadi, Jagat, Chyamche, Dharapanai, Bagarchhap, Timag and Koto behind, you will finally reach the district headquarter of Manang, Chame. You will also stop for lunch at one of these villages. In Chame, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight stay. You can spend the afternoon either resting at the lodge or exploring the settlement of Chame.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

This is the first day of the trek. Leaving the district headquarter, today you will head towards a more remote, but equally enchanting region of the Manang district. The hike today will be around  15 kilometers and to complete this journey, it takes roughly 5-6 hours. Today’s trail can roughly be divided into 3 major sections. First, Chame to Bhratang, is about a 1 hour 20 minutes pleasant walk that takes you past the green fields to enter a dense forest of Pine. At Bhratang, you will take a short rest at the biggest orchard in the country. You can also enjoy fresh apple juice and other apple products at the nearby cafe. Second, the walk from Bhratang to Dhikur Pokhari is more adventurous as you will continue further on an up and down trail that either hangs on or is carved on the cliff. Nevertheless, this section allows you to enjoy the views of the mesmerizing mountains, songs of the gushing river and occasional yet beautiful cascading waterfalls along the way. This up and down trail starts to grow steeper after you cross the Swargadwari bridge. Steeply ascending you will make your way through the pine forest to Dhikur Pokhari. Third, the hike from Dhikur Pokhari to Lower Pisang is relatively easy and mostly down hill. The Lower Pisang trail forks from the Upper Pisang trail shortly after leaving Dhikur Pokhari. Since your accommodation is arranged at Lower Pisang, following the Lower Pisang trail, you will continue further on a winding trail that runs parallel to the Marsyangdi River. Along the way, enjoy beautiful views of
lakes, grass fields and snow-capped slopes. About 45 minutes to a one hour walk will take you to Lower Pisang where you will check into the hotel for overnight stay. After a short rest at the lodge, you will go for your first acclimatization hike to a traditional Tibetan village located 100 meter above Lower Pisang, across the river. Stone houses with flat roofs built closely with narrow alleyways are the major characteristics of the typical Tibetan villages in Nepal, which you will experience on this hike. Navigating your way through these little pathways, you will hike all the way up to the monastery located at the top of the village to enjoy the beautiful views of the Annapurna mountains and the entire valley. After spending some quality and serene time here, you will hike down to your lode in Lower Pisang.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today is the second day of the trek and your destination is Ngawal, located roughly 10 kilometers north-west of Lower Pisang. The altitude and the distance makes this day a bit difficult, however, the views are very much rewarding. Crossing the river, leaving the Upper Pisang trail that forks east, you will continue west to Ghyaru, taking in the captivating view of the face of Annapurna II. Soon you will reach the beautiful mani wall with mani stones inscribed with mantras, which makes a perfect place to take a short break. The trail further from this point is long, tough and steeply climbs to Ghyaru on switchbacks. From Ghyaru, you can behold a magical panorama of mountains right in front of you. From Pisang Ghyaru is about a 2 hour hike. Spend some time taking in the views of the mountains from Ghyaru and then hit the trail again, heading towards
Ngawal. Leaving Ghyaru, you will continue on a path that climbs up towards a pass, which marks the highest point of the day. This place is another great place to view Annapurna II and the surrounding peaks, forested slopes and the beautiful valley below. You will now gently head down to the village of Ngawal. A 2 hour walk will take you toNgawal. In Ngawal, you will check into the lodge for overnight stay. In the evening, you can go for a short walk around the village. Overnight in a lodge in Ngawal.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

The walk today from Ngawal to Manang is fairly easy compared to the previous day’s walk. The distance you will cover today will be around 11 kilometers and the journey takes roughly 5 hours. Heading toward Manang means you are heading towards much drier parts of the trek. The higher you get, the landscape changes more -fewer trees, deeper cliffs and the villages also grow smaller. Ngawal presents a few trail options to get to Manang. After breakfast in Ngawal, leaving the road that drops down to Humde, and following another trekking trail that heads through a quarry and down into the valley. Then following the snaking path that runs through the forest you will continue to Braga, which is the last village before Manang. You can also visit the stupa built on the side of the road. If you are planning Ice Lake acclimatization the next day, you can also choose to stay in this village. However, if you are planning acclimatization around Manang, you will trek to Manang, located roughly 2 kilometers from Braga, following the flat trail that runs along the river. Once in Manang, you will check into the lodge. Manang is one of the biggest towns on the trek and has some of the best facilities- the lodges are bigger, rooms are spacious with more amenities. The town also features cafes where you can enjoy freshly brewed coffee, cakes and bakery items. You can also explore the settlement of Manang in the afternoon. Overnight in a lodge in Manang.