Annapurna Circuit Trek - 14 Days

A representative from Adventure Treks Nepal will be waiting for you outside Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu according to your flight time with a board mentioning your Name. One you meet our expert team member you will be accompanied by him to the hotel and help you with check in procedures.

Once you have settled down, a trip briefing will be done where all your queries will be answered by a member from our Managing Team. Rest of the day is at leisure and you may explore around Thamel or visit some of the World Heritage Sites. We can arrange these tours for you upon your request.

With the intention of introducing Nepal's rich history and cultural display Adventure Treks Nepal has planned this day with Cultural Tour of three of the World Heritage Sites and important religious sites.

Breakfast will be served at the Hotel after which we proceed towards the ancient palace of Bhaktapur now commonly known as Bhaktapur Durbar Square. This 15 km drive from Kathmandu will take you away from the main city and onto the old settlement inhabited by the Newar community where you can still see the palace from 17th century. Our professional tour guide will accompany you as you wander into the surrounding area while he explains each and every tiny detail about this artistic town.

The second half of the day consists of a visit to two religious pilgrimage sites for Hindu and Buddhist religion. Pashupatinath temple, a Hindu shrine is the most important Shiva temple in the world where during your visit you will see many burning bodies as a part of Hindu cremation process and you get the opportunity to learn about many rituals that people follow in Nepal.

Bouddhanath Stupa, the biggest stupa of South Asia is the last destination for Today. This Stupa is believed to hold remains of Buddha and is a holy place for people following Buddhism. After completing all three destinations you will be dropped at your hotel for refreshment and free time.

 On this day we will enter Annapurna Conservation Area and begin our Himalayan Journey. The day is filled with adventure as we drive from Kathmandu to Dharapani. The drive will take approximately 10 to 12 hrs. The first section of the drive until Besisahar will be on paved concrete road followed by off road upto Dharapani. Passing through several local settlements with stunning views of Mount Annapurna II and III, Manaslu and Mount Lamjung in the background, our drivers will ensure you have smoothest ride possible. Overnight stay at Tea House.

We will start our trek today and head further north following the Marshyangdi River. The trail after Dharapani gradually ascends through dense forests along with amazing views of waterfalls and through charming villages. Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal will accompany us with glorious sceneries which will motivate us today to walk around 5 to 6 hrs. Overnight stay at Tea House.

Another day in the Annapurna region with nothing but the wonderful scenery waiting to welcome you. After breakfast in Chame we head in the direction of Pisang. As we approach north, people mostly follow Buddhism because of which several prayer flags, chortens, and prayer wheels appear on the trail. The treeline becomes thinner as we approach close towards Pisang following the Marshyangdi River. Even Marshyangdi River will seem smaller as we gain altitude. From Pisang you will catch amazing vistas of the Annapurna II, Pisang Peak, Lamjung Himal, and many more.

On the trail today you will have the opportunity to visit an apple farm in Bhartang and try some of their apples and other products like apple pie, apple juice which they prepare themselves.

Since we are above 3000 meters on this day we request everyone to intake a minimum of 3 liters of water, helping you to stay hydrated and avoid Acute Mountain Sickness.

We stay on the southern edge of Marshyangdi River and cross several streams and local villages as we approach the desert of Annapurna. We will see an airport at Hungde, which is not operating currently and many apple fields along the trail. Proceeding north the valley widens up in Manang surrounded by the Annapurna Range.

There is another option of taking the upper route to Manang via Nagwal and Ghyaru which has some steep uphill sections and is challenging compared to the lower trail. However, all your hard work will be paid off with brilliant views of the mountains and valley.

There is an ancient monastery in Braga which is a must visit place during this day of hiking. Our guides will take you to the monastery and help you interact with the monks there if you are interested.

From Braga, it's a 30 min walk to Manang, a big village with many Tea Sops, Bakery and Retail Shops.

Today is the leisure day in our Annapurna Circuit Trek 18 Days plan. As we are now heading into the dry, rocky terrain high into the Himalayas, it is very important for our body to acclimatize. This day is not completely for rest though. There are many side trip options around Manang which you can visit during the day.

