Annapurna Circuit Trek

Trip Overview

Trip Itinerary

Dates & Price

Cost Inclusion

Cost Exclusion

Essential Information

Weather

The best seasons for Annapurna Circuit Trek are Autumn (latter half of September till December) and Spring (latter half of March until mid-May). On both seasons, Mornings are usually clear, with clouds building up in the afternoon and disappearing at night. The given temperature may raise or lower with the change in weather factors: (Sunny, Snow, Rain etc.)

Autumn/Fall:
This is when the rain settles after the monsoon (July to Mid September )and the weather gets dry. Slightly colder than Spring but presents clear views of the mountains. The mornings are clear providing best mountain views, days are warmer and night time will get cold and frosty. Temperatures will drop considerably as you ascend higher every day. The temperature during Autumn varies from lowest -5 degree Celsius at Thorung Phedi to warmest 20 degree Celsius at lower places. 

Spring:
Another weather window for trekking in Nepal comes during the month of the latter March to May. The temperature will be relatively warmer during this period of time but still, nights will be cold and frosty at a higher elevation. During the spring season, The trekking trails all over the country are filled with vibrant mixes of red, pink, and white floras offering surreal experience along the trek. Spring season offers warm temperatures, blossoming flora and temperate days. The temperature during Autumn varies from lowest -0 degree Celsius at Thorung Phedi to warmest 25 degree Celsius at lower places. 

Read more about the best time: https://highlandexpeditions.com/best-time-to-visit-nepal/

Accommodation

Hotel: 4 Nights, Teahouse/Lodge: 14 Nights

Kathmandu: 
In Kathmandu, we stay at Kathmandu Guest House, a well-known hotel where many famous celebrities like Beatles, Ricky Martin, Jeremy Irons and others have stayed. Centrally located in Thamel, the hotel also boasts a beautiful garden where you can relax and enjoy the greenery. Breakfast will be provided in the hotel and your accommodation will be on a twin sharing basis and if you would like to have a single room, upon request you are required to pay a single supplement price as stated in the trip costing.
Regardless of whether you're coming back from the mountains or touching base from the airport, come and unwind at the hotel beautiful garden, request some fine Italian espresso or a chilled Beer, and escape in the memorable surroundings of Kathmandu's most adored guesthouse.

Pokhara:
Our Address in Pokhara (Hotel Dandelion), with a spacious and comfortable room this hotel is a good place to chill and relax. The hotel is equipped with modern facilities and a swimming pool. Your accommodation will be on twin sharing basis and if you would like to have a single room, upon request you are required to pay a single supplement price

On Trek:
For accommodation on the trek, there are clean and friendly teahouses/lodges along the trail. Rooms are basic, normally just a bed with a pillow and blankets but with a wonderful view from your window. Due to the limited teahouses/lodges in this area, during the peak season time, even dining rooms are occupied for sleeping purpose. Your accommodation on the trek will be on a twin sharing basis. All the teahouses/lodges have a spacious warm dining room lounge. The rooms are fairly basic. Blankets are generally provided by the teahouse but we will provide a warm sleeping bag to everyone. Bathrooms are mostly shared and toilets are squat type in most places. We will arrange for you and your group to stay in local lodges daily. Please remember that some of them are very basic and a sense of adventure is necessary.

Single supplement: 
A single supplement will be charged if someone wishes to have their own room in Kathmandu. Especially when travelling in a group, we will always pair you with someone of the same sex and similar age to share the room with. If in case of a single by default, then clients don’t have to pay for the single supplement. Please note that on the trek, a single supplement is not available due to limited rooms

Meals

All meals are included during the trekking period (Day 02 to Day 17). We will provide three meals a day (B, L, D) during the trek and in Pokhara. The menus in the teahouses are varied, ranging from traditional Nepalese dhal bhat, Momo (Dumpling) to pizza and apple pie. During the trek, Breakfast and Dinner will be served at the teahouse/lodge where you stay and Lunch will be along the way. Despite the fact that meat is available in the teahouses, we prompt against eating it on the trek. The meat has frequently been conveyed in the warmth from lower elevations for a few days before arriving at the teahouses and can cause stomach upsets or disease.
If you have any special dietary requirements please let us know in advance and we will be sure to pass your message to your guide. For a gluten-free diet, we highly recommend you bring extra foods especially for breakfast as your options for the breakfast will be limited. Meals worth USD500-550 are included on this trip. In Kathmandu, only breakfast will be provided to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where what and with whom to eat for lunch and dinner.

Difficulty

Grading: 5-6 (Challenging)

Annapurna Circuit Trek is considered challenging due to high altitudes and longer duration trek. The trail is relatively easier following good paths but due to the increasing altitude, it's graded challenging. Please be prepared to walk for 6-7 hrs every day on average carrying your backpack, which will consist of your valuable items, water, extra fleece, snacks etc. Longer treks reaching up to an elevation of 5500m. 

Prerequisites

No previous experience of trekking is required but you should be moderately fit and must enjoy walking and adaptable to high altitude conditions. Having a previous experience is definitely beneficial but it is not a must to participate for this trip. All travellers need to be in good physical health in order to participate fully on this trip. We strongly advise you to prepare yourself for the trip at least 3 months prior to your trip date by doing regular exercises, going on hiking, running or gym. The fitter you are, the more enjoyable you will find the experience of trekking. All our trip itinerary has been devised keeping every aspect in mind and allows ample time for acclimatization

Approach

Our route to Annapurna Circuit/Thorung La Pass follows a careful approach with ample time for acclimatization and breathtaking sceneries along the way. Our itinerary involves a side excursion to Gyaru and Ngawal. We also have kept an acclimatization day at Manang.  The maximum elevation you will gain on this trip is 5,416m/17,770ft and the maximum overnight elevation is 4,400m/14,436ft. With over 30 years of experience in trekking and climbing in the Himalayas, we have carefully tailored each of our itineraries. We put a lot of care into all the details when it comes to executing any of your ventures. Safety is always a priority while travelling with Highland Expeditions and we have applied this strictly on our approach.