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Since you will be gaining around 2000 meters of altitude in the following three days, even if you do not feel any symptoms of altitude by the time you reach Manang, an acclimatization day here is very important. Altitude sickness can hit at any point, if you do not prepare yourself to cross the Thorung La pass. To prepare yourself your guide will take you for acclimatization hikes as per your choice. Some of these hikes are nearby and only take you around 200 to 500 meters higher than the town of Manang. These are the hikes to Gangapurna Lake View Point, a monastery located atop the settlement of Braga as well as the 100 lama monastery. However, if you are looking for a longer or a full day acclimatization hike, your guide will take you to Ice Lake (Kicho
Tal). This hike will take you to the altitude of around 4600 meters, the distance is about 16 kilometers and it takes around 10-12 hours to complete the journey. You will then go back to the hotel for overnight stay.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Your destination today is Ledar and you will start your journey after breakfast in Manang. Ledar is located roughly 11 kilometers north-west of Manang and it takes about 6 hours to complete this journey. Starting at 3,450 meters, you will hike to the altitude of 4,200 meters, gaining the elevation of 750 meters. Leaving the town of Manang, you will climb above the town and continue your hike first to Ghusang, then to Yak Kharka and then to Ledar. Most of the elevation gain (about 400 meters) today is up till Ghusang, therefore, it’s a bit challenging. But the scenery - the views of the mountains, meandering river that goes through the valley and distant view of the lake, green slopes where the yaks graze- throughout is incredible. In Ghusang, you can enjoy cafe, fill up your water bottles and also take a short toilet break. Continuing after the break, you will now head towards Yak Kharka. The path levels out with only a few usual ups and downs, but starts to grow narrower and the distant view of the snow- capped peaks grow more spectacular making this stretch one of the beautiful sections of the Annapurna Circuit Trek. Additionally, this is a no vehicle zone, which makes it even more exciting to trek as your concentration will only be on the views and the tails. Soon you will reach Yak Kharka. About 20 to 30 minutes (roughly 1 kilometer) walk further will take you to Ledar, which lies across the bridge. You will check into the lodge in Ledar for dinner and overnight stay.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today you will be presented with two night-stay options: Thorung Phedi located roughly 5 kilometers north of Ledar and the High Camp located further 1 kilometer north of Thorung Phedi. Regardless of the location you choose, you will reach there around noon time, will have a free afternoon and spend the night at the highest location of the trek and the last place in the Manang district. Leaving after breakfast in Ledar, following the trail that runs parallel to Kone River, you
will hike down to the bridge to cross the river. The rugged alpine terrain around is very scenic and you can stop at different spots to capture the scenic beauty in your camera. After crossing the bridge, a steep upward hike will take you to a small tea shop, where most people choose to take a brief rest, before proceeding further. The trail further is on a landslide area, therefore, you need to cross the section very carefully. Please follow the instructions given by the guide. About half an hour hike on this section on a snaking trail and soon you will reach Thorung Phedi. The journey takes about 2-3 hours. If you are planning to stay at the High Camp to make the following day short, it is only a kilometer north of Thorung Phedi and requires an additional 1 to 1.5 hour walk. The hike is mostly on a zigzag trail that runs steeply up to the High Camp. The trail is mostly covered with loose rocks. Overnight in a lodge either in Thorung Phedi, or the High Camp. At this altitude the oxygen level in the air might go down to 55%, therefore, you might feel difficulty in breathing, your resting heart rate might increase and you might feel overly weary. Since you are starting early in the morning the next day, you will have an early dinner and go to bed early.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today is the longest and the most challenging day of this trek, as you will hike to the highest point of the trek, Thorung La Pass at 5,416 meters from Phedi or the high camp and hike all the way down to Muktinath. The distance is about 15 kilometers and the journey takes about 9-10 hours.
