Drive from Kathmandu into the Marsyangdi valley, then walk up through the Tibetan-style villages of Manang, cross Thorong La at 5,416 m to the temple town of Muktinath and finish down the Kali Gandaki to Jomsom for the flight to Pokhara.
Drive from Kathmandu into the Marsyangdi valley, then walk up through the Tibetan-style villages of Manang, cross Thorong La at 5,416 m to the temple town of Muktinath and finish down the Kali Gandaki to Jomsom for the flight to Pokhara.
The Annapurna Circuit climbs the Marsyangdi valley on the east side of the Annapurna massif, crosses Thorong La at 5,416 m and drops into the Kali Gandaki valley in Mustang. Over a little more than a week on foot you pass from pine forest and terraced barley fields to the dry, wind-cut country of Manang and Mustang, with Annapurna II, Annapurna III, Gangapurna and, on the far side of the pass, Dhaulagiri in view.
Jeep roads now reach Manang on the east side and Muktinath on the west, so the lower valley is mostly road. We drive the long, dusty lower section from Kathmandu via Besisahar to Dharapani on the first day and start walking where the trail leaves the road and the scenery changes, from Dharapani up to Chame. From Upper Pisang we take the high trail through Ghyaru and Ngawal rather than the valley road, which gives the best mountain views of the trek and a useful climb-high, sleep-low day before Manang.
The pacing is built around Thorong La. You spend a full rest day in Manang at 3,540 m with a short hike higher up, then two short days to Yak Kharka and Thorong Phedi so you sleep no more than about 500 m higher each night. Pass day starts before dawn: a steady climb of roughly 1,000 m to the prayer flags on Thorong La, then a long, knee-testing descent of about 1,600 m to Muktinath.
The last walking day follows the old trading route down past Jharkot and the walled village of Kagbeni to Jomsom, where we stay the night before the short morning flight through the Kali Gandaki gorge to Pokhara. Lodges along the whole route are simple but well run, with hot showers in most villages up to Manang and dining rooms heated by a stove in the evening.
This trek suits fit walkers who are comfortable with five to seven hours on foot for several days in a row. No technical skills are needed in the main season, but Thorong La day is long and hard: around 1,000 m of ascent in thin air followed by about 1,600 m of descent, usually eight hours or more. Previous multi-day hiking helps, and experience at altitude is useful but not required. Start training two to three months before you travel: regular hill walks or stair sessions carrying a 5 to 7 kg pack, building to back-to-back days of five to six hours, plus cardio three or four times a week and some leg strength work for the descents. Walking poles take a lot of strain off the knees on the way down to Muktinath. If you have a heart or lung condition, check with your doctor before booking.
We leave Kathmandu early and follow the Trishuli and Marsyangdi rivers to Besisahar, the district headquarters of Lamjung, in a private vehicle. There we switch to a jeep for the rough road up the Marsyangdi gorge past Bhulbhule, Jagat and Tal to Dharapani, where the Manang valley opens up. It is a long day of eight to ten hours on the road, so bring snacks and a buff for the dust.
The walking starts with a steady climb through pine and fir forest past Bagarchhap and Danaqyu, with the trail and the road crossing several times. Beyond Timang you get the first close views of Manaslu behind you and Lamjung Himal and Annapurna II ahead. Chame is the district headquarters of Manang, with shops, a bank and small hot springs by the river.
We follow the Marsyangdi through apple orchards and forest to Bhratang, then pass under the huge curved rock face of Paungda Danda, a slab of rock rising about 1,500 m above the river. The valley widens past Dhukur Pokhari, and we climb to Upper Pisang, an old stone village with a gompa looking straight across at Annapurna II.
We take the high trail rather than the valley road. A steep zigzag climb brings you to Ghyaru at 3,730 m, with Annapurna II, Annapurna IV and Annapurna III lined up across the valley. The trail then contours past chortens and mani walls to Ngawal and drops through Bhraka to Manang, the main village of the upper valley. Reaching 3,730 m and sleeping lower in Manang is good preparation for the days ahead.
