Annapurna Circuit Trek

-  Lunch and dinner during your Kathmandu stay

-  Additional accommodation in Kathmandu or Pokhara for various reasons

-  Personal expenses include wifi, hot water, hot shower, battery charge, additional trek porter, soft drinks, meals other than the main course, etc.

-  Helicopter rescue whenever needed (backed by your travel insurance)

-  Loss, theft, or damage of personal belongings (backed by your travel insurance)

-  Private vehicle transportation ( we only provide shared transportation except on the Kathmandu sightseeing tour)

Since it's a long day of driving, you'll start early with a 5 am drive from Kathmandu to Besisahar. Based on the group size, we'll provide a private vehicle transfer or a shared jeep to Besisahar.

With breakfast en route, you'll have lunch in a restaurant in Besisahar.

From Besisahar, you'll take a shared or private jeep ride to Dharapani. Following the adventurous cliff-faced road along Marshyangdi, you'll reach Dharapani in five hours.

Upon reaching Dharapani, you'll settle in at Hotel Gurkha Inn, the best lodge in the town.

The beautiful walk to Koto begins after breakfast at the lodge in Dharapani.

Twenty minutes after leaving Dharapani, you'll arrive at the ACAP Permit checkpost. Here, your trek guide validates the trekking permit.

You'll then trek to Bagarchap and Danaque before ascending to Timang. The trail between Dharapani and Danaque is adjacent to the Marshyangdi River, so the walk will be serene and scenic.

The trail to Timang winds up and can get tiring. However, once you reach Timang, the beautiful sight of Mt. Manaslu appears. And with the view of this eighth-highest mountain, you'll have lunch. How cool does this sound?

After lunch, you'll trek along the road to Koto. The trail is almost flat until Koto.

Edging Koto, the beautiful sight of Lamjung Himal appears. The panoramic sight of Lamjung Himal and the comfortable walk through the pine forest soothe the fatigue.

You'll settle in at Step In Hotel and Restaurant in Koto, which is among the best in the town.

The most beautiful, scenic, and longest day is from Koto to Upper Pisang. You'll trek 14 kilometers in 6-7 hours without significant tiredness, as most sections en route are flat.

As usual, you'll start the trek with breakfast at the tea house.

Leaving Koto, the first thing you'll embrace is the cold breeze from Lamjung Himal.

Thirty minutes from Koto is Chame, the district headquarters of Manang. It's a small yet beautiful town, separated by cascading Marshyangdi River.

You'll cross a bridge, trek along Marshyangdi, and stop at Barthang, the home to Manang Wine and the largest apple orchard in Asia. Here, you'll stop for brunch and an apple orchard tour.

Past Barthang, you'll cross a suspension bridge and trek through the pine forest to Dhikur Pokhari. On the backdrop to Dhikur Pokhari sits a humungous hill, Sworgadwari, the gate to heaven.

For lunch, you'll stop at a rooftop restaurant in Dhikur Pokhari.

Past Dhikur Pokhari, you'll trek on a flat surface, cross a bridge, again trek on a flat surface, and gradually ascend to Upper Pisang. En route, you'll get a picturesque glimpse of Mt. Annapurna II.

Upon reaching Upper Pisang, you'll settle in at a tea house for overnight accommodation.

Morning at Upper Pisang begins with a crisp sight of Annapurna II and III from your bedroom window. The majestic view of mountains and serene Lower Pisang makes your morning elegant.

Breakfast at the tea house fuels you for the long day walk to Manang.

You'll trek for 30 minutes from Upper Pisang and arrive at Green Lake. It's among the day's attractions, and you'll visit this beautiful lake.

From Green Lake, you'll trek for thirty more minutes to the chhortens.

You'll cross a bridge and ascend to Ghyaru, a small yet beautiful hamlet. It can take one and a half hours to climb to Ghyaru.

Past Ghyaru, the route to Ngawal is easy as it's off-road with occasional motorcycles passing by.

You'll stop for lunch in Ngawal.

Past Ngawal, the walk becomes comfortable and more scenic. The route is a motor road until Manang. You'll walk through pine forests until Bhraka.

Manang from Baraka is a 30-minute walk.

You'll settle in at Hotel Mountain Lake View in Manang, among the best lodges in the town.

