19 Days Annapurna Circuit Trek

Starting From $1470.00 per person

Annapurna Circuit Trek that still offers sensational views and excellent acclimatization.

 

Many people believe that the walk around Annapurna is the classic trek in Nepal. It offers not only some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Himalaya, with the lush irrigated Marshyangdi valley, the high dry Manang valley to the north, then down into the Kali Gandaki valley, the deepest gorge in the world, but the traveler also passes through a numerous cross-section of the culture of Nepal. Though, not everybody has the time to complete the whole Annapurna Circuit trek. So some people prefer to cross the Thorong La, then take the spectacular flight from Jomsom, or continue trekking down to Tatopani then to Ghorepani/Poon Hill the Himalayan panoramic viewpoint from you where you can have stunning Dhaulagiri and Annapurna Himal right in front. This gives you the opportunity to experience many of the riches of the Annapurna circuit trek.

 

You will visit centuries-old Buddhist monasteries, pass Sadhus and pilgrims on their way to Muktinath, follow in the ancient footsteps of salt traders route, encounter donkey trains with their bells ringing and be able to peek into the mysterious Upper Mustang. You will also be able to feel the howling wind that blows up the Kali Gandaki valley, and turn corners where amazing sights present themselves, just begging to be photographed. The thrill of crossing the fabled Thorong La pass, adorned with its many prayer flags, will keep you talking for years to come. The Annapurna Circuit Trek has all this and more!

 

On the popular trekking routes in Nepal enterprising villagers have built tea houses which now offer decent accommodation and tasty food. We endeavor to use the best tea houses available at each overnight stop on our itinerary and where possible these are booked in advance. Staying in these locally owned tea houses ensures that your trip will directly benefit the local community, and offers you the chance to interact with the Nepalese people, gaining an insight into their lives.

Annapurna Circuit Trek, also known as Annapurna Trek, is the best way to explore the entire region. By signing up for Annapurna trek, you get the opportunity to cover the entire region in one go. Annapurna Circuit trek is the blend of natural and cultural attractions. You will find every interesting thing in this journey that you normally expect from a good trek. From beautiful villages like Mustang Village to natural spectacles like Mount Annapurna, and so on. You would love this journey tremendously, in a way that you’d always want to take Annapurna pictures.

The best way to explore Mount Annapurna is to try climbing Annapurna. However, not every single person can go for climbing Annapurna. So, the next best option left for them is to go for the Annapurna Circuit trek. It’s a 21 days long journey altogether. There is a shorter version, which lasts only for a duration of 13 days. You can extend the 21 days period, by including side treks to your journey. The villages that you cover during the trek include Manang, Marpha, Dharapani, Chame, Tatopani, and so on. These villages bring people living in them and nature together.

During the Annapurna Circuit trek, you will come across so many viewpoints, allowing you to click numerous Annapurna pictures. These spots, along with the villages, and the entire route are segments of the Annapurna Conservation Area. It is the largest and one of the richest protected areas of Nepal. The area is home to hundreds of species of rare animals, birds, and other creatures. Also, it has thousands of species of fauna. While you make your way through rhododendron forests, you will get to spot a few of these creatures. You will love the experience.

Annapurna Circuit Trek difficulty level is marked at extreme as it has all the factors that make a trek difficult. From the length of the journey to the altitude covered; from rough terrain to extreme climate; you will come across all these difficulties during the Annapurna Circuit trek. Now, one thing that needs to be considered is that Annapurna Circuit Trek Difficulty Level also depends on the skills and experience of the trekker. The journey can prove to be fairly simple for someone who’s used to walking on landscapes as such. This is the trek meant for adventurers. 

It is crucial that you carry Annapurna Circuit trek map during your trip to the region. Annapurna Circuit trek map will give you all the information that you would need to go on the journey on your own. Even if you’re not a solo trekker, you can learn a lot of things from the map. You will be prepared for all the attractions and challenges, and most importantly, you will be able to plan your own side treks. If you happen to get separated from your group, with the help of a map, you can find your way back. It is a must for trekkers in the Annapurna region to carry a map.