We stay a second night in Manang to let your body adjust before going higher. In the morning your guide leads a short hike above the village to the Gangapurna Lake viewpoint and Chongkor, at about 3,900 m, with Gangapurna's glacier and the Annapurna III range in front of you. The afternoon is free to rest, visit the Himalayan Rescue Association's free altitude talk in season, or browse the bakeries and gear shops.
We leave the Marsyangdi and turn north-west up the Jarsang Khola valley, passing the village of Tenki and climbing gently above the tree line onto open grazing land. It is a short day by design, gaining about 500 m. Yak Kharka is a small cluster of lodges on the hillside, with views back to Gangapurna and Annapurna III and often yaks grazing nearby.
A short climb brings us to Ledar, then the trail crosses the river on a suspension bridge and follows a narrow path along a scree slope to Thorong Phedi. Your guide will move the group steadily through the scree section, where small stones can fall. We arrive by lunchtime, rest in the afternoon and go to bed early for the pass.
We start by headtorch around 4 or 5 am with a steep climb to High Camp, then a long, steady ascent over a series of false summits to the prayer flags and tea hut on Thorong La at 5,416 m. After photos we begin a descent of about 1,600 m on loose, steep ground to Charabu and on to Muktinath, with Dhaulagiri coming into view across the Kali Gandaki. It is the hardest day of the trek, usually eight hours or more, and walking poles make a big difference on the way down.
In the morning we visit the Muktinath temple complex, with its 108 water spouts and the Jwala Mai shrine where a natural gas flame burns beside a spring. We then walk down through the old village of Jharkot to Kagbeni, a walled settlement of mud-brick houses at the gateway to Upper Mustang, and follow the wide gravel bed of the Kali Gandaki south to Jomsom. The afternoon wind up the valley can be strong, so we aim to be past Kagbeni by midday.
An early morning flight of about 20 minutes takes you down the Kali Gandaki gorge between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna I to Pokhara. We transfer you to your hotel by the lakeside, and the rest of the day is free. If cloud or wind cancels the flight, we drive you to Pokhara by jeep the same day.
Permits we arrange: Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP)
You sleep above 3,500 m for five nights and cross Thorong La at 5,416 m. The rest day in Manang and the two short days to Yak Kharka and Thorong Phedi are there to help you adjust, and the high trail through Ghyaru on day 4 takes you to 3,730 m before you sleep lower in Manang. Your guide checks your oxygen saturation and symptoms every evening. Mild headache and poor sleep are normal; a worsening headache, vomiting, confusion or breathlessness at rest mean you go down, and on this route that can mean walking back to Manang or a jeep from Manang. Drink three to four litres of water a day and skip alcohol until after the pass.
We leave Thorong Phedi around 4 or 5 am so we are over the pass before the wind picks up in the late morning. The trail is well marked in the main seasons but can be under snow from December to March and after autumn storms; in October 2014 a late-season blizzard caught hundreds of trekkers near the pass and dozens died. Your guide watches the forecast from Manang onwards and will hold the group at Thorong Phedi or turn back if conditions are unsafe. In winter we bring microspikes for the icy sections.
Flights from Jomsom to Pokhara take about 20 minutes and only operate in the morning, because strong winds blow up the Kali Gandaki valley from late morning. Cloud or wind can cancel them. If the flight is off, we drive you to Pokhara by jeep the same day, which takes most of the day on a rough road through Beni. Keep a spare day in your plans after the trek before an international flight.
Carry enough Nepali rupees from Kathmandu for the whole trek. There is a bank in Chame, but ATMs on the circuit are unreliable and the next dependable ones are in Jomsom. Expect to pay extra for hot showers, battery charging and wifi in the upper villages, and prices for food and drinks rise the higher you go. A power bank is useful for the nights at Yak Kharka and Thorong Phedi.
The whole circuit lies inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, and you need the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP). For foreign nationals it costs NPR 3,000, and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals. We arrange it before the trek, so we need a copy of your passport and a passport photo when you book. Your guide shows it at the checkposts, including Dharapani, Manang and Jomsom; keep your passport with you.