Acclimatization in Manang is a must before continuing the trek further to Yak Kharka. At 3,600 meters, stopping for acclimatization is best for adequate rest and adaptation to the altitude.

There are a few places around Manang for the acclimatization hike.

First, the easy ones with short hikes are Gangapurna Lake and Viewpoint, South of Manang. Both these places are scenic and easy to reach.

Second, you can hike to the monastery, a few hundred meters above Manang. Unlike Gangapurna and the Viewpoint, walking to the monastery can get wholesome on a clear weather day. The picturesque sight of Annapurna II, III, IV, and Gangapurna makes your acclimatization hike the best.

The third option, the Ice Lake hike, is not recommended, but you can try it. Only a few trekkers on the acclimatization day trek to Ice Lake. However, it takes an entire day to complete the hike.

You'll start the acclimatization hike with breakfast and return to the tea house for lunch and dinner. During the day, you can refresh with a hot water shower at the tea house.

You'll begin the scenic and adventurous walk to Ledar after breakfast at the tea house in Manang. Entirely on today, you'll have a comfortable walk.

You'll reach Yak Kharka in an hour's gradual walk from Manang. The trekking route to Yak Kharka is flat and easy to trek on.

At a tea house in Yak Kharka, you'll stop for lunch. Also, you'll stop for one more hour at the tea house for rest before leaving for Ledar.

One hour of walking from Yak Kharka takes you to Ledar, a beautiful hamlet beneath Chulu Mountain. Before reaching Ledar, you'll cross a suspension bridge.

You'll settle in at Trekkers Lodge and Restaurant in Ledar, the brand-new and best tea house in the region.

Today's walk is the shortest in the Annapurna Circuit Trek. You'll walk 4.2 kilometers in just three hours. During the day, you'll rest for the next morning's Thorong La Pass ascend.

You'll leave the tea house with breakfast. The walk will be comfortable, with very few steep sections. One hour from Ledar takes you to a rest place with a seasonal tea house. Here, you'll stop for thirty minutes.

One hour slow walk from here takes you to Thorong Phedi. You'll descend to a suspension bridge and ascend to the tea house in Thorong Phedi.

Note: We always make our clients stop at Thorong Phedi for reasons like altitude sickness, crowd of trekkers, etc. During the season, Thorong High Camp remains very busy. Also, climbing to Thorong High Camp often puts you at risk of altitude sickness.

You'll settle in at New Phedi Guest House for lunch, dinner, and overnight accommodation.

Today's the day you finally cross Thorong La Pass, the highlight of 13 days of Annapurna Circuit Trek.

You'll start the trek at 3 am. In an hour of leaving Thorong Phedi, you'll reach the high camp. And the next one hour from high camp takes you to a seasonal tea house where you'll stop for tea and biscuits.

The route to Thorong La Pass winds up with gradual ascends until the pass. You'll see the amazingly beautiful Chulu and Annapurna mountains on the backdrop. Plus, Damodar Himal appears fantastic.

You'll experience a warm sunrise while edging to the pass. The warmth of sunrise and the joy of conquering the Thorong La Pass excite the moment at the top.

After some photographs and quality time, you'll descend to Muktinath. Two hours from the pass takes you to Phedi. And 30 more minutes from Phedi takes you to Muktinath Temple.

You can take a 180-spout water bath here if you like. Otherwise, you'll walk further to the lodge and settle in for lunch, dinner, and overnight accommodation.

After the tiring trek, you deserve some good relaxation, right? We've got you covered. Today, you'll take a 4-hour drive from Muktinath to Tatopani Hot Spring and stop overnight.

After leaving Muktinath, you'll reach Jomsom, a beautiful town in Mustang. Twenty minutes from Jomsom is Marpha, the apple orchard valley, where you'll take a good tour.

Past Marpha, you'll drive to Tato Pani Hot Spring. And upon reaching Tatopani, you'll settle in at a hotel. And with a short rest, you'll visit the hot water pool.

To make the most of the day, we suggest you invite your trek guide and porter for a beer and hot water pool bath.

After breakfast at the lodge in Tatopani, you'll ascend to Ghorepani. The trail ascends east to Kali Gandaki River.