An Annapurna Circuit trek guide can prove to be your best friend during the journey. He will give you the answers to all the questions that you’d ask him, whether it’s about nature or people living in the region. He will offer you trekking tips to make the journey easier for you, and when times are bad and you feel like giving up, he will motivate you to continue walking. If you’re someone who loves interacting with locals, and finding out about their lifestyle, cultures and so on, the Annapurna Circuit trek guide can prove to be the best bridge between the two of you.

Quite like any other journey, Annapurna Circuit trek cost depends on features such as the level of luxury offered in the journey, the quality of food and accommodation, the length of the trip, medium of transportation, and so on. Most importantly, Annapurna Circuit Trek Cost depends highly on your travel partner. Few trekking agencies, especially the international ones, charge really high in comparison to the others, or the local ones. The price could range from $1400 to $2700. To make your trip budget friendly, try your best to go with the local travel agencies.

Annapurna Circuit trek takes you to really high altitude. The highest altitude is that of Thorung La, which is a mountain pass situated at an elevation of 5416 m. Also, you will spend around 7 days at an altitude above 3000 m. So, you can expect Annapurna Circuit weather to be extremely cold. As we all know, the higher we go, the lower the temperature gets. It is almost impossible to go for Annapurna Circuit trek during the winters, as the Annapurna Circuit Weather is excruciating during this time, and also, the majority of the route is covered in snow.

The best time to hike Annapurna Circuit is between the months of November and October. During this time, the weather is at its best, neither too hot, nor too cold. In the same way, the skies are clear, with almost no clouds, allowing you to have the best views of the mountains in the region. The only downside to this season is that there are too many people on the route. The second best time to hike Annapurna Circuit is between the months of March and May. During this time, you might need to compromise with the views, but there’s peace on the route.

Annapurna Base Camp trek is yet another popular trek in the Annapurna region. It takes you to Annapurna Base Camp, as the name suggests. During the journey, you will also come across Machhapuchhre Base Camp, which doesn’t just serve as a viewpoint but also as a point of stay for the trekkers. There are so many beautiful villages that you will cover on the trek. Some of them are Sinuwa, Chomrong, Bamboo, and so on. Altogether, it’s an 11 days long trek. If you think that Annapurna Circuit trek is quite extreme for you, you could go for this one instead.

Nar Phu Valley trek can be treated either as a side trek to Annapurna Circuit trek, or as a main one. When you approach it as a side trek, you basically cover the entire Annapurna Circuit trek route, and in the process cover Nar Phu Valley as well, by adding a couple of days to your trip. Approaching it as a main one reduces the length of your journey by a great deal. You only cover a section of Annapurna Circuit trek route, and the focus is on Nar Phu Valley. Some of the major attractions of Nar Phu Valley trek are the villages of Nar and Phu, Kang La, Koto, and so on.

In the same way, Tilicho Lake trek takes you to one of the most beautiful and pristine lakes in the mountains of Nepal – Tilicho Lake. It is considered as one of the highest altitude lakes in the world with an elevation of 4919 m. By adding a couple of days to your Annapurna Circuit trek itinerary you can easily cover this attraction. The path that leads you to Tilicho Lake deviates from Yak Kharka. Instead of heading north towards Thorung Phedi, it heads west to the lake. On the route, you will also come across this tiny village called Khangsar, and Tilicho Base Camp.

Jomsom Muktinath Trek could be considered as the shortened version of Annapurna Circuit trek. It is for those individuals who are fascinated by a Mustang Village like Jomsom, and a religious heritage like Muktinath. By going on Jomsom Muktinath Trek, you don’t have to walk the entire circuit to cover these two attractions. Muktinath is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It is a significant pilgrimage site for the Hindus and as well as the Buddhists. On the other hand. Jomsom is a beautiful and peaceful town located at the bank of Kali Gandaki River.

Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek is one of the shortest treks in the Annapurna Region. Despite its short length, it is power packed with attractions. Ghorepani Poon Hill trek route is a part of Annapurna Circuit trek, however, if you don’t want to cover the entire circuit, you could go for this one separately. The major attractions of the trek are the villages of Ghandruk and Ghorepani – absolutely serene with lovely locals. You will definitely adore getting to know about their ways of life. Another main attraction is Poon Hill. With a height of 3210 m, it serves as a great viewpoint.

