Hiking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal - November 2018
The Annapurna Circuit is one of the classic long-distance treks of the Himalaya. Walked counter-clockwise from Besisahar, it follows the Marsyangdi valley up through subtropical terraces and pine forest into the high, dry landscape around Manang, crosses the Thorong La at 5.416m and then descends through Muktinath and the Kali Gandaki gorge towards Pokhara. Almost the entire route is served by tea houses, so no tent and no food supplies are needed.
Highest point: Thorong La 5.416mDuration: 20 days
How to get there
You will almost certainly fly into Kathmandu. The city itself is not particularly pleasant, so there is no need to plan much time there - but you do need it, because the two permits for the trek are issued in Kathmandu: the ACAP permit for the Annapurna Conservation Area and the TIMS card.
From Kathmandu a bus runs to Besisahar, the usual starting point for the counter-clockwise route. Be prepared for the traffic: the journey takes anywhere between 6 and 10 hours.
Itinerary
Our route, day by day. We took 20 days including two rest days in Pokhara at the end.
Day 1 (Kathmandu - Ngadi Bazar)
We took the bus from Kathmandu to Besisahar, leaving at 7am. The traffic was so bad that we did not arrive until about 4:30pm. It was raining and nearly dark, so we took the local bus onwards and spent the first night in Ngadi Bazar.
Day 2 (Ngadi Bazar - Jagat)
Day 3 (Jagat - Dharapani)
Day 4 (Dharapani - Chame)
Day 5 (Chame - Pisang)
Upper Pisang is a much nicer place to stay than Lower Pisang because of the view. In our case it was also very windy, and this was one of the coldest nights of the whole trip.
Day 6 (Pisang - Braga)
Day 7 (Acclimatisation day - Ice Lake)
A day trip to the Ice Lake is an excellent way to acclimatise, as the lake sits at 4.800m. In good weather it is incredibly beautiful - it is the main image of this post.
Day 8 (Braga - Manang)
Day 9 (Manang - Yak Kharka)
Day 10 (Yak Kharka - Thorong Phedi)
Day 11 (Thorong Phedi - Muktinath)
The pass day: over the Thorong La at 5.416m and down to Muktinath.
Day 12 (Muktinath - Kagbeni)
Day 13 (Kagbeni - Marpha)
Day 14 (Marpha - Kalopani)
Day 15 (Kalopani - Tatopani)
Day 16 (Tatopani - Sikha)
Day 17 (Sikha - Ghorepani)
Day 18 (Ghorepani - Pokhara)
Day 19 (Pokhara)
Day 20 (Pokhara)
Day 21 (Pokhara - Kathmandu)
We took a 7am bus back to Kathmandu; tickets are sold by many travel agencies. Back in the city you realise just how quiet the trek had been.
Recommendations
- No reservations are necessary. There are plenty of tea houses along the way, and if you take dinner and breakfast there, the room itself is usually free. That stops being true the closer you get to the Thorong La
- Follow the standard advice never to sleep at the highest altitude you reached that day. Our guidebook recommended descending at least 300m for the night. We stuck to that - sometimes with a short walk in the late afternoon to gain the height and give it back - and had no problems with altitude sickness
- Walk the circuit counter-clockwise. In the other direction you face one very hard day before the Thorong La with around 1.800m of ascent, no accommodation in between and no water supply. Counter-clockwise also gives you a far better altitude profile for acclimatising
- We spent roughly 15 EUR per person per day. We did not buy bottled water; we used the refill stations of the "Safe Drinking Water" initiative and drank the water without further treatment. Guided groups usually skip those stations because they cost time - if you are on your own, check your guidebook for their locations. Water becomes expensive the higher you go, and so does tea, which is nevertheless the best hot drink available up there
- The higher you get, the more garlic soup you should eat. It smells strange at first, but you grow to like it, and it genuinely helps against the effects of altitude
Food on the way
There are plenty of tea houses and restaurants along the route, so food is not something to worry about. It is cheap and good. Water is available everywhere as well; we used the usual purification tablets to be safe.
Packing list (extract)
Hiking
- Normal trekking boots are sufficient - the trail is not technically difficult. Trekking poles are strongly recommended: there is at least one day with about 1.800m of descent, which is miserable without them
- Layers for a wide range of conditions. The route runs from subtropical valleys to a 5.416m pass, and the difference between walking in the sun and standing on the pass is extreme
Food
- Nothing special is needed. Breakfast where you sleep, lunch at a restaurant along the trail and dinner at your tea house works perfectly. Fresh fruit is the one thing that can be hard to find
Sleeping
- A sleeping bag is sufficient, but it can get very cold. I recommend one with a comfort rating around 0°C. Rooms usually sleep two to four people, so earplugs are normally not necessary
Gallery