You'll trek through a dense pine, oak, and birch forest. You'll come across Sikha and Chitre, the beautiful hamlets. Moreover, the route progresses through the terrace farmlands and beautiful vantage points.

The trail between Tatopani and Ghorepani becomes best in March-April with multicolored rhododendron blossom.

The distance being quite long and more uphill, you'll trek for 6-7 hours today.

Upon reaching Ghorepani, you'll be transferred to the tea house. You'll be accommodated in Hotel Sunny, the best in the town.

Probably, the last day on the trek will be today's walk. In the morning, you'll hike to Poon Hill Vantage Point for the sunrise. From Poon Hill, you'll experience the elegant sunrise over Annapurnas, Dhaulagiri, and Machhapuchhre.

You'll hike to the tea house for breakfast.

After breakfast, you'll prepare to trek to Hile via Ulleri. And from Hile, you'll take a jeep ride to Pokhara.

Upon reaching Pokhara, you'll get a hotel transfer.

You'll take a bus drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu. It'll be an A/C bus with a sofa seat for your comfort.

If you prefer convenience, you can fly from Pokhara to Kathmandu. The flight costs USD 100-110 and is excluded from the trek cost.

Upon reaching Kathmandu, you'll get a hotel transfer by taxi.

You must send at least 30% of the total trek cost as a confirmation fee. Once you transfer the amount, we'll send you a confirmation message regarding the trek.

We'll send you our bank account details once you're ready to transfer the trek confirmation fee.

Note: You may be subject to service charges while transferring funds to Nepali Bank. The service charge won't count in the 30% trek confirmation fee.

Absolutely. If you fail to join Annapurna Circuit Trek and wish other trekking, you can use the trek confirmation fee as a credit for other trekking. For example, you can use the trek booking fee for Everest Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Base Camp Trek, and more.

Note: Your booking confirmation remains unchanged. After transferring the credit for other trekking, you must pay the total trek cost minus the credit amount.

Yes. We have different refund policies regarding the trek cancelation.

Here's how our refund policy works:

• 50% refund upon canceling the trek a month before
• 25% refund upon canceling the trek a week before
• No refund upon canceling the trek within a week of the trek
• No refund upon canceling the trek after starting it for reasons

Note: The deductions include the administrative fees, hotel reservations, and trekking permits (if we purchase before you cancel the trek)

Yes. You'll get a complimentary airport pickup upon your arrival in Kathmandu.

Our airport representative at the arrivals welcomes you. You'll see your name card for easy identification.

You'll get a hotel transfer by taxi shortly.

Yes. A video presentation will be there for you in the hotel's lobby. You'll meet with our trek manager and your guide in person.

Also, today's the day you pay the trek fee, excluding the booking confirmation fee.

The trek briefing session runs for 30 minutes where you'll get insights about the trekking.

Absolutely. Thamel, being a tourist hub, you'll find everything, including the premium trekking gear.

You can buy Nepal-made, budget-friendly trekking gear in most trekking gear shops in Thamel. Also, you have premium choices like The North Face, Columbia, Black Yak, and La Sportiva.

We partnered with Gorkha Athletics, a popular sportswear in Nepal. Their windshield pullovers, joggers, t-shirts, hoodies, and shorts are of premium quality at the best price.

Sure. We'll reserve the Jomsom-Pokhara flight tickets if you want a flight on your return to Pokhara.

Jomsom to Pokhara on a drive takes at least six hours, whereas the flight is just 20 minutes. Considering the time and comfort, the flight seems comfortable.

Also, flying from Jomsom to Pokhara, you can fly to Kathmandu on the same day, saving a day.

Note: The flight price is not included in the trek cost.

No. The tea houses in Nepal don't have internal heating and insulation. However, they provide a cozy room with thick mattresses and warm blankets. And some tea houses let you use heated blankets at USD 10 per night.

Thus, we recommend you carry a -10˚C rated sleeping bag for extra warmth. The higher elevations, in particular, often get cold during the night.

Yes. All the tea houses in Annapurna Circuit provide wifi service to the trekkers. The best part of trekking in Annapurna Circuit is that you don't have to pay for wifi throughout the trek.

The tea houses provide gas geysers hot showers, which cost Rs. 200-300. Compared to other trekking in Nepal, the hot shower is inexpensive.