Happy Holiday Treks & Expedition offers you all kinds of travel and tour related services. They are experts when it comes to activities like trekking and expedition, however, if you’re not quite into activities as such, you could choose one of their luxury tour packages. These include activities such as jungle safari, helicopter tour, food tour, cultural tour, and so on. Their itineraries also include popular tourist destinations in countries like Tibet and Bhutan. If you’re looking for an ideal travel agent for your holidays, choose Happy Holidays Treks & Expedition.

Day 01 – Arrive Kathmandu. Transfer to Hotel. Overnight: Hotel.

Day 02 – Drive to Jagat.  (1,430m) 7 hours’ drive –  Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 03 –Trek to Dharapani (1,600m). 6-7 hours. Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 4 –Trek to Chame. (2,630m). 5 hours.  (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 5 –Trek to Upper Pisang. (3,323mt) 5-6 hours. Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 6 – Trek to Manang (3,500m) Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 7 –Rest day at Manang. Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 8 –Trek to Yak Kharka. (4,090m) 3-4 hours. Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 9 –Trek to Thorong Phedi (4,490m) 3-4 hours. Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 10 –Cross Thorong La (5,414m). Trek to Muktinath (3,810m). Approximately 8-10 hours.  Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 11 –Morning in Muktinath and trek to Kagbeni (2804m) in the afternoon. 4-5 hours.  Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 12 – Trek to Marpha (2,670m). 5 hours. Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 13 – Trek to Tatopani (1,190m). Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 14 – Trek to Ghorepani (2,775m). 8-9 hours. Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 15 – (Optional ascent/descent of Poon Hill (3210m). 1-2 hours. Trek to Tirkhedungha  (1,540m). 4-5 hours Overnight tea house (Meals: B, L, D)

Day 16 – Trek to Nayapul. 3 hours. Drive to Pokhara (827m) 1 1/2 hours. Overnight in the Hotel (Meals: B)

Day 17 – Fly or Drive to Kathmandu. Overnight Hotel (Meals: B)

Day 18 – Half day sightseeing in Kathmandu. Overnight Hotel (Meal: B)

Day 19 – Fly back to Home.

Transfer to the international airport for your flight to Home.

TREK SERVICE INCLUDE:

·       3 Nights Hotels in Kathamndu and Pokhara on BB Basis

·       English speaking trek guide, porter

·       Basic but clean comfortable twin share room in local tea-houses

·       All meals breakfast, lunch, dinner on trek

·       All land transport

·       Trek permit & Park entry fees,

·       Guide/porter insurance.

Cost Will Not Include:

·       Personal equipment

·       Lunch and Dinner in Kathmandu and Pokhara

·       Tips

·       Client insurance of any kind

·       Cost of emergency evacuation (if any)

·       Bottle/alcoholic drinks

·       Nepal visa costs;

·       Other expenses of personal nature.

Our Travel Team

For a standard travel, we always make sure that there is one guide who is well experienced and speaks multi- language, one assistant guide to assist the head guide and porters for luggage carrying (if necessary). We will travel accordingly even if any member on travel cannot continue and the guide will make sure the member(s) reach Kathmandu safely. We can run activities for group of any size. But generally it will be better to have ten to twelve people, as we have found this to be the best size for a successful trip. However, if you would like to make a group booking for more than ten people together, we are here for you.

Please Consider

Your safety is of utmost priority while you are traveling with our team. Please consider that the head guide has total supreme authority to postpone or even halt and cancel any part of the above mentioned itinerary if it is essential for safety concerns according to the guide. We work hard to keep up with the above itinerary but there might be some alternation due to factors beyond our control, such as adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, personal concern, difficulty with transportation and sickness of any member can lead to enforced modification and cancellation. So, it is not possible to guarantee as per the itinerary, we can guarantee that trip guide will manage it to minimize your inconvenience.

