Annapurna Circuit Trek – 19 Days

Today we will take a private tourist vehicle drive from Kathmandu to Syange. The drive will last 7 to 9 hours depending upon the traffic and the road condition. The drive to Besisahar is on a concrete and paved road.

After Besisahar, we will enjoy an adventurous dirt road drive for a maximum of 2 to 4 hours to reach our destination Syange. We will assign the best vehicle matching the needs of the road. All our drivers are very experienced and are certified license holders for highway drives.

During this drive, if the weather permits, you can also enjoy glimpses of the mountains like Mount Annapurna II and III, Mount Machhapuchhre, and Mount Lamjung along with beautiful landscapes, rivers, and waterfalls.

Now tighten up the shoe’s laces. We will start walking gradually following the beautiful Marsyangdi River. This walk will be slightly ascending and we will come across the beautiful waterfalls on this walk. We will rest at Tal tonight.

This will be our exciting day. We will leave Marsyangdi River behind and continue our journey to witness Annapurna II and Pisang Peak and beautiful landscape along with old villages.

Don’t miss an opportunity to take beautiful pictures as we observe mountains, waterfalls and countryside life style of Nepal. We will rest at Danaque.

We will continue our walk enjoying the view of mountains, and waterfalls on the way. Today will be an easy day. After 4 to 5 hours of walking, we will reach Chame, the headquarter of Manang. It’s a beautiful little town with more facilities than our previous days.

After breakfast, we continue our trek to Upper Pisang. On the way, we will walk through the dense forest, Marsyangdi River, and come across the beautiful panoramic views of meadows and mountains.

During this walk, we will see the first view of the gigantic Paungda Dada rock face, which is curved like a bowl shape. Eventually, after a 6 to 7 hours walk, we will reach Upper Pisang. The place offers Majestic Annapurna II standing high on our south and we will rest here today.

Today, wake up early in the morning, watch the beautiful sunrise and first ray of sun on Annapurna II. After breakfast, we will continue our trek towards Ngawal.

The trail to Ngawal is about 400 m higher than the lower trail but you will have great opportunities to witness high altitude flora and fauna, beautiful gorges, Annapurna II and III and Pisang Peak. We will take rest in Ngawal.

We continue our trek walking through the big hills, and jungle. and wetlands. On the way, we can see beautiful landscapes, stupas, and lama schools. After 5 to 6 hours of walking, we will reach Manang, one of the happening places on the trek.

We spend a day acclimatizing in Manang by doing some walks and sightseeing around the village. We will visit a monastery and go to Gangapurna Glacier Lake during our walk. Towards the end of the day, we return to our accommodation for a night’s rest.

After acclimatization and rest at Manang, we will be energized and excited to continue our walk towards Yak Kharka which ascends by 500 m/1,640 ft.

We make the climb steadily through Tenki Manang, leaving the Marsyangdi Valley. Continuing along the Jarsang Khola Valley, we reach Yak Kharka at 4,000 m/13,123  ft. Herds of yaks and vegetation appear to thin out.

After a two-hour ascent, the trail descends to cross the river at 4,310 m/14,140 ft. We then climb up to Thorong Phedi at 4,450 m/14,600 ft where decent guesthouses have been built in recent years.

Today is a long trek starting before sunrise at 4 am to reach the pass by 9 to 10 am. Otherwise, weather conditions (strong winds) will greatly affect the journey, particularly at the Thorong La Pass. We climb steeply on a regular route which is quite easy to follow.

However, some problems may arise due to altitude and snow. It often causes terrible problems to cross the pass if it is covered by heavy snow. After four hours of climbing to the pass marked by the chortens and prayer flags, we will be rewarded with stunning views from the top of the pass. Another four hours of walking will take us to the holy town of Muktinath.

Muktinath means the place of nirvana and is home to the Muktinath Temple as well as several monasteries. It is said that all sorrows we feel are relieved when visiting the Temple. It is a sacred pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists. The prime pilgrimage month is September.

The Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and has 108 waterspouts around it. Another attraction nearby is the Jwala Mai Temple which has a gorgeous natural spring and an eternal flame fueled by natural gas.

So now, we are at the other side of the Thorong La Pass. Most of the land we see will be dry and looks somewhat like the desert. We will continue our trek walking by the bank of Kali Gandaki River.

Frequently, we will descend with closer view of stupas and old traditional houses and civilization of Mustang. Jomsom is a large town with many facilities. It is also the headquarter and official town for whole Mustang district where all the district government offices are present.

In the Jomsom to Tatopani segment, the trekking trail and the road are the 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 to 6 hours.

We will use a private tourist vehicle to descend through the Kali Gandaki River Valley. The vehicle will be shared among our own group or with travelers from other companies. But, if our group size is bigger, for example, 4 and above clients, we will arrange a 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 bodies after a long trek. We will spend another day relaxing at this spot.

ake a shower, dip into the natural hot springs, enjoy drinks and local food.

Today is another big day. It will take about 6 to 7 hours to walk from Tatopani to Ghorepani. We climb about 1,620 m/5,314 ft up. From Ghorepani, the unmatched beauty of Annapurna South, Himchuli, and Tukuche Himal is truly exceptional. We will pass a couple of Magar and Gurung villages on the trail.

Very early in the morning, we start an hour hiking to Poon Hill at an elevation of 3,210 m/10,532 ft – 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 private tourist vehicle. The drive will take about 1 to 3 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 a 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.

We will be driving back to Kathmandu in the morning.

In the evening, we host a farewell dinner in a fine restaurant. (Your guide(s) and an office staff will accompany you).

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