We suggest you not take a hot water shower past Manang as you might get a cold and cough.

The tea houses provide hot drinking water. You'll have options to buy a cup, a small pot, or a large pot of hot water. Depending on the elevation, you need to pay at least Rs. 500 for small and Rs. 700 for large pots of hot water.

Yes. Electricity is available till Thorong Phedi. It allows you to recharge your phone, battery, and other devices.

It's not easy getting a private room for accommodation during the season as the tea house remains fully occupied. However, if available, we'll request the tea house for a private room for you.

Note: You may have to pay extra money for a private room.

100%. Even the higher places like Manang have a road connection. Due to this, the tea houses get fresh supplies from Besisahar each day. Thus, every meal the tea house serves on this trek is fresh and hygienic.

The tea houses employ professional chefs for the season. Also, while preparing meals, the tea house practices some degree of hygiene in the kitchen to ensure that all the meals meet the standards.

You'll get three meals a day that include breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each main course includes one meal item. Thus, you must pay if you want additional meals.

Likewise, you'll get one hot drink in the breakfast. Thus, you must pay for every hot drink other than breakfast.

You'll get one hot drink for breakfast and one for either lunch or dinner. Thus, you need to pay for every additional hot drink.

Also, if you wish to drink hot water, you must pay accordingly.

Yes. You'll get vegetarian meals on this trek.

The meal menu includes vegetarian meals, and you can choose any from it. Also, the tea house prepares vegetarian and non-veg meals separately.

Yes. Every tea house provides safe drinking water.

If you prefer drinking cold water, we highly recommend you buy a mineral water bottle at Rs. 200-300 at max. Also, you can use a water filter or water purification tablets.

However, you must pay Rs. 400-500 per liter at the tea house for hot drinking water. It's safe to drink. You can leave the hot water overnight and let it cool for the next day if you prefer drinking cold water.

No. We strictly prohibit our clients from consuming alcoholic beverages on the trek. The primary reason for this is that you'll get exposed to the risk of getting altitude sickness after consuming alcohol.

Since alcohol causes dehydration, it ultimately results in altitude sickness. And if you get sick, you won't be able to complete the trek, which we don't want.

If you prefer a complete meal on the trek, our suggestion would be Dal Bhat at least once a day. It provides adequate carbohydrates, protein, and other essential nutrients. Precisely, Dal Bhat replenishes body fuel after a long day's walk. During lunch, you can try fried noodles, noodle soup, pizza, etc.

Regarding the drink, we recommend you drink ginger lemon honey at least a day. Ginger makes you warm and keeps you away from cough and cold. Lemon and honey act as antioxidants, cough suppressants, and Vitamin C supplements, which you'll need most on the trek.

We don't encourage you to drink caffeine as it causes dehydration and sleeplessness.

Absolutely. Another reason for ACT trek being popular is because it's doable even for beginners. Those who lack high-altitude trekking experience complete this trek successfully.

If you're new to trekking and want to accomplish the Annapurna Circuit Trek in 2025, you must improve your physical fitness. A beginner with decent physical fitness can conquer Thorong La Pass easily.

You'll walk at least 8-10 kilometers each day for 6-7 hours, approximately. However, there are shorter days of just three hours and longer days of eight hours.

You'll start the trek after breakfast, and around mid-way, you'll stop for lunch. After lunch, you'll trek for at least three hours to reach the tea house.

It's so shallow that you'll get altitude sickness while trekking on the Annapurna Circuit. You'll start this trek from Dharapani, which is a low-altitude region. Thus, starting from a low altitude gives you proper acclimatization.

Moreover, you'll have a day's rest in Manang before trekking to Yak Kharka and Thorong La Pass.

However, despite all this, you may still get altitude sickness. It's because, for some, even acclimatization won't be sufficient at higher elevations to survive altitude sickness.

But, with our experienced trekking guide, you'll be safe.

If you get altitude sickness, you'll feel headache, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, dizziness, etc. When these symptoms appear, you'll stop at the nearest tea houses or descend to a lower altitude.

In most cases, stopping for a day at the same place you get altitude sickness relieves the symptoms, and you can continue the trek. However, for some, the symptoms deteriorate and cause further issues in the lungs and brain.

Thus, at such times, you'll need an emergency helicopter rescue.