Note

We have provided as much information as we can about this trip. If you have special preferences or interests regarding this trip, please contact us by email or call us freely

Related Packages

What our guest are saying

Clients Experience

#In December 2011, my husband and I did a 3 trek in the Annapurna region of Nepal followed by 3 days at Chitwan National Park with Everest Trail Walker P. Ltd. (Kuman Gurung).  We’re in our mid-sixties and began to question our decision when various friends and family members said that it’d be way too cold and difficult at that time of the year.  Actually November and December are excellent months to trek in Nepal as it is normally dry and sunny.  Kuman is an excellent choice as he did all the planning, gaining of licenses, arranging for lodging and planning of the length of our trekking days.  We liked that he not only planned, but accompanied our group of 6, along with two other wonderful assistants (porter and guide).  One needs to understand that Nepal is a third world country, and electricity and warm water become an issue all over the country.  Our days were very warm---how I wished I’d brought a short sleeved shirt---and the nights are cold.  We hadn’t anticipated that we’d spend much of our time climbing up or down----but Nepal translates to the Himalayas so that’s what you do. (much is rock steps which can be difficult for some)  The vistas make stopping often to rest a treasure,----it is beautiful---so beautiful.  You are remote and everything is packed into the area---your meals come mainly from the gardens and are delicious!  Kuman is willing to tailor the trip’s destination and length to your ability and time frame.  He provides one with a most memorable experience, and you come away with a true appreciation of the country and people.  He also arranged our stays in Katmandu and 3 days in the Chitwan National Park.  You begin and end your trek in Pokhara and we recommend the Temple Tree Resort and the Moon Dance restaurant as a great way to end your trek.  Thank you Kuman for making our adventure in Nepal so perfect!

Charlie and Patty SeeUSA

#Namaste to Kuman and Lokenra, I write as the expedition leader of a team of 6 (3 Canadians and 3 Americans) who recently traveled for 1 month in Nepal and Bhutan using the guiding and coordinating services of Everest Trail Walker P. Ltd., in particular Kuman and Lokendra.  This was the second expedition which these gentlemen looked after us, the first being in 2010, another month long expedition which featured trekking through the Everest region, a jungle adventure in Chitwan and an extended whitewater rafting trip on the reverred Sun Kosiriver. Our October- November2013 trip featured trekking the Annapurna region, trekking for a week in Bhutan and whitewater rafting 2 rivers - the Kali Gandaki and the BhotoKosi rivers. Needless to say, the care and expert attention provided by Kuman and Lokendra was exceptional.  Every aspect of our trip was handled flawlessly and with good humor and insight of the Nepalese culture and traditions.  Over the last 15 years, I have lead many trekking and rafting expeditions around the world and without any qualification I give the highest marks to both Kuman and Lokendra. Not only did we get full value for our money, but it was done with genuine TLC by both these wonderful gentlemen.  Even when things went off track ( which in the 3rd world - in truly remote environments -  can happen in technicolor - in this case a National Strike of workers) alternate arrangements were undertaken with ease and care - maintaining our schedule and achieving our expedition objectives. I obviously think highly of Kuman and Lokendra and strongly recommend Happy Holidays as 'the go to' trekking/expedition/rafting company in Nepal. In this regard, if you require further amplification of my comments I would be pleased to endorse this recommendation via email or telephone. Clearly, if Nepal offers a Tourism Award for best guides/guiding companies,  Happy Holidays would be a first prize winner!

Temple W. HarrisToronto, Canada

#Dear Kuman, Happy New Year and Namaste.  It has been more than a month since the Team Tim returned home from the experience of a lifetime—organized by you and your company.  It was such an amazing trip with so many different aspects to it.   We started our adventure in Nepal where you and I first met, then quickly off to Bhutan, and eventually back to Nepal and home.  The trip you organized for us contained so many different elements--- hiking, rafting and learning about the cultural aspects of the two countries.  It was an organizational nightmare, but everything ran so smoothly under your direction.  Tim, Viv and I commented about how smooth the transition was between each activity and country.  It really was one of our best adventures. I was so impressed with the way in which the guides took such very good care of us. They were all so happy to teach us about Buddhism, their country and their politics.  I thought it very special how you joined us on the trekking part of the trip. You also went that extra mile when we rafted in Nepal.  You followed our route and met us at each stop along the way to feed us, take pictures, carry our “stuff”, or whatever else our team of 6 needed.  We all became family ----Lakendra, you, and the 3 Canadian and 3 American travellers. I know that you and Tim had thousands of emails between you as you planned this extensive trip.  Tim you knew from his last trip.  He was thrilled that you had opened your own office and that he was able to have you and Lakenda organize and guide the trip respectively. I would be privileged to serve as a reference for you if a potential client requests it. You receive a five start rating from me. Thanks again,

Marlene FogeToronto, Canada