Annapurna Circuit Trek - 8 Days

Our adventure begins in Kathmandu, Nepal’s buzzing capital city. From here, we’ll travel by road to reach the town of Besi Shahar, about five or six hours to the northwest. This exciting drive will allow you to enjoy the hustle and bustle of urban Nepal, the verdant greenery of lowland jungle roads, and the winding mountain passes that become more prevalent as we approach our destination. Upon arriving in Besi Shahar, we’ll get changed in the local jeep and drive to Chame. The journey from Besishar to Chame would be around 3 to 4 hours overnight at the best available tea house with excellent food!

Today is our first day of real hiking on the Annapurna Circuit Trek. Our trail begins just outside of Chame, passing along the left side of the valley through a landscape characterized by green forests and apple orchards. We’ll cross a suspension bridge and make a steep ascent to reach a beautiful little village called Dhukur Pokhari, where we’ll stop to enjoy a packed lunch. When we’re ready to get moving again, we’ll pick up the path just past the village to continue onwards to Pisang. You can count on getting great views of Annapurna II, Annapurna IV, and Pisang Peak during this stretch of the trail. When we arrive at Pisang itself, you’ll see that the town is actually divided into Upper and Lower Pisang, separated by the Marsyangdi River. Make sure to explore both parts of town to appreciate the superlative mountain views and colorful local atmosphere. We’ll choose the best available trekking lodge or teahouse for tonight’s accommodations.

Our next day on the Annapurna Circuit Trek kicks off with a hike along a valley blanketed in sweet-smelling pines. We’ll stop at the village of Braga, best known for its fascinating hilltop monastery dating back approximately 900 years. If it’s open, make sure to take a look inside—there are some beautiful statues in the gompa’s dark interior, and the views from its roof are simply sublime. Moving on, we’ll ascend through more pine forests and cross several suspension bridges, with the rushing Marsyangdi river far beneath our feet. Our goal today is the village of Manang, where we’ll spend the next two nights for acclimatization purposes. After getting checked in at our teahouse, make sure to visit one of the local bakeries while you gaze upon the vast monoliths of the Annapurnas and Gangapurna.

Spending another day here in Manang will allow our bodies the time they need to acclimate to the high altitude before we plunge further into the heart of the Annapurnas. This is a great place to explore: the town is packed with scenic viewpoints and timeless monasteries—and there’s even a cultural museum! If you find yourself getting restless, we can also embark on one of several available day hikes leading to fantastic glacial lakes set against a backdrop of skyscraping Himalayan summits, including Gangapurna and Tilicho Peak. Later tonight, we’ll return to our lodge for a filling meal and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, our adventure on the Annapurna Circuit Trek continues.

Today’s hike begins with a serious ascent. We’ll take our time, climbing past the village of Tengi and sharing the trail with lots of locals transporting horses and yaks. We’ll reach the village of Gunsang just in time for an early lunch; this isn’t a very busy town, but it’s a nice place to stop and enjoy the marvelous views of Annapurna II and Annapurna IV. Then it’s onward through little stands of juniper and across a few suspension bridges. We’ll continue to ascend as we approach Yak Kharka, but the grade is much gentler at this point. You may notice that our trek today was relatively short; this is because we are steadily increasing our elevation and need to ascend gradually in order to avoid altitude sickness. So we’ll stop in Yak Kharka with plenty of time this afternoon to relax before spending the night in one of the town’s comfortable guesthouses.

Our morning begins with a slow climb across expansive alpine pastures teeming with roaming horses, where the shadows of high-flying Himalayan griffons glide across the ground. Soon we’ll approach a dramatic suspension bridge leading to the opposite side of the valley—although a smaller wooden bridge is also available for the faint of heart. However we decide to cross, we’ll soon find ourselves carefully navigating a rock-strewn slope on the way to Thorong Phedi. There are a couple of lodges here, as well as a handful of bakeries. We’ll get settled at our accommodations and then spend the rest of the evening resting in order to prepare ourselves for tomorrow’s ascent over the pass of Thorong La.

Are you ready for the most exciting day on the Annapurna Circuit Trek? This morning, we’ll be making our way up and over Thorong La. This is a thrilling high-altitude mountain pass situated at 5,416 meters in elevation. The views from the pass are sublime, especially with the spectacle of brilliant prayer flags snapping in the wind and contrasting with the windblown snow. In fact, heavy snows can occur here at any time of year; your guide from Alpine Ramble Treks will carefully assess the condition of the pass to make sure that it’s safe to cross. Our steep descent from Thorong La is no less dramatic, and we’ll take it slow in order to avoid slips and falls. Before long, we’ll enter the spectacular Kali Gandaki Gorge. By some metrics, this is the deepest gorge in the world, and it funnels water all the way from the Tibetan Plateau to the Ganges River. We’ll enjoy this fabulous scenery all along the path as we reach Muktinath at last. This town is an important site for religious pilgrims, and there are a number of temples and shrines to explore. We’ll spend the night in one of Muktinath’s teahouses to recover from our long day on the trail.

Right after breakfast- the last breakfast in the mountain, a scenic drive through the beautiful lower Mustang valley towards Pokhara takes about 8-9 hours approximately. Pokhara is a lakeside tourist's paradise with many facilities for travelers where you can enjoy international cuisines and foods and feel free to drink a beer or any sort of drink if that is the way of celebrating your successfully completed journey. Pokhara is also a peaceful lakeside location that rests beneath the snow-capped peaks of the Annapurna and Machhapuahre (Fishtail )ranges. this place is inhabited by mostly people groups of Magars and Gurungs authentic as they are well-known people of hardworking farmers and valorous warriors who have earned worldwide fame as Gurkha soldiers. Enjoy the evening your Time by looking around the colorful lakeside street.