Depending on the place you’ve stayed the previous day, your guide will give you the time to start the trek. The point is to reach the top before 10:00am to save yourself from the violent wind that blows around noon. If your night stop the previous day was Thorung Phedi, start around 4 am and if it was the High Camp, start around 5 am.bAbout 4 hours (roughly 4 kilometers) of uphill walk from the High Camp will take you to the pass marked by colorful prayer flags. The climb is steep and has to be done mostly on a single file. You will spend some time at the pass, enjoy breakfast and tea, take in the beautiful surrounding view and then continue your journey to Muktinath, leaving the Manang district behind. The walk from Thorung La Pass to Muktinath is all downhill on a zigzagging mountain path that is sometimes covered by snow, mud or even loose
gravel. It’s about an 11 kilometers hike and takes about 5 hours. In Muktinath, you will check into the lodge, take a hot shower and spend the time enjoying the cafes and bakeries. You can also visit the main temple of Muktinath and the Buddhist stupa if you still have the energy. Overnight in a lodge in Muktinath.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lubra Village is one of the hidden treasures of the lower Mustang. The village still follows and preserves pure Bon religion, a religion originated in certain regions of Tibet and followed by people for centuries, before the introduction of Buddhism. Incorporating Buddhism and Shamanism, people who follow the Bon religion worship nature-based deities. Believed to have been established around the late 12th century, the village still houses only about 14 families. However, this village is a great place to get insight on Bonism. Therefore, following this alternate route you will hike down to Jomsom via Lubra. You will start the day after breakfast in Muktinath. Then following the Lubra trail you will hike down to the village of Lubra, located at the bank of Panda Khola. On the way you will also cross the Lubra Pass and enjoy the mesmerizing view of the surrounding peaks. The village is located roughly 7 kilometers south-west of Muktinath and the hike takes about 3 hours. Once in the village, you will explore the settlement, the monastery
and the temple to better understand Bonism. You will then hike down to the bridge and drive to Jomsom, which takes an additional 1 hour. You will take a short rest in Jomsom and then drive to Tatopani, where you will check into the lodge for overnight stay. In Tatopani, you will visit the natural hot spring at the bank of the river to take a relaxing dip and soothe your tired muscles.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Breakfast at the lodge and your journey to Ghorepani begins. From Tatopani, up till Sikha, you will take a shared jeep. It’s about a 9 kilometers drive and will be completed in about 2 hours. This drive from Tatopani takes you past Ghara to Shikha. Hike to Ghorepani begins shortly after reaching Shikha. Although the distance is only about 6 kilometers, the steepness of the trail makes the hike very long and difficult. Most of this hike is on a steeply ascending stone step trail. As you approach Ghorepani, you will come across a gare that welcomes trekkers entering Ghorepani from its northern end. Even from the gate, the actual settlement of Ghorepani is still a long hike on stone steps. Once in Ghorepani, you will check into the lodge and spend the remaining day at leisure and call in an early night as the next day you are going to wake up and hike to Poon Hill for mountain sunrise view from the best lookout in the entire Annapurna
region.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Poon Hill is considered one of the prime locations in the entire Annapurna region to behold the mountain sunrise. You can see a series of prominent peaks that make the Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna range. Dhaulagiri, Tukuche, Thapa Peak, Nilgiri-South, Central and North, Tilicho Peak, Patal Hiunchuli, Annapurna South, Baraha Shikhar Chuli, Annapurna I, Singu Chuli, Tharpu Chuli, Tare Kang, Gangapurna, Annapurna III, Gandarwa Chuli, Machhapuchhre, Mardi Himal, Annapurna IV, Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal to name a few. The glory of these peaks during sunrise is just different. However, to enjoy this view, you will have to wake up one hour before sunrise and hike to the viewpoint located atop the hill. Spend some time enjoying the view and get back to the lodge for breakfast. After breakfast, leaving