Mila Repa Cave, situated near the glaciers of Annapurna is one of the holy and important caves of this region which is approximately 2hrs 30 min away from Manang.

Ice Lake is another popular side trip around Manang, a lake which is 4 hours away from Manang. The trail to Ice Lake is mostly uphill as we gain almost 1,100 meters of altitude and reach 4,600 meters. This lake has some of the outstanding views of the Annapurna and Chulu range with the mountains reflecting on the lake.

If you don’t wanna have a big hiking day, you can visit the Gangapurna Lake which is just 20-30 min away from Manang village. This glacier lake is just across the main village and has some of the thrilling views of overhanging glaciers of Mt. Gangapurna.

From this day we will be heading into the desert of Annapurna Region. The vegetation changes completely and turns into a short patch of juniper and rocky surrounding. No trees will be in sight which means there will be a lack of oxygen in the air.

After crossing a stream and climbing to Tenki we head towards Yak Kharka via Gunsang. Yak Kharka has some Tea Houses where we plan to have our Lunch. After spending some time and enjoying the views we leave Yak Kharka and head towards Letdar which is another 1.5 hrs away.

Following the Jharsang Khola we head close upto the Thorang La Pass. Today will be a short day for you as we prepare for the big day tomorrow. We descend down and cross the bridge over Jharsang River and ascend the narrow trail until Thorang Phedi.

Travellers also have an option to trek to High Camp which is at an altitude of 4,800 meters with only one Tea House. Many travelers have faced difficulties while sleeping and many issues with less number of rooms. To avoid all these issues Adventure Treks Nepal prefers to stay at Thorang Phedi.

Finally the day we all have been waiting for. Today is the highlight of the trek as we will be reaching the highest point of Annapurna Circuit Trek and crossing the Thorang La Pass. The hike from Phedi to Thorang La is challenging as we enter above 5,000 meters of altitude and it will take around 4 hours.

We start very early with the aim of crossing the Pass before 10 A.M. As we look behind on today's hike, the panoramic view of Chu Lu range provides us energy to continue further ahead.

Upon reaching the top we will stop for some pictures and Tea, Coffee in the Tea Shop. After a few moments we began our descent towards Muktinath. The trail after the pass is all rocky which may cause you to slip, so please be extra careful.

With a heart full of happy emotions we visit the holy Muktinath Temple. This is a very religious Hindu Temple and people from all over the world visit this temple with a belief of eliminating all their sins by bathing in the temple. You may give it a try if you want where you need to walk across 108 water taps and dip in 2 pools in front of the temple.

After a long and demanding trek we get to the Tea House in Muktinath and rest.

This day can serve you as a rest or relaxing day after that strenuous climb to Thorang La Pass. Today we will be driving to Tatopani, where there are natural hot springs which will give you a healing experience as you take a dip.

In between the drive we will have a stop at Marpha and explore the Buddhist monastery of the area. After exploration we will continue ahead to Tatopani via Tukuche, Lete and many other villages inhabited by the Thakali community. Thakali people are believed to prepare the best Dal Bhat, so while in this area you should give it a try. We enjoy some time in Natural Hot Spring we contine drive to Pokhara. 

 

After breakfast in Pokhara, we have a mountain flight to Kathmandu; it is a thrilling, exciting flight over forests, fields and villages with the Himalayas in the background. On arrival, we transfer to the hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure for any last minute shopping for your loved ones.

Suggestion: Be on the left side of the aircraft to catch great views of the mountains.

On this day you will have time to do anything in Kathmandu Valley. There are many tourists’ attractions around Kathmandu like Patan Durbar Square, Swayambhunath, Kathmandu Durbar Square etc. which you can visit. You can walk around the streets of Thamel for last minute shopping and to have good food. We are happy to offer you some recommendations. Overnight stay at Hotel.

A representative from Adventure Treks Nepal will drop you to the airport. Return back home with the memories for lifetime.