Annapurna Circuit Trekking - 16 days

After breakfast, you will drive to Besisahar (approx. 185 km), which takes about 6 hours. You will drive past beautiful landscapes. Overnight at guest house/lodge.

Todays trek begins to introduce us to the many cultural elements of Nepal. You will come across typical houses and the different faces of the local people, exchanging greetings as we pass. Crossing the suspension bridge at Besisahar to the eastern side of the Marshyangdi River and climb up the trail. The trail has a mix of ascent and decent as we pass small valleys, the mix of Nepali people is clearly seen in the faces of the local people we meet as we pass through the villages. Nadi is a settlement of families originally from Manang village while Taranche, immediately above it, is a Gurung village. The last hour and half we climb uphill to reach Bahun Danda, where we stay overnight.

From Bahun Danda we gain slight altitude to reach Chamje. Drop down fro the ridge on which Bahundanda is perched and follow the river to Syange, where we cross the river by suspension bridge. From here we climb uphill for about an hour to the village of Jagat, there are some great views of the river below as well as of the waterfall across the river. Chamje is another hour and half following the river.

The route today passes villages and local communites that are said to have migrated from Tibet a long time ago. As we trek you will feel the difference in the lifestyle of the people and their settlements. We cross the suspension bridge below Chamje and climb two steep sections of the trail to reach the village of Tal. Tal is populated with Gurungs and Tibetans. From the end of the valley above Tal, the trail rises steeply initially and then rises and falls as it cuts across the mountain side to Dharapani.

Today the trail mostly climbs as we increase in altitude, you will find that even though we are not walking for that long each day, you do consume a lot of energy. We reach Bagarchap, a Tibetan village, within the first hour of todays trek, followed by Dangyung, a small Tibetan settlement shortky afterwards. We then enter dense forest, cross bridges over tributaries and at the foot of a waterfall ascend steep stone steps to reach the new trail to Chame. It will take us about 3 and half hours with some fine views of Annapurna II on the approach to Chame.

Today’s walk passes several rivers and so we climb up and down between them. From Chame, we reach the small settlement of Taleku, in approximately forty minutes. In just under two hours, we cross a bridge to the sparsely inhabited settlement of Bartang. This former Khampa settlement is now an orchard and marks the traditional boundary between the Manang area to the north and the predominantly Gurung area to the south. From Bartang, we follow the river for forty-five minutes, cross the bridge and then ascend to the floor of the Manang valley and Lower Pisang. A spectacular rockwall is in view for much of the climb. You will notice a real change in the landscape as the area becomes much more arid as we climb.

The trail continues to climb and by now, you will be encountering the windy and dry atmosphere of the area. This is one of the reasons that makes Manang a special place of interest for the visitors. The trail rises, first gradually and then more steeply from Lower Pisang to reach the crest of a ridge overlooking the upper Manang Valley. The airfield and settlement area of Ongre are clearly visible from this vantage-point. We then head down to the flat valley floor and reach Ongre, shortly after this we cross the Sabche Khola River with a great view of the amphitheatre formed by Annapurna III and IV. Watch out for the village of Braga, built impressively into a cliff-wall. Manang is about half an hour past Braga.

Today will be day for acclimatization, allowing our bodies a chance to adjust to our increase in height. We will make some short hikes around the area during the day.

The way slowly ascends through the Manang village. The houses are mad by clay and stone and joint each other. The path keeps on going up slowly by crossing the innumerable tiny streams, which come from the Chulu east and Chulu west.

Today we head to the foot of Thorong La pass, Thorong Phedi. From Yak Kharka, we will climb up to a ridge, then head down and cross the Marsyangdi river on a wooden bridge. After climbing up the mountain, we follow a narrow trail across a slope and descend to Thorung Phedi. The uninhabited, rugged terrain is otherworldly and much different than the lush lowlands that we passed on the way up during the initial phase of the trek.

Today is the biggest challenge, a long day as we start early to ascend to the Thorong La Pass. It usually takes around 7 hrs to complete the climb, before a 3 hr decent to Muktinath. The views of the Himalaya are magnificent as you climb up and cross this popular pass, don’t forget to look at the views ! Muktinath is a pilgrimage centre for both Buddhists and Hindus, it is home to the Vishnu temple of Jiwala Mayi as well as several Buddhist monasteries. It is believed that all your sins are relieved when visiting this temple of Lord Vishnu. In an old temple you can find the natural spring and natural gas jets which produce the eternal flame of Muktinath, it is this combination of earth- water -fire that gives the area its particular religious significance.

In the morning, we visit Muktinath Temple and then continue our journey on a local bus ride to Tatopani. It will be a rough drive as the road passes through some of the deepest gorges in the world. We will be moving from the arid highlands to lush green forests. Tatopani is famous for natural hot springs, and it is a place where we can immerse ourselves in the hot springs and relax. The waters of Tatopani are said to have curative properties against skin diseases. 

Again cross the long suspension bridge over the Kali Gandaki then again Do Khola (stream) the path goes rapidly up via Ghara and Shikha villages. You will gain about 1500m high today. The stunning view of Mt. Dhaulagiri is just in front of you. Keep continue to uphill trek through thick, lush Rhododendron forest. In spring season, the place looks like a heaven, when the Rhododendron is in bloom. Ghorepani is one of the magnificent villages in the area. A good place to see owe inspiring view of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massive.

Early in the morning, we will climb for one hour to the top of Poon Hill. Poon Hill is one of the most popular vantage points of this trek, it is situated at an elevation of 3210m. From here we can see the tremendous views of Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna range. After enjoying the views for a while, we return to Ghorepani village and after breakfast start our trek to Ghandruk.

The trail climbs south on path through deep forests. It finally emerges on a grassy knoll which offers good mountain views, including a view of Machhapuchhare (not visible from Ghorepani) and a panorama all the way south to the plains of India. It is a similar view to that from Poon Hill. We climb along the ridge in pine and rhododendron forests to a crest at 3030m, then descend to cross a second pass, at 2960m. The trail then descends steeply to a stream before the climbing again through the forest to Tadapani. The trail descends steeply from Tadapani through the forest to a clearing, a short steep descent among rocks leads to a stream crossing then we descend gently pass other streams and finally down towards Ghangdruk. The trail reaches the edge of Ghangdruk near the tin roofed handicraft factory, and then descends on stone steps into the maze of the village itself.

The remainder of the trek is gradual downhill through the village of syauli Bazar. It takes about two hours to reach syauli bazar. then after countinue to get Birethati.  Birethati is the exit point of the ACAP region and foreigners need to check out here.  Nayapul is connected to the highway by a graveled road with some jeeps offering a ride to Pokhara and it is in the Bhupi Sherchan Highway (Pokhara to Baglung). From here we take our taxi and drive back to Pokhara.

Your Annapurna Circuit Package ends today. We wake up in Pokhara this day, and after breakfast, we drive back to Kathmandu on a tourist bus. It's a 200 km route that initially follows the Marsyangdi River and Trishuli River later. You may also choose to return by a 25-minute flight (not included in the package) from Pokhara. Our trek package completes at Kathmandu.