Ghorepani, you will get back on the trail to hike to Tadapani, located roughly 9 kilometers east of Ghorepani. The trail now enters the soothing forest of Rhododendron. Before approaching the Deurali pass the hike is simply a walk in the park. However, the stone step trail grows much steeper as you approach the Deurali Pass, the highest point of the day. The top, however, presents another magnificent view of the mountains. The section onward is a paradise for bird lovers. From the pass, it’s roughly 3 hours treacherous downhill and then one hour uphill through the forest of Rhododendron, before the trail levels out. You will stop for lunch at Deurali. After about a 6 hour walk, you will finally reach Tadapani. You will check into the lodge in Tadapani for an overnight stay.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Enjoy breakfast while viewing the striking Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre from Tadapani, before hitting the trail today. Today you will trek to Ghandruk, a very authentic Gurung (ethnic group in Nepal) village that lies approximately 5.5 kilometers south-east of Tadapani. Most part of the trail today is downhill on stone steps that goes through the forest of rhododendron and Oak. About 3 hour’s easy and pleasant walk will take you to the beautiful settlement of Ghandruk. A walk around this village will give you insight on the settlement, lifestyle, housing style, culture, religion and tradition of the Gurung people. Therefore, after reaching the village, you will check into the lodge and after a short rest set out to explore the village. If you are interested you can also dress in a typical Gurung attire and do the photoshoot. Moreover, on request, in the evening,
a typical Gurung cultural program can be arranged to introduce you to their music, songs and dances. Overnight in a lodge in Ghandruk.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Before starting your journey to Pokhara you will have your breakfast at the lodge in Ghandruk. Then leaving Ghandruk, you will catch a shared jeep to Pokhara from the jeep station in Ghandruk (private jeep can be arranged at extra cost). Ghandruk to Pokhara is about 2-3 hours drive. It’s a very scenic drive. Once in Pokhara, you will be dropped off at the hotel booked for you, which will mostly be around the lake area (unless you have a special preference). Check into the hotel and spend the remaining time at leisure. Overnight in a hotel in Pokhara.
Meals: Breakfast

This day is a free day in Pokhara. Breakfast today will be at the hotel. After breakfast, the best way to spend the day is to explore the attractions in Pokhara. Some of the major attractions include Pumdikot, World Peace Pagoda, Gupteshwor Cave, Bat Cave,Mahendra Cave, David’s Fall and the Mountaineering Museum. Around afternoon and evening, you can go on a boat ride in the Phewa Lake. Overnight in a hotel in Pokhara.

If you want to spend the day doing the adventure activities like paragliding, zip lining, hot air balloon ride, rafting or even ultralight flight, we can make the required arrangements at extra cost.
Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel and your guide will transfer you to the tourist bus station to catch your bus to Kathmandu. You will drive to Kathmandu in a very comfortable luxury tourist bus. The drive is on the Prithvi Highway and the road time is roughly 7 hours (if the road condition is good and is not affected by the highway traffic). In Kathmandu, the bus will drop you off at the tourist bus station from where your guide will transfer you to the hotel booked for you in Kathmandu. In the evening, one of the company representatives will meet you for farewell dinner and feedback. Overnight in a hotel in Kathmandu.
If you prefer flying to driving, we can also arrange a flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu (extra charges will be applicable). If you are flying, you will be transferred to the airport from your hotel as per the airport reporting time in a private vehicle in Pokhara. From the airport in Kathmandu, you will be transferred to the hotel booked for you in Kathmandu. You can check into the hotel and spend the time before dinner doing your own things.
Meals: Breakfast and Farewell Dinner

Today is the last day of your trip in Nepal with Adventure Mountain Explore Treks and Expedition. Therefore, as per your airport reporting time, an airport transfer vehicle will be arranged to transfer you from your hotel to the airport, ending your trip with us.
Meals: Breakfast