Plastic bottles are hard to carry out of Manang and Mustang. Bring a refillable bottle and a filter or purification tablets, or buy treated water at the refill stations in larger villages. Your guide will collect your litter and carry it out to where it can be disposed of.
Everything is yours to bring, except items marked “We provide” or “Rent locally”.
Thermal base layers, top and bottom
Two sets
Fleece or light insulated jacket
Down jacketWe provide
On loan; essential for the pass morning and evenings above Manang
Waterproof and windproof shell jacket
Trekking trousers
Two pairs, one of them warm enough for pass day
Quick-dry trekking shirts
Three or four
Warm hat and sun hat
Liner gloves and insulated windproof gloves
Thorong La can be well below freezing at dawn
Buff or neck gaiter
For wind and dust on the Mustang side
Broken-in waterproof trekking boots with ankle support
Trekking socks
Four or five pairs
Light shoes or sandals for the lodge
MicrospikesWe provide
We bring them when there is snow or ice on the pass
Sleeping bag rated to about -15 °CWe provide
On loan; nights at Thorong Phedi are cold
Trekking polesRent locally
Strongly recommended for the descent to Muktinath
Daypack of 25 to 35 litres
Headtorch with spare batteries
Pass day starts in the dark
Water bottles or bladder, 2 to 3 litres
Water filter or purification tablets
Power bank
Sunglasses with UV protection
Category 3 or 4 for snow on the pass
Sunscreen SPF 50 and lip balm
Personal medication and blister kit
Ask your doctor about acetazolamide for altitude
Hand sanitiser and toilet paper
Passport with at least six months' validity
Needed at permit checkposts
Travel insurance details
Must cover trekking to 5,500 m and helicopter evacuation
Cash in Nepali rupees for the trek
We grade it challenging. Most days are three to seven hours on good trails, but Thorong La day is eight hours or more with about 1,000 m of climbing to 5,416 m and then about 1,600 m of descent. If you can walk five to six hours on hilly ground for several days in a row, and you train for the pass day, you will manage it.
Yes. Jeep roads run up the Marsyangdi valley to Manang and from Muktinath down to Jomsom, so only the section around Thorong La is still road-free. That is why we drive the lower valley to Dharapani and walk from there, and why we use the high trail through Ghyaru and Ngawal instead of the road between Pisang and Manang. Above Manang you walk on footpaths all the way to Muktinath.
Almost everyone crosses from Manang to Muktinath. From Thorong Phedi at 4,450 m the climb to the pass is about 1,000 m, and you have had several nights in Manang and above to adjust. From the Muktinath side you would need to climb about 1,600 m in a day from 3,800 m, which is harder and riskier for altitude sickness.
Thorong Phedi at 4,450 m, the night before the pass. Some groups go on to High Camp, about an hour higher, but we sleep at Phedi to keep the height gain from Yak Kharka small and leave from there before dawn.
Your guide checks everyone each evening. If symptoms are mild, we may add a rest day at Manang or Yak Kharka. If they get worse, that person goes down with a member of our team, by jeep from Manang if needed, while the rest of the group continues with the guide. Helicopter evacuation is available in serious cases, which is why your insurance must cover it.
Himalayan Trek Quest runs this trek fully guided, with a licensed guide and porters. On pass day in particular, a guide who knows the trail and watches the weather and your condition makes a real difference.
Yes. From Manang a side trip to Tilicho Lake at 4,919 m adds three days: Manang to Shree Kharka, Tilicho Base Camp and the lake, then back across to Yak Kharka to rejoin the route. It also helps with acclimatisation before Thorong La. Ask us when you book.
October and November give the clearest skies and settled weather, and March to May is the next best, with warmer days and rhododendrons lower down. December to February is possible but cold, and snow can close Thorong La for days. June to September is monsoon: the Manang and Mustang sides are drier, but the drive in can be blocked by landslides and the Jomsom flights are often cancelled.
We drive you to Pokhara by jeep the same day, which takes most of the day through Beni. If the road is blocked, we wait in Jomsom for the next flight. Leave at least one spare day after the trek before your international flight home.
Annapurna Circuit Trek
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