Absolutely. Not only Annapurna Circuit but the entire country is safe for female trekkers. The country is a safe haven for foreigners. Thus, everyone comes to Nepal for wholesome treks and tours. Moreover, our culture treats foreigners as our guests. Hence, everyone is safe in Nepal in any region.

Annapurna Circuit is very safe for female trekkers. The tea houses provide you with a room where you can safely accommodate. Moreover, everyone on the trek respects and encourages female trekkers en route.

A helicopter evacuation is the safest way to escape the hazard during an emergency. The emergency includes severe altitude sickness, injuries, landslides, and heavy snowfall.

During these situations, a helicopter evacuation is the only way to return to Kathmandu safely.

However, you must have travel insurance with helicopter coverage to get a helicopter rescue on time. Without travel insurance, you won't get an on-time helicopter rescue. Moreover, the helicopter rescue fees are expensive, and paying from your pocket costs you several thousand dollars.

Hence, we highly recommend you get travel insurance with helicopter coverage up to 5,600 meters if you're planning Annapurna Circuit Trek in 2025.

It'd be best to have travel insurance with helicopter rescue coverage up to 5,600 meters. During emergencies, only a helicopter rescue can save your life. Also, if you don't have travel insurance with helicopter coverage, you'll end up paying thousands of dollars in rescue.

We strongly recommend you purchase travel insurance with helicopter rescue coverage.

Maintaining physical fitness for trekking isn't a big deal if you put effort into your training schedule. We usually recommend cardio exercises that help with breathing. Also, some of the below-listed exercises build strength in your legs for long day walks.

Here are some exercises that keep you fit for the trek.

-  Treadmill running or jogging

-  Skipping and cycling

-  Swimming

-  Hiking for 2-3 times before joining the trek

-  Walking for at least thirty minutes each day 

The packing list for this trek depends on the time you plan the trek.

Usually, the early Spring months are colder than the later ones. Conversely, the early Autumn months are warmer, and the later ones are colder. Thus, you must pack the clothes and gear based on the time of the trek.

Please read our blog, Packing List for Annapurna Circuit Trek, for complete information regarding what to bring for this trek.

We highly recommend you bring a sleeping bag and a down jacket if you have them. However, you can rent these from us for USD 35 each for a 13-day trek.

A down jacket is a must for cold mornings and evenings. Moreover, a sleeping bag of -10˚C keeps you warm all night.

If you prefer carrying your gear and stuff, a 55-60 liter backpack is sufficient. However, if you prefer a trekking porter to carry your luggage, you can bring a 20-liter daypack. With most of the luggage with a porter, you can carry water bottles, snacks, and handy stuff yourself.

Absolutely. If you prefer trekking with a female guide, we'll provide one. Our team consists few female trekking guides who've been doing high-altitude trekking in Nepal for a long. Their extensive trekking experience surely makes you feel comfortable, safe, and accomplished on the trek.

Yes. All of our trekking guides are fluent in English and are excellent communicators. They'll explain things from the trek, bridge the communication gap between locals and you, and accompany you throughout the journey.

If you prefer trekking individually with our trek guide, you'll get an experienced guide. However, if you're trekking in a group, you'll get one trek leader and several assistant guides.

We provide one trekking guide for up to six trekkers. However, we provide one assistant guide and a trek leader for a group of more than six.

No. A trek porter is available for two or more in the group. If you're an individual planning to do the Annapurna Circuit Trek with us, we don't provide a trekking porter. However, you'll get a porter if you add USD 200 more to the total trek cost.

In a group, we provide one porter for two trekkers. A trek porter carries 20 kilograms of luggage combined. Hence, we request you to compensate the porter accordingly for the additional weight.

Yes. We buy insurance for our trekking guides and porters. Together with our clients, we also prioritize our trek guide and porter's safety.

The insurance includes benefits like emergency helicopter rescue and hospitalization.

Yes. Tipping is a must at the end of the trek in Pokhara.

We suggest you tip at least 15% of the total trek cost to each. However, in a group, you can contribute in a collective manner. Along with the tip, we suggest you offer the dinner in Pokhara as a "thank you" to the trek guide and porter.

Note: We pay the guides and porters according to industry standards. Thus, the tip isn't part of their salary.