Group Size

Our emphasis is always on maintaining the small group so that it will be easy to coordinate and cooperate with each other. Our group size is small and we only take up to 12 pax in one group. If you opt to join our ‘fixed departure trip’, you are likely to be joining people from different countries of any age group except minors. The size of the group varies, the minimum no of persons required to operate the trip is 1 and the maximum is 12 people.

Typical Day

Daily wake up calls will be between 6.00 am to 7.00 am while on the trek. The wake-up time and breakfast time will be decided a night before during the briefing time. The timetable for each day will entirely depend on your walking duration for that particular day.

After a hearty breakfast, we set off on the day's walk. Before breakfast, you are required to pack your duffel bag as it will be loaded by the porter while you are having your breakfast. After 3-4 hours of walk, we stop for lunch mid-day.  The afternoon's walk is generally shorter and we usually arrive at our destination in time for afternoon tea. The rest of the afternoon can be spent exploring the village, washing your clothes or simply relaxing with a good book. On some days, we will arrive at our destination by lunchtime and the entire afternoon will be free. After dinner, the evening will often be spent playing cards and reliving the day's adventures, before heading off to bed for a well-earned sleep.

Guide and Staff

We possess a deep passion for alpine adventure & the outdoors, and with the small professional group we have on board, we’ve notched up experience that spans almost 3 decades on some of the most isolated trails and highest peaks. We take great pride in calling ourselves a ‘high-altitude adventure specialist’ and all this is due to our diverse and qualified team of guides. Most of our guides were born in these parts & have relatives living in other parts of the regions where they were born in.

Your trip will be led by a qualified guide with 1 porter to every 2 participants and 1 assistant guide to every 4 participants. 

Private Trip/Group Joining

Our trips are available on both fixed departure and private basis. If you are looking for a group to join this trip please check our departures section for availability, dates and price. If you would like to travel independently, or with your friends, families & colleagues you are invited to choose any of the trips at your convenient timeframe for any number of people. If you want to do something that is not included in our trip list, we are ready to tailor a trip to suit your exact requirements. In short, we will make every effort to get you on the trip you want, when you want.

Equipment Checklist

The gear listed below is recommended for this kind of trips. We encourage you to get all equipment listed below for the trip and kindly ensure you check and try every equipment. You can also buy or hire the same in Kathmandu as they are available in the many trekking shops from branded to local manufacturers in Kathmandu.

Clothing and Footwear

- Long-sleeved shirts
- T-Shirts
- Trousers
- Warm Jackets/Sweater/Pullover
- Waterproof jackets and trousers
- Thermal
- Inner wears
- Undergarments
- Warm socks
- Warm Hat, Gloves and Bandana/Scarf
- Extra clothes to wear in Kathmandu when you come back from the trek.
- Trekking shoes
- Slippers/Flip flops to wear at camp
- Daypack 30-35 litres (To carry your sunblock, water, camera, waterproof jackets and others that you may require while trekking)

Documents

- Passport with visa and validity of 6 months after your trip completion
- 4 copies of passport size photos for permits and official formalities
- Travel Insurance (Please refer to the general information page for more detail about it)
- Flight tickets
- Credit cards in case of emergencies
- Driving ID or any other ID in case of loss of your passport.

(Please carry the photocopy of all the documents along with you and leave a copy to next of kin)

Others

- Headlamps with extra batteries
- Sunglasses with UV protection
- Camera with charger or spare batteries
- A pair of trekking poles
- Water bottle one (1) litre
- Laundry bag to keep the dirty clothes
- Large plastic bags to keep the clothes dry
- Padlock
- Binoculars
- Reading materials, notebooks and pens

Toiletries and hygiene

- Quick-drying towel
- Small face towel
- Toothbrush &Toothpaste
- Deodorants, Soap and Shampoo (Smaller bottle)
- Face and body moisturizer, Sunscreen and lip balm
- Hand sanitiser/Antiseptic wipes
- Hygiene products
- Basic first aid kit

The gears listed below will be provided by us for the trek. Down Jacket and Sleeping Bag must be returned after the completion of the trek.

- Down Jacket
- Sleeping bag 
- Duffel/Kit Bag

Additional Information

Other information such as (Insurance, Arrival Instructions, Visa and Passport etc) required for the trip will be provided after your trip confirmation. Please feel free to get in touch with us if you require more information about the trip.

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Reviews

Graham Sowerbutts May 02, 2017

A brilliant trek expertly guided by Passang and his team at Highland Expeditions. I can’t speak highly enough about the way we were looked after and would highly recommend Highland Expeditions to anyone who is looking to book a trekking or climbing holiday.

Jill Sowerbutts May 02, 2017

The trip was excellent from start to finish. Very helpful and attentive staff who could not do enough for you. Very informative and very helpful when i got a bit sick.
Thank you Passang, your team and Highland Expeditions for a thoroughly enjoyable trek and memories that i will treasure